Homeschooling

We brought our entire curriculum with us to homeschool the kids but I was planning on waiting until August or September to begin. However, when we got here, our kids discovered that all the other kids here were in school, so they asked if we could go on and start homeschooling. It seemed the obvious thing to do as my kids were eager to start and it would help us get on the same schedule as the ones here. So we have started slowly and have gradually gotten into a routine. It has been nice because I do not feel rushed or pressured because we started a few months early. We have been able to have days when we don’t do any school and others when we have done a lot. Also, I had a friend who told me to take advantage of the learning they will do just from being in a new culture. One day, we went to a hospital nearby because Mark and some others wanted to see if it was a good alternative for treating the kids at the orphanage. While we were out, we also went to the mill where they grind the maize for poscho (a main staple here in Uganda and the food the GSF kids have every day at lunch). We also toured their sugar cane fields and vanilla bean plantation. What an education our kids got that day!

left handed

We always noticed that Titus did well with his left hand but favored his right. That trait has done him well as he has not been able to use his right hand since breaking it. We have been amazed at how well he has adjusted to using his left hand in eating, playing ball and even in writing and drawing. It will be interesting to see how and if he changes back to his right hand when the cast is taken off.

a trip to the doctor

Three weeks after we arrived in Uganda, I washing dishes while Mark was tucking the kids in bed. I heard a thud, followed by a loud, shrill scream from Titus. As I began to wonder if it was something serious, I heard Mark groan and then yell, "it's broken, oh my, his arm is broken!"
When Mark was tucking the kids in bed, Titus realized that he had forgotten to take off his glasses so he began to climb off the bunk bed. Trying to be quick as it was a late night, he lost his balance and fell, landing on his right hand. It was so obvious that he broke both bones in his forearm.
When we called someone for help, we found out that neither the doctor nor the xray technician would be available that night so we did what we could to rest for a few hours. We put ice on it, gave him ibuprofen and some night time cold medicine to help him sleep, wrapped the arm in such a way that he would be more comfortable, prayed with him, sang to him and eventually he got a few hours of sleep. We received a text message from the doctor in the night telling us to be at the clinic at 8:30 in the morning.
The clinic in town (Jinja) is rustic, but their practices and treatments were sanitary. Upon unwrapping Titus' arm in the x-ray room (which we can't even describe adequately in words), the technician exclaimed, "Oh my! Oh my goodness!" Yes, the break was that bad - his arm was significantly disfigured and gross to look at, though the bone did not break the skin.
We had quite an ordeal to get a sedative and pain medicine injected into Titus, but finally it was all over and his arm was set in a cast. He is still wearing the cast and he runs around like any other 6-year-old boy. As if a blond haired, white kid with glasses was a spectacle enough here in Africa, you should see the looks and comments we get now that Titus is toting a cast as well!
God has been gracious through the whole ordeal.

Online

Thank you to each of you for your patience as it has been very difficult to get online to post entries. We are now in Uganda and are doing well. We are hoping for a good internet system soon. Mark and I actually got a way for the night at a beautiful lodge overlooking lake Victoria. Our fellow missionary and friend, Lucretia is staying with our kids so we could get away for our anniversary. We are enjoying the time away and also enjoying the quick internet service. Mark is surfing the web for better internet options for us at GSF.