End of Ugandan trip - until next year :)

Friends and Family,
It is 5:00am, which is 1:00pm in Uganda. I am in Gaithersburg, Virginia, spending a day with some Ugandan friends on my way home. I will fly to Texas
tomorrow morning.

Backtracking: Wilber said the reeds to drink Malwa are about 6ft. tall (not 1 1/4 yards:). That explains why they can sit around the room and lean back
to drink. It also explains why I taught English, not math!

Wilber and Sarah raised Wilber's brother, James, and Sarah's nephew, Billy. They are now in their late 20s. Billy spent the night Friday and then rode
to Kampala with us Saturday. He kept suggesting that Kenyan Airways had really old airplanes. While we were eating he would slip in little things
like, "Trudy, just don't look at all the rust spots."

The crazy guy had a great time time teasing me, as he knew I really don't like flying. I made him promise he would be on his knees praying at the time
I was to board Kenyan Airways to fly to Nairobi. My guess is he was probably laughing at that time instead, since I'm sure he knew that Kenyan Airways
actually has modern, comfortable airplanes. Many of the Americans sitting around me were taking Kenyan Airways to the States.

Billy, Wilber, and I left Sunday at 5:20am, so we could make it to the service at the kids' school. Unfortunately, after about thirty minutes, we
found the road totally blocked. There was an accident the day before and still had not cleared the road. There were many trucks that had been there
all night waiting to get through. We decided to try to take country roads.

t reminded me of my first trip when I took the post office bus, which seemed to go to every small village in Uganda. The roads had many mud holes
because of the recent rains. Wilber and Billy really didn't know the way so we had to stop and ask often. Finally, they saw a sugar plantation. They had
to receive permission from a security guard to enter through the gates in the high wall. Wilber figured they must have good roads inside the compound,
and it would be a shortcut connecting us with the main road. It was actually a whole village inside the walls, with many shops. As we were leaving, again
there was a security station. The guards were checking identification in each of the cars. As we drove up, they bent over, spotted me, smiled, and
waved us through. Billy and Wilber erupted into laughter, figuring they thought I was important with Wilber being my chauffeur and Billy my guard.
The guys were so excited when we made it to the 'main' road. I had to laugh, as the main road is so terrible. It seemed odd to even think of it as a main
road!

We made it to the school at 10:00, instead of 8:30 as planned - so much for the scenic-view trip! We did make it for part of the service and thoroughly
enjoyed visiting Billy Paul and Mitch.

Jane (Namirembe headmistress) and her husband picked me up at Herb and Ellen's. They live in a beautiful home 'upcountry,' as they call it. It is
on the side of a hill with beautiful foliage in the yard and covering the hill. I had a wonderful time visiting their family. They have five children.
Two of their sons, who are in their 20s, have separate 'apartments' on their land. They do have a young son, Arthur, who is in fifth grade. Jane and her
husband have also raised three other young people. The two boys were friends of their sons and had parents who died of HIV. The girl (seventh grade) was
told by her mother to leave home and get married since she didn't have money to feed her. They were all students at Namirembe. This speaks volumes of
what good people Jane and her husband truly are.

Monday: One of Jane's sons works for the government. This wonderful man provided a car and driver, so I could make it to all the schools on Monday.
At Mengo, I found that Patrick, the headmaster, had told the library staff that a room would soon be coverted into a separate library for the books we
provided. I was thrilled. As I mentioned previously, the 'library' they are using is so packed with students studying, it is almost impossible for
students to browse the library books. At all the schools, many, many books were checked out and the organizational systems seemed to be working fine. I
met with our new staff member, Henry, and Damallie, Namirembe's librarian.

Henry had already contacted all the schools and started making visits. They are planning a meeting of all the librarians in two weeks.
Humorous: When I was at Namirembe in a staff meeting a couple weeks previously, everyone was discussing what Henry and his wife should name
their new baby girl. I suggested as a joke holding a contest to solicit names. Henry apologized to me a couple times when I returned. I finally
figured out that he thought I suggested they name the baby Countess, when I was actually talking about having a contest. He was apologizing and feeling
bad that they decided they would rather name the baby Laura. :)

I should mention this was actually Henry and his wife's second baby. The first one was full term when his wife went to the hospital in labor. She
needed a C-section. The doctor didn't come to the hospital and the staff didn't know what to do, so they just left her. By the time the doctor came,
the baby had died. I can't even imagine the pain the mother must have suffered.

