Here Am I

Catch Up #2- Seventh Feeding Point – 1/06/11 (written June 2 ’11)

2011-10-18T13:56:00.000-07:00

Today was my last day with the children in Musana. My sister and I are flying out of Africa exactly a week from today, and won’t be seeing them again. It’s strange how children can get under your skin- one week I didn’t know any of them, the next I didn’t want to imagine never seeing them again. It’ll be hard not knowing if they’re alright, not knowing what’s happening with their situations.

This week my mom and I went walking around Musana for a couple of hours. It was boiling hot, with barely any wind, but it was absolutely beautiful. This is such a gorgeous country, with such wonderful people, and I’m so glad that I was able to be a part of this new beginning. I’m so excited to hear more about what will happen with the ministry, and see what God has in store for all of these children!

At the end of the day, when we were about to leave, they got all the children into a group, and taught them to say “Bye-bye Erin, bye-bye Megan, we’re going to miss you”. It was so sweet… and I’m definitely going to miss them.

Catch Up #1- Elephants and Waterfalls (written May 30 ’11)

2011-10-18T10:48:00.000-07:00

This weekend [a week or so before Megan and I left Africa] was absolutely amazing. We left our house on Sunday morning, and arrived in the town of Victoria Falls ten hours later, exhausted, but excited.

The next morning we went to see Victoria Falls, which is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Words can’t even describe how incredibly breathtaking those falls are. It is literally unending waterfalls, water pounding down unstoppably, with an insane amount of spray… we were all drenched by the end of it! Thankfully, the rest of our family has been there before, and we were prepared this time- we bought the “touristy” ponchos, and they saved most of our clothes from harm. I also wrapped my camera in cellophane, which saved it from any water damage.

I literally can’t describe how amazing it was, so I’ll let the pictures describe it for me.

After the waterfalls, Megan, our mom, and I went… and rode elephants! The elephants were so steady and gentle, it was actually very comfortable. Elephants are the second most intelligent animals in the world (after dolphins, my favourite) and it was so obvious; those elephants understand spoken commands in English, Shona, and Ndebele (two other languages in Zimbabwe, other than English), and answer to their own names. It was so surreal, I kept on thinking to myself, You’re riding an elephant in Africa!

It was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had- right up there with riding camels around the pyramids!

Our elephant (my sister and I had to share a ride) was named Lundi, and she’s pregnant, and will give birth any day now. She was very sweet; after our hour long ride, we got to feed her, and sit on her ‘lap’. They’re very demanding about getting treats, sticking their long trunks right in your face if you’re not quick enough about it.

Again, a picture is worth a thousand words, so here are a few thousand more words…

So Far Behind...

2011-07-20T20:16:00.001-07:00

... It isn't even funny.

I can't believe that I haven't posted in nearly two months!

It's been crazy- Megan and I left Africa on June 8th, and flew out to England, where we spent two weeks before flying back to Vancouver- and we've been home ever since!

I will post about the feeding programs, about how the fam is doing in Zim, about our trip in London and Congleton (and our Glee live concert experience!), and about how our lives are going back here in Canada later...

For now I just wanted to say hi, and let everyone know that I am not dead.

Sixth Feeding Point – 25/05/11

2011-05-26T07:12:00.000-07:00

There has been a bit of a problem concerning which kids are being accepted into the program, and which are not- parents are complaining, and the village head has given us a new list of kids, some of whom are obviously doing fine. It’s been a bit crazy, and although the village head and other people in the village are being helpful, some people are just causing unnecessary problems.

So we have decided to go around to every child’s house and do a thorough assessment of their situation, and go from there. Today we did the first group of visits, and it was very interesting to see what is really going on, as opposed to what the child has told us. A few of them quite definitely do not need to be in the program, and some of them definitely do.

It will take a long time to finish up all the assessments, but hopefully once we are done, we will have a definite list of the kids who are in the program, no matter what. Pray for us, as we try to sort all of this out!

Fourth Feeding Point- 11/05/11

2011-05-17T08:38:00.000-07:00

We now have 105 of the neediest/poorest children registered with us, with more to come next week! It is so exciting to see the ministry growing even just in these past couple of weeks. At the moment we are trying to get more information about the children, and are in the process of creating a website, so more news on that to come. Here are a few pictures from the most recent feeding program (next one happening tomorrow).

Belinda, our 100th child registered!

I don’t have details to tell many of the children’s stories yet, but here is one. We met Michelle (12), O’Brian (10) and Moesha (5) last week when they showed up quite late in the afternoon and asked if they could have food. They were dressed in very ragged and dirty clothes, and looked like they came from a very poor situation, even for Musana. When we asked them where they had come from, they indicated that they live in a village quite a distance from our property. Someone had told them about our program, and they had spent much of the afternoon walking to get there. They noted that they are orphans who live with their grandmother, and only get one small meal per day, as she is very poor. While these children are technically outside the area we said we were going to serve, we simply could not turn them away after hearing their story, so they are part of our program now. While they were very reserved at first, Michelle, O’Brian and Moesha have warmed up and now fully participate in the games and activities.

Please pray for us and the children as we continue to expand the ministry, and develop relationships with each other.

A Dollar For Fun

2011-05-17T08:35:00.000-07:00

We tried out one of the churches for the first time a couple of weeks ago, and Moses and Ayana went to the kid’s program. Afterwards we picked them up, and they said that it had been fine, but Moses had a complaint. Apparently they had been learning about tithing, and kids could give some money if they had any. Moses, not understand the lesson, said to us, in a very disapproving voice:

“It was okay, but you know what? They were charging us a dollar, just to have a bit of fun.”

Happy Fourteenth Josh

2011-05-17T08:31:00.000-07:00

Practicing on his new electric guitar

Going out for dinner

Third Feeding Point- 4/05/11

2011-05-17T08:22:00.000-07:00

Our third feeding point went so well. We had fifteen more children register, and our number of registered children is now up to 92! We had about 109 children show up altogether, and some of those extras will be investigated to see if they need to be part of the program.

Here is a glimpse at an update my dad sent around last week- he figured out some of the statistics of our kids, and I thought I’d post them.

· In terms of caregivers, only 7% of all the children live with both parents(!).

o The rest are taken care of by:

§ mothers (29%)

§ fathers (3%)

§ grandmothers (33%)

§ both grandparents (12%)

§ other relatives (6%), and

§ siblings i.e. child-headed households (10%).

***Just because a child has both parents does not mean that their situation is necessarily good; for instance, one family has 6 children living with both parents, but they are very poor and receive only 1 meal per day because the father cannot work or help much at all.

· All of the families (100%) are subsistence farmers and get their food from their gardens.

o 9% receive 3 meals a day

o 67% receive 2 meals per day, and

o 24% are given only one meal per day.

