1. Making Bricks
Most mornings our ministry was to make bricks that would be used to make a floor for classrooms in the newest building. Together our team made more than 1000 bricks!
2. Gym Class
I wrote a blog about this already (read it here), but this month was a month of gym class for me. While it wasn’t my favourite part of ministry, it was definitely a part I will remember. And when can I ever say again that I participated in African gym class?
3. Jackfruit
Culinary adventures are a part of life on the World Race. In Uganda the big adventure was jackfruit. It’s a giant yellow fruit that is super sweet and has an incredibly strong, sickly-sweet odour. You eat it by cutting open the rind, pulling out sections of it, pulling out the seed from the centre, and peeling off the stringy bits. Then you eat what’s left. It’s delicious for a couple of bites, but then the taste gets overpowering. But our hosts kept giving us chunks of it that were massive, and we didn’t want to offend them by not finishing it. We got creative with “sharing” with the kids around us, strategic aim into the bushes when nobody was looking, and some girls even stashed some in plastic baggies in their purses!
4. Lake Victoria
On one of our days off I joined some of the
girls from Team Transformed and we went on a little trip on Lake Victoria. We
caught a ride in a local style fishing boat and went out to a little beach that
a friend of ours recommended. Unfortunately, our friend had not been there in
many years and the beach was now overgrown and swampy. But we still had fun
looking out over the lake and playing Phase 10.
4. 5.
Kick the Can
We made several house visits this month,
but one in particular is one I will remember. We ate some amazing food, and
then played a huge game of Kick the Can with most of the kids, and many of the
adults, in the neighbourhood. Some of the neighbours looked a little concerned
at first when they noticed a group of “muzungus” (white people) creeping around
the back of houses, peering around corners, and trying hard to be sneaky.
6. Bert the Chicken
Some of you may remember that in Kenya our
team did Christmas in July, and my gift was Bert, the Christmas Chicken. Well,
Bert joined us for travel day and came with us to Uganda. He spent he month
happily wandering around the school property of Goshenland, making friends with
the other chickens, and hiding from the overly affectionate children. Bert also
travelled back with us to Nairobi at the end of the month, where he received an
invitation to stay at Milimani GuestHouse, where he will be living a long,
happy life.
7. The Newlywed Game
After living with our team for about 5 months we figured we knew each other pretty well, so one night we played the Newlywed Game! We paired off an answered questions about our partner, things such as their parent’s names, their favourite color, or their dream honeymoon location. The winners….Emily and I!
8. Harry Potter
Yes, I am a Harry Potter fan. And I was a
pretty sad I was going to miss the last Harry Potter movie in theatres. Until….we
found a movie theatre in Kampala! About 8 World Racers all took advantage of an
off day to experience a Ugandan movie theatre – and saw the last movie in the
Harry Potter franchise!
9. Friends from Canada
Sometimes on the world race some weird
connections are made. We were visiting a man whose wife is studying at a
university in Canada. I asked about it, and learned that she is in Edmonton,
Alberta (the same city I’m from!). In fact, when he showed us a picture, it had
been taken in a park I’m pretty sure I recognize! So I have her contact
information and hope to be able to meet her when I go home.
10. Children’s Choir
The children at Celebrate Jesus Church sing
together in a choir, and they are actually really good! They all line up and
dance and sing every Sunday. They are so cute, and so talented. They were
always a great addition to our Sunday morning services.
11. Helping Grandma with Corn
One of the routine tasks in Uganda is taking
corn kernels off the cob so the kernels can then be planted. One of the seniors
in our church is the most precious and adorable lady ever, so we went to visit
her one day. When we were there we saw a huge pile of corn that she was trying
to take the kernels off. But her hands are severely arthritic, and it was very
difficult for her. So the seven of us all just sat down and grabbed some corn.
Sitting there with her and helping her with her work was so much fun, and we
finished in a couple of hours what would have taken her days to do. I ended up
with blisters and bleeding fingers, but it was absolutely worth it to see her
smile.
Photo Credit: Joy Robertson
Amen, our contact’s daughter
