3 about these roles

P how are you ?
Just received  my iphone 3gs 32gb from this website : tradeonline888.com 
much cheaper than others and genuine . if you would like to get one,you can check it out,
all the best for 2010
Regards,  

We are back!

Goodbyes are never easy...and this was certainly the case in Uganda a week ago! We have returned from our 3 months leading the gap year team, Living Links. It has been fabulous, so much to be thankful for. Much has been accomplished and many new lessons learned (not least, that dioralyte is a very useful thing!?)

Currently we are preparing for a Quiz and Hog Roast evening in aid of ROC (Reaching Orphans for Care, which is the orphan sponorship programme we have helped to set up in Ibanda.) Otherwise we are looking forward to welcoming the headmaster of NMS to the UK in a few days time...what a brilliant experience it will be for him.

Many thanks for sticking with this very intermittent blog!

Painting!

This week's highlight has been starting to painting NMS Primary School - although at times we have felt like zoo animals as children crowd around the windows peering in to watch the mzungus at work; it has been highly rewarding see how much can be done - 'many hands make light work'! We hope to attach a picture soon - but internet connection is currently not strong enough!

It has been beautifully hot today..the Living Links team have been engaged at NMS Primary School. A combination of 'Old Macdonald has a farm', teaching animals and acting out scenes to teach prepositions has kept us busy today!
We are all adapting to life in Ibanda, and despite a few wobbles regarding the local food, everyone is enjoying themselves. There have been a few incidents of sunburn and irritation from mosquito bites-but all are healthy. Tomorrow we are assisting Calvin on the school farm, with some weeding!

A symbol for abstinence...
This is the national bird of Uganda - the crested crane! It appears on the Ugandan flag and is often quoted as a 'symbol of abstinence' - because the male and female always stay together and are faithful to each other.

From SUN to SNOW to SUN!
We have loved being with our family over the holidays and catching up with our friends, but 9th Feb sees us boarding a flight back to Uganda! We are excited about returning to Ibanda and getting stuck in again at NMS school. However, we are embarking on a slightly new venture....for the next 3 months we will be leading a team of 4 gap year volunteers, who will be helping out at NMS and 2 other Primary schools and living with us in Ibanda. We have called this gap year project LIVING LINKS. Last week we came together as a team and spent some time preparing for all that lies ahead... This involved understanding issues of culture/worldview, as well as appreciating the history of Uganda and discussing practically how we might help at the schools - it was great fun! We hope to keep you updated via this blog and our regular emails!

The End of the Academic Year!

The year has flown by so quickly and the familiar site of children collecting their belongings and leaving on the back of 'boda bodas' is upon us! Every child has a small blue metal box containing their personal items and each boarder must bring their own roll up mattress. All of this, plus the child squeezes onto the motorbike and takes them into town to taxis or onwards to their homes...
It has been a fantastic year and we are so grateful to God, who has sustained us and guided us through everything - Thanks for your support!

WET, WET, WET!

The rains have come to Ibanda...although we do still have hot days, they are punctuated with cool winds and heavy rains! Some of the thunderstorms have been seriously dramatic and the locals look at us very strangely as we stare out the window and take pictures! The roads quickly turn into small rivers and walking in sandals is problematic! However, at least it means that the crops are growing and a harvest will come for the people.

Lauben Kashemeza

I am called Lauben Kashemeza, I am a 17 year old student at Nyakatukura Memorial Secondary School. In my family there are 3 boys and our father, who is a soldier while our mother is a farmer. My father serves in the Rwandan Army and we children and our mother live in Uganda.

When I joined secondary school, I started to really like music. During my free time I found that songs were always entering my head and I love to compose my own music. I like singing and I want to be a musician in the future. I like singing country music at our house. I have composed 1 ½ albums of songs and I would really like to publish my music. To make an album of 6 songs it costs 1.2 million shillings (approx. £400).

I therefore humbly request that you kindly consider sponsoring me in my music. I will be happy to hear from you.

May the Almighty God bless you.

Thank you.

Bishop visits NMS!