***Please keep in mind that what these children mean by a meal could include ½ a “mealie” (roasted corn cob) or 1 slice of bread or 1 cup of maize porridge or 1 avocado or 1 banana or even just 1 tomato.

· Five percent (5%) of children do not attend school because their families cannot afford school fees (usually between $30 - $90 USD per year)

Next week school will have started, so we will have to see how it works with all the youngest children coming first, and the older ones later on. I’ll keep you updated!

Second Feeding Point- 27/04/11

2011-05-17T07:11:00.000-07:00

The second feeding program happened on the 27^th, and we had 33 new children register! We now have a total of 76 registered children, plus a few who were visiting, or were not registered. In time we won’t allow any but the registered children to come get food, but at for now we’ve been feeding the extras.

As nothing especially different from the first week happened, I won’t go into detail, but here are a few pictures, including the new faces!

Catch-Up #3 – First Feeding Point in Musana

2011-05-16T08:31:00.000-07:00

Our first feeding program took place on April 20^th, and was a huge success.

Esther, the woman living on the property where we are beginning the ministry in Musana, met with several village heads and a health worker to establish a list of 66 children who were invited to the first program. More children will be added as we go along. She also recruited five volunteers from the community who came to help, and cooked the entire meal.

When the children arrived, we registered them and took their general living situation information, and took a photograph of them for our files… out of our list of 66 children, we registered 45, and had an additional 10 or so who were not on the list, and will be investigated to find out if they are needy enough to be part of our program.

The food took longer to prepare than expected, but the children had a wonderful time playing and getting to know each other and us. It lasted for several hours, and it was so amazing to finally see the faces of the kids that we will be working with!

The food was a big hit as well, and despite the enormous amounts served, every child finished every bite of their meal- including little two year oldKudzi (the youngest registered), who sat and valiantly ate every single bit of food off of his heaping plate.

I loved getting to know different children, and finding out about their stories. Some of them were tragic; two girls, Talent(13) and her half-sister Sharon(11), live alone. Their mother remarried a few years ago, and moved away with her new husband, leaving her daughters alone. She comes back every so often to bring them food, but for the most part they are alone, looking after themselves, their house, their garden, and somehow managing to remain in school.

Another young boy, Leeroy, is fifteen years old, and lives alone. He was too scared to come to the program on his own at first, and only showed up after much coaxing, towards the end of the day. He has no money, and so had to leave school. I don’t know any details, but he was a sweet, polite boy, and my heart went out to him.

I don’t know anything about this little girl’s situation, but she made me laugh. When asked how old she was, she said she wasn’t quite sure, but she thought she might be one year. =)

There are so many other stories with each of the children we’ll be working with, and I’m so excited to see this ministry begin, and to be able to watch it grow.

Just For Fun

2011-05-03T08:37:00.000-07:00

Twice a week I teach Ayana and Moses’ school, and their favourite part is craft time at the end of the day. Recently, we finished our three-week long project: drawing the biggest poster in the world! Inspired by the movie ‘Ramona and Beezus’ (in which Ramona and her dad draw the longest picture in the world), our poster took up forty pieces of paper, and hundreds of crayons. It shows each place we’ve visited since leaving Canada, including all the plane rides, and is pretty spectacular if we do say so ourselves! =)

Canada

England (10 days)

Santorini, Greece (2 weeks)

Egypt (5 days)

South Africa (9 months)

Uganda (6 months)

Zimbabwe (since the end of January '11)

The full poster, complete with plane rides =)

And here’s a picture Moses drew for me… he found my Harry Potter book in my room, and decided to copy the front of it for my wall. I thought it was a pretty funny depiction =)

Catch Up #2 - Dance!

2011-05-03T08:21:00.000-07:00

This second post is about our up and coming Dance Show ministry.

Back when we first arrived in Zimbabwe, at the end of January, my mom and Adonis had an idea about starting a dance TV program here in Zimbabwe, similar to ‘America’s Best Dance Crew’. They have nothing like that here as of yet, and when they spoke to a TV producing company, they loved the idea.

Just like the American show, if it works out, they will be traveling to cities all over Zimbabwe, auditioning dance groups, and inviting the winners along to Harare, where the main shows will be hosted. Along with bringing dance all over the country, the show would also be bringing both awareness, and funds for Let’s Give Them Hope.

Since then both my mom and Adonis have been working extremely hard to bring the vision to reality.

In March we hosted a sample demo dance competition, and it went amazingly well. We had many great dance groups competing, people from newspapers attending, and we even got DJ Scott there (the biggest radio DJ in Zimbabwe) to DJ for us. We had a great turnout for a first event, and ended up in several Zimbabwean newspapers.

Here is a segment of an update my dad is sending out about the dance ministry:

“We are also in the process of registering the dance ministry as an association with the National Arts Council under the name ‘Zimbabwe’s Finest Dance Group’. Our goal for this side of the ministry is two-fold: to raise awareness and funds for the orphan ministry, and to create opportunities for local youth to get involved in a pro-social and creative, yet ‘cool’, alternative to drugs and crime. We have a number of hip hop/break dance teams, mostly from the ghetto, signed up with us already. We have a tentative green-light from the national television network…”

So the dance ministry is a very exciting new venture, and if it works out, it will be so helpful in spreading our ministry around the country!

Part of the winning team, the Boplets

DJ Scott =)

Catch Up #1 - Let's Give Them Hope

2011-05-03T07:42:00.000-07:00

Well the terribly long blog hiatus is over! It added up to laziness, terrible internet (which will account for any more long silences in the future), and the fact that it’s difficult to write about events happening in the future.
But I apologize to anyone who might actually happen to read this blog, and promise that I won’t do it again.

I’m going to be doing a couple catch-up posts whenever I can get to internet, to catch you up on the most important things going on right now, using both my own words, and the much more knowledgeable words of updates already sent home to Canada. This first post will be about our starting up ministry, Let’s Give Them Hope.

I already posted about it back when we were still in Uganda, but I’ll just give a brief explanation on what we’re hoping to do, and an update on our progress.

The ministry will be focused on working with children who are the poorest of the poor- namely the orphans, the single parented children, and the ones from child headed households.

We will be starting with once or twice a week feeding programs, which will bring together a list- made by the village chiefs- of the neediest children in the area, for an afternoon of games, connecting, and a hot meal. Eventually we want to build up to have a whole centre, with a nursery, a daycare, an after school homework program, and various fine arts centres.

Our friends here in Zimbabwe have many acres of land in a rural area called Musana, where we are planning to establish this ministry.

