Mud or Dust

The climate in Uganda does not drastically change over the course of the year.  According to the World Factbook on Uganda, the climate is "tropical; generally rainy with two dry seasons (December to February, June to August)."  While it can be hot during the day, reaching about 30 Celsius (though the average annual temperature is 26 Celsius), thankfully it cools down to a comfortable temperature in the evening to around 15 to 17 Celsius.

But as stated above, there are two seasons:  Rainy and Dry.

Rain and Mud

 Some of the side roads have rivers flowing alongside.

 Going into town, you drive through large puddles (or ponds) as some of the drains are blocked.

 One morning, school started late as the students waited in the gazebo for the rain to let up.  Run in this rain and you are instantly soaked.

 The school doesn't have an indoor hallway where one can walk from class to class and stay dry.

 A glimpse of the fabulous cloud formations preceding a downpour.

Dry and Dusty

 Driving along the dusty road from Word of Life towards the main Entebbe Road.

 A closer look at the red, dusty road.

 Driving brings a dust-screen.  The businesses beside the road suffer in this constant dust brought on by the regular traffic.  It's also difficult for people to walk in it. 

 A closer look...

 The following 2 photos were taken in the same location.

 When it's wet and muddy, it is very slippery.  It feels more slippery than driving in snow!

 Dry and dusty.

When it has been dry and dusty, we long for the rain to return.  When it has rained a lot, we long for the dry, hot sun again to dry up the land.  We aren't ever satisfied, are we?

We've had a dry, dusty spell now since the turn of the year.  I woke up last night to rain... so refreshing!

Christmas and New Year's in Uganda

We are a few days into 2015 now, but thought we would give you a glimpse into our first Christmas in Uganda.  To be honest, it was quiet.  Not a lot of glitz and glamour that we are used to in Canada... not a lot of busy-ness.  Just us... for the most part.

We ended the school year with a fun Christmas concert done by the students.

Driving around, one would not notice that it's Christmas because of the lack of the twinkling lights on display.  The malls tell a different story.  This is one of the last pictures we took with Emily, who stayed with us for three months.  (We miss her!)

I did manage to make some Christmas cookies.  Yum.

We did have a barbecue at our place a couple of days before Christmas with some friends.  I took pictures of the food, but forgot pictures of the friends!!  We don't have a barbecue yet, but we managed with some bricks, charcoal and the baking rack from the oven.

On Christmas Eve we went into town and saw a wonderful Christmas cantata at Watoto Church.  It was well done and we thoroughly enjoyed it!

On our drive home from the Christmas cantata... we finally managed to see some lights!  This was at a very busy roundabout.

I take a picture of the kids with the Christmas tree every year... here's to Christmas 2014!

Christmas morning was quiet, spent at home.  We had a couple over for the afternoon and dinner. They are students attending the Word of Life Africa Bible Institute, and could not return to their home in Ethiopia -- so they joined us.  Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of them!  We had a nice time and watched The Sound of Music together.  It rained that day, which made Christmas Day a cool day.  Nice.

Many Ugandans travel upcountry to their home areas for holidays.  We therefore decided to not have a Christmas service at Word of Life.  On the Sunday after Christmas, the Sunday School kids had a small Christmas presentation for the church.

On the day of New Year's Eve, we went out to a beautiful garden/park in Entebbe.  It sits along Lake Victoria.  We had a nice picnic and enjoyed spending time with some friends for the day.  We rang in the new year at home as a family.

And so now it's 2015.  We definitely have missed our family and friends back in Canada during this holiday season.  But we are thankful that though we are far apart, we all celebrate for the same reason:  the birth of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, who came to save us from our sins!

In the Classroom

The kids are now on a school break until mid-January.  I had intended to post these a while ago, but better late than never!  Here are some pictures of us in our respective classrooms.


 Here is Okello, working hard on his Math, in his Grade 3 class.

Nadine and Juma in their Grade 7 class.

