Progress!

In case you’ve missed it, we’re trying to raise the funds to purchase a vehicle- And we’re making progress!! So far, we have raised $8,500 out of the $21,000 we need!

Here’s why we need to do this:

·     We don’t have a functioning vehicle. The one we’re using now is an automatic that we have to shift manually and it only works in second or third gear. It still gets us to town and back but that’s about it and it may not even do that for much longer. It desperately needs to be retired until it can have a significant overhaul done.

·     Between the other families on our team and the ministry, we currently have 3 other vehicles, all of which are older than 1995, all of them require a decent amount of time and effort to keep them on the road, and none of them can carry more than 5 people. 

·     As we continue to grow, our desire is to partner with more and more communities to start more Village Learning Centers. To do this, we will need to make more and more trips into (and back out of) remote places on difficult roads and we often need to go with more than 5 people. 

·      I (Benj) am having greater opportunities to work with other ministries and organizations, helping with equipment and facilities maintenance, automotive repair and modification, welding and fabrication, and just general problem solving. I need to be able to get to these projects, often with tools, equipment, and materials. 

·     Also, it is my desire to do more and more of this sort of service, especially to help those in hard to reach, under-resourced areas. I will need a vehicle to carry my stuff and my guys over rough terrain.

·     The nature of the systems and structures here require us to make the 6 or 7 hour trip to Kampala and Entebbe fairly regularly. We need to go to do our immigration requirements, we need to go for supplies and materials, the printer for all of our curriculum and a number of our partners are there, as well as various other reasons. We need to have a vehicle we can count on to get us down and back.          

Please help us continue towards our goal. Help us keep coloring in the truck! The vehicle we are hoping to buy will meet these needs and many others. It will be another tool to further the work we’re blessed to be a part of!

To help out, just hit this link: bit.ly/Kragts-SSMFI

Also, please drop us a message to let us know you gave: kragt.ck@gmail.com

Thanks!

Izaac's Compound Friends

Hi! It's Izaac. I want to tell you a joke. How does a mouse feel after a bath?_ _ _ _ _ _ _   _ _ _ _ _! I love that joke😂😂😂.

I have a friend named Charlie. She is a toddler. She lives on the same compound as me. She yells my name all the time. I really love to play with her. She loves to play in the dirt with me and Ellie. Mr. Evan and Ms. Britny are Charlie's parents. I get to play Minecraft with Mr. Evan and Ellie. Ms. Britny is good at baking cookies. So is my mom. I had a sleepover at their house last week. It was a lot of fun.

Ms. Theresa also lives on the compound. She lives in a small hut. I love visiting her and making crafts for her. I made a cross out of wood for her birthday.

Mr. Keith and Ms. Lisa were the first to move onto the compound. I made a cross for Ms. Lisa's birthday too. One time I did a fun science experiment with Ms. Lisa. We put white flowers into a glass that had water and food dye. A little bit later, the flowers started turning into the colors we put in the water. It was awesome! Mr. Keith makes the best chili in the world. Mr. Keith and my dad are hard workers.

The answer to the joke is squeaky clean.

Special Request

Thoughts Regarding Roller Coasters... Sort of

So the kids have had their turns to post and now I guess it's mine (Benj). In the same spirit as the kids posts, I'll start mine with a very direct statement about how I feel... 

I do not like roller coasters.

I never have.

The first time I rode one, I didn’t know what I was in for and by the end I had pretty well decided I was not a fan. I’ve ridden a few since then, mostly out of peer-pressure or for the sake of saving face amongst those who may otherwise have made chicken noises in my direction, but each time, I’m reminded of the simple fact: I don’t like roller coasters. 

I realize it is such a cliché to start anything with some iteration of “life is like…” but sometimes it’s hard to avoid. It seems especially difficult to steer away from the roller coaster analogy when each metaphorical clacking ascent, microscopic and inexplicably brief moment of exhilaration at the apex, and anxiety inducing, stomach-into-throat plummet back down to the bottom come so closely on the heels of the one before. But the truth that I have come to terms with is the fact that this is a pretty accurate way to view life, at least from the perspective of the rear-view mirror (mixing metaphors is a practiced specialty of mine).   

I know that this experience is not unique to those who live outside of their birth country but that is where I exist, so that’s where I write from. I am far more aware of it here then I ever have been before. Our life recently, it seems, has created this wave pattern that is frenzied and frantic; a significant disappointment on the heels of a great success, an exciting shift followed immediately by an unfortunate set back. When the climb to the top is gentler, or the time spent on the summit more leisurely, then the fall back down tends to seem less difficult to stomach (pun intended). 

I’m not complaining here by any means, simply observing. I am so grateful for the rise, the journey to the top and for the view when we get there. I’m grateful for the lessons learned and the growth that happens through the decline and the times in the valley. I’m praying for more grace and greater faith. I’m seeking the perspective that hind-sight affords to view the hills and valleys ahead. I’m trying to learn to appreciate the metaphorical amusement park ride of life though I still plan to leave the real thing well enough alone.    

This terrifying contraption is at Wonder Land Amusement Park in Kampala. On a trip in 2009 we brought a bunch of kids to experience this place and no one died! I, however, did not, for so, so many reasons, ride any of the rides.  

Ellie's Post

School is good. I am learning how to read. In science I am learning about canines. We had to go to Kampala to get our student visas. It was a little good and a little bad. The waiting part was bad. We had to wait for 3 hours.

In Kampala, I went to the movie theater. And it was my first time going. We saw Smallfoot. I loved it and it wasn't my brothers first time to the theater. We got to have ice-cream from KFC before the movie.

