Free Gifts????

1.Sewing machines from 'Tools with a Mission'


A batch of about 30 sewing machines and kitchen equipment have been received from England through 'Tools with a Mission”. This is a charity which collects tools, sewing machines and similar items that are no longer needed in the UK but are highly valued in Africa. Most of the sewing machines were donated for a woman's project organised by the Bishop's wife so that women in rural villages can set up a small business. Some of the machines will be used by students at the Training Centre, especially the electric ones as there is no electricity in village. Irene helped the Mother's Union Coordinator, Zeridah, to check through the machines 9and Malcolm was persuaded into mend one or two of the broken cases).

2.Choccies from England


Post from the UK can take anything from 3 weeks to 3 months to arrive here. This is a bit of a problem, but can also be a benefit!!! David and Sarah were desperately waiting in vain for 3 parcels of treats to arrive. The first came as soon as they left. We would of course have taken the contents back to England for David and Sarah, but we don't think they would survive the journey!!!!!! Not wanting to see the goodies go to waste we opened the packet (which came from our other daughter in law) and shared the sweets with Jenny, Rosie, Jojo and Kristen.

3.??????

There was an article in this weeks national newspaper in the Health and Beauty section, which we think you may have missed in England. Are you concerned about the high cost of cosmetics and health products? The answer is a regular dose of Urine!! Apparently this cures a range of ailments including acne, eczema, allergies, heart disease, arthritis etc. and is generally good for the skin. It is apparently best to drink it in the morning when it is still fresh and warm or to apply it to your face. And its totally Free!!! (Though we are not too sure if the perfume is to everyone's taste). And we're really not taking the p**s!

"We have a small challenge"

Ugandans never seem to have a problem. We have never heard them use the word 'problem' – but instead they often mention 'small challenges'

On Saturday morning Irene feared the worse when Malcolm said she had a 'small challenge'. As it turned out she was probably right to be worried! In this case the challenge was that she had 45 minutes to get packed ready for a taxi to take us away for 2 nights to celebrate her birthday.

We enjoyed the weekend at Nkuringo Safari Lodge on the far shore of Lake Mutanda.

The Lodge is about 10 miles away accessed by an unmade road which winds its way around the mountains and along the shore of the lake. The driver warned that the road is 'bad' but other than avoiding one or two piles of earth and a few rut-holes we arrived safely.

The Lodge is situated on a promontory jutting out into the lake, and has stunning views of the Virunga mountains beyond Kisoro. The accommodation was in luxury tent style 'bandas' which are common in such sites, and the food was excellent. When we arrived the Lake was as still as a 'mill-pond'.

And than the rains came. After all, it is the rainy season.

After dinner one of the German guests came into the dining room, absolutely sodden and covered in mud. He has been out in a hired car during the day, and on the way back had been stopped by a landslide covering the road. When the car tried to turn around, a second land-slide had blocked it in.

The next morning, on Irene's birthday, we woke to find we had been cut-off as many land-slides had blocked the road back to Kisoro. As we were staying a second night this would not have mattered too much to us, except it stopped our son, daughter in law and friends joining us for a birthday lunch. The sadness was that several off the houses built in the banana plantations on the hill above the road had been washed away and we were told about 13 people had been killed.

And then the 'small challenge' of how do we get back to Kisoro on Monday?

Answer – we cross the Lake to the Kisoro side by boat. A much more relaxing way to travel, and a much more reliable option than waiting in the hope that a tractor from Kisoro would clear the road.

We also celebrated Irene's birthday with a buffet 'help yourself' meal at Traveller's Rest Hotel. The Hotel should have been full, but it too had been affected by the land-slides as no guests had travelled to Kisoro. Still – that meant more food for us!!!!!

Sadly (for us) , on Thursday, David and Sarah flew back to England having spent 3 months volunteering at Potter's Village home for Vulnerable Children. They had a safe journey – except for the 'small challenge' of a puncture on the way to the airport.

As for Malcolm..... he went to the border crossing to Rwanda to see David and Sarah off. After they had crossed the border and were transferring their luggage to the Rwandan taxi he stood at the barrier chatting to the armed guards. Naturally, he leant across the barrier to give David a fatherly hug goodbye, and was a bit confused when a guard came across to say something. As the taxi moved away he found out that it is a criminal offence to touch someone across the barrier, and that he would have been arrested if he was Ugandan.