The Bishop of Ankole Diocese came to NMS last Thursday to see the recent developments, namely the completion of the girls dormitory and the school farm. He was suitably impressed and praised God, thanking Him for the friendship NMS has formed with DCS. It is true to say that without the support and help from DCS many of the activities at NMS would not have taken place - so thank you DCS!

These students are part of the Orphan Care Programme and they received some school materials kindly donated from the UK. This programme has grown from 30 students and now is financially supporting 55 students at NMS (out of 350 students). However, as you might imagine there is a continual struggle to meet the required school fees and often students are asked to go home and 'search' for the funds (disrupting lessons). Most students that attend NMS are from poor backgrounds and if you feel able to contribute to school fees for these young ones please do get in touch with us.

A family reunion in Uganda...we have recently enjoyed a small break with Andy's family, here pictured at Bujagali Falls - spectacular rapids on the river Nile. Incidentally Andy and I have also rafted down the rapids behind us in the photo - a thrilling experience!

We are now back at school for the final term and enjoying ourselves!

Baldrick! All good things must come to an end!

Recently we decided that since our beloved Baldrick was not producing the goods (eggs!), she should become the first victim to a Sunday roast...

Andy, it has to be said, did a very 'complete' job of killing, plucking, carving and cooking the bird. In the end, it seems Baldrick had not had much time to 'fatten up' and there really was not much meat to go round - however a valiant effort!

Word on the street got round shortly after this event and as a result we have gained 2 more chickens...perhaps we should do this more often!?

This has been the project of these holidays... it's the new girls dormitory at NMS! This is a much needed structure since currently the girls are sleeping in the examination hall, which will be required at the end of this month for the O level students.

Andy has enjoyed co-ordinating the builders and generally organising payments and arranging lorry loads of bricks and sand to be delivered! This has all been possible thanks to a generous donation from DCS - thank you!

An impromptu gathering of our next door neighbours (Herbert and his family) with another mzungu from Latvia, who had come to preach at a church in Ibanda for a week.

We love Herbert's family, they have been so friendly and even let us borrow their fridge from time to time! The children are very sweet (Vicky age 4, Joshua age 2 and Jeremiah age 2 months) and are trying to learn English - the constant 'How are you?' 'I am fine' is about as far as we have got! However, I have been reading them Roald Dahl's, Dirty Beasts poems...we've been having a lot of fun!

Recently we had our third teacher training workshop at NMS and we had the privilege of inviting our friend Dickson (from Lira, north Uganda). He spoke brilliantly on Resolving Conflict at school and I am certain that many of the teachers went away changed people! We were also able to invite other strategic teachers from schools in Ibanda, so it was fantastic for NMS to host this event.

Dickson also spoke with each of the classes at NMS and the pupils really engaged with him. Conflict Resolution is definitely a vital topic for these pupils to hear and in fact we are already seeing some of the fruits of his work, with pupils being much more ready to forgive each other etc. We maximised the chance of having such an amazing man of God with us and even got Dickson to preach at both of the Sunday services at St.Paul's church, Ibanda - all round a great weekend!

If you walked out of our house towards town you'd be overwhelmed by this incredible lady! She is called Christine always smiling and waving at us. Also pictured is her 'last born' - a 'cunning animal' is how she describes him!

We have spent many hot afternoons sitting on upturned crates chatting (mainly about the differences between Uganda and UK!) and also playing Uno.

A rather cheezy picture of Andy and I at Murchison National Park... in the background you can see Murchison Falls - geography in action!

Somewhere in the back of Senior 2 (2 years before GCSEs) is Dad and I... following a rather more raucous discipleship session! The pupils were slightly nervous having more 'whites' in the classroom, but they soon lightened up and asked Mum and Dad some interesting questions! (Of course one of them asked which football team Dad supported!!) Mum also taught them a song with actions, which went down a treat!

We changed identity from local 'mzungu' to fully fledged Western tourists, with Emilie and Joel (pictured here at the equator!). We had a fantastic time together not only seeing many elephants, lions and glimpsing a leopard but also rafting the Nile! An awesome time had by all and hilarious moments confusing Ugandans with Emilie (the twin thing lives on!!)