Week 35

A portion of this poem was quoted by Thomas S Monson, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. President Monson was speaking of trials and the strength God gives us to see them through. His wife died last May after experiencing a terrible fall a few weeks before.

Good Timber

by Douglas Malloch

The tree that never had to fight

For sun and sky and air and light,

But stood out in the open plain

And always got its share of rain,

Never became a forest king

But lived and died a scrubby thing.

The man who never had to toil

To gain and farm his patch of soil,

Who never had to win his share

Of sun and sky and light and air,

Never became a manly man

But lived and died as he began.

Good timber does not grow with ease:

The stronger wind, the stronger trees;

The further sky, the greater length;

The more the storm, the more the strength.

By sun and cold, by rain and snow,

In trees and men good timbers grow.

Where thickest lies the forest growth,

We find the patriarchs of both.

And they hold counsel with the stars

Whose broken branches show the scars

Of many winds and much of strife.

This is the common law of life.
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An update on the air conditioner duct. The duct tape covered over by the package tape held in place by thumb tacks gave way after a couple of weeks. So we reinforced the duct tape covered by the wrapping tape which is held in place by tacks with 3 small thin pieces of plywood screwed through all of the above into the original plywood that the duct was being fed through to begin with. I think this will get us through the hot season...winter time back in the states.

Where I had my blood drawn for my physical....the "Bleeding Room"  Actually, one of the best sticks of a needle I've had...no pain whatsoever...maybe because I was anticipating the worst stick of my life.

 To all you lying turkey hunters in the states to like to tell your tales of how hard it st to find and shoot a turkey...does it look like this turkey is having any problem hanging around me?  Actually came up to check me out. 

  Pam with a newly found flower  placed in her hair.

One of our new friends at the hospital...Julius mentioned in previous post.. A few months ago he was in such agony. Now is out and about in a wheel chair. 

And this pic...no need to buy an expensive turkey caller...just say, "here turkey, turkey, turkey" and they come right over to you.   All the tales of you hunters and fishermen..."the one that just got away", "turkey's are the smartest animal in the forest...patience, gotta know how to call one, blah, blah, blah...I always doubted you. Now I have proof.;

Shortly after this, as Pam was climbing into the front seat of the truck the turkey came over to her and butted her with his head.

 

 Love this shot of a a bag of jerycans being perfectly balanced on her head.

 

 Aunt on the left and grand-mama on the right, to Martin, our hospital friend.

We recently visited our young friend Martin in the hospital…had been going 3 times a week. One of the nurses, Sister Dorcus, told me that Martin had been leaving most nights after dark and not returning until mid-night or later. I learned from our other patient friend, Julius, that Martin had asked Julias to hide some betting/gambling receipts Martin had brought back to the hospital on Fri and Sat nites. Bottom-line, we had told Martin we would provide food for him and a hospital bed so long as he obeyed hospital rules and our rules. It was sneaking out at night that got him dismissed from the same hospital months ago and kater landed him on our front porch close to death. When we admitted him to the hospital we told him if he pulled any stunt like that we would no longer support him with food or clothing or medicine.  Having been given many witnesses that he had been lying to us, we devised a plan to take him to his grand-mama’s in the village.  We found them as sweet as they come, good Christians.  They said he had done the same thing to them when they had taken him to Gulu Referral Hospital, the government hospital.  He would not follow the rules and kept sneaking out.  They appreciated our efforts and also acknowledged that there are natural consequences for our behavior...good and bad. Some people only learn the hard way. Martin is one of those people. We hope he learns from this. His leg had been miracously healed…he only needed a place to have the bandage changed once a day.

 

For all my American friends who are worried about coming over here and not knowing what to do with your hair...I found this place for you....saloon, salon...what's the difference?

How to whack a tire from a tire rim.  Just keep whacking it til they separate.  No special tools required. I see them them do this regularly as I've been at the service station so many times as they put plugs into my flat tires. (Ps. Had another flat repaired on 31 Oct while in Kampala...think that is number 7.  While getting the jack out for the mechanic, I discovered someone had stolen the tire tools needs to loosen the lug nuts and crank the jack...now, that would have been great traveling home 6+ hours, getting my 8th flat and no way to change the tire..  Got a replacement the next day at the Nissan dealership we bought the truck from originally.)

 

 

 

 

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Yesterday we visited an eleven year old boy in intensive care.  Several weeks ago he and his brother were badly burned when their hut caught on fire in the middle of the night.  His brother died a few days after the incident.  He, his  mom and grandma were grateful for our visit, but we were more grateful for what we learned about patiently enduring from them.  The people here suffer from many hardships, but they are so resilient and faithful during their trials. 

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President James E. Faust (1920–2007) of the First Presidency taught that  when we follow the Savior’s example during hardships, it helps us endure our personal “bitter cups”: “Many members, in drinking of the bitter cup that has come to them, wrongfully think that this cup passes by others. In His first words to the people of the Western continent, Jesus of Nazareth poignantly spoke of the bitter cup the Father had given Him (see 3 Ne. 11:11). Every soul has some bitterness to swallow. Parents having a child who loses his way come to know a sorrow that defies description. A woman whose husband is cruel or insensitive can have her heart broken every day. Members who do not marry may suffer sorrow and disappointment. Having drunk the bitter cup, however, there comes a time when one must accept the situation as it is and reach upward and outward. President Harold B. Lee said, ‘Do not let self-pity or despair beckon you from the course you know is right.’ The Savior set the compass: we must be born again in spirit and heart” (“A Second Birth,” Ensign, June 1998, 2).

