Greetings, I see it has been 10 days since I last wrote. Wee baby Jethro is making good progress and even putting on weight. An X-ray last week showed no damage to him, so the miracle of his life continues thanks to the constant care of Pita. This is taking its toll on her so please pray that she can get enough rest.
We have had quite a busy time here (do we ever not...) . We had Owen's 12th birthday last Saturday with hamburgers, cake, ice cream, sodas and DVD, a great party, then it was Doreen's on Sunday too. Elections for President and MPs were held on Friday and fortunately the fears of violence did not come to fruition, it was largely peaceful with President Museveni being returned for another 5 years. However, there are many allegations of vote rigging, bribery, intimidation etc. and many results to be challenged in the courts so we haven't heard the end of it yet. The local government elections were held yesterday again with allegations of corruption but time will tell how they work out.
Marilyn and I have had the last three days in Jinja for R & R and heard of the devastating earthquake in Christchurch. The room we are staying in has TV so we were able to see a lot of what was happening via BBC World News so this has dominated our time here. We have been able to read, swim and relax somewhat but had some concern about some relatives of mine down there. I was able to ring my cousin last night and she was able to reassure us that all were OK, only minor damage where they were and they were all well, so that was a relief. Modern technology is great, it was like I was talking to someone in the next room the call was so clear. Heard also from our daughter Jen who is coming to visit in about 10 days time for three weeks which we are REALLY looking forward to.
That's about all I have time for at present as we need to check out from where we are staying (maybe one more swim before we go) and then return to our family. We continue to pray for those affected by the earthquake and for those rescue workers who continue to put themselves at risk. Please pray also for peace to prevail in Uganda, as we have been watching the TV the unrest in Libya, Bahrain and other parts of the world has invaded our lives and we realise how important peace is. We do feel quite safe here though there remains the potential for civil unrest.
Till next time
God Bless
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
Another baby - Jethro
Greetings, another week has flown by, we went to Kampala on Wednesday and shopped for two weeks as, with elections on Friday, we want to stay away from there this week and next. Things have been fairly quiet leading up to the elections so far, it seems to be a one-horse race but anything can happen after the elections so we are staying away. We have posted some recent photos of Rhode (taken today), she is crawling and loves being on her feet now though she can't stay unsupported. We hope you enjoy the pictures as much as we enjoy her. The other pictures are of Marilyn's guitar groups who along with 4 keyboard pupils take up all of her Saturday mornings.
However we would like to tell you about Jethro. He was born on Saturday morning and spent the first three hours of his life down a pit latrine. The police called Piet because they didn't know how to get him out and knew Piet could help. He and Pita rushed to the scene to find they had just retrieved the baby from the pit and were trying to clean him with Jik (like Janola in NZ). Pita immediately took charge of the baby amidst much media attention. The mother was 'attacked' by the media for throwing away her baby which was when Piet stepped in. She was only 14yrs old and had been raped (by someone in their 30's as it transpires) when she was only 13. She had been disowned by her family because of the pregnancy and sent to Mukono to find work. Piet took pity on her and her situation and, with police consent, brought her here along with the baby. She was still bleeding as the placenta had not come away and she was torn. She has been tended to by our Dr and midwife and cared for by some of the Aunties while Jethro is in the care of Pita. He is responding to milk but only in small quantities and there are still maggots coming out of his wee body.
The love and compassion shown by all at NACMU towards both the baby and the mother make us feel very privileged to be here, this is only the beginning of Jethro's story, he needs a lot of attention and care. It is also a new beginning for the mother, we are waiting to hear whether the police intend prosecuting her or not (we hope not) and want her to experience the real Christian love there is here. Although only 2 days old, the testimony of Jethro's life has touched many, it is a miracle that he survived for 3 hours in the poo-poo pit, so we believe God has a special plan for this baby ( as indeed He has a special plan for us all). Please pray that any diseases and muck in his body can be treated, especially his eyes and umbilical cord.
Amidst everything else today, Wolfie, one of Papa's dogs gave birth to 8 puppies. Guess who wants one down here - yep, ALL the boys. We'll see in a few weeks....
Till next time
God Bless
However we would like to tell you about Jethro. He was born on Saturday morning and spent the first three hours of his life down a pit latrine. The police called Piet because they didn't know how to get him out and knew Piet could help. He and Pita rushed to the scene to find they had just retrieved the baby from the pit and were trying to clean him with Jik (like Janola in NZ). Pita immediately took charge of the baby amidst much media attention. The mother was 'attacked' by the media for throwing away her baby which was when Piet stepped in. She was only 14yrs old and had been raped (by someone in their 30's as it transpires) when she was only 13. She had been disowned by her family because of the pregnancy and sent to Mukono to find work. Piet took pity on her and her situation and, with police consent, brought her here along with the baby. She was still bleeding as the placenta had not come away and she was torn. She has been tended to by our Dr and midwife and cared for by some of the Aunties while Jethro is in the care of Pita. He is responding to milk but only in small quantities and there are still maggots coming out of his wee body.
