A wonderful Kampala day

Well, I just wanted to tell you about my special day earlier in the week so full and rich with Ugandan experiences. My apologies up front for this longer than usual post, but I just wanted to share my day with you and I hope you will enjoy. 

  I caught a taxi right outside my front gate and headed for the city, not the office first thing that day.

 

When I got off the taxi in town I went straight to a Christian Bookshop where I bought a Bible for my  beautiful 16 year old downstairs neighbour who left hers in South Sudan when she left there. Tick

From there to another Christian Bookshop (there are many in Kampala) to find the person to custom make a cover for my own Bible. It is common, easy and relatively inexpensive here.  Tick

On the way to that bookshop I passed an electronics shop and went in to see if I could buy a 2GB flash drive to put my photos on to have printed next time - don't want to take any chances with viruses and so use a new flash each time I want to take photos to printers. When I asked the price I was told 30,000/- (about $12 Australian). I told him that a young friend of mine had bought me one earlier and had paid 15,000/-. He told me 18,000/-. We chatted about Australia, Ugandan politics and how I am enjoying being in his country. I said that I had to walk along the street to have photos printed and if I was unable to find another flash for 15,000/- I would be back to buy his. He immediately said 'You can have it for 15,000/-'. (What do you think, Alan Wilkinson? Did I do well?) I was happy with that and very happy that I had successfully entered into their bargaining/relationship method of purchase and succeeded. Tick

From there to the photo printing place where I had been with my young friend previously. First price is usually 500/- per photo. I was not accompanied by a Ugandan this time and had to manage to get the right price on my own. I told the man that I had been another time and because I had printed many photos he had given me the price of 300/- per photo. When I said I had many again and asked if the price could be 300/- he agreed and charged me accordingly, plus one photo thrown in. Tick!

On to the shop where I can buy delicious vegetable samosas that I had eaten before and knew were reliable. I hadn't eaten breakfast and so I bought three. I sat outside that small shop and watched Kampala life while I ate them. Tick

As I was finishing, the optician who owned the shop next door to the samosa shop arrived to open up for the day. I asked him if he could fix my glasses that had been sitting on my nose crooked for a couple of weeks. He was very happy to do so free of charge. Tick

Off to the Craft Market to buy my last few things to take back home to family, supporters etc. I had made good contacts on my previous visit and was beginning to know the prices. I chatted with three stall holders as I sat on the stools they pulled out for me as I arrived, bought a few things and said my farewells to these 'new friends'. Tick

Walked back to the office where I showed my photos to some of the YFC staff. They don't print many pictures and most of these were for them. They were very happy to see them. I took some more while we were enjoying our time together. Tick

I drove with Luke to the Post Office to collect two parcels that had arrived for me. I was pretty excited but that was short-lived as I realised that I needed my passport for ID and hadn't brought it with me. Not tick. I had to go back the next day with my passport.

Back to the office in time for lunch. Miriam, our National Director in Uganda, has been really busy lately and we haven't had a lot of opportunity to catch up, and so I asked if she had time to stop to eat her lunch and could we sit and have it together. She said that would be good. We had SUCH a lovely time together catching up on and sharing many things. Tick

 

One of our young mums left with her little boy that day. I had my last cuddle of little Mukiza. 

 This mum and bub have gone to a good situation with an organisation that brought her to Mirembe House in the first place. What a beautiful mother she is. It was so good to see her leaving in good hands with her healthy little boy and knowing that she will be supported well and that her little Mukiza will be well loved and cared for. Tick

After I arrived home quite late I called in to see my Sudanese neighbour, Rachma, who

 had damaged her eye quite badly on Saturday. I am glad to see that she is improving. This family is Muslim and it is Ramadan and they fast until 7pm each day. It was almost 7pm when I arrived and her husband invited me to eat with them. I didn't think that I could refuse, and why would I? 

That invitation means that I eat in the kitchen, sitting on the floor with the women of the household, 

while the men eat in the dining room at the table. I also noticed that their food was a little more 'special' than ours. Learning all the time! It was traditional Sudanese food as I had eaten with them before. Conversation is improving as the weeks pass and we are becoming good friends. I often bring photos I have taken of them and their children and Rachma always gives me food when I visit. They welcome me with open arms. If the baby she is carrying is a girl she will call it the Sudanese version of Jane. How special is that!  Tick

What a very satisfactory, diverse and wonderful Kampala day. I am so thankful to God that He gives me the capacity to embrace and enjoy such diversity in a foreign country. Tick

More classes for young mums

Many of the ministries of YFC Uganda are focussed on girls and young women. I wrote a post about part of the ministry at Idudi in the east of the country. These young mums don't live at the facility in Idudi. However, in Kampala, the capital of Uganda, YFC has a home where young mums live and are taught tailoring.

 

Each week I have been spending Wednesdays at Suubi Home - Suubi is a Luganda word meaning hope. 

I have shared this day each week with Lynn, a young Social Sciences student doing her internship with YFC. We were asked to teach 'Life Skills' in the morning and 'Creative Skills' in the afternoon. 

 One Wednesday afternoon I taught them how to make banana pancakes.

All of their cooking is done on a charcoal stove outside. 

 That part I couldn't teach them, but they are already totally familiar with that. 

Even in the city that's the way the Ugandan's cook.

 

 We had a lot of fun just generally hanging out.

That's very African.

 Most of life is about relationship.

  

 Love it!