This is a quick paragraph from one of my dad’s updates:

“Our primary focus in our own vision has always been the emotional healing of the orphaned/vulnerable children, while simultaneously providing visible care for them in their own communities We see these children being raised up, given a chance to dream, given skills that enhance their self-esteem and that elevate them from thinking they can achieve nothing… to knowing that they are skilled and valuable. Our aim is to give these children a hope, a dream for the future.”

So far, we have been doing a lot of work towards this ministry, and have even had our first two feeding points- which I will write about soon!

We have a bunch of great people working with us, all of them Zimbabwean and bringing great experience and skills to our team(including a carpenter, a South African trained dancer, and a woman who had training and experience in running children's centres and homes for orphans).

We also have been very active in fund-raising for the ministry here in Zimbabwe; lots of proposals and documents have been sent out, and research in various companies who donate towards ministries done.

Very exciting things are happening… stay tuned to read about our very first Musana feeding point!

** It's a miracle that any pictures at all are loading, so enjoy them! =) **

Road Trip to South Africa

2011-03-02T13:18:00.000-08:00

We've been visiting here in South Africa for about a week now. We had to come back down because of something to do with the car (we bought it here in SA, and friends drove it up for us) but it was a great opportunity to visit with friends again. Its been so great to see peopleand places, and we'll be sad to leave on Saturday; We'll be leaving at around 1am, as the drive from Harare, Zimbabwe to White River, SA takes about 16 hours and we want to hit the border before it gets too bad. Its pretty brutal, but I don't mind road trips, and its worth it to be able to be here for a while again!

There have been pretty exciting things happening in Zimbabwe, and I can't wait to post about it... I don't know all the details of everything, so I'll wait to post one of my dad's excellent updates about it all =)

For now I just wanted to post quickly to update you all on where we are.

Zimbabwe

2011-02-17T06:23:00.000-08:00

We’ve been in Zimbabwe for about three weeks now, and this is only the second time I’ve been on the internet… it’s a lot more expensive to buy internet airtime here than in Uganda or South Africa! We’re just here at an internet café for a while, and it doesn't seem to be letting me load pictures on here. So, at least you know that we are doing well, and are alive! =)

The house we are staying at is very nice, with even a small pool in the yard! We're feeling very spoiled =)

I got to visit the family of a friend here in the rural area. The rest of my family knows them quite well, but it was my first time going out there. It is such a beautiful place! And the people are so sweet, I'm really looking forward to getting to know them, and hopefully working with them a bit as the ministry develops.

Some other exciting things have been happenings, and I hope to be able to put some updates on here asap, so check back soon!

Tuesday, 2am

2011-01-23T22:59:00.000-08:00

We're in Kampala at the moment, but tonight/early tomorrow morning, we will be leaving Uganda and heading off for Zimbabwe. Of course, our flight is crazy and hectic (we fly to Ethiopia first, and then down to Zimbabwe), but we'll get there eventually.

Sorry for the short post, I'll write more once we arrive.

Moses Turns Five

2011-01-23T09:36:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from Uganda!

2010-12-25T10:22:00.000-08:00

Christmas Eve Traditions

2010-12-24T23:09:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Eve!!

2010-12-24T04:27:00.001-08:00

Christmas '99

A Tale of Three Kings

2010-12-22T05:18:00.000-08:00

We were in Kampala for the past few days, dealing with passport issues etc, and while we were there we got the chance to attend the Watoto Church's Christmas Program. Unfortunately the children's choir didn't take part in it, but their adult choir is huge, and when they performed their very African songs and dances they were great.

(Sorry for the blurry photos- no flash was allowed during the performance.)

Another Goodbye :(

2010-12-15T02:56:00.000-08:00

Goodbye to Scott, who left for home on the twelfth, and Natalie, who left yesterday.

Love and miss you guys.. can't wait to see you in Vancouver Natalia ;) xox

A Christmas House for Shrek ("This is the Part Where You Run Away")

2010-12-15T02:49:00.000-08:00

Our classy gingerbread house didn't turn out the way we expected, what with having only minimal candies, green & red icing, and 4&6 year old helpers... so it became a Christmas house for Shrek :)

Return to Eagles Wings

2010-12-15T02:14:00.000-08:00

Last October/November our family, along with Carissa (my friend, who was traveling with us at the time: Taking the Midnight Flight to Cairo, Cairo to Uganda! , No Need to Say Goodbye...), got the chance to visit Eagles Wings Children's Village for a week (look at these two posts from last year to read a bit about our time there: Uganda!!,

and A little bit of Grace).

We loved spending time with the children, and so when we moved up to Masaka, and realized that we were a mere five minute walk to the compound, we were very excited.

It was amazing how much the children had all grown in one year... but they all remembered most of our names!

We had a great time playing with them, and getting to know them, and are looking forward to spending more time with them in the near future!

This little guy -Elisha- was new to us, but we quickly fell in love with his chubby cheeks! He was brought to them in January of this year, starving and around the size of a small baby... now, less than a year later, he's a healthy, happy, fat little two year old boy!

Ibra Jr was tiny last time we saw him... now he's so big, and doing great!

Fred & Peter, my favourite boys xox

Merry Christmas Holidays!!

2010-12-09T23:54:00.001-08:00

New Year's Directions...

2010-12-09T12:54:00.001-08:00

Once again, this post is borrowing my parents’ words, and is extremely long! But please take the time to read this, it holds news of exciting new ministry possibilities for our family in the new year!

***

“Greetings from our family to yours at this time!

We trust that you are not too stressed rushing around in this busy season. It is strange to be hearing reports of snow, ice and freezing temperatures in Europe and Canada as we continue to bake in the African sunshine. Our doors are open, chickens wander in and out, we long for some cooler weather and Ayana and Moses run around in shorts and t-shirts all day long. Christmas carol lyrics about “Winter Wonderland” seem so incongruous as we don’t remember the last time we put on coats!

As we approach Christmas and another New Year, we want to let you know what is happening for us. It is a season of new beginnings and new directions in many ways…

As you may know, [most of our family] visited Zimbabwe last April/May and we have very close connections with a few people that are both from there and live there. We are eager to let you know that we have an incredible opportunity to be part of founding a new work there that completely fits with the vision that we have always had and has additional elements to it that are very creative and exciting. The work will be community-based and focused on orphaned and vulnerable children, the under privileged and the "least" in the area. While we had planned to stay in Kibaale for a longer transition period, this opportunity has come up sooner than we had anticipated, and fits with our original dream and vision perfectly.

Our Zimbabwean friends have many acres of land with established buildings in a rural area called Musana. The plans are to establish the ministry on this land. There is already permission from the area chief, which in Africa is vitally important as it means that the whole community is automatically in agreement too.

Our primary focus in our own vision has always been the emotional healing of the orphaned/vulnerable children, while simultaneously providing visible care for them in their own communities. We want to see these children being raised up, given a chance to dream, given skills that enhance their self- esteem and that elevate them from thinking they can achieve nothing…to knowing that they are skilled and valuable. Our aim is to give these children a hope, a dream for the future.