I did meet with Mr. Lubanga, the Permanent Secretary of Education. He had a hard time grasping that I wasn't asking for any type of funding. When I
mentioned that we would ship books in January, he wanted to know if we expected them to pay the shipping, etc. I finally convinced him that we
really just wanted his office's support. After visiting, he has agreed to send a representative to each of the schools to let them know we have his
full support. His intentions are for those in his office to work with the schools to encourage reading skills and use of the libraries. Also, I am to
send him an email when our shipment arrives in customs and he will contact them to make sure things go smoothly with a minimum charge.
It has been an amazing summer! It will soon be time to start again planning the 2008 libraries for over 7,000 Ugandan students.

Please keep us in your prayers, as we continue the work of Libraries of Love.

Note: If you are a member of a civic organization, church, or group that would like to see our DVD and hear about the libraries created this summer,
please feel free to contact us.

In the fall, we will have our annual BBQ and auction. We would appreciate your support.

Also, if your group would like to do a book or funding drive, we would be happy to supply any materials needed for the project.

Please continue checking our website for future LOL updates.

My best to each of you. Thank you for your continued support and friendship.

Trudy

Last posting from Uganda - truly!

Hello once again! I have some free time so thought I would jot a few notes before it is time to head for Texas.

This morning I went to Mercy's school. They held an assembly outside for the 200 children. They asked Mercy to introduce me. She gave my name as 'Auntie Trudy.' Here, if you have good friends, their children always call you 'auntie,' so it isn't unusual. I had taken my accordion, so Mercy helped me as we led in singing, 'If You're Happy and You Know It', 'Making Melodies in my Heart', 'Whose the King of the Jungle', and 'Jesus Loves Me'. I had taken stickers, small pencil sharpeners, friendship bracelets, and a gospel tract for each student. Needless to say, Mercy was beaming.

Sarah and I have had a good time talking 'teacher' talk in the evenings. Their teachers work long hours, so Sarah leaves home around 6:45 and returns around 6:00 or later. She can't imagine that we finish by 3:45.

We had service the evening of July 4th. It reminded me of the first service I attended in the church. The rain was pouring down, with one whole section of the church having a 'muddy' floor. The assistant pastor, Eunice, shared. One thought I really liked: When we are exhausted and close our physical eyes, then it is time to open our spiritual eyes heaven-ward, as that is where we draw our strength.

A couple nights ago, a young couple in the church came over and cooked us their version of Chinese food, rice and vegetables with curry powder. It was excellent. After church Wednesday, this same young man, Immanuel, offered me a ride home on his motorcycle. He mentioned that one of our team, Dave, had also enjoyed a ride on his cycle. Off we went! After arriving at the Okumu's, we stood at the gate and visited. He said he couldn't imagine anyone worshiping God without moving their whole body. He said that when you remember all the things God has brought you through, how can you not release your whole heart and body to worship him? All I can say is, "Ahhhhh." I will miss their music and worship so very much.

Actually it was hard not to shed tears through Wednesday's service, realizing that it would be my last for another year. It is difficult to have your heart in two places. Another way to view it though - I have a double blessing in my life.

The rains were so terrible in Mbale that six school children died. These were students who were walking to school. When vehicles passed they stepped off the various roads and fell into culverts. The oldest was a sixth-grade student from Mbale Secondary. The remainder were young ones. Sad!

I visited Sarah at her village secondary school. It is about ten minutes from Mbale. They have only 250 students this year, but think it will double next year. The mud brick buildings have large openings for windows in the classrooms, but no windows or doors. Across from the school is a high rock mountain. There were students climbing all over it, even on the top, as they were out for a sports day. It was scary to watch.

