Yes!! Oh-no! it's ok

It has been a full-on week, (are there any others?). Joshua was sent home at lunchtime on Monday with chicken pox. We had arranged to go to Kampala on Tuesday so he went up to the home and spent the day with one of the Aunties in an isolation room while we went to try and get the remaining boxes we had sent from NZ. YES, we got them!!! And it took less than an hour! Both boxes were in Post Office bags as they had been damaged in transit but there was nothing missing. After a nice lunch, Marilyn had her first Ugandan haircut (and head massage at the same time) for only 15000UGX (about $12NZ) and we replenished supplies before heading home. The team from Holland left at lunchtime so all has been quiet next door since then. They were such a lovely group of young people. When we got home and opened the boxes we went OH NO!! In one of the boxes a tin of Litebreak chocolate drink had opened and spilt throughout the box leaving a sticky mess on most of the contents..... but it's OK we were able to wipe down most things and only lost a few stickers so all is well.
Wednesday and Thursday were spent 'home-schooling' Joshua along with general housework. We have probably ironed more clothes in the last seven weeks as we did the whole year previously. A cousin of mine in Christchurch had passed away with cancer last Sunday and the funeral was on Thursday so we were grateful to Chris for being able to attend Brian's funeral on our behalf. In the early evening Marilyn took a tumble outside the shower and bruised her foot and elbow. Fortunately nothing too serious though it did give the boys (and us) a bit of a fright. Some of the boys had been fooling around and Marilyn had gone to 'sort them out' so we had a good discussion about behaviour afterwards.
Today, Friday, we took Paul to the Drs to check out his infected leg as it hadn't been healing too well but it is coming right now. A new team from Holland arrived today, twelve young people, so we will have activity next door again. It is also Mariska's 35th Birthday and the family are up at the home at a disco for the older children. I have come home with Paul as he was not feeling well and, indeed he has gone straight to sleep which is unusual. Tomorrow Marilyn and I have our first social outing, an adult celebration of Marika's birthdayin Kampala. One of the Aunties is coming to look after the boys until we get home so we are really looking forward to that.
That's about all for now, we received 3 letters this week which we really enjoyed, thank you to those who keep in touch, we DO appreciate it. Please continue to pray for Mama's recovery from her sugery, all is going well so far, pray for Mariska as she is 'in charge' while Mama & Papa are away. Please pray also for the health of us and our boys (we do need some time on our own next week) and especially pray for Paul. We are seeing some changes for the better in his behaviour but he does regress at times. Finally, pray for funding for a new photocopier for the school. We are endeavouring to fund the replacement of their old copier for a new one, please pray for the funds to be available.
Our love to you all

These photos show Warwick giving the results of the Sports day competition












Receiving the gift boxes
Cooking our tea on the campfire
Our dinner

The roller-coaster continues

Since our last blog we have had two days with Paul home with an infected leg. We went on Tuesday to the doctors near Kampala to really be made to feel negligent as his infection was something that could have been avoided. Mind you, he needed to tell us about the graze that started it all. As a consequence we now have a well stocked first aid box and Marilyn wears the "nurses cap" each night as the boys line up for treatment. On Wednesday Warwick's carpentery skills were tested as I put together a new set of drawers for one of the rooms. Have done two now and ready to do two more. The boys are accumulating more clothes so they need a drawer each now. Did some shoes in the afternoon. Thursday and Friday morning was spent sorting through some gift boxes to be used on Saturday and we also did shoes on Fri afternoon. It is getting difficult for us to do shoes as we have a lot of people, workers and Aunties, coming down and asking "Aunty/Uncle can I just have a pair of shoes" and while it would be nice to do that we are not allowed to so we have to say no.
Had a lovely DVD on fri night 'Beethoven 2' which they all enjoyed.
Saturday was Sports Day at school from 9.30am (which meant it started about 10.30) until about 4pm. Marilyn & I were the official recorders so it was nice to have a job to do. The photos show us ready and waiting, Headmaster Sam giving instructions, one of the girls, Flora, from the home having to say 'I love Uganda' with a mouthful of biscuits, and one of my other skills being put to the test, umpiring volleyball volunteers vs staff. At the end I had to announce the winning 'house' which was greeted with the same enthusiasm as in NZ and the children then all went and were given a gift box each. All in all it was a great day.
We decided to have a cook-out that night so we cooked sausages and foil wrapped potatoes on a fire which was again enjoyed by all. We finished the day watching Homeward Bound on a DVD at the end. Whew!!!
Then Sunday the boys awoke at 6am, bugger, and we had breakfast and made it to Sunday school by 9am. Pastor Joanna didn't show so we took it all ourselves with help from Mariska and Reny with mixed results. The children are still very poor at listening. After this we had a somewhat awful day with bickering and arguments by the boys and just general NOISE. We did not enjoy Sunday afternoon.
Now it is Monday and the boys are fine, a new day and a new beginning, so life really is like a roller-coaster here, but we do love it.
Please pray for Mama as she and Papa are in South Africa for her to have an operation which has gone well but she will need time for recovery. Pray also for Ischar as she is in hospital with pneumonia and TB and maybe a heart condition, pray for Aunty Esther as she has a baby due at any moment and pleased pray for us for wisdom and patience. Also pray for Mariska as she has the mantle of responsibility while Papa & Mama are away.Whew, what a lot of stuff, we hope it is not too boring for you.
Finally thank you again to those who are keeping in contact, we do appreciate it.

