Christmas is coming

It is!! it is!! I know, I know it is still only October BUT we got our first Christmas card this week, thank you Robin.
It has been a sort of quiet week since we last wrote. On Wednesday we had our usual day out in Kampala, shopping for supplies, and took two of the volunteers, Esther and Margret from Holland, who are here to work in the school for three months, with us. They are both beginning teachers in their early 20's and wanted to buy some books for the school and a few other things so it was good to have some company (especially female for Marilyn).
Thursday and Friday were spent working in the school storeroom and the library trying to 'tidy up'. Two days done and there is a huge pile of rubbish to be disposed of, but in the storeroom there is at least another week or more needed to complete the task! On Friday afternoon we visited Alex at Seroma Christian High School to take him some shoes he badly needed and it was good to see him again.
Saturday was our usual clean-up for the boys and a busy day with them staying around for most of the day. Today, Sunday, was Sunday School in the morning (Zacchaeus today) and church in the afternoon. A very good message from Pastor John about covenant. When we got home we had a call from Seroma to say that Alex was very sick and could we come to get him. So we borrowed a car and brought him back here where he is tucked up in bed. We suspect malaria and will get him checked out in the morning. Please pray for him as he is very tired and has exams next week so it is not a good time to be unwell.
So that's about it. Please pray for Paul as he is becoming difficult again with his behaviour, and for us to have an extra portion of wisdom and patience. Also pray for Papa & Mama in Europe, the children are starting to miss them, especially the ones that live with them. Pray that hearts will be touched by the stories that are told of the work being done here and financial support will be forthcoming. Please pray also for Mariska as she holds the fort here and for all the Aunties and Uncles who care for the children.
Till next time
God Bless

We have a throne!!!

The highlight of the week is that we have a throne!!! how good is that!! Our old bucket seat toilet has been retired and we have a permanent porcelain one. The first picture shows Paul having a final 'sit' on the old one. Such things that are taken for granted at home make a huge difference. I was going to write this last evening, but the power went off at 8.30 and didn't come back until about 11.30 so we went to bed early.
The week has been a quiet one: Monday housework, Tuesday searched for some nice shoes for Veronica to wear in Holland. She left with Piet and Pita that evening for about 6 weeks to raise support for students in the school and for NACMU in general. While they are away Mariska takes over the reins again, so please pray for her and all the aunties and uncles, that they will continue to work well together.
Wednesday was shopping in Kampala again.On Thursday we had a visit from Elke and Sandra who are at another organisation nearby who we met while in Jinja. They were keen to see the setup here, and indeed were very impressed.
On Friday we spent the morning attacking the storeroom at the school to sort out... you guessed it, SHOES. There were bags and bags of shoes all jumbled up so we tried to find pairs and sort them into groups. We made good progress and completed the job this morning although we still have about 4 big bags of odd shoes.


We also heard from Jen on Friday. She and Scotty had spent their birthdays (both on the same day, Thursday) being interviewed for jobs which they got, so that will be exciting for them in the future. Even more exciting though was the news that they are engaged (about time too!!) so the second photo shows us drinking a toast to them (with coke!!). That really was the highlight of the week for us.
Saturday was a nice 'family' day. The boys did their jobs well and then stayed around home for most of the day. In the afternoon they built a hut using some cuttings from the forest and the framework for a set of swings which is going to be erected soon (we hope). The photos show the end product. The boys did think about sleeping in it but decided not to (with encouragement from us) which is just as well, as it poured during the night.
Sunday was as busy as ever with Sunday school and church and we always look forward to Mondays. The boys have mid-term exams this week, not that they appear at all worried.





Please pray for Piet and Pita on their trip, there is tremendous support for what goes on here but there is always the need for more. Also please pray for us, as there are times when we miss home but feel that God still wants us here, pray for our health also.



Thank you once again to those who we hear from, every message helps and encourages us.
Our love to you all.

Photo 4

Oops, this photo 'fell off' the last blog. It shows the team singing a special song for MAma's birthday

What a week!!!

Well, what a week we've had!! On Monday we took Mark back to the dentist to have his tooth stabilised and cemented so that it wouldn't move. Wouldn't was the order of the day, Mark wouldn't let the dentist anywhere near him, wouldn't open his mouth, wouldn't sit still in the chair etc.... Eventually we repeated the process of the day before and he lay on Warwick who wrapped his feet around Mark and held his head while Marilyn struggled with his hands and the dentist showed extreme patience. After much noise the job was completed and what should have been a 10min job had taken 2 hours.
On Tuesday we had the 'official' presentation of the new photocopier for the school . The photo shows Warwick presenting the copier to Headmaster Sam while a delighted school secretary Deborah looks on. Again thanks to the most generous support from Havelock North High School and the crew of s/y 'Selene' (the charter yacht our daughter Jen is working on). They have enabled the copier to be purchased and it is being very well used.
Unfortunately on Tuesday Warwick also had a return of malaria and lost all energy and slept for the rest of the day. He was given treatment on Wed, when it was confirmed, and by Friday was back to being on deck. Everyone said that I had to rest, especially the Dr., and I always do what I'm told (YEAH RIGHT). Marilyn managed wonderfully but it did remind us that this is definitely a two person job!!
On Wed. Marilyn even managed to go shopping in Kampala on her own to replenish some much needed supplies.
Friday was Independence Day in Uganda so it was a holiday for the boys. At breakfast Marilyn came down with the onset of a migraine so quickly took some medication and went to our darkened room. It was Warwick's turn to cope. One of the community things that happened was that the parents of the children from the village, who attend school here, come and collect some clothes for themselves or their family. The second picture shows some of the parents selecting pieces. This is one of the many ways NACMU impacts beyond the compound walls. We were also delighted that the family clinic celebrated its first births on Monday, twin boys with mother and babies doing well. These were again people from one of the villages around us.

