Spending a wonderful day at Lake Bunyonyi

On Wednesday we drove to Lake Bunyonyi, only 20 minutes from home. We took a beautiful 10 minute boatride to Bushara Island where we spent the day hiking around the island, flying our kites, playing cards, swimming, and having a really fun time. Joshua looked so cute in his life jacket - it kind of squeezed his cheeks together. He was a good sport.

David and Audrey - the happily engaged couple

The boatride to and from the island was Isaac and Evan's favorite part of the day. Can't you tell Stan is thrilled too?

Swimming in the freezing Lake Bunyonyi

Audrey and Isaac did what we call the turtle swim. The boys rode on Audrey and Stan's backs through the water to the floating dock.

Stan kept saying, "OK Evan, you don't have to squeeze my neck so tightly!"

They made it! The floating dock was fun to jump off.

Audrey pushed Evan around on a canoe - what a great workout!

Fun with Aunt Audrey

Audrey and Mom are the puzzle lovers in our family. Audrey had been working on this jigsaw for a few days and one morning Evan decided he wanted to join Aunt Audrey. So he brought one of his own puzzles up to the table so he could work on his puzzle next to her. It was so precious.

Earlier this week, Audrey watched the boys for the whole morning so Eli and I could go up to a nice hotel on the hill. We spent the morning reflecting on this past year and what we've learned. We also discussed and dreamed about this upcoming year. It was a great date and Audrey had fun with the boys. One of the fun activities they did was making their own homemade playdough.

Christmas Day

After a huge breakfast on Christmas morning, we headed to church for a very meaningful service at Mom and Dad's church, Kigezi Baptist Church. As you can see in the picture, Eli and I got new outfits (purchased in Yabus market) and Mom's blue outfit is also from Sudan.

Audrey and I sang a duet: "Mary Did You Know" in church. We printed out the words of the song in Rukiga (the language in Kabale) so those who don't understand English could still get the meaning of the song.

Stan sure loves his nephew. Stan and Joshua have developed a special bond over the past week together.

Christmas stockings and gifts

The boys were very proud of their new stockings that Aunt Audrey sewed for them.

Evan proudly shows off his new toy!

Joshua is thrilled to finally have some cars of his very own

Full days

Uncle Caleb wrestles his three nephews

Eating like kings! Shish Kebabs, baked potatoes with all the works, and a salad

The beautiful couple: David and Audrey

The guys worked on a project all morning - fixing Mom and Dad's dining room table

On Saturday the boys and I made Christmas cookies - the process took much longer and made a bigger mess but we all had so much fun.

Frosted cookies: the finished product

There have already been several water fights with Uncle Stan's water guns

There's always something fun to do and in the background the Christmas lights are on and Christmas music is playing - everything's just perfect!

At Home in Uganda

We're so sorry we haven't updated this blog for so long. We were having troubles with our internet in Yabus. But now we're in Kabale, Uganda with Bethany's family. We'll be here for the next three weeks celebrating Christmas and the New Year. I will do my best to keep adding new photos. Please make sure you read the next few posts because I added some pictures and stories from our last month in Sudan. MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL!
Isaac and Evan acted as Mimo's little elves and helped put all the Christmas presents under the Christmas tree.

Can you see how happy we all are? Mimo is thoroughly enjoying her grandsons and I'm LOVING the extra help.

Yabus Friends

Kids movie at our house.

Antony and Sonia joined us for the last three weeks of homeschool. Class picture: 2009

River slide

Eli invented a great water slide down at the river one day. He took a long piece of black plastic, set it up on the sandy incline that runs into the river, and made a super duper water slide for the kids. At first Evan, Praise, and Isaac tried it out, but soon all the other village children joined in when they saw how much fun it was.

This is what they looked like in the end!

Thanksgiving in Sudan

Lori, Phalice, and I, the three American women on our team, spent most of the afternoon cooking up a storm. Yes, this is our kitchen.

Dreamwhip in Yabus? You bet ya! Lori's parents sent homemade whipped cream packets.

Our team gathered for our special Thanksgiving meal. These were very strange foods for them to try but overall we had a very good time and we were all stuffed by the end.

THE MENU:

Glazed ham

mashed potatoes and gravy

green bean casserole with real frenchfried onions sent from the States (except made with mixed vegetables)

jello fruit salad

homemade rolls

pumpkin pie with whipped cream on top!

Coffebreak - Sudanese Style

I gathered the team in the racuba (dried grass shelter/Sudan style gazebo) and served them all Sudanese coffee. I'd done the whole process myself: roasting the beans, pounding the beans, brewing the coffee in the clay pot, etc. so I was so thrilled to serve my SIM family true Sudanese coffee. Should I mention the whole process took more than an hour?