A Great celebration and the aftermath

Saturday we celebrated Papa's (Piet) birthday with a great celebration. There were about 80 guests along with the workers and volunteers and of course the children. The weather was warm, but not too hot, and the event was held in the suitably decorated grounds of the home. We gave our puppets their first outing as the boys sang and performed with the puppets 'Hey kids do you love Jesus' with a second verse 'Hey kids do you love Papa'. It seemed to go well, the boys definitely enjoyed working the puppets so we are sure they will be used again. You can just see the 8 puppets in this photo (not to mention the two 'big puppets' singing on the left!!). The other photo is of Papa and Mama with three of their nine children that live with them. In Papa's lap is Manuela, a gorgeous wee girl with lovely eyes, in Mama's lap is Zippora who is a bundle of mischief and quite active, and in the pushchair is Ishcar, who is very placid and is full of smiles and giggles. The love shown by the staff towards Papa was quite emotional and once again reminded us of the special work that this couple do in Jesus' name. The kitchen fed us all about 6pm, chicken, beef soup ( with big chunks of meat), matooke, fried pork, mashed sweet potato, rice, pumpkin, pork jelly, .......plus more I can't spell. It all ended about 8.30 and we returned home tired but happy ....... except for Paul who's leg was paining. He went to bed miserable. Also Richard had a bad case of diahhorea so we had to clean him up.

Sunday arrived and we awoke to Paul crying, his leg was quite swollen and he had an infection in it, so we started him on a course of antibiotics but he is still at home today though things are improving. We also had Joshua vomiting and Timothy with a headache so along with Richard half of our family were unwell....aaah the joys of parenthood!! I stayed home from Sunday school with Richard and Paul and Marilyn stayed home from church in the afternoon. Some racing cars were passing the gates in the afternoon so that kept most of the others occupied watching them. All except Paul have made it to school today.
All in all another satisfying weekend but we do like Mondays.
Please pray for Mama as she and Papa have gone to Johannesburg today for her to have an operation. They will be away for three weeks so also pray for the home and Mariska as she and others take on extra duties. Also please pray for us to maintain our good health and give us an extra portion of patience with sick children.

Our Great day out

On tuesday Jimmy took us into Kampala leaving here at 8.30. We accompanied Mariska who was going to the hospital to have her appendix out and once we left her, Jimmy took us to the Post Office where we were able to collect 3 of our 5 boxes we had sent from NZ. What's more, it only took an hour of waiting which is very good by Ugandan standards. We hope to be able to get/have delivered the other two boxes soon as they contain most of the teaching resources which we could put to good use. Wow, it was like Christmas!1 We now have marmite (what is it about marmite that many NZers crave?), pineapple lumps, Marilyn's church music, soap and shampoo (which are very expensive here) and many other reminders of home. We were rapt to get these boxes.
We then went on to Game, fast becoming one of our favourite stores, where we purchased a printer/copier/scanner for the laptop. We are now able to print and copy resources for sunday school and for the boys. It will be the last of our purchases for a while we think!! We then had a nice lunch (pork chops and veges for W) and proceeded to Shoprite to stock up on groceries - it may be a while before we need some more supplies. As usual the car was fully laden but Jimmy is used to that with us. We returned about 4pm having had a great and successful day out.
We are preparing for Papa's 50th birthday on saturday, there is a concert and party starting about 3pm and we are doing an item with the muzungu aunties and uncles and a puppet song with the boys so we hope it all goes well.
The home has acquired two new babies on Wed night, a boy and a girl who were born one month premature and are now 8 days old. Their mother died needing an operation after childbirth and the father had no way of looking after them. It is uncertain how long they will be here, please pray that they gain weight and grow.
We have a number of boys with coughs at present, even W, so please pray that it won't turn into anything more nasty.
Once again thank you to those who have kept in contact, it is the highlight of our day to open the e-mails in the morning, we do love getting news from home. Until next time, our love to you all...

Jimmy the Jewel

This is my fourth attempt at posting this photo on the blog. This is Jimmy our taxi driver who takes us to Kampala when we want to go. He stays with us all day and it costs us 45,000 Ugandan Shillings ( about $36 NZ). He is a real gem.