 

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland taught that Jesus Christ’s mortal wounds are tokens of His sacrifice:

“However dim our days may seem, they have been a lot darker for the Savior of the world. As a reminder of those days, Jesus has chosen, even in a resurrected, otherwise perfected body, to retain for the benefit of His disciples the wounds in His hands and in His feet and in His side—signs, if you will, that painful things happen even to the pure and the perfect; signs, if you will, that pain in this world is not evidence that God doesn’t love you; signs, if you will, that problems pass and happiness can be ours. Remind others that it is the wounded Christ who is the Captain of our souls, He who yet bears the scars of our forgiveness, the lesions of His love and humility, the torn flesh of obedience and sacrifice.

 

IN CAHOOTS WITH CAHOON

Last trip to  Kampala we felt we needed  to stay over the weekend to complete some of our unfinished business.  Not only was it enlightening to see how well the branch we attended was functioning, but most significant was a wonderful Sunday evening with all the Senior couples residing in Kampala and special guest Dr. Drew Cahoon, an LDS Canadian dentist  who also resides part-time in St. George Utah.  Dr. Cahoon has been coming to Uganda and Rwanda for 10 years, this being his 21^st trip!  The wonderful service he is doing here to provide equipment and training for dental clinics is truly phenomenal.   

 

Dr Cahoon to Pam's left.

He mentioned coming to Gulu later in the week, so we asked if we could assist him in any way.  We were delighted to have him stay with us for his short visit, which included attending the Gulu Rotary Club.  Rotary is very big and significant here in Uganda.  Dr. Cahoon was invited to share his work in Uganda.  He explained the unique qualities of these clinics and the outreach programs in the schools that are benefiting tens of thousands of children.  He also pointed to Pam and explained that our Church ships all the equipment, thus paying tens of thousands of dollars in just this shipment alone. The gratitude expressed by some of Gulu’s distinguished business leaders regarding the Church’s service here certainly negated much the disturbing radio messages against us in previous weeks. 

Dr. Cahoon had to travel to western Uganda early the following morning and was unable to meet with the head dental surgeon at the hospital receiving the new dental equipment.  We volunteered to do this for him.  Initially the head surgeon was confused thinking the equipment came from Uganda’s  Ministry of  Public Health.  He thought the government had purchased and provided the equipment.  As he came to understand how the equipment was made available to Gulu, he became warmer and commented on Pam’s nametag.  He told her that the missionaries had begun teaching his family and although his son was very interested in our church, the father was doubtful about “our Bible”.  After we explained that we have the same Bible as they do and that the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ, he became became more receptive.  He had not yet received a copy of the Book of Mormon, but said he would like one and would begin reading it.  There was a wonderful spirit as we closed our meeting with this good surgeon.  Once again, we left marveling about how the Lord opens doors to forward His work.

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President Thomas S. Monson explained the value of anonymous service:

“I approached the reception desk of a large hospital to learn the room number of a patient I had come to visit. This hospital, like almost every other in the land, was undergoing a massive expansion. Behind the desk where the receptionist sat was a magnificent plaque which bore an inscription of thanks to donors who had made possible the expansion. The name of each donor who had contributed $100,000 appeared in a flowing script, etched on an individual brass placard suspended from the main plaque by a glittering chain.
“The names of the benefactors were well known. Captains of commerce, giants of industry, professors of learning—all were there. I felt gratitude for their charitable benevolence. Then my eyes rested on a brass placard which was different—it contained no name. One word, and one word only, was inscribed: ‘Anonymous.’ I smiled and wondered who the unnamed contributor could have been. Surely he or she experienced a quiet joy unknown to any other. …
“A year ago last winter [1981], a modern jetliner faltered after takeoff and plunged into the icy Potomac River. Acts of bravery and feats of heroism were in evidence that day, the most dramatic of which was one witnessed by the pilot of a rescue helicopter. The rescue rope was lowered to a struggling survivor. Rather than grasping the lifeline to safety, the man tied the line to another, who was then lifted to safety. The rope was lowered again, and yet another was saved. Five were rescued from the icy waters. Among them was not found the anonymous hero. Unknown by name, ‘he left the vivid air signed with his honor’ (Stephen Spender, ‘I think continually of those—’ in Masterpieces of Religious Verse, ed. James Dalton Morrison [New York: Harper and Brothers Publishers], p. 291.) …
“May this truth [service] guide our lives. May we look upward as we press forward in the service of our God and our fellowmen. And may we incline an ear toward Galilee, that we might hear perhaps an echo of the Savior’s teachings: ‘Do not your alms before men, to be seen of them’ (Matthew 6:1). ‘Let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth’ (Matthew 6:3). And of our good deeds: ‘See thou tell no man’ (Matthew 8:4). Our hearts will then be lighter, our lives brighter, and our souls richer.
“Loving service anonymously given may be unknown to man—but the gift and the giver are known to God” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1983, 73–74, 76; or Ensign, May 1983, 55–57).