The initial goal would be to start with a simple feeding point a couple of times a week which would begin to engage the children, clearing an area of land for the children to play in, providing a few basic toys (soccer balls, “parachute” for parachute games, see saws etc) and then to start building relationships and holding small creative classes (dance, drumming etc.) In time and when trust is established, there would be an opportunity for the children to participate in art projects and art/play/pray therapy … looking at healing through the arts. Community visiting would also be happening simultaneously.

There are currently no services of any kind in this area; no clinics, no welfare or social services, no community centres etc., and so the snacks and play areas will be an immediate draw as the majority of the kids are living in very impoverished circumstances. In fact, in the local school, a large percentage of the children are from child-headed households or live with relatives as they are orphaned. From our initial investigations, we anticipate as many as 75 children coming for food weekly within the first month.

We will be working with a woman called Esther that lives in the house on the property (where we also stayed when we were there) and already takes care of five children there. She is well connected locally, and has dreams providing food, care and counselling to the many vulnerable children in the area.

We will also be working with Esther’s nephew, a young man named Adonis whose dream and passion will be to oversee the creative side of the ministry. He is a professional dancer and an accomplished drummer and musician. He is Zimbabwean, and has already relocated to Zimbabwe from South Africa and is in the initial stages of contacting schools and compiling lists of the most needy children in the area.

We tell you this to show you that a lot of the hard mapping work and relationship-building essential to pioneering new work is already in place. We are working with Zimbabweans who know the area, the local people, the culture and the language. This makes establishing a work in this area significantly easier than starting from what is termed a "cold" community.... in fact if we were to start from scratch, it would take at least one to two years to get to the point things are already at.

We will be renting a house in the capital of Harare which will enable us to have access to the very good infrastructure of the city with internet access and amenities, while being only 45 min drive away from the ministry site. We plan to move in the middle of January 2011 so that we are there to begin the ministry at the start of the African school year.

We are so very excited at the beginning of this ministry…we hear God’s heartbeat for these children in Zimbabwe and feel privileged to respond.

This is long J Thank you for taking the time to digest all of this.

With much love,

David and Lesley and family.”

Primary Speech Day

2010-12-07T08:23:00.000-08:00

On the second last day of school, the Primary School (from Nursery to P/Grade 7) had their "Speech Day". All the parents and family came, and each grade did their own special presentation or performance. I stayed for nearly all of it, and although it was 99% in Luganda I still quite enjoyed it.

At the end of the day, awards were given out for things such as "Most Improved", "Best English", and "Most Intelligent", and I was so happy to see my youngest sponsor girl recieve one such award!

After everything was wrapped up, a hot meal was served for everyone who attended... the lines filled up immediately!

Getting Ready!

2010-12-06T08:18:00.000-08:00

I will post soon about the recent primary school end-of-year "Speech Day" in Kibaale, but I just thought I would put a few pictures up of our preparations for Christmas. It may be hot and sunny outside, but with our favourite decorations and traditions from home and some homemade baking, that doesn't stop it from feeling like Christmas time!

Family Christmas picture coming up soon! :)

The Quest to Mt. Strider

2010-12-06T08:04:00.000-08:00

I apologize for the recent lack of blog posts. It was hard with our poor internet connections in Kibaale to be able to post frequently. We have moved into town now though, so hopefully I'll be able to post more often.

I realize that my last post was about climbing Kibaale Hill, but I can't help posting about it once again... it's such a different story this time.

I've recently been telling a G version of the Lord of the Rings to Ayana and Moses, just for fun, and they have been absolutely loving it. Combine that with letting them watch the first 10 or so minutes of the movie (the harmless parts!), and they have become obsessed. At least five Lord of the Rings crafts are hanging on their wall.

Because we thought it was funny, Natalie, Megan, and I told them that we'd go on an adventure with them at some point... they held us to our word! So last week we gave them their "hobbit cloaks", packed our packs, found some good swords/walking sticks, and set out on a quest, as the "New Fellowship" to destroy the yellow beaded ring which Moses made for the occasion.

We headed for Kibaale Hill, which was quickly renamed "Mt. Strider". It was fun for all of us, but for Ayana and Moses it was so real. They were running along, defending us with their swords and shields, grudgingly "letting us" take water breaks, and just generally having the time of their lives.

Once on the hill we had a picnic, attempted to light a fire (it didn't work), and had an epic battle between half of the fellowship, and Joshua&Moses, who temporarily became orcs. We also ended up only pretending to destroy the ring, as Moses decided that it took him too long to make.

We may have only succeeded in scaring the local people half to death, but Ayana and Moses sure had an amazing time!

Kibaale Hill At Sunrise

2010-11-20T01:17:00.000-08:00

Two weeks ago I had probably one of the best mornings I’ve had in Africa. After going to bed at nine the night before, Natalie, Megan, Joshua, and I woke up at 4:45am, got dressed, made a thermos of tea, and packed up a backpack. Twenty minutes later we left, in the pitch black (all set with our solar lanterns and a head lamp!) to walk to and climb up Kibaale Hill to see the sunrise.

We nearly turned back when we reached the campus front gate, and realized that only was it locked, with the guard patrolling somewhere else, but there was also a dog who seemed intent on barking us down. Thankfully we realized that we really didn’t need a gate, when there was so much barbed wire around the rest of the campus; we simply slipping through the fence and we were on our way.

It was completely black as we walked towards the base of the hill (a good fifteen-twenty minutes from the Centre) but by the time we approached the climb, it was already getting lighter, and once our eyes had adjusted we could walk without a light. We decided to use the light in the grass anyway- just in case of snakes!

When we finally reached the top, the sun was just beginning to rise, casting amazing colours across the sky. We sat on our big beach mat for ages, listening to The Beatles (Here Comes the Sun, very fitting!), drinking tea, and eating leftover birthday cake while we looked at the view.

We stayed up on the hill for a good 2 ½ hours, just admiring the scenery, singing, and taking pictures; everywhere we turned we found another amazing picture opportunity. Even the walk down was fun; we videoed the entire way, as we slipped, tripped, and skipped down the sometimes rocky, sometimes overgrown slope.

It was such an amazing few hours to just drink in the beauty of Uganda, and we were all thoroughly glad we had done it. J

A Day in Uganda

2010-10-30T03:00:00.000-07:00

The following (l.o.n.g.) post was actually written by my mom, as an update which was sent to our supporters back in Canada and various places around the world. It is a very accurate, evocative picture of our life here in rural Uganda, and I thought that it would be valuable to share. I know it is long, but every word is worth reading, every picture worth gazing at. Please take the time to read this post, and experience a day in Africa with us.

