Kaihura rang in the new year rather quietly, only a few
fireworks on main street, and once the clock struck midnight everyone you met
began greeting you by inquiring “how is your new year”. Thus far my new year
has been busy!
Schools in Uganda are on break all of January. So a lot of
time was spent visiting the kids at Home Again: playing with the older kids,
and spending time holding the babies (who don’t go to school, but are too
chubby and cute not to spend time with).
Once school did begin again, Hope Academy Primary School
(the school run by BHTF) opened their boarding section for the older students
and my friend Steph and I have started a movie night for the students who
board. To do this we have to stack two desks one on top of the other and set my
laptop hooked up to Steph’s speaker on the desks. Then everyone crowds around,
and munches on cookies, and watches awesome movies like Transformers 2.
January was a month of birthdays here in Kaihura! Steph, one
of the British girls who work in Kaihura, as well as two of my good Ugandan
friends all celebrated their birthdays within a few weeks of each other.
Birthdays are not really celebrated in Uganda, but we broke tradition and threw
a joint party with tacos and chocolate cake!
At the end of January a new well was built for the community
of Kyabajagara!
One of my favorite things that KTA and BHTF do is build
wells. It was quite an adjustment for me moving here and not having indoor
plumbing (we have a water tank and faucet outside). As inconvenient as that is,
imagine how much worse it would be if the only place for you to get water was
from a dirty borehole. So when we can bring wells to communities it will
greatly increase sanitation and decrease waterborne disease it makes me so
happy!
Travis Gravette, the founder of KTA also brought a volunteer
team to Kaihura at the end of January. I really enjoy having teams here and
getting to show them everything that BHTF is doing, This team was able to help
construct the well in Kyabajagara, visit homes helped by BHTF, and spend a lot
of quality time at Home Again with the kids.
On of the hardest things to happen yet in Uganda was the
death of little Juliet. Juliet lived at Home Again, and was one of my favorites
there. She was brought (with several of her siblings) to Home Again when she
was suffering from a sever case of TB, her parents had died and left only her
siblings to take care of each other. Once at Home Again Juliet recovered from
her TB, but was left with some physical deformities. That didn’t stop her from dancing, and
laughing, and playing all over Home Again. I could always count on a big hug
from Juliet, and that she would sing me a little song (often one she would make
up) in a voice that was squeaky and raspy at the same time. Juliet died of heart complications, a side
effect of TB in early February. I am so glad Juliet was able to spend her last
years happy and well cared for at Home Again, and I am so glad I was able to
get to know that precious little girl.
And now, here March is. March in Uganda marks the beginning
of rainy season, so we are gearing up with our raincoats and rain boots. March
is also the beginning of the planting season, so we are expecting a lot of new
corn, veggies, and beans to be planted at BHTF’s farm soon. I am looking
forward to what the next few months have in store (hopefully a trip to Kenya),
and to see what God will be doing here in Kaihura!
Lastly I would like to thank you all for your love and
support. It means the world to me knowing that I have such an amazing support
system who are praying for me and who loves me, even though most of you are an
ocean away.
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