We are without water at home. This happened last year as well. It is one thing not to have electricity, which is really not so bad. But not having water is a rotten turn of events! :)

Wilber and Sarah decided I should travel with Wilber to meet his mother in their village. I have mentioned before that his mother was his father's fourth wife. He said his 'mum' always went into the trees where they grew bananas to have her babies. She would return carrying a baby on banana leaves. He grew up thinking that was normal for those having babies.

We stopped in Tororro, about an hour from Mbale, to visit Wilber's sister, Millie. There we picked up his brother, David, who is also a minister, and took him with us to the village. To go to the village, we turned off the main road and drove many miles down a dirt road. We then turned off the dirt road and went a long distance following tire tracks through the grass.

As you pass through 'upcountry' there are small 'compound' (without walls) areas dotting the landscape. Usually there is one larger mud, circular, thatch-roofed home, surrounded by smalled circular homes. The parents live in the slightly larger home. When a young man turns fifteen, he is expected to build his own small home by his parents.

It is actually beautiful where their mother lives in the country. On her land are trees and plants that grow: pineapple, matoke (green bananas), yellow bananas, avacado, millet, sorghum, cassava (a root that tastes like a potato), sweet potatoes, peppers, curry plant, and jack fruit. It was fun watching David and another young man chase a chicken, which we later ate. Their mother cooked a wonderful meal of matoke, soup, chicken, and a brown millet dish. We ate out under a tree - with our fingers, of course.

We then walked on down the paths stopping to say hello to neighbors. Many of the children had never seen a muzungu (white person) so it was fun to watch their reaction and greet them. It was like being the Pied Piper. :) After some disance, we came to their small trading village, which consists of about four small buildings. One building was divided into two parts - one a small grocery, with the other side being the One World Pub. We stopped in at the grocery to purchase candy and cookies for the young ones back at their mother's. The windows and door of the One World Pub were open and all the men laughed and motioned for me to come in. OK - you know I don't hang out in pubs at home or drink. JB and his friends have always called me the Prude, instead of Trud'. However, if you know me, you also know I like anything unusual when I am traveling. So, of course, I just had to go in the pub! I will try to give you a picture:

The room was small with benches placed in a U-shape around the walls. In the center of the floor was one medium-sized pot, containing frothy, brown liquid. Ugandans boil the malwa (local brew) and drink it hot or warm. In the corner, was a container holding long reeds - perhaps 1 and 1/4 yards long. The reeds are hollowed out in the center, with a filter on the end that goes in the brew. They did have fancier reeds that had plastic in the middle so one could see what he was drinking.

Truly, how could I pass up this photo-op?! So I joined the six men, sitting on one of the benches. A man brought me a reed (oh, my!) So, picture, six African men and one muzungu, sitting around a pot with long reeds, all drinking out of the same pot. :)

I tried one sip, just so I could say I had done it (ulg!)! The men were watching and doubling over with laughter. It was probably a first for them and definitely one more memorable African experience for me! After Wilber had taken some pictures, he introduced himself, telling them he was a minister and then shared Christ with them. It will probably be an afternoon that none of us will soon forget. :)

Now that I have covered the church and the pub :), I should sign off. This evening is the ladies meeting at church. I will be sharing, so am looking forward to the service. Tomorrow, I will be figuring out what to pack. Sunday morning, we will head for Mukono to Billy Paul and Mitch's school about 5:00 am. We want to make it for the service the students hold once a term. Mitch and Billy Paul both sing in the choir.

Monday morning I would like to start early and make drop-in visits at our schools, plus keep my appointments. It should be hectic. I should be home the 11th or 12th.

I'm off to lunch with the headmaster of North Road Primary. Then I need to go back to Namatala and say goodbye to the headmistress and librarian.

I hope you are having a good day!

Trudy

Africa - Winding Down

Happy 4th! Today I went searching for American food to celebrate. I had to settle for tomato soup and fries. They did play some interesting music starting with: "This World is Not My Home, I'm Just Passing Through" (perhaps preparing me for heading home to Texas:). This was followed by the country song: "Nobody Knows But Me."