I really liked the hotel we stayed in. I slept really good and I loved having a hot shower. 😂 It is almost my birthday and I want to go to the swimming pool 🏊 on my birthday. 🍎🎂

Animals

Hi!  This is Izaac! I wanted to talk about some animals we have seen. So when we went to the Game Park (Safari), we saw elephants, giraffes, baboons, warthogs, and water buffalo. I really like the giraffes. We got really close one of them. The elephants were cool too. I love elephants!

And we also saw an ignoramus awesome waterfall. We got to play on some rocks that were near it. There was a small stream that I played in that went down the rocks and back into the waterfall. I had so much fun there!

Back at the compound, we saw a monitor lizard. Our friend Micheal killed it for us because it was eating the chicks and eggs. It was almost as tall as me but not as wide. A little while before that, I found a snake in our puppies house. And I ran and got my dad. It didn't hurt anybody. We have a puppy, his name is Chief. I love him so much. He is so cute.  We have a lot of chickens. Mine is named Olaf. Ellie named hers Snow White. Our friend Charlie named hers Belle. The other ones are named Jamie, Beckie, Benj, Nick and Jason. A lot of my Aunts and Uncles names. Bye for now. I will write again next week.🐓🐥🐘

Long Time

"Long time" is a greeting you get when you haven't seen someone in a while or "you've been lost". Well both of those statements are accurate for this blog. I always have the best intentions but life gets in the way and I don't make it the priority it should be. So hopefully I'm getting a system in place to make sure I am updating more often. That being said, here is a bit of what we have been up to since we arrived in July.

I started school with the kids about a week after our return. It is a bit more challenging juggling both kids especially since Ellie needs a lot more help and attention. I think we are finally getting into a good routine even with some interruption here and there. If you or anyone you know wants to come teach my children for the next six months to a year I would love it. I think the kids would too!

On September 1st we moved into our house!!! There is still quite a bit that needs to be done but we are loving having our own space after a long time of sharing. The kids love sleeping in their hammocks. They sleep so much better than they used to. The house gets cooler at night too so that is a bonus especially as we are getting closer to the dry hot season.

     

As of September 25th we have been in Gulu for 1 year! (minus our time in the states) We are starting to pick up some of the greetings and really making this our home. We are making new friends both other missionaries and Ugandans.

We had some visitors in September also! We love having friends and family come and see our lives here. We love to show them what we are doing and see what everyday life looks like. They are a blessing to us in many ways. If you ever think maybe I would like to come sometime, you should!! We would love to have you.

I think that is all for now! I think next I will have the kids post about some of the animals we have had around the compound!

Christina

Greetings from Uganda!

Greetings from Uganda!! Wow what a week it has been. We left Tuesday morning to begin our journey. First the drive to Detroit, then the flights to Boston, Amsterdam, Kigali, and our final stop Entebbe, Uganda. We arrived at 10:30pm Wednesday night, got through immigration and customs with no problems and all our luggage arrived! We stayed in a nearby guest house that night. Thursday morning we met a friend for breakfast before we got on the road to Jinja. 

Yes I meant to say Jinja and not Gulu. Our vehicle was not ready so we had to make a stop in Jinja before we could head to our house in Gulu. We stayed at our friends house in Jinja

Thursday night. They also have kids who are similar in age to Izaac and Ellie and they had a blast playing together. It also helped the kids to not get bored or take a nap as we are trying to get ourselves on this time zone (seven hours ahead of Michigan). The car was finally ready (it had been in the shop the last 4 months) Thursday afternoon so we would be able to head to Gulu Friday morning. We left around 11am and the first leg of the journey went well. About 2 and a half hours into our drive we stopped because of some noises under the hood and to check the luggage on top. Apparently the fuel injector pump was not bolted on properly and one of them was missing. Benj tightened the one bolt the best he could and we were on our way again about a half hour later.

A short while later we lost power in the vehicle and coasted to the side of the road so Benj could look under the hood again. Some wiring broke, so Benj got it back together and 10 minutes later we were going again. We broke down again a little while later. We added oil and tightened the fuel injector pump again and went to start the car and it wouldn’t start. We were 52 km from home so we called our team mates to see if they would come jump the car or at least pick us up if that didn’t work. About an hour later someone stopped to see if we needed help and we figured out our battery was bad. Almost the same time we got the car started our team mate Keith arrived. We were so happy but as we started to drive we couldn’t go more than 5 km/h. We were beyond frustrated at this point. Benj then remembered that he had a tow strap in the car. He attached the two vehicles and we began the drive again slowly but surely. We arrived home at 10pm. It was so good to finally be here! I am so thankful that Benj is able to do so much work on vehicle. I don’t think he will let anyone else work on it again (except his dad when he comes to visit). We have been adjusting slowly and are still dealing with jetlag. The kids seem the most back to normal. We both got back to work today. We are trying to get into our house as soon as possible. Well that about sums up our last week. Most of it was spent traveling but it is good to be home.

US here we come!

Progress on our house Part 2!

I was having trouble getting the blog to handle all the pictures I wanted so I had to split them up. These pictures are from when the 40ft container arrived until now.

The 40ft container finally arrived Dec. 23

I was a bit nervous as they were setting it on the foundation

Almost set

The containers joined and trusses up

Papyrus under the metal roof

Making progress on the roof

Priming the walls 

Our closet/wall for the bathroom

Looking into our room

The bathroom 

The hall shelves/bathroom wall

From the 40ft looking into the 20ft and outside room

The 20ft container will be a school room/playroom

Izaac & Ellie's bedroom will be in this space