   

And at the end of the afternoon we enjoyed sharing the pancakes together.

Luke and Mal

I am amazed at how alike two people can be when they are different in colour, culture and generation. The YFC driver in Uganda is so like Mal. There are many things that could be, or could have been said about these two men:

“He adores his wife and everyone sees it.”

 

“She thrives in his love and in his company.”

 “He is really interested in cars,

 he loves to drive and is a very good driver.”

 

“He is good with his hands and loves to fix things.”

 “He relates well 

 

 with people of all ages”

 “He has a wonderful smile that lights up his whole face

 and warms all who receive it .”

 

“When he is speaking with a person, he is fully engaged with that person.”

“He is kind, gentle, patient, and always thinking of others.”

“He is ‘a man after God’s own heart’.”

Thank you, Luke for the constant reminder you are of my beloved Mal while I'm in Uganda.

 

Washing Day in Kampala

On Saturdays in Kampala I usually catch up on household chores and this includes my washing. 

The soap powder availalbe in the shops has instructions like this:
You can see there are only photos of hands and plastic tubs, not washing machines, unless you have a twin tub and I don't.

African women bend from the waist to ground level to do their washing, but I haven't grown up with that and my back isn't so comfy working that way.

 Wringing everything out by hand isn't as easy as letting the washing machine do it for me, but its the way it is here in Uganda.

Were you wondering how I took these pictures when I live on my own? Takes a bit of thinking through, but usually I can come up with something that works. Sorry I couldn't show you the camera perched on top of the suitcases and chair, but I was using it to take the photo!

I have one of those travel clotheslines strung tightly across my little back balcony. Its perfect for my weekly wash.

Washing hanging is a very common sight

when I look out from my second floor flat

including the downstairs neighbours, whose kids were having Saturday fun in the courtyard as I went out in the afternoon.

I had planned to wash my sheets and hang them out the front of my place, but by the time I was ready that space wasn't available because it also seemed to be washing day for my next door neighbour.

So I had to get up earlier to wash my sheets and mosquito net another day so that I would have space to hang some out the front.

Out the back I am the only one who has access, so that will always be available.

Don't think that all the houses in my neighbourhood are like the one you see here on the right.

The greater majority are like this.

Sounds like another post for another day.

Martyrs Day in Uganda

 On 3rd June there was a public holiday in Uganda. It was to celebrate Martyrs' Day.

I was inspired by the fervour with which Ugandans continue to remember and celebrate the sacrifice of these young men for their faith in Jesus Christ. 

On 3rd June this year 2 million, yes 2 million people made their way to Namugongo, the site of the 1886 burning of 32 young men who were burned for their faith in Christ. Many of the  pilgrims this year had walked for days from all areas of Uganda to remember and celebrate this martyrdom. Awesome! And apprently many Ugandans can recite the names of all 32 martyrs. That's inspiring and it speaks to me of the value they place on the sacrifice of these young men for their faith.

I was so thankful to be invited for lunch on this memorable day by my downstairs neighbours. We watched the Martyrs' Day celebrations on TV together and ate a very yummy lunch that Joyce prepared for us all.

This is s short history from a website which I could send you to, but want to copy for you here.

On 3 June 1886, thirty-two young men, pages of the court of King Mwanga of Buganda, were burned to death at Namugongo for their refusal to renounce Christianity. In the following months many other Christians throughout the country died by spear or fire for their faith.

These martyrdoms totally changed the dynamic of Christian growth in Uganda. Introduced by a handful of Anglican and Roman missionaries after 1877, the Christian faith had been preached only to the immediate members of the court, by order of King Mutesa. His successor, Mwanga, became increasingly angry as he realized that the first converts put loyalty to Christ above the traditional loyalty to the king. Martyrdoms began in 1885. Mwanga first forbade anyone to go near a Christian mission on pain of death, but finding himself unable to cool the ardor of the converts, resolved to wipe out Christianity.

The Namugongo martyrdoms produced a result entirely opposite to Mwanga's intentions. The example of these martyrs, who walked to their deaths singing hymns and praying for their enemies, so inspired many of the bystanders that they began to seek instruction from the remaining Christians. Within a few years the original handful of converts had multiplied many times and spread far beyond the court. The martyrs had left the indelible impression that Christianity was truly African, not simply a white man's religion. Most of the missionary work was carried out by Africans rather than by white missionaries, and Christianity spread steadily. Uganda now has the largest percentage of professed Christians of any nation in Africa.

Teaching young mums vocational skills. Can you help?

Included in the Youth for Christ ministry in Uganda is teaching vocational skills to young mums. At Idudi, and also in Kampala, this year they are learning tailoring.

Quite a few of these girls had to leave school to have their babies and haven't been able to go back for various reasons.

Rebecca is the gorgeous woman who teaches tailoring at Idudi. 

(She's the same generous woman from my previous post)

The girls are making some good garments

but they are hindered in their progress because of lack of good equipment. They are down to two very old machines for 8 girls. They are on their last legs and these two and a couple of others that are out of action will be costly to repair. It touched my heart, as so many things do in this country.

New machines cost 400,000 Ugandan shillings (around Australian $160). This is a basic one but stronger and more durable would be around 500,000 Ugs (just under $200)

I just wondered if there is anyone who would like to help these girls and Uganda YFC by buying some new sewing machines.

If this is something you would be interested in, please privately email me on justjanie2010@gmail.com