In no particular order of importance:
1. The dirtiest kids are the cutest.
2. You can fit 22 people, 4 chickens, a twin mattress and some luggage all in the same minivan (of course the mattress was on top, or that would have been super uncomfortable).
3. Bald is beautiful. Especially for girls.
4. The absence of traffic laws and stop signs doesn't cause as many accidents as I thought it would.
5. Best method of transporting a live goat: the trunk of your 1986 Toyota sudan
6. It is possible for black babies lips to be so big that they can't actually close their mouth all the way. Proof: Baby Toto from the Bugembe Branch.
7. "You have been looking for me. I am here!" has proven to be a very effective pick-up line among Africans and mzungus in the past.
8. Chickens in the operating room aren't actually a problem
9. Random "crunchies" in your food add excitement to your gustatory experience
10. Africa changes lives. Forever.
I'm sorry we haven't been posting regularly. The power and internet here are not very reliable and we figured that since we don't have pictures our posts are probably super boring. We are still trying to find a way to download our pictures here without causing a power outage in Eastern Uganda, but until we do, this will be a "read only" blog. If you really want to hear more in-depth about our adventures here, you can get a hold of our Mom by sending her a message on her blog at hawaiituellers.blogspot.com. We send home weekly emails and I'm sure she would be willing to share them with you!
Monday, February 22, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
Human Sacrifices on the Rise
Don't you worry, that was only the headline of the newspaper this Saturday.
Despite the current increase in human sacrifices we are feeling pretty safe here in Uganda. The people are so kind to us and we feel right at home. We asked our host father, Idi, about the human sacrifices and apparently it is a real issue. In fact, I had noticed previously that it is very rare to see a little girl here who does not have her ears pierced. We learned from Idi that with circumcision or ear piercing, the sacrifice is considered unpure. Parents here go to any length they can to prevent their children from being abducted and used by witch doctors and voodoo priests as sacrifices.
It is just so fascinating to me that we could all live in the same era, on the same world, and yet we live so differently. Here they practice polygamy, the children and wife are the property of the husband, the entire day is spent working with little or no time for rest and recreation. It is so interesting to me to see all the differences that exist between us, but more interesting to me are all the similarities that we share due to the fact that we are all children of our Heavenly Father and human beings having this earthly experience together. Smiles between neighbors, the way a mother lovingly and meticulously cares for her newborn baby, the pride felt by a father when he sees that newborn baby, the way children run to their father as he comes home from work, the unique bond formed between dear childhood friends and teenage sweethearts. It happens here too. Just like in the states. We speak different languages, we look differently, but essentially when you break through culture, language, location, and race we are all the same. Our souls are woven together much deeper and by much more that just common interests, social similarites, and united causes. I think that is fascinating, and that is loudly testifies that there is something and someone much greater than each one of us. We truly are part of a big, united family that is run by a perfect and loving Father who unites us all because we are His.
I love and admire the people of Uganda....even though human sacrifices are on the rise.
Despite the current increase in human sacrifices we are feeling pretty safe here in Uganda. The people are so kind to us and we feel right at home. We asked our host father, Idi, about the human sacrifices and apparently it is a real issue. In fact, I had noticed previously that it is very rare to see a little girl here who does not have her ears pierced. We learned from Idi that with circumcision or ear piercing, the sacrifice is considered unpure. Parents here go to any length they can to prevent their children from being abducted and used by witch doctors and voodoo priests as sacrifices.
It is just so fascinating to me that we could all live in the same era, on the same world, and yet we live so differently. Here they practice polygamy, the children and wife are the property of the husband, the entire day is spent working with little or no time for rest and recreation. It is so interesting to me to see all the differences that exist between us, but more interesting to me are all the similarities that we share due to the fact that we are all children of our Heavenly Father and human beings having this earthly experience together. Smiles between neighbors, the way a mother lovingly and meticulously cares for her newborn baby, the pride felt by a father when he sees that newborn baby, the way children run to their father as he comes home from work, the unique bond formed between dear childhood friends and teenage sweethearts. It happens here too. Just like in the states. We speak different languages, we look differently, but essentially when you break through culture, language, location, and race we are all the same. Our souls are woven together much deeper and by much more that just common interests, social similarites, and united causes. I think that is fascinating, and that is loudly testifies that there is something and someone much greater than each one of us. We truly are part of a big, united family that is run by a perfect and loving Father who unites us all because we are His.
I love and admire the people of Uganda....even though human sacrifices are on the rise.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
WE'RE HEEEEEERE!
We finally made it to Uganda and we are falling more in love with the country everyday. Despite canceled flights, unexpected night in freezing London with no money or means to go outside the hotel, lost baggage, eight hour trips to retrieve said baggage we actually had a blast getting here. It was an adventure in and of itself and we learned so much through it all. Mainly, we learned that the journey itself is the best part and that we are more grown up than we thought (although that fact could be argued by the hotel guests beneath us that heard us jumping on the bed). We felt literally sick that we were in one of the most intriguing countries in the world but unable to explore. We are determined to return and earn our London passport stamp. Maybe we could stop by for a few days on our way to Morocco.....Jerusalem.... Italy?
The people here in Uganda are so beautiful and kind and we already feel like there is so much we can learn! We had every intention of making this a blog of our adventures, but we didn't know that the computers here are so old that they don't even have hookups for cameras. Call us ignorant and spoiled, but we had no idea that computers like that even existed!!! We are going to do some research and see if we can find another cafe that we can download our photos so that you can see why we love it here so much. All in all, we are SO HAPPY that we came. We feel so blessed that we were given this opportunity and so responsible to soak it all in and do all we can to help the people here.
We are super excited because in all of the luggage-retrieving ruckus, we spent the day with a new friend, JohnBaptist (aka JB). Yep, you read that right...as in John.the.Baptist but all one word. He is 27 years old and we followed him around Uganda on motorcycles, taxis, insanely crowded matatus to retrieve Age's luggage. Through all our travels we were able to talk much about the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Restoration of His church. JB had lots of questions and we invited him to church with us next Sunday. He lives about 40 km away from us but conveniently about 10 minutes down the road from our church. It will be kind of hard due to distance and money, but we are hoping we can be part of his discussions with the missionaries. He is fascinated with the idea of the Book of Mormon and has a bunch of books that question the validity of the priesthood of the Papacy. Pray for him that he will be able to feel the Spirit at church this Sunday!
We love you!
We love you!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
And So Our Adventure Begins.....
Long story short....Age and I are moving to Africa for a few months. Uganda to be exact. And long story even shorter, we are SUPER excited about it! We are headed out with a suitcase full of medical supplies, 5 outfits each, and some shampoo and toothpaste. We leave behind incredibly supportive parents, empty bank accounts, and our lives as we now know them. We cannot wait for the adventures that await us! We created this blog to allow you to be a part of our lives for the next five months.
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