Home Sweet Home

Claire and I are slowly, slowly (mpora, mpora) settling into our new life in our own (rented) house. We arrived here on Monday (9th Feb.) for our first night. We slowly received our furnishings… all our furniture has been hand-made from local eucalyptus wood (except our plastic dining chairs – much cheaper and more comfy). The house is just beautiful… beyond what we need, but undoubtedly a gift from God. It is situated only 15 mins walk from NMS (Nyakatukura Memorial School) and within a small compound shared by three other houses.

We've made friends with many of the locals – most especially with a Muslim called Rafiki (who has a bakery business that also makes unbelievably good doughnuts!).  I have been in my element DIYing around the house – fixing up our solar showers (which have been a real luxury), mending doors that are too stiff to open and attending to a simple washing line. ...it's amazing just how much work can be done using a simple Leatherman multitool pen-knife!!! The outside of the house has yet to be fully completed and we are still awaiting some good quality 'top soil' to begin our vegetable patch.

It has been SO useful to have Betty to help around the house. She lives with us in one of the spare rooms and has been attending to our needs wonderfully and although she thinks our food combinations are a little strange (chapatti with honey and sugar – just like a pancake really!). She also happens to make the best matoke in Uganda! ...I think she's enjoying being here with us.

We got past a man smoking pot and holding a rifle....
...don't worry that's just the gate man!
We are currently in the beautiful back garden of the Sealy's house, where we stayed last night in Entebbe. Our flight was 6hrs delayed, but it was great to be met and welcomed by Chris and Sue. They have been a real blessing already - having bought us mobile phone SIM cards and been to the international surgery to pick up some malaria testing kits. (We hope we will not have to use the latter!)
We have already expereinced the full force of the Ugandan weather - with a crashing thunderstorm to awake us this morning and now warm sunshine.
This afternoon we head for Kampala to stay with some other friends, before making our journey over to Ibanda.
Praise God that we arrived safely and have been so well provided for.

The immune system...

Our ability to fight against the cold/flu bugs this Christmas has been poor! However, that aside we were grateful for good family times over the holidays and we are now more or less recovered! (Nothing that a bit of hot weather can’t sort out in a few weeks…!!)
So the big off… is 28th Jan and we would both say that things are starting to feel more ‘real’ now. Our last bit of formal training starts tomorrow – this time with CMS, our mission agency. They have called it ‘core training’ so we are hoping to learn the last few gems! Other than that it is final injections, malaria tablets and insurance that are top of the ‘to do’ list!