***

“Before my eyes even open, there are the sounds of Africa. Sometimes they comfort. Often they intrude. Cockerels crowing. Birds chirruping. Dogs barking. Cows mooing. Pigeons cooing. Wood being chopped. Water being pumped from a borehole with a rusty pump, squeak, squeak, squeak. People calling out greetings or instructions in a language unknown. Flies buzzing. Chickens flapping their wings furiously. The smell of smoke from the morning fires being lit outside every home also invades my morning without permission. These noises and the pungent smell of smoke. They signal me to open my eyes.

And so begins another day in rural Africa.

Will I ever get used to the sights in the myriads of small villages dotted around us? On the one hand, it is interesting how you become accustomed to a life that is so vastly different than what you have previously considered the norm. Yesterday Megan and I walked down into Kibaale “town”…a row of little huts situated on either side of the red dirt road. It was hot and we were sweaty. Cows and goats wandered up the road alongside us and we wove our way in and out and around the potholes and deep ruts, waving to the little groups of curious children that suddenly appear whenever a mzungu is in town. Boda bodas (motorcycle taxis) slowly weave past with women perched side saddle on the back, some dressed in incredibly ornate traditional dresses, some holding sleeping babies, and some balancing enormous loads on their heads. We approached one of the little stalls and bought a bag of local tomatoes, piled up in little ruby pyramids on a wobbly tiny table.

I guess I have been in Africa for a while as I was slightly surprised at the price…

“…a bit expensive isn’t it?” I asked Megan. “Well, they are only about 5 cents.” She replied. Right.

But as we drive along, I often feel like a royal spectator, one that will never really enter this world. I just race by and wave. Will we always be apart? Them and us? You and I? There is a part of me that feels good as I wave and that enjoys the attention, I have to admit this. And yet the rest of me revolts against that. Who am I to get attention as I zoom along? What have I done to deserve recognition?

Rows of completely ramshackle buildings with wisps of cloth hanging in the open doorways. Crumbling mud exposing stick frameworks. Dirt, uneven floors that are patchy with hardened ground and partially covered with woven mats unravelling at each end and edge. And the children. Everywhere there are the children, some clad incongruously in fancy bridesmaid dresses, now torn and dishevelled, obviously barrel donations from the well meaning West. Out of place and slightly inappropriate here. Yet more children in old t. shirts, bare bottoms, snotty faces and oversized clothes, wide eyed and sucking their little fingers. Their skin looks like a strange mix of black and white ash as the dust settles into ever crack and pore. Delighted grins spread across their faces as they spot us- a prized mzungu spotting!- they jump up and down waving furiously and scream with joy if we happen to wave back.

Who am I? I drive by never to see them again as they return to their lives. Sitting in the dirt, playing with sticks, chewing on little chunks of woody sugar cane. They are oblivious to the outside world of internet and lattes. My close African friends assure me as they teach me about culture and life here that this is normal. Just life. Don’t impose my views, my culture, my observations. They are living their lives and it is normal. It is not sad or to be pitied. It is just life. Just different.

And so I try not to compare. Who am I to compare anyway? Surely making comparisons is the worst offense. We rarely “just” compare, we inevitably start to rank and judge. Who am I to judge?

As I sit here, writing in the afternoon of another long and hot day, breezes are blowing and the emerald mango tree is rustling, waving and shuddering. Plump avocados are dropping to the ground with loud thudding regularity. The grass is brown and scrubby; it crunches as people drift by with the familiar wave and shy smile. A cowherd wanders by slowly, the classic African saunter. Why rush? He stops and openly stands staring at me as I sit and write. Whatever am I doing? I can almost hear the questions racing round his mind as he silently observes. As he catches my eye he grins sheepishly, and wanders off behind his herd of long horned cattle.

There is a young boy here that contracted meningitis at the tender age of two. Feverish and lethargic, he was taken to the nearest clinic an hour and a half away. He was placed on a thin mattress on a cement floor. A makeshift I.V was tied with a rag to the window bars and he was spared from death. Five years later he is completely deaf and partially blind, he runs around from morning until evening uttering the alien moans and grunts of the totally deaf. I hate myself when I get annoyed with him. When his noises irritate me. Why would he irritate me? And yet after months and months of this, I find myself having less tolerance. I send him home when he has been playing at the back of my house for hours, just shouting out his curious utterings. Who am I to send him home in annoyance?

And yet I do and then I head inside to boil water over the stove for a hot cup of coffee in the hope that it will thaw my hardening heart.

I never realised how tiring it is to live in the rural African countryside from morning to night, day in and day out, week after week, month after month. Even getting water is a chore. What am I doing here? I decide to walk around the school grounds again. What will be different today? Same groups of people, same greetings, same questions.

“Good morning, afternoon, evening…how are you?”

“I am fine thank you, how are you?”

“I/we are fine thank you madam/sir”

And I walk onto the next group.

“Good morning, afternoon, evening.”

“How are you…..”

I sit in the little dirt homes of friends and I smile and chat and hold babies and play with grinning beautiful little children.
I go to the staff daycare next door and get mobbed by naughty little urchins, trying to pull out my earrings and pinch my strange white skin.

Living in a rural setting, I have often thought that as long as I have water and electricity, I could cope. I am not so sure now but I have discovered that electricity is an amazing thing! Don’t you think? J For days now we have been without power because the generator has broken down yet again. Kibaale does not have electricity but the centre here has a generator, which immediately places us in a privileged position.

But when the generator breaks down, we are plunged into the world of no power. This does not mean a quick call to a repair shop. No. It means a truck load of people driving in from Kampala- a 4.5 hour drive away- to gaze at the generator and realise that they have brought the wrong parts. It can’t be fixed today. Maybe tomorrow? Maybe. Shrug. And tomorrows come and go as more wrong parts appear. Will this work now? No. Maybe tomorrow? Maybe. Shrug. Finally yesterday another truck pulled up and the generator was loaded up and taken to Kampala to be fixed there. When will it be back? Tomorrow? Maybe. Three days? Maybe.

And all the while there is no power. Evenings are long and stretch out like elastic. It is dark. Pitch black. You cannot see your hand 6” in front of your face. Candles are placed everywhere and our family experiences a Little House on the Prairie feel as we sit around and read to each other. Anne of Green Gables springs to life by candlelight in a darkened Ugandan living room. (Surely this is one of the most beautiful and funny books ever written?)

Our computers slowly run out of battery charge and our cell phone bars drain away as we watch in despair. If it is cloudy and rainy (as is often the case in rainy season of course) our solar lamps only charge to a weak and anaemic glow. And we are annoyed. Why? Because surely we have the right to fully charged computers and phones? Surely we have the right to flick a switch and have light surge around us? Don’t we? But do we? One of my student friends here asked how we were coping without power.