Yesterday's headline in the Kampala newspaper was interesting:
43 Killed in City Accidents Last Month
(The breakdown of deaths is what is interesting)
"43 people died in 39 accidents, the police said yesterday. Of these, 22 were pedestrians, 7 were passengers, 8 were motorcyclists, 3 were pedal cyclists, and another three were drivers." Those who have been to Uganda will be able to understand this, as they have seen the masses of people that walk in the roadways, as well as beside it. I wouldn't want to know how many of the 22 were children.

We have had buckets of rain pouring down for two days. As you can imagine, the dirt roads and paths now are even worse with their ruts, pot-holes, water puddles.
Electricity has also become a big problem. It is off as much as it is on. There doesn't seem to be a pattern this year.

Backtracking: I forgot to mention that when I met with the staff of Namirembe, a huge discussion with them was the fact that the students' scores have risen each year in reading and writing since the library was provided and they have had access to reading materials and various types of writing. They were encouraging reading by holding monthly assemblies and giving out pencils, etc., which they wrap as rewards for reading and writing summaries. Several of the teachers are having them keep yearly books they have created with summaries and pictures of all the books they have read.

Yesterday, I was reading to a large class of first-graders at Namatala. I did a drop-in visit and found Sarah, the librarian, reading "The Ugly Duckling" to the students. They asked that I read a book too, so I read the Seuss book, "Green Eggs and Ham." As I was reading several district education officials arrived to observe. Sarah had handed each student a book as he/she walked into the library. Later, the headmistress, Judith, was pleased to inform me that the officals were very impressed when she told them the first graders had been reading the books they were holding, before I began my story. I had to laugh, as I know the students in first really only read a few words. They didn't begin speaking English until last year - but it looked impressive. :)

I spent 30 minutes in a first-grade class to observe their teaching methods. There were 150 students in the class. The method: Write sounds or a concept on the board and have all 150 yell it back to you in repetition. Then walk around the room and have different sections yell it - before returning to mass yelling once again. Picture this when you have classrooms with open doors and windows and a student body of over 3,000 ... just a little loud!. I'm not sure how else you would do it without books, however, but it does seems it would take forever to cover much material. Of course, you must carry a short cane stick, just in case you should need to get someone's attention. Actually, I saw Sarah's lesson plans for the classes she teaches when she is not in the library. They are definitely as detailed as ours in America, if not more so, stating goals, objectives, methods, details, etc, for each day.

This morning when I was walking Mercy to school, there was an ostrich in the road walking straight toward us. I am used to cows, goats, and chickens - but an ostrich?! I have promised Mercy I will go to school with her on Friday to take presents to all 200 students, as well as sing songs and play my accordion. Where is my team when I need them? :)

Wilber and I visited schools in which we are considering libraries for next summer. Mbale Secondary School backs up to Namatala and is where almost all the students go after completing primary. This makes it a perfect candidate, as we want the students to have reading materials through their school years. It has a student population of 3,200. I visited with the librarian. She pointed out how all the students were reading. The library was quite full of students, but they were all doing subject matter, such as math - not reading books. I tried to explain to her the concept of a library full of books, but I seriously don't think she understood the concept of our type of a library at all.

We visited North Road Primary School, which has 3,600 students! Oh my! I was very impressed with the headmaster. He has a wonderful sense of humor and is well spoken. He was originally the principal of Namatala Primary, and is responsible for various arrangements on the grounds, out of rock, promoting educational concepts.

Tomorrow, Wilber and I will go to visit his mother in their village. That should be interesting. This evening is church, which is always wonderful.

I will go with Wilber to Kampala to visit their two other children Sunday morning. I will spend that night with Jane, the principal of Namirembe Primary, and her husband. On Monday, I have an appointment with the Permanent Secretary of Education, the highest ranking education official in Uganda at 11:30. I hope later to meet with Dr. Kay Perry, who is involved with the US Embassy's education programs. I also plan to visit to customs to discuss future shipments.

After all of that is finished, I will fly out of Entebbe late in the evening to catch a flight out of Nairobi back to the States. Please keep me in your prayers on Monday.

I will send a closure letter once I return home at the end of next week. It is hard for me to think of leaving. It seems I just arrived and I will miss my friends here, but it will be good to be with home once again.

Love and best wishes,
Trudy