Villages, villages

Well it looks like I was able to upload 3 pics. One of me holding baby Johnson Kirya; one of Jeff holding one of the many children we visited yesterday and then one of David with Ricky Kahudu and Roy Mwesigwa standing in front of one of the homes we visited yesterday.

We've already taken tons of pics and video that we'll have to sort through at some point when we get home. This afternoon, I'm sitting at the Source Cafe drinking a Pepsi and waiting on a very slow internet. The 20 or so Pepperdine students have arrived for their study abroad program that's here, Rwanda and Tanzania for the next few weeks.

Today, we visited two separate villages and walked miles and miles. Now, I'm in a long billowy skirt and flip flops. The guys are in long pants, long-sleeved shirts and hiking boots. I don't want to trade with them. This is the second day we've taken Gerald, Irene Kimeze's adopted son, with us. Gerald is about 13--they don't really keep track of birthdays in the villages. He is the son of one of Moses' brothers. Irene and Moses adopted him a couple of years ago after both his parents had died (at least one of them, but probably both, from AIDS). Since we're here this trip during school holidays and I want Gerald to be with David and Jeffrey as much as possible, he's been going along as Jeff's helper. Jeff brought a lot of camera and video equipment that Gerald helps lug around the hillsides. Jeff's also showing him how to take pictures and, of course, they play a game of pick-up football (soccer) every time we are around 3 or 4 kids. Well, actually, Jeffrey performs juggling tricks with the soccer ball.

Many of our visits this morning were to ladies we'd met last year in Kainagoga which is just next to Musima. We met with two or three people who'd asked for micro-loans last year but we weren't able to start that program as we'd hoped. So it was really encouraging to see that some of these people had started enterprises on their own and now hope to expand when we're able to start the program. Juliet showed us her pigs--and I oohed and aaaahed over them. We all did. Then after visiting a few more folks and their pigs and their gardens, we sat under the mango tree where their church meets and talked about microloans and our plans and we prayed with them. This year, they're actually building a church building near the mango tree. I almost forgot but the first place we stopped was at the home of this 90ish woman. She was out in her garden beside her house, down on the ground, digging with her hands. Unbelievable. I can't imagine that life. Daniel says the church members come by and take care of her and help her with the land.

After having lunch at tall Daniel's house, we went to another one of the churches he's started to visit with the ladies who've recently begun meeting to making necklaces from these really pretty seeds. I'll have to show you sometime.

Ok, this is already getting long so I'll wrap up. I was going to philosophize a little but that can always wait. I'll need more caffeine for that. By the way, when go to villages, I usually try not to drink anything in the morning before I leave so I don't have to go looking for facilities. Yeah well, I had chai this morning. So it was a very long day away from town today. This afternoon, when we got back to town, Candice Garner met me at the Source and took me back to the market. I bought 3 skirts there the other day to wear while I'm here. Irene showed me that one of them had several holes in it so she insisted that I go back to the market and tell the guy that it was no good. So, that's what we did. We dug through skirts and found one that maybe Candice can wear and made a swap.

Tomorrow, Friday, David and Jeff are going with Bobby when he gets a beehive. He's gonna be a bee grower--there's a special word for that but I don't know it. And then Irene is taking the afternoon off and we're going to take the kids swimming for the afternoon. I may not be able to write again until Saturday afternoon. We're having a big deal here with the ISAC kids on Saturday. Ricky has arranged for all of them to come to town. I think he's bought some things for them and we're supposed to have a worship time with them then eat together.