Hello everybody!!! I hope that everyone is well! I'm doing great! It's been just over a month since I last wrote a newsletter, and I've been keeping very busy!!!......
The kids all went back to school at the beginning of February, and so my role changed a bit. I'm running the evening programme for the girls' home (which consists of a fellowship/Bible teaching on a Monday, Life Skills on Tuesdays, MDD (music, dance and drama... which is actually just dance at the moment, because I'm doing it!) on Wednesdays, a fellowship led by kids on Thursdays, and Games on Fridays). I'm really enjoying teaching the girls different kids of dancing, and they seem to enjoy it too, as they often ask me to go through dances with them on other days too. The "Games" night on Fridays usually consists of playing on the Wii - I brought my Nintendo Wii with me, and we have absolutely hilarious evenings having tennis tournaments, bowling competitions, skiing or snowboarding, etc. Sometimes we're so loud in our laughing and cheering that I worry that we'll get told off by our neighbour above, but it's really good to see the girls having so much fun!!! I'm afraid to say, as well, that they're getting much better at it than me, and I have been beaten on several occasions now!... Oh well!!!
During the days, I have lots to do... We have twice weekly staff meetings, and Thirsa (the Dutch girl) and I do staff training at these. I always feel a bit silly doing staff training, as I'm not sure that I've got much to teach them, but they all seem to be ok with what I'm doing so far, so that's good. I'm also the secretary at the staff meetings and any other meetings we have, so spend a lot of time typing up the minutes (some meetings go on for 4 hours(!), but the good thing is that we have an absolutely amazing meal after each staff meeting, which helps you to endure the long meeting, although my stomach often complains loudly if the meeting goes on past 2.30pm!).
I also try to prepare the trainings, the evening sessions, and pray during the days. However, most of my time over the last month has been taken up with looking after the one year old little boy, Kitibwa, who lives in the girls' home... This is no easy feat!!! He eats absolutely anything he finds - whether it be paper, mud, stones, dirt, dead wasps and lizards, etc, etc, and I have to constantly watch him, and scoop things out of his mouth - and he has very sharp teeth, and bites my finger whenever I try to remove things! And he poos more often than any baby I've ever met before!!! I spend the whole day changing his nappy! I've had to learn how to put on the toweling nappies that they use here... There were a few disasters initially - the nappies kept on falling off, because they don't use nappy pins to secure them in place, and I hadn't quite got the knack - but I'm a pro now!!! He's absolutely gorgeous - he has the biggest toothy grin ever, and gorgeous eyes. He's just learning to walk, and managed to walk 5 tottering steps yesterday, to great applause!!! (- It was more of a controlled lunge towards me, actually, but I'm counting it as walking!) Looking after him doesn't leave me much time to do anything else at all, and I am now in awe of all mothers, and I REALLY don't know how anyone manages with more than one child!!!
I've been visiting the local hospital each Monday afternoon, too, as part of the church's Hospital Ministry - we pray for the patients and give them food, etc. I've also had the chance to do little bits of physio as I've been going around praying for the patients - I've taught some breathing exercises to patients with TB, and given a few range of movement exercises to burns victims, as well as the accident and trauma patients. I'm really enjoying it.
I've visited some of the local schools that our girls go to, also. We go to see how our girls are getting on and check that there are no problems, and I'm pleased to say that all the schools have given very positive feedback so far. It's been really nice, actually, because ever since I got here, I've been asking loads of people to pray for the girls' home and in the last 2 weeks we've seen a great improvement.
One of the things that has left a deep and lasting impression on me this month was when there was no water for a few days in the whole of Masaka (where I live). It made me appreciate being able to wash my hands and flush a toilet so much!!! We had to use a pit latrine... This was not fun!!! The pit latrine stank - it was disgusting. And it was so dark as well, especially in the evenings - I thought I would be clever and take my head torch with me so I could at least see a little bit... this was a big mistake, because when I switched it on, I saw that there were loads of giant cockroaches all over the walls and floor! Eurgghh! - Blissful ignorance would have been better, I think!!! We also had to visit the pit latrine in groups of 5 or more when it was dark, as the latrine is on a banana plantation just behind the compound where I live, and apparently "Night Dancers" like to frequent banana plantations at night - "Night Dancers", I found out, are kind of witch doctors who get high on drugs and alcohol, then dance around naked - and they are not very pleasant if you meet them.... luckily for me, we didn't come across any!!! While the water was off, we didn't even have enough water to bathe or drink. The girls and I had to walk with our 2 jerry cans each for 30 minutes to find water - we initially went to the local well, but the water had run out because there had been over a thousand people all getting water from it earlier that day who wouldn't usually get it from there.... so we had to march to a "water hole" instead (which was actually a big dirty muddy puddle as far as I could see). I had a lot of comments from people as I passed by - apparently they'd never seen a Mazungu carrying jerry cans and getting water from a well or water hole before! But we got our water and then boiled it to try to clean it, and then I had a wash, so it was well worth it!!! So that was exciting for a few days (not!) - I was so thankful when the water came back!!! I don't know if I've ever been so happy!!!
I've also learnt to appreciate some things that I've always taken for granted before... someone went to Kampala (the capital city) a few weeks ago, and I asked them to get me some cheese and ham - I only had a bit, but I do not think I have ever eaten anything so wonderful as the cheese and ham omelette I made with it - I thought I was in heaven!!!
I'm very excited at the moment, because my Mum and Dad are going to come to visit next week!!! We're going to stay in a local hotel so that I can get a proper break. I'm just hoping that we don't have a water cut as I'm not sure how they will like using a pit latrine!!! And I'm hoping that we have power every so often as well so that we can have the occasional cup of tea, because, (as anyone will know who knows our family), we Beales are rather partial to a cup of tea! Speaking of tea, my favourite thing to eat/drink at the moment is African tea - it's boiled milk with tea, lots of sugar, and a bit of ginger/other spices in - and I love it!!! If it was easier to get fresh milk, I'd have it several times a week... but I go to a local cafe on my day off and have it every Friday - it's my treat to myself!
Anyway, I've whittered on for ages now!!! I hope that everyone is doing really well. Thank you to everyone who's e-mailed me! It's much appreciated!
God bless!!!
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