The Effort of Being Thankful

We haven’t been here a year yet and because of that we are still having “first time in Africa” experiences. This Thanksgiving is one of those and it’s proving to be a tough one.

A lot of it has to do with the fact that fall in the mid-west is one of our favorite things. The change in the air, in the trees, in the rhythm of life is refreshing and rejuvenating. We love the crisp air and the things that come with it- flannel shirts and hoodies, fires, flurries, and all things apple and pumpkin and cinnamon, red and orange and brown.

Here we have the brown (dirt) and the red (clay), we can get some apples and even pumpkin pie, but it just isn’t the same and we are lamenting that. And now, as we now enter this time of year that has always been so family-oriented and full of quality time with those we love… in light of the things that are different here, we’re just struggling to be as grateful as we should for the things that are here.

This is not meant to be a complaint, though I know that’s what it sounds like. What I want it to be is an exercise in the effort of being grateful.  Here goes-

We’re thankful for:

Izaac: Thanksgiving dinner!

Ellie: My bunny, Princess

Christina: Being able to have/make good coffee

Benj: The sense of adventure so often

Izaac: A safe trip in the car yesterday

Ellie: That my pinky feels better

Christina: Having family in Uganda with us  

Benj: So many people who faithfully support and encourage us

Izaac: School and my friends there

Ellie: Goretti and Sugar cane!

Christina: Technology to stay connected

Benj: More experienced Missionary friends who share wisdom with us

Izaac: That I’m not at school today

New friends who welcome us into their communities

A diverse church body that teaches Gospel truth and challenges us

Friends and acquaintances from all over the worldTropical sunsets

Rainstorms

Electricity

Clean water

Family game times

Fresh, delicious, abundant fruits and veggies

A broader worldview for all of us

New experiences

Difficult challenges

Busyness and rest 

So Much More!!

Help Us Wash Our Clothes!

So, we have to wash our clothes here in Africa, too. I know, crazy right? I’ve been an adult for a while now and washing clothes is one of those “adulty” things that is sort of expected. Because this is the case, I, like many of you, have spent many hours of my life washing clothes. Even Benj had been known to throw a load in the machine once every couple of years.

Here’s the thing though, this necessary task (that we really never spent much time dwelling on in our American life) has become a household chore that takes up about two full days to complete here in Uganda. It can take even more time if it is raining because the clothes take significantly longer to dry.

 Hanging the clothes inside because of the rain.

To give you a better understanding of the quite tedious process, I’ll break it down for you. We wash all of our clothes by hand here. They have to be soaked sometimes for a whole day depending on how dirty they are. They are then vigorously scrubbed with detergent that could also be used to degrease an engine. We then wring them out by hand and hang each article (each top, bottom, undergarment and even every single sock) with a clothespin on a clothesline to air dry. Because the clothes are wrung out by hand, we are unable to get a lot of water out of them, which contributes to the amount of time (a lot) they take to dry.

This process would take time for laundry for a single person, but multiplied by the four of us living here, the time becomes significant. Especially given the fact that two little family members seem to spend a lot of their time competing at who can get more red Ugandan clay on themselves, and one adult family member (not naming names, of course) regularly gets covered in grease, oil, dirt, sweat and numerous other unidentified substances. Our clothes take quite a beating when hand washed and they spend more time in the sun to dry so they don’t last as long.  Handwashing also requires the use of more water and soap, which contributes to the cost of each “load” of laundry.

We understand and accept the realities that come with moving to Uganda and giving up many modern conveniences we enjoyed back in the US. However, washing machines exist in Uganda! And, with a little help from our family, friends, and supporters, owning a washing machine could be a reality for us and would allow us to free up our hands for what we would consider more important work.  

Christina and Goretty (a young lady who lives with us) would be able to focus on gardening, baking, cooking and spending more time working on various tasks together, allowing Christina to be more immersed in the Ugandan culture. Christina will be able to join Benj more in the work he is doing in the village and doing more “school” with Ellie. Each of these things also helps contribute to our relationship building in the local community, which is very important to us. For example, we love to share harvests from our garden or freshly baked breads with our neighbors and friends.

Would you consider helping us raise the necessary funds to purchase a washing machine? A machine here costs around 1.4 million shillings, which with the current exchange rate is around $400 USD. We know that is a lot to ask of those already supporting us on a daily basis. We are so grateful for how God has moved in each one of you to support our journey. We are doing our best to steward wisely and direct that support to our daily living and ministry here in Uganda, as well as to support the medical expenses we recently incurred. That is why we are interested in building a separate fund for this purchase.

Please consider helping us raise funds to purchase a washing machine. Here’s how:

1.         Keep track of each load of laundry you do in the month of November – that’s each time you start your washing machine. We suggest a little Post-It by the washing machine or maybe a quick note in your phone. If you want to send us a message each time you do laundry, we can even keep track for you!
2.       Donate $1 (or more if you are so inclined) each time you wash a load of clothing in your washing machine. (For example, at the end of the month if  you have done 20 loads of laundry, you would donate $20.) 
3.          Click here: bit.ly/kragts to send your donations by December 5, 2016. We are making a trip to Kampala in December and would need to have secured the funding by then to make our purchase.

Thank you so much in advance for your consideration. We would be happy to answer any additional questions you might have.

Feeding the Community...

Here's what's been going on in Lawmbogo over the past few months.

Before I left in July we were working on cordoning off a piece of the church property to cultivate for some community garden space. Because this village is closely surrounded by commercial sugarcane plantation, people don't have a lot of space for personal subsistence gardens, especially the marginalized.

 (Why yes, that young man is pulling the barbed wire with bare hands. And even though it looks like the backs of Paul's legs are about to get shredded, I promise that's not the case. Maybe if someone weren't stopping to take pictures...)

Since then, Pastor Mawa and others have tilled and planted and things are beginning to grow. We've got maze and beans coming up as well as passion fruit, matoke (a type of non-sweet banana), and cassava. I've been talking to a few people who teach a method of sustainable agriculture called Farming God's Way that I hope we can learn and implement at the next planting. 

Another project we're working on now is building a large chicken coop. Again, the hope is to be able to provide for the church and the most marginalized of this community.

From design...

(This may not have been completely necessary for building a chicken coop but sometimes I need to get back to my roots and I'm also trying to learn this design program.)

To implementation...

  Measuring & Layout

A lot of digging. At least there are no frost line requirements

Poles are set and heights adjusted

Roof framing going up

And then sheeting

Not finished yet but we'er well under way. I've been building the doors here at home so we'll install those and fence it in soon. Should be omelets for breakfast and BBQ'd chicken in no time. Though which one comes first I wonder...?

Home Improvement Projects

Feeling under the weather today but still wanted to try to be productive. Might not be good that it takes giardia to get me to write a blog post but at least I'm doing it!

I've done a handful of projects since getting back to Uganda and I tried to do a better job taking pictures. Now, since I have the photographic evidence I feel like I need to do something with it.

Before we left, some friends brought in a bunch of larger plumbing tools and I needed a place to store and a way carry them, so I built a tool box. I was pleased with the rabbited edge considering I did it with a circular saw.

We built a "shelf" over the tub we don't use and the kids helped with the painting.

Also, in an effort to try to keep the house a bit neater, I built a book self and a shoe rack.

For another project I've got going out in Lawmbogo I need to build a couple screen doors and I was getting tired of making long, narrow rips with my cordless circular saw so I built a simple table saw. I was able to pick up a decent saw from a missionary "garage sale" and throw this together. Really should have done this sooner!

Lastly, I'm working up a rotating compost bin to make some really good growing soil!

And this is where all the magic happens. My make-shift work shop.