Success

Since the last posting we have had a frustrating Friday, a satisfying Saturday and a successful Sunday. WE are still getting used to Ugandan time for doing things and getting things done. We have several small tasks which need doing (screwing on a toilet roll holder into tiles, getting 60W candle lamps for the lights around the walls, sealing the kitchen sink so that it doesn't leak onto the floor, tightening a hot water hose so it doesn't leak...... and several other maintenance things that we can't do ourselves) all of which are small tasks and people say yes they will come and do them, but you never know when!!! We spent most of friday afternoon waiting for the electrician who, once again had the wrong bulbs for the lights, but we think we have another solution to our lighting situation thankfully.
Saturday was good, the boys helped with all the chores in the morning, they especially like 'helping' Marilyn cook in the kitchen (they are a bit overwhelming at times in their enthusiasm). In the afternoon we all went for a walk to the roadside to get some fruit. It was a good experience to all go out together though the price of goods on the weekend does go up. In the evening 'Daddy Day Care' was the movie on offer with popcorn so overall it was a good day except for Paul who has started his awful whining and crying whenever he doesn't get his own way. He is also quite a destructive boy so we are working through some issues with him.
Successful Sunday was much needed. We had dry beds all-round for the first time since being here and everyone felt good about that. Marilyn and I also helped out at Sunday school for the first time. Marilyn took a group of about 12 children aged 9 and upwards, I took the 7 & 8 year-olds (about 10 girls who were very poor at listening so it was abit of a struggle) and Pastor Joanna took the younger children. There is a team of young people from Holland here at the moment and they helped also which was good. They are going to take it next week. To complete the day, in the evening we got a regulator for the gas bottle and were able to get HOT WATER. I had nearly forgotten how good a hot shower was, it was lovely and the boys all enjoyed their showers too.
WE continue to stay well though Joshua has just arrived home from school as his head is paining so we may get him tested for malaria. We are expacting Ezra also as he was not 100% when he went off this morning. Again thank you to all the people who have e-mailed us, it is the highlight of each morning to open our e-mails and read of news from home. Please continue to pray for us and the work being done in this place.
Our love to you all

A sad day

It is with great sadness that I write this message. Baby Judith died last evening after a long struggle. She was only three months old but was very dear to all here, especially Mama who is quite heartbroken. The love and care that was bestowed on this young life had to be witnessed to be believed and epitomises the character of Noah's Ark Children's Ministry. In spite of this there are still 105 other children needing care and love so life goes on. We are awaiting arrangements for laying Judith to rest. She was a twin and her sibling is quite strong and healthy. The boys were all affected when we told them this morning. Please pray for us all, especially Mama and Papa who, although putting on a brave face, are really hurting inside.
Our love to you all

A Sunday afternoon

These show us at Sunday lunch outside and the boys singing their song at church. This was before they all got haircuts!!

Learning new skills

Sunday afternoon was spent after church doing haircuts all round. I'm here trying to cut Ezra's hair while Matthew held him down. Matthew took over and did the other boys and I now know more about it but am happy to let him do it.

Yes a photo

Having succeeded with the photo, the boys are at back Timothy(10), Matthew(10), Joshua(9), Owen(10) and in the front Richard(5), Paul(6), Mark(6) and Ezra(9). This was taken on the first morning we had them two weeks ago (seems like two months!!).
the weekend was good, the boys helped with housework on Sat. morning and we made a welcome banner for the house in the afternoon and watched another DVD (Beethoven) in the evening. At sunday school we did a song we had been practising (Blind man sat by the road....) and they were so good that we did it again for church in the afternoon. Still getting too many wet beds and too many tears when boys don't get their own way but we feel they are beginning to accept us and what we say. It has only been two weeks so there is alot more to come.
Again thank you to those who have sent us messages, we look foward to news from home.
Our love to you all

A photo

This is a test to see if this photo can go on our blog. Tried last night without success. Here's hoping

Ready for another weekend!

This week has been a settled week with the boys, so much so that we offered to do more shoes as we had time on our hands after the housework. Still having some trials with wet beds, it varies from night to night (we had 4 again on wed. night) and we instigated a sticker chart where they get a sticker if they have a dry bed and once they get 3 stickers they get their first reward. Last night was the first night and we had only 1 wet bed.....we'll see what tonight brings. The highlights for the week have been, a surprise visit by Deborah, one of the lovely girls we met last year, who came to the compound to see us. She had come from Kampala, not really knowing where we were,and not knowing how she would be able to get through the gate through security. As it happened we were going the sort shoes and while I went up to get the key to the container, Marilyn waited down by the gate and saw her arrive - what a God-incidence!! It was really lovely to see her and hear of the work she is doing in Kampala for disadvantaged children. Another highlight was today when we went to Kampala for shopping and supplies. One of the Aunty's (Reny) was taking one of the young boys to a clinic at the hospital and dropped us off at a store called GAME (the Ugandan version of the Warehouse or Briscoes) for a couple of hours after which we had a nice lunch together and did grocery shopping. The car was very full on the way home. We also bought two gas cylinders so that we can get hot water as well as gas for the stove, but we still need the regulators before we can connect them so we are still waiting for hot showers. Watched a DVD on Tarzan & Jane with the boys tonight, just what we needed for a friday night.
All is going well, it WAS good being out of the compound today, our routines are getting established and we are enjoying the boys. Please pray for Piet (Papa) as he has a second bout of malaria and is very tired but won't rest. Pray also for the team of young people arriving on Wed. next week from The Netherlands who will be working on the second family unit to get it closer to completion. There could be an opening for some people to parent it so.......if you want to join us, we can thoroughly recommend it.
Once again we thank you those who have communicated with us, your support and encouragement is valued. We got our first letter two days ago and it gave us both such a lift, thank you Doris.
Our love to you all