Now that would have been a big challenge!!

Spot the Progress - Onwards and Upwards

Last week Rosie Brown, a nurse from Homer Green, Buckinghamshire, came to work at Potter's Village for about 2 years. Its not her first time in Uganda. As well as visiting Kisoro before she has also worked at Kisiizi Hospital for 4 months. So we have helped to introduce her to the sights in Kisoro.




On Sunday we went to the service at the Cathedral – where David and Sarah stand head and shoulders above everybody else!!!! It was the first week of term so the service was packed with children from several surrounding schools. This makes it a bit of a challenge for the Sunday school teachers. The two teachers normally have about 25 church children who go out part way through the service for their lessons. On this Sunday there must have been about 200 children joining them. It makes lessons difficult to plan!!!




After that we took Rosie for lunch at the Travellers Rest Hotel, The manager has two dogs, one of which is little more than a puppy, called Sushi (on the basis that the older dog, Simba, sometimes looks as if he fancies a bit of a snack).




The new babies unit at Potters Village Home for Vulnerable Children is progressing. The roof has been finished and the builders have started to render. This will be the new flat for Rosie. The new babies unit will mean that their current bedroom can become the medical suite that Rosie has come to help set up. This means that any premature babies, or those who become ill, can be cared for at the Home rather than being transferred to the local hospital.




And, after a year in Kisoro, Irene has at last found some more of her drawers!!!!!

Some weeks ago we mentioned we had got our first drawer in the kitchen unit we bought. This week Irene got 4 more!!! This means that at long last she can put her clothes away.

That is progress!!!!

First Time for Everything

It was the first week of term at the Vocational Training Centre. When the Principal announced proudly that the Centre had its first ever bell that would be rung to announce meal times, Irene imagined it would be a shiny brass hand bell with a polished wooden handle. In Uganda, the cost of a proper bell would be too expensive, and in this case the 'bell' is a lorry wheel hanging from a simple wooden frame. However, when it is struck with a large stone it does make a very creditable and loud bell sound. And what a good example of recycling. We have also seen that a car brake drum also makes a very effective church bell.

It has been the first time that Malcolm has driven a car in Africa. On Saturday, whilst Jenny and Ezra, the Potters Village Administrator, were away, someone needed to drive to the carpenters to pick up some new wooden bunk beds for the toddlers. As Malcolm has an International Driving Permit he took the Village's pick-up with 3 passengers. It was only a short trip, but unfortunately nobody realised that the rear passenger door had a habit of swinging open when the car was driven around a corner.

Not to be beaten Malcolm also took Nurse Jovia, and a new baby, Iragaba, to the Hospital for an immunisation 'jab' on Monday. Iragaba was born on the previous Friday, and within 2 hours was brought to the Village for care because his mother is severely mentally disabled. It may have been Iragaba's first trip in a car, but he is an old hand at motorised transport. He had been brought to the Village on the back of a motor bike!!!!

One of the Diocese's building projects is a new hotel, called Faith House. It has been built slowly over many years, and the first floor is still a building site. However, the bedrooms on the ground floor are more or less ready.


The first guests arrived on Friday evening – a team from a church in Nailsea, near Bristol. After their long journey from Kampala they were greeted to one of our regular heavy thunderstorms, followed by a power cut. What a welcome for your first visit to Kisoro!

Snip, Clicketty, Snap, Off!

The Team from Marple, Manchester have had a varied week. In addition to running two Leadership courses, preaching at the Cathedral and helping at the Potters Village Home for Vulnerable Babies:

Wendy gave Irene's hair a trim



Brenda and Lorna taught some of the local women to knit



The Team returned to Marple on Tuesday.



In the meantime we were looking after Jenny's son, Jojo, during the morning service at the Cathedral. For some reason Malcolm thought it would be a good idea to entertain Jojo by letting him use his camera. Not necessarily the best idea he's had!!



Also leaving this week was Jenny's daughter, Hannah, On Friday she left to start at St Andrew's Boarding School in Turi, Kenya. We had a farewell meal and irene gave her a small bag as a farewell gift.