“Auntie, I was wondering if mzungus can live with only candles?”

I smile.

“Yes we can…don’t you use only candles?”

He laughs.

“Of course!”

Of course. And not just until a generator is fixed. All the time. Like most of the people in the world. So next time you flick a switch or turn your computer on, do me a favour? Smile and think of us and acknowledge that electricity is an amazing thing! J

Who am I? Why am I here? What am I meant to be doing?

These questions have haunted and stalked through my sleepless nights and over the many hot shimmering days during the last year. They still hover around the edge of my conscience like annoying mosquitoes. I try to swat them away but they return regularly to irritate and madden. They demand an answer. They persist until I acknowledge their validity.

One word drops like a shooting star into the blackness of my mind.

Money. Am I here to dish out money? No. I can sit anywhere and dish out money and that is certainly not the long term answer here anyway.

Answers? No. I don’t have any answers for the things that I see around me every day.

Solutions? No. I don’t have any solutions for the many dilemmas and problems that present themselves to me.

Love? Yes. What forcibly pulled the Lord of all creation from his magnificent, heavenly throne room to the dirt, depravity, desperation and stink of humanity? What on earth…? Love.

I am here to love. It seems so very s.i.m.p.l.e. Such a little realisation.

I have been pulled from my life of luxury to the harsh reality of Africa to love. My dear friend in South Africa informed me when I left that I did not come here to save Africa. To rescue people. To give glib answers. To hand out money.

“Why am I here?” I asked in anguish during one of my times of despair.

“If you love people the way that you have loved me, you will make a difference. That is what we need here,” was the profound and impossible reply.

But that takes so much. Doesn’t it? It is draining. Isn’t love excruciatingly hard? We don’t have that much capacity within us all the time do we? It requires every bit of strength within me and when I fail and love drains out of me…which happened so fast when I got here that it completely shocked me…when I fail… God has to step in and love through me. That is what he is waiting for. For me to stop. For Him to start. There is no other way. I do not even pretend to suggest that I have mastered this. That I understand it.

Who am I?

Nobody.

What have I done?

Nothing extraordinary.

Why am I here?

I am here to love. It seems so very c.o.m.p.l.i.c.a.t.e.d. Such a huge realisation.

Who is God?

He IS love.

What has he done?

“For God so LOVED the world… ”

And the sun sets in a showy blaze of crimson and nectarine…a typical stunning African sunset… and evening drops down, forcing shadows to creep. Cicadas shout, lizards dart, and mosquitoes whine. Blackness. Deep smooth night. Brilliant stars unfolding at the very edge of the world as far as I can see, as far as I can dance.

And so ends another day in rural Africa.

And these three things remain. Faith. Hope. Love.

But the greatest of these is …

From me to you,

Lesley"

Jinja by the Nile

2010-10-10T00:26:00.001-07:00

We are staying for a week at a retreat in Jinja (a city in Eastern Uganda), courtesy of some very generous supporters in the UK, to whom we are so greatful!

The accommodations are in the form of round thatched roof cabins, and we are right on the banks of the Nile. The grounds are beautiful, and Jinja is so lush and fertile that there is a picture opportunity every step down the road. We are so excited to be here, and if we access any high(er) speed internet, I will post some pictures of our surroundings.

I'm also in the process of posting a long "Day in the Life" post, complete with pictures, so keep checking back for that! I don't know when I will be able to get it up, but I'm hoping to do it by next weekend at the latest.

Change

2010-10-02T05:20:00.000-07:00

**All pictures in this post were taken during our first trip to Kibaale Community Centre, in 2005. We remain friends with most of the children still today :) **

And it’s a sad picture; the final blow hits you

Somebody else gets what you wanted again.

You know it’s all the same, another time and place;

Repeating history, and you’re getting sick of it.

But I believe in whatever you do,

And I’ll do anything to see it through,

Because these things will change,

Can you feel it now?

These walls that they put up to hold us back will fall down.

It’s a revolution; the time will come for us to finally win.

And we’ll sing hallelujah, we’ll sing hallelujah.

So we’ve been outnumbered, raided and now cornered.

It’s hard to fight when the fight ain’t fair.

We’re getting’ stronger now from things they never found.

They might be bigger, but we’re faster and never scared.

You can walk away, say we don’t need this.

But there’s something in your eyes says we can beat this.

Because these things will change,

Can you feel it now?

These walls that they put up to hold us back will fall down.

Throw your hands up, cause we never gave in.

And we’ll sing hallelujah, we’ll sing hallelujah.

Tonight we’ll stand and get off our knees,

Fight for what we’ve worked for all these years.

And the battle was long, it’s the fight of our lives,

But we’ll stand up champions tonight.

It was the night things changed.

And we’ll sing hallelujah, we’ll sing hallelujah.

Hallelujah.

~Change, Taylor Swift~

Smiling, Laughing, and Screaming

2010-10-02T04:57:00.000-07:00

One of my favourite things to do is visit the staff daycare; they are the sweetest little children. A lot of them can go a little insane as well. Today I spent a good five minutes holding one child, while another rambunctious little boy named Justice jumped on my back.. over and over and over. Thankfully one of the leaders noticed that my limited Luganda wasn’t really succeeding in getting him to stop, and came over to help me out.

They are such beautiful children though, and are the biggest show-offs ever the minute a camera appears, making it easy to get some gorgeous pictures…

Stella & Baby Kisakye

2010-10-02T02:55:00.000-07:00

Stella is the little girl of our lovely housekeeper, Grace. She is often here, playing with Ayana and Moses, and hanging out around the backyard.

Stella is also the cousin of new baby Kisakye, the one month old (today!) daughter of Mugabi and Margeret. Megan and I visited them today and were very happy to snuggle with her for a while… she is such a beautiful little girl!

Goodbye Uncle Sean & Auntie Jamie

2010-10-02T02:37:00.000-07:00

It was very sad to say goodbye to Sean and Jamie Davis a couple days ago. They worked here in Kibaale for two years, and were great friends to both the children and staff of Kibaale Centre as well as us!

The morning they left, we arrange for the Nursery and Kindergarten classrooms, as well as the Special Unit classes to line up at the front gate and sing to them as they drove away… it worked perfectly, and brought on tears in more than one person.

Pray for them as they travel, I hope everything goes well. Goodbye Sean and Jamie, you guys are missed! xxoxx

365 Days

2010-09-26T02:02:00.000-07:00

365. Three hundred and sixty five days. One year. That is how long, to the day, that we have been away from home!

It's hard to believe that it has been an entire year since we were saying goodbye to friends and family at the Vancouver airport, and hard to believe that in the past year we have had more moves, plane rides, and different country experiences than I've ever had before!