 
The Grade 9 class.  Every morning I spend time with this group, having devotions and praying together.  It's amazing how much I have learned from these students, and learned about them as they share their prayer requests.  It's even more amazing how I have come to care for them so much... I'm sure any teacher out there can attest to this.

Here they are again... with me. 

So here you are... a little taste into the classrooms we spend most of our days in!

Outings in Entebbe

We have in the last couple of weeks enjoyed some outings in a town called Entebbe.  Entebbe is a quiet, quaint town.  We enjoy going here as there is no traffic jam!  Entebbe is about 20 km from where we live.  When you fly into Uganda, you will land at the international airport in Entebbe.  The town is located on the shores of Lake Victoria, the largest lake in Africa.

Two weeks ago we visited the Wildlife Education Center.  This place reminded us a bit of the Greater Vancouver Zoo, though quite a bit smaller.  The animals here are indigenous to Uganda, and most of the ones in this Center have been rescued.

Red-tailed monkey (cute heart-shaped nose!)

Rhinos

Chimpanzee

The Elder Tree - where the elders of Entebbe used to meet.

The kids and Emily sitting at the Elder tree.

Shoe-bill (same height as Okello)

Crocodile

Enjoying a camel ride.

Sharing the playground with the vervet monkeys.

More monkeys on the playground.

One must always pose for these...

Entrance to the Wildlife Education Center

Last Thursday, October 9, was Independence Day for Uganda.  We had a nice day off and decided to visit the Botanical Gardens in Entebbe.

A beautiful large tree (with a beautiful young girl).

Colobus monkeys (sorry - not a clear picture) - they are beautiful black monkeys with long white hair, and more rare to find.  For those of you who would like to learn more about them, click here.

The Kapok tree.  It's huge.  It can grow to over 150 feet.

Thought the vines on this tree look neat (with a hotel in the background...).

Checking out Lake Victoria.

On the shore of Lake Victoria.

Swinging on a vine (and Okello is a bit freaked out...).

On a termite hill.

Relaxing by the waterside.

Out for dinner at a lovely restaurant in Entebbe.  (Welli enjoys eating fish!)

But I Trust in Your Unfailing Love

Pain.  Hardships.  Troubles.  It's everywhere.  There is no place in the world that can avoid difficult times.  It is all around us.  And there are times when it is more heightened than others.  It has been especially close around us with people we serve with:  loss of a loved one... severe sickness... miscarriage... financial hardships... relationship issues... ministry struggles...  So often there are just no words.

When you and I are going through difficult times, what do we do?  Where do we turn to?  Everyone reacts in different ways.  Some hide.  Some talk.  Some recover quickly.  Some get depressed.

In the last couple of weeks, Bible reading has found us in the Psalms.  The psalms can be such a place of encouragement to turn to in times of trouble.  King David (or other writers) often would cry out to God.  They expressed their feelings to him:

"Answer me when I call to you, O my righteous God.  

Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer." 

(Psalm 4:1)

"Give ears to my words, O LORD, consider my sighing." 

(Psalm 5:1)

Here's the thing:  David doesn't leave his cries, his complaints, his anger, his fear, his distress, just there.  No, he turns it around and praises God!  He thanks God for what he has done in the past; for God's faithfulness.  Though he feels so low, he remembers the truth about God.

Psalm 13 is a good example of this:

How long, O Lord?  Will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

How long must I wrestle with my thoughts

and every day have sorrow in my heart?

How long will my enemy triumph over me?

Look on me and answer, O LORD my God.

Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death;

my enemy will say, 'I have overcome him,'

and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

But I trust in your unfailing love;

my heart rejoices in your salvation.

I will sing to the LORD,

for he has been good to me.

Now look, I am no expert on how to handle pain.  Each experience is different.  I am no expert in how to help people when they are going through difficult times.  But I do know the peace and comfort God brings to those who turn to him.  

Jesus says in John 16:33b says, "In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world."

~ Dolly ~