Bénédictions

I am back from Lyra we had another Food For The Hungry team of 4 that came from Phoenix to go back to the same community for a mission trip. We did construction on building a house for the Head master of the school there. And did a VBS and games in the after noon after school and whoever was not doing construction did home visits giving gifts and love. It was a good time to get out of the city again and to get in the boonies and see how 80% of Uganda lives. Man I realized how much I take indoor plumbing for granite. And you must be thinking that I am complaining about not having a shower or a sink to brush my teeth or a nice toilet (with a seat) to go in. That is NOT what I am talking about.If you know me I don't even do those things back in the states. What I am talking about is that if anyone wants or needs water for cooking, drinking, bathing, planting. They have to walk a half a mile to a well with a pump and pump it then have to carry it another half mile back to their homes. DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY TIMES I HAVE HERD THAT "Do not waste the water, you know there are people in Africa that have to walk half a mile to fetch their own water!" HOW MANY TIMES HAVE YOU HERD IT? It did not hit me until I myself pumped till my hands bled and then carried the 20 liters jerry can of water to the house. The bleeding hands and the physical exhaustion is not what hurt me. I already know what that's like. And not even the fact that they too have bleeding hands and have bad backs and have no money to treat it and even if they did have money there is no were to go to get treated. And not even that is what hurt me the most. What hurts me the most is that it is the Women that have to fetch the water for the family. And they do it with a baby wrapped around their back and have to go 2 or 3 times a day. The men are out either working or drunk or making 8 more babies with another women. It is hard for me to see the women to carry their water. I will say it again. It is hard for me to see the women carrying their water. Our water!! they (the women) were the reason we had water each night to pour over our heads as a shower to then complain that it is too cold or that it isn't the same as a shower. If I could physically do it I would pump water all day for the mothers. Knowing then it would not be enough it would be little. So 2 hours and 7 jerry cans later and 1 mostly spilt I cried knowing that I could not pump or carry any more. I am laughing because if this was some one else's blog and I was reading it I know now that it would just sit there and and say "Man that is terrible" and go about eating my dinner. It didn't hit me until I was not only there watching it but actually doing and failing at what they do everyday. So it is hard for me to write all this to you knowing that it might not hit home with all of you. And I am not telling you to come to Africa to poop in a hole in the ground for a year. But I don't want you to be like me and say "man that is terrible" and go about your business.

You read my little sign off "All is well from Uganda"
but it's really not, and that's why I am here

Ok so I have been working at the orphanage of the owners of the house that I am staying at. I have working on a drainage system for a water spicket and a shower to drain properly in a ditch. It has been kind of funny because not only will the orphans come and watch after they get back from school but random people will stop on the side of the street to watch a white person dig. When I got to the orphanage and got out all my tools a man that works at the orphanage was like "just tell us where to start" and he pointed out to a 14yr. old and said that he would work as well. So it was hard for them to understand that I was going to do the work and not them it was also hard for them to understand that I wasn't working for money. So sometimes I had to take the tools out of there hand cause while I was busy working they tried to work as well. To Africans Muzungu's don't do labor. Mzungu's are always in charge of workers. So when people would walk by they would be saying "That muzungu is digging?!?" "He knows how to dig?!?" So watching Africans watching me dig in shock was more rewarding than working for the highest paycheck back in the states.

I am off to Lira tomorrow. I will be there for a week working in the same community there. So I will be out of contact for a while. But my phone will work so ask my Dad how to text me


My little spiel on the World Cup


I have been playing Zidan on my FIFA soccer video game for years. Watching him play and be one of the best players of the game. He is also one of the best penalty shooters of the game in which he scored the first goal in the final game with. So it is all tied knowing that it would go into a shootout and someone
just bad mouthed him and he just head butts him right in the sternum? First of all who head butts people in the chest? Like if he would have punched him that is a little bit more normal. Or at least head butt him in the head. And more importantly this was his last game to ever play anymore. What a way to go out man. I mean there are 4yr. olds who look up to him and watching him end his career. The whole world is watching! Man I bet the American highlights are just terring him up right now! It is one thing to let down your team by hitting another player and it is another to let down your whole country. What the junk Zidan?

Here you go Ben. This is Panda the german shepard who is the coolest dogs ever she is awesome. So not only are the Africans thinking I am crazy putting up a basketball goal Panda as wondering what I am doing as well. Wireless cards are expencive by the way. And the place that I used to go that was free internet as long as you bought a drink or something moved and their new place charges now. and Bobby was looking at getting Wireless in the house and it would be $300 bucks a month and $2,ooo to instal. So I would stay longer and write more it will just have to happen another time. Thanks for the tools Dad. I cant even start to tell yall how bad tools are here.

All is well from Uganda