'Tis the Season for Festivities

Last Sunday Malcolm was invited, as Guest of Honour, to a fund raising event at Kiruli church. (The building is incomplete and the next stage is to raise money for windows). Malcolm was flattered even though he discovered he was at least 3^rd choice behind Rory and Denise Wilson.

In addition to fund raising there was also:

-          - a Baptism service for several children and adults

-          - a Harvest thanksgiving service

-       

   - and  an auction of harvest produce.

Feeling peckish, Malcolm was invited round to Rory and Denise’s for a pancake lunch. We are not saying Malcolm liked the food, but he wouldn’t even stop eating to pose for a photo!

 

 Their son, Gideon, is taught at home by Lisa. This week the theme at school was trains so the decorations included a steam train in the colours of  Gordon, Thomas and Percy.

To learn about light and dark Gideon had a cave built at the foot of some book shelves.

The work of the hospital continues to develop. The Medical Records Office has moved and there was an opening ceremony.

Finally there was a visitor to Malcolm’s office. Unseasonally early, but' tis the time to produce the hospital’s Christmas card. This year to raise funds to replace our broken auto-clave which sterilises medical tools.

This week’s African Proverb from the BBC’s website is from Uganda: “It is better to eat a mushroom in freedom than to eat meat in slavery”

No Need to Stand on Ceremony

It’s been a series of ceremonies.

Last week a team of staff from the main funders of the Hospital’s Maternity and Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit, Aspen Insurance and ISIS, visited. They came from America, London, Singapore and Australia and spent time visiting the wards, meeting the staff and experiencing life in Kiwoko. On their last day we had a farewell meal where there was a bit of excitement when it came to cut the cake.

 

 Also one of the doctors, Mushin, was baptised at our church. He had come from a Muslim family but had become a Christian and baptised when at school. However, his father had destroyed his baptism certificate. Because he wants to be married in church he needed to prove he had been baptised, so repeated the ceremony.

On Sunday the Bishop of Luweero came to hold a combined confirmation and wedding service at our local church. When he was introduced to Irene there seemed to be some friendly rivalry about who has the strongest grip.

 

The wedding was for a couple who had been married traditionally, by local ceremony, several years earlier but now wished to be formally married in church. They took the opportunity of the Bishop’s visit to be wed by him.

 

Irene enjoyed her birthday this week. She woke to find that their was no chance of keeping her age a secret, and made the most of the occasion.

 

On Friday the staff arranged a surprise birthday Bar-B-Que.

 

 

The night included fun and games and lots of food.

 

Our fellowship group gave Irene a large shopping bag as a present

 

And as we started the week with a cake, we can end it with one too.

 

This week’s proverb from the BBC Africa web-site is “When a cock invites a cockroach for a birthday party, he has prepared dinner for himself”.