When I have access to better internet I'd like to do a 'looking back' type post, complete with pictures and stories from the last year of my crazy traveling life, but I wanted to quickly post today...

One year away from Canada!

Little Things

2010-09-08T07:08:00.000-07:00

While up until now there hasn't been a lot to do here in Kibaale (what with the children being out of school etc), Megan and I were happy to hear today that from now there will be many more opportunities to help out and work around the campus, especially with the Nursery and Kindergarten classes.

We sat in on a teaching workshop for the Nursery and Kindergarten teachers this afternoon, where we were introduced to everyone and were able to see some of the things they're working on at the moment. We're hoping to be able to get to know them all a lot better in the next few weeks and months.

Tomorrow we'll be helping out in one of the Kindergarten classrooms, and while its hard for us to do a lot of practical things with the children- with our limited, ie. non-existant knowledge of Luganda- it will be good just to get experience with the children (and helping the teachers with various activities and projects that need to be done), and hopefully even learn more of the language while we're doing so.

Also exciting news is that Natalie Latham, from Canada, has arrived, and will be staying here until mid-December, working mainly in the special unit classrooms. It's nice to have a new face around! A friend of mine is also hoping to come, and is just waiting for her funds to come in, in order to book her plane tickets. She would also be here until mid-Deceber, and I'm so looking forward to seeing her again and having her here!

So, finally, things are happening here in Kibaale!

We're hoping to travel up to Kampala again this weekend (Ayana needs to go back to the hospital for a follow up visit in order to properly assess whether her nose was broken in the crash) so I will try to get some new pictures up here for everyone :)

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

2010-09-08T07:01:00.001-07:00

Somewhere over the rainbow

Way up high

And the dreams that you dreamed of

Once in a lullaby

Somewhere over the rainbow

Blue birds fly

And the dreams that you dreamed of

Dreams really do come true

Someday I'll wish upon a star

Wake up where the clouds are far behind me

Where trouble melts like lemon drops

High above the chimney tops thats where you'll find me

Somewhere over the rainbow bluebirds fly

And the dream that you dare to,why, oh why can't I?

Well I see trees of green and

Red roses too,

I'll watch them bloom for me and you

And I think to myself

What a wonderful world

Well I see skies of blue

And I see clouds of white

And the brightness of day

I like the dark

And I think to myself

What a wonderful world

The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky

Are also on the faces of people passing by

I see friends shaking hands

Saying, "How do you do?"

They're really saying, I...I love you

I hear babies cry and I watch them grow,

They'll learn much more

Than we'll ever know

And I think to myself

What a wonderful world

Someday I'll wish upon a star,

Wake up where the clouds are far behind me

Where trouble melts like lemon drops

High above the chimney top that's where you'll find me

Oh, Somewhere over the rainbow way up high

And the dream that you dare to, why, oh why can't I?

~Israel Kamakawiwo Ole'~

Shattered Glass

2010-08-28T14:18:00.000-07:00

We set out this morning, very excited about the prospect of finally going to Kampala for the weekend. We had been driving for about two hours, and were nearly at the Equator, which is approximately half-way through the journey.

There is a lot of construction going on on the roads, and as its the dry season (although it finally rained today, hallelujah!!!) it's insanely dusty at the moment. We were on one particularly dry and dusty stretch, and just as my dad was slowing down, a truck passed us, kicking up more dust and making it virtually impossible to see anything.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, there was a truck in front of us, stopped in the middle of the road. It appeared too quickly to stop, and before we knew it, we had slammed into the back of it.

Fortunately and miraculously, no one was seriously injured, although we are all pretty bruised and sore, and Ayana's nose might possibly be broken (or at least just very swollen). The car was smashed in though, and all the seats all sort of collapsed inside. Jeff Dyke drove out to pick us up, brought us back to Masaka, and then we set out AGAIN with a different vehicle. The car was taken away, and my dad has to go make a statement on the way back home.

We saw several other major accidents today (including one that happens literally minutes after ours, only this one involved a car flying through the air and landing upside down... thankfully no one was seriously hurt in this one either!!) and were so thankful that ours wasn't anything more than it was.

We made it here all in one piece (although we got lost and drove around for nearly two hours after arriving in Kampala before we finally found our hotel) and are very happy to be able to enjoy good food, hot showers, and wireless internet!

Thanks to everyone who was praying for us; please continue to pray for our protection, and healing for any minor injuries. We so appreciate it.. it could have been a whole lot worse, so thank-you for your support!!

Gotcha Day

2010-08-25T07:20:00.001-07:00

August 23rd was our fourth 'Gotcha Day', which is the anniversary of the day we first picked up Ayana and Moses in Ethiopia, and they officially became a part of our family. I can't believe its been four years... not because it came quickly, but because I honestly can't remember what it was like before they came! They are such a part of our family, its hard to imagine what we'd do without them.

Beautiful Baby Face

2010-08-16T15:00:00.000-07:00

Baby, Baby, Baby

2010-08-14T12:22:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday we went along with the clinic outreach program to a baby immunization program. We didn't get to hold as many babies as we'd have liked, but we sure saw a ton of adorable babies and children!

A Ugandan Birthday

2010-08-14T11:57:00.000-07:00

I turned 19 on the tenth, and I had an absolutely wonderful day. Some people had sent a few gifts and cards along from Canada with Erica, which was so lovely, and I got a few gifts from my family.

In the afternoon we went all the way out to Masaka (squashing 8 people into a 5 person vehicle) for some lunch, and in the evening we had an amazing dinner with the fam, Sean&Jamie Davis, two of the Dyke children, and their babysitter/a friend of ours, Hope.

It was a great day, and I was so grateful to everyone who helped to make it special J

Our First Week in Kibaale

2010-08-14T10:54:00.000-07:00

On our first full day here in Kibaale, we had a special welcome. While taking off my shoes after coming inside in the afternoon, I looked down, only to see a small brown snake only inches from my foot. It’s head was slightly raised up against the wall, and it was hissing at me; even still, it took me several seconds to realize what I was actually seeing.

When I finally did, I then proceeded to be extremely helpful by freaking out and jumping up on top of the couch, which of course sent the rest of the room into a panic. Thankfully Megan was thinking more clearly than me, and went out through the back door to get some help.

Jeff Dyke came back with her, armed with a broom to save us, and managed to kill it quite quickly. Unfortunately the head.. disappeared. It was only found a few days later by Megan, who had the excellent luck of discovering it with her bare foot.

But apart from that, our first week back hasn’t been extremely eventful. We’ve been able to spend time with a lot of children, and even went on a couple of home visits, to Erica’s two sponsor childrens’ homes. It’s always an interesting experience, and riding standing up on the back of the truck is probably the most exciting part!