The love and compassion shown by all at NACMU towards both the baby and the mother make us feel very privileged to be here, this is only the beginning of Jethro's story, he needs a lot of attention and care. It is also a new beginning for the mother, we are waiting to hear whether the police intend prosecuting her or not (we hope not) and want her to experience the real Christian love there is here. Although only 2 days old, the testimony of Jethro's life has touched many, it is a miracle that he survived for 3 hours in the poo-poo pit, so we believe God has a special plan for this baby ( as indeed He has a special plan for us all). Please pray that any diseases and muck in his body can be treated, especially his eyes and umbilical cord.
Amidst everything else today, Wolfie, one of Papa's dogs gave birth to 8 puppies. Guess who wants one down here - yep, ALL the boys. We'll see in a few weeks....
Till next time
God Bless
Rhode and Guitar
This is Rhode after her smile, she screws up her nose and is so cute.
She just loves her Grandaddy
Marilyn teaching the top students-Owen, Joshua, Gloria, Brenda and Hope.
Teaching the 2nd group- Matthew, Daniel, Cole, and Hannah.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
The week that was....
The first week back for the children has been a good one as they began to know their new teachers and settled back into work for the year. We had a blissfully quiet Monday, we could hear the birds again and feel the warmth of the sun as we had our Bible time, it was great. However our peace didn't last too long as we needed to check on the shoes situation at the school. We started with the Nursery school on Tuesday and with many new students it took time to get the right sizes.
Wednesday we managed to escape to a new place just 10 mins down the road with a wonderful swimming pool and lovely quiet surroundings. We didn't swim as it poured with rain for about 40 mins. but we enjoyed the time relaxing. We will go there again.
Thursday we were able to finish the Nursery school with 'crocs' and moved on to the Primary School.
Friday saw us back taking assemblies at 8am for the Primary section and 11am for the Nursery section and the rest of the day was spent preparing for Sunday school.
Saturday was Hannah's 12th birthday which meant that we ate at the home (pancakes) then came down for another party, cake and DVD. It was a good occasion and we were especially pleased that Hannah has had little effects from her treatment and she was able to enjoy herself.
We are pleased that for Sunday School we have two Aunties who are sharing a class, and Teacher Douglas has also offered to take a group, so we will have six classes this week. With 71 children attending we needed to get the extra help. God is good - all the time!!!
Yesterday and today we fitted the Primary School with their crocs so the task is, thankfully, over for a while. Arnout was a big help with this task.
Marilyn has also been spending some time in classrooms observing (and helping) which will be useful as we hope to tackle the mathematics teaching in the school this term (and beyond).
So that's about all for now, there is less than 4 weeks until our daughter Jen arrives for a visit and we are really looking forward to that. Our dear wee Rhode can now crawl and now loves standing on her feet and has some gorgeous looks and giggles at times. A bouncing ball excites her, we love having her down each day but please pray that her runny nose will dry up and the sty on her eye will heal, both have been hanging around for too long in spite of treatment.
Till next time
God Bless
Wednesday we managed to escape to a new place just 10 mins down the road with a wonderful swimming pool and lovely quiet surroundings. We didn't swim as it poured with rain for about 40 mins. but we enjoyed the time relaxing. We will go there again.
Thursday we were able to finish the Nursery school with 'crocs' and moved on to the Primary School.
Friday saw us back taking assemblies at 8am for the Primary section and 11am for the Nursery section and the rest of the day was spent preparing for Sunday school.
Saturday was Hannah's 12th birthday which meant that we ate at the home (pancakes) then came down for another party, cake and DVD. It was a good occasion and we were especially pleased that Hannah has had little effects from her treatment and she was able to enjoy herself.
We are pleased that for Sunday School we have two Aunties who are sharing a class, and Teacher Douglas has also offered to take a group, so we will have six classes this week. With 71 children attending we needed to get the extra help. God is good - all the time!!!
Yesterday and today we fitted the Primary School with their crocs so the task is, thankfully, over for a while. Arnout was a big help with this task.
Marilyn has also been spending some time in classrooms observing (and helping) which will be useful as we hope to tackle the mathematics teaching in the school this term (and beyond).
So that's about all for now, there is less than 4 weeks until our daughter Jen arrives for a visit and we are really looking forward to that. Our dear wee Rhode can now crawl and now loves standing on her feet and has some gorgeous looks and giggles at times. A bouncing ball excites her, we love having her down each day but please pray that her runny nose will dry up and the sty on her eye will heal, both have been hanging around for too long in spite of treatment.
Till next time
God Bless
Hannah's birthday
Hannah with her crown. Matthew looking on.
Our local paparazzi, Arnout taking some snaps
The girls around Hannah's presents and the remains of the cake
Party part two, at home. Hannah making a wish
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