I want to apologize for not updating our blog in such a long time. We've had some internet problems in Yabus, so we weren't able to post updates. We are now in Uganda enjoying a sweet time of rest and family fun with Bethany's family who live here. I will try to put up a few pictures from our last month in Sudan and then give you a peak of our past few days here.

Beautiful colors, beautiful sisters

Over the weekend we had a fun girls night. On Saturday night all the women on our team here in Yabus gathered in Asule's home with hot and cold beverages and lots of toenail polish. We spent the evening laughing, sharing stories, learning from each other's cultures, and most of all, enjoying each other's company.
Halfway through the evening, I looked around the room and noticed how diverse of a group of friends we are. Here, in the heart of Sudan, in the middle of the continent of Africa, we have 2 Americans, 2 Indians, 1 Nigerian, and 3 Sudanese - living together as friends...and most of all...sisters.
I marveled at how much we love each other and how we feel so much like family. I marveled at how God called each of us and brought us to the same place in Sudan to serve Him together. And I thought about how this is a tiny glimpse of what heaven will be like.

This is what our feet looked like at the end of our "spa." We'd all had foot massages and pedicures. And even though most of our feet are usually calloused and cracked from the heat and dust, I couldn't help thinking of the verse, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news." Rom. 10:15

Off to Chali

Today Eli and Pastor Joseph drove four hours on the quad bike to an Uduk village called Chali. Eli went to meet with some SIC church leaders about starting discipleship in Yabus. Please pray for his safety and for clear communication and good relationships during his three days there.

Aunt Canberra

Canberra is a special friend and amazing teammate. She has a heart for children and every day you can hear children's laughter and singing coming from her house. Today I couldn't find my boys and when I went looking for them, this is where I found them - eating candy and having a lovely visit with "Aunt Can".

Finding my identity

Me and my girls - sometimes I forget I'm white!

As a missionary kid growing up in Africa, I always struggled a bit with my identity. I knew I was an American, but when I was in the States, I didn't feel like I belonged and it never really felt like home. But I also knew I wasn't Ugandan (where I grew up) because my skin was white and my culture and language were so different. As a child and even into my teen years I tried so hard to be like my African friends - acting like them, doing the types of things they did and even trying to speak with their accent. One day I even went as far as rubbing charcoal all over my body just so I could be black!

As a new missionary to Sudan I again feel the struggle of who I really am. I've tried so hard to learn their language and culture and learn how to do things the way they do (although I've completely failed at carrying large jerricans of water on my head!) But I'm learning something. I will never be Sudanese. I'm an American and that means it's OK to act like an American, as long as I'm not offending anyone. My Sudanese friends know I'm not Sudanese and they love me just the way I am. As I grow more comfortable with my own "culture", I'm learning to glean the good things I admire from each culture and mix them into my life. The result? A little bit of everything. But isn't that what heaven will be like?

I've learned how to make coffee Sudanese style - roasting the beans over a fire, pounding them, then brewing the very strong, black coffee.

Here I am learning to make kisra. I had another lesson today. I still haven't gotten very good at this one. It's like a giant crepe pancake but made of sorghum.

2 Priceless Pics

I think this picture speaks more than a thousand words. If you study it long enough, you learn a lot about Sudan - the animals, the homes, the dirt, the poverty. Take a minute and look at it. My favorite part about this picture is how at home Isaac is. He's relaxed and happy in an environment that most of us would feel uncomfortable and out of place.

After a big rain yesterday the three boys had a great time playing in the mud. What a threesome!

More fun with Mom and Dad

Mom has probably played close to 50 games of Uno with Isaac and Evan. They never tire and neither does she.

Dad is such a good sport, helping Eli out wherever he needs it. The two of them spent most of yesterday out in Gondolo fixing the sorgum grinding mill. They had to pack all their tools and the generator on the quad bike and Eli drove his motorcycle. Their trip home was tricky since it downpoured rain just before they left to come back. So Eli was fishtailing through the mud and Dad had the trip of his life.

Lots of good experiences

During this first week back in Yabus, we've taken Mom and Dad to meet many of our friends. They are greeted very warmly everywhere we go. Some of the new experiences for Mom and Dad:
-Driving to church on a quad bike through grass that's 10 feet tall
-Drinking strong Sudanese coffee
-Eating asida (consistency of playdough) with kudra soup (slimy and green)
-Greeting in Arabic

The men sit under one side of the tree and the women sit on the other

Mom is a big hit everywhere we go. She's lavished hugs on many many people!