I have many pictures saved on my computer already, but won’t be able to post those until we go back up into Kampala on the 14^th to take Erica to the airport. But then there will be (hopefully!) an update with pictures for you to enjoy.

Spending time with a new friend, who calls himself Barack Obama :)

Nursery/Kindergarten morning assembly

Spending time in the community

This little sweetheart, Vanessa, fell asleep right in my arms

A friend's little brother, Kenny. He has the best laugh in the world!

Visiting one of Erica's sponsor children's homes...

In Kibaale

2010-08-02T07:25:00.000-07:00

Internet is not very good here in Kibaale, so I won't be doing very regular posts (I may have to wait until trips to Kampala to post anything), but I just wanted to quickly say that we have arrived safely, picked up Erica, and are having an amazing time reconnecting with everybody here in Kibaale.

Seeing lots of sponsor children and friends, and loving it :)

The Twelfth Plane Ride

2010-07-29T13:48:00.000-07:00

6am City Bug Bus ride to Jo'burg

On the plane...

In Uganda! ..

Goodbye South Africa

2010-07-29T10:49:00.000-07:00

I am writing this blog post from Entebbe, Uganda! It's so exciting to be back (travel/arrival pictures to come :) ) but it was very sad to say goodbye to friends in South Africa.

Goodbye and lots of love to everyone, we'll miss you. xoxox

Eleven Months

2010-07-21T06:58:00.001-07:00

By the time we arrive in Uganda at the end of July, in eleven months we will have..

- packed up and moved five times

- lived/stayed in eleven places (including our house in Canada- and twelve places for Megan and I, who also travled to Kibaale again in February)

- taken ten flights (twelve for Megan and I)

- lived out of a suitcase for a total of five months and one week

AND

- been away from Canada for 309 days!

11 Days and Counting

2010-07-18T05:00:00.000-07:00

It's unbelievable to think that in merely 11 days we will be boarding the City Bug for the last time, and heading off to the airport to fly to Uganda. There is so much to do still, and so many people to say goodbye to...

Last night there was a Hands @ Work benefit concert, with many different singers, dancers, and groups.. including Megan, Adonis, Act, and Inzie (I know that's not how it's spelled, but that's how it sounds :) ). They performed a song about Africa, written by Megan, as well as another song written by Act, and were excellent. I was so proud of my little sister :)

Sad Day

2010-07-08T12:15:00.001-07:00

Wednesday the 7th was a sad day as we watched Germany fall to Spain. :( Megan, Joshua, our dad, and I sat in the middle of a room full of Spanish supporters, watching in dismay as Spain scored the one winning goal. Very upsetting :(

So hopeful...

In much happier news, we have welcomed our very first visitor since arriving in South Africa! Our grandma arrived on Sunday night from England, and will be staying until next Thursday. It's been so nice to have her here, and to show her around the country we've been living in since November.

Arriving on the City Bug

Going to a Tea Garden for lunch

And here are a couple of pictures from Canada Day.. I'm loving Canada so much more these days, I'm feeling an almost American patriotism! =D

A Canada Day party with some friends

Happy (Belated) Canada Day!!

2010-07-02T07:07:00.000-07:00

My sister and I recently made a list of all the best things (ie singers, actors, food etc) that have come from Canada, but blogger isn't letting me post it on here right now.

So here's just a few of them...

- Hayden Christianson
- Michael Cera
- Rachael McAdams
- Ryan Gosling
- Ellen Page
- Ryan Reynolds
- Howie Mandel
- Christopher Plummer
- Keanu Reaves

- Mariannas Trench
- Simple Plan
- Avril Lavigne
- Sum 41
- Michael Buble
- Bryan Adams
- Alanis Morisette
- Deborah Cox

- Telephones
- Hockey
- Ketchup + All Dressed Chips
- Insulin
- Tim Hortons
- Superman
- Duct Tape
- Anne of Green Gables

So there you go! Just a few of the great actors, singers/groups, and things that have come out of our country. Proud to be Canadian eh :)

There Will Always Be An England ♪...

2010-06-29T06:06:00.000-07:00

But now I'm cheering for Germany :)

I have nothing much to say about the England vs. Germany game, other than England GOT THAT SECOND GOAL!

That's all.

All pictures taken from our travels in England, Greece, Egypt, and Uganda in 2009.

Growing Up

2010-06-24T03:25:00.000-07:00

Other than World Cup (Go England! Advancing to the next round!!) not too much is happening. We're all getting ready to leave for Uganda at the end of July, which is very exciting, and Megan just wrote her first provincial exam last night. Unfortunately for her (and Adonis, who was her 'supervisor') it ended up being from 10pm to 1am our time. But she's finished it now, and has one more before the end of the school year, which is good. Joshua finished his last exam last week and is enjoying having free time- although he does seem to be bugging me to "do something" more often. Summer break isn't quite as exciting when all your friends are across the ocean.

We went to see Toy Story 3 yesterday, and absolutely loved it. The Numetro Theatre just introduced 3D movies last week, and so it was the first time most of the people in the theatre had seen a 3D movie (including Bibi and Act who came along with us) and there were many exclamations throughout the film :)

Andy's all grown up! And it was the same voice actor who played him as a kid in the first two, which I thought was pretty cool :)

I have to say, as much as I loved it, I definitely almost cried right there in the theatre. It is such a great movie, and the ending is so bittersweet that I couldn't help tearing up. I'm not going to say anything about the storyline, other than it's about growing up and moving on... but it made me think of all my old toys, sitting in the basement of our house back in Canada, and all the memories with friends and games and stories from back then; I miss being a little kid!

I definitely recommend watching it though, it's a good one :)

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T15:12:00.000-07:00

Love you ♥ xox (pictures taken in Santorini, October '09)

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there! :)

Kibaale Website

2010-06-19T22:50:00.000-07:00

Click on this link to the Kibaale Website to see information about Kibaale Community Centre (where we will be in less than two months) and click on the "staff page", then "Ugandan Team" to see our family's picture, newly listed as part of the Canadian team in Uganda. Very exciting!!

Fifa Fan Fest: Chile vs. Honduras

2010-06-16T10:42:00.000-07:00

Amidst a crowd full of Chile fans, we decided to cheer for Honduras.

Megan even found a great blue&white scarf in her closet to wear!

Ayana and I were really getting into it! :)

This one wasn't posed, Moses loved it.

Feel It, It is Here!

2010-06-15T08:44:00.001-07:00

No recent stories or exciting pictures, but just thought I'd share this beautiful South Africa Bafana Bafana cake made by Liz, a good friend here. After this was taken she even wrote on it ('Can you Feel it? It is Here!'), but we forgot to take another picture.

World Cup excitement is still going strong!