However, the highlight for the week was Saturday when we celebrated Mama's 50th birthday. The weather was too unpredictable to have a celebration outside so we gathered in the dining/lounge area of the home for a great party. The third picture shows a very happy Mama at the beginning of the evening and the fourth photo shows the Baboon Boy's Home singing a special song to her. It was a great evening of enterainment, singing and dancing by the chidren, and food and laughter.
On Sunday, at church in the afternoon, Marilyn led the worship while Warwick gave the message as Pastor John was not able to be there. It seemed to go well, the training we have had at St. Peter's Riverslea has prepared us well but we were pleased to be able to relax on Sunday evening.

There have also been three more children taken in by NACMU this week.
A 3yr old girl, Claire, abandoned outside a police station
and 3 week old twin boys whose mother died in child birth and father fled (before they were born). They are called Ezekiel and Theodore and are just gorgeous wee boys.
All three children were dedicated at church on Sunday.
This brings to 110 the number of children being catered for here, so please pray for these new arrivals, especially Claire as everything is quite overwhelming for her as you can imagine.
Please pray also for Piet and Pita and Veronica( aged 8) who are travelling to Holland tomorrow to raise support for NACMU especially to gain more sponsorship for the children at the school. We welcomed back Aunt Reny from Holland and Uncle Brad from USA where they have been seeking support for their work here (successfully).
Marilyn is worried about the length of this blog so I'd better sign off now. We have received some wonderful packages fron NZ this week, thank you to those who have sent something, you know who you are, we really do love getting mail.
Our love to you all

What a week - part two

We arrived home to some happy boys. They had been well looked after by Mariska and Schafer helped out too. We did have to re-establish some routines though, and it wasn't long before they realised that the "Grump" was back!!
Friday was Mark's seventh birthday so the day was spent preparing for that. Cake, decorations, balloons, games etc.
The first picture is Mark with his cake.
This shows a happy boy with his gifts.
We played pin the tail on the donkey, with a wonderful donkey drawn by Schafer, and the chocolate game. This shows Richard getting 'dressed' before someone else throws a six so he can get some chocolate. As you can see they really enjoyed this game.
We went up to the home to eat and it was enough to make us all thankful that we can eat here - it is SOOOO noisy.
This morning we were awoken at 6.45 with a hurt cry from one of the bedrooms. Mark had taken a tumble from the top bunk and had put a tooth through his lip and displaced a tooth. There was blood galore and Mark has a very low tolerance to pain but we were able to placate him after about an hour.
We had Sunday School where the lesson was 'Jesus welcomes the little children' and we took a photo of all the children which is attached. They are a lively bunch.
After Sunday School we took Mark on a mission to find a dentist. We were 'fortunate' to get one in Mukono. He was able to push the tooth back and we need to wait to see if it is saved or not. It was quite an exercise as, I may have mentioned, Mark has a very low tolerance to pain. Please pray his tooth will be OK.

Tonight we have had our last meal with Schafer as he leaves early tomorrow morning to return to Canada. We will miss him as he has helped out on many occasions.
Better go and have supper....
Till next time
Our love to you all

What a week - part one

Well what a week we have had. The first photo is of a monkey on our roof. It stood and 'posed' for a while so we couldn't resist taking this shot. We then left on Tuesday for a lovely three days, two nights at Kingfisher Safaris Resort in Jinja. It was a great time away.

We ate, slept, read, ate, drank wonderful freshly-made fruit juices, swam, ate, slept, ate, relaxed, read and ate. You get the picture!!
This photo is of us eating breakfast outside in a balmy 28 degrees.
We also went on a river cruise to the source of the Nile river, a trip we had done last year but it was just as good the second time.

This next photo is Marilyn making good use of the pool.
The weather was wonderful all the time and it was only on our homeward journey that it rained (poured) so we were very lucky, as it had rained every day here in Mukono.
It was my first excursion driving in Uganda (in a borrowed car) and it went well, so there are likely to be other trips in the future. It may be a while before I brave drive in Kampala though.

Will continue the week in part two