Week 28

The Gateway We Call Death

In the last two weeks we have been deeply saddened about the deaths of some very special people, both in the states and in Uganda.  Charlotte Flint was a second mom to me (Pam) during my tumultuous high school years in Cheyenne.  Bob Boyce was a close friend and great example to us in Christ-like living.  Vincent was a valiant young man living in Kampala, preparing for his mission, but due to heart damage as a child from rheumatic fever, his heart literally gave out last week.  Young Dorcas was a young sister missionary who returned home to Uganda in April because of poor health.  Last week boils started covering her body, in addition to experiencing extreme pain in her mouth.  She passed away a few days later.  This past week we have also been reminded of the tragic deaths of innocent victims killed by those who allow hatred to govern their lives.  We mourn over the the loss of all who have blessed our lives in one way or another.  

Yet,  if we understand who we really are,why we are here, and where we are going after death, we realize that mortality was never the ultimate objective of God's plan of happiness for us.  Life on earth is simply the means to an end which, through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, provides every person the gift of immortality as well as the potential for eternal life with our Father in Heaven and our families.

The sculptures shown above were created by Brooks' cousin, Elizabeth MacQueen as a memorial to those who died in Birmingham's 16th Street Baptist Church bombing decades ago..  It beautifully illustrates qualities we must all strive for to find happiness in this life: hope, serving others and looking upward to God.  Thank you, Bibba, for your inspiring gift to all.

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Our Momon Helping Hands Service Projects

We have held 3 now; Gulu Central High School by the young single adults/Institute students, the west side of Bardege in two neighborhoods where 20 Tippy Taps were installed and at Lacor Hospital where 8 Tippy Taps were installed.  See a few pictures below from Lacor Hospital and the response we received from the hospital director with whom we have become good friends.

 Group Picture at the chapel before we headed to hospital.  There were a few more who joined us late.

One of our elders received a care package this week with these masks in them.  They have been scaring people nearly to death.  Two of the elders went outside our compound gate the other night, then put on the masks and rattled on the door.  The guard came and they jumped toward him.  The guard was petrified and picked up a plastic chair to fend off these two evil fiends.  One of the Young Women about knocked everything off our assembly table trying to move away when the "ape" entered the room.  Most Africans have NOT seen the continents big animals and many up here have not seen their pictures, so teenagers and adults were often very frightened. When they realize they are just masks they laugh as much as we do.

 Building a Tippy Tap.

 Team effort.

 Hanging hand soap on the Tippy Tap.  A sister in the Gulu Branch makes the soap, we buy it from her and it helps her, of course, to become more self-reliant.

 Dr Martin Ogwang...Hospital Director on the right and our Branch President Onek Christopher to his left.  Tippy Tap in the background.

Finished product....jerry can with water in it.  Water pours out when one steps on the stick on the ground, a bottle of hand soap hangs next to the jerry can.  Gravel on the ground to prevent muddy mess after a multiple uses.

Following is a link that describes the benefits of hand washing.  It is not the same Tippy Tap link I've sent before.  This explains why this project was chosen.  Lasting benefit and saving lives.   

http://www.tippytap.org/the-issue-2

Letter from the hospital adminstrator. 

To Elder Moore,

May I take this opportunity to thank you and the Church community for installing Tippy Tap for attendants of our patients. This donation and sacrifice is in line with our mission which aims at improving quality of patient care as well as health promotion and prevention. We now have the knowhow and we shall install it all over our facility including the health centers under our control. We shall also endeavor to give health talks to enhance its proper usage and we shall maintain the standard by providing liquid soap.

Convey our warm greetings to the whole community

God Bless

MATRTIN OGWANG

INSTITUTIONAL DIRECTOR
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Dallin H Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles..."Most Christians give to the poor and the needy, as Jesus taught (see Matthew 25:31–46; Mark 14:7). In following this teaching of our Savior, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members excel. Our members make generous contributions to charities and give personal service and other gifts to the poor and needy. In addition, our members fast for two meals each month and donate at least the cost of these meals as a fast offering, which our bishops and branch presidents use to help our needy members. Our fasting to help the hungry is an act of charity and, when done with pure intent, is a spiritual feast. (I've had family and friends scoff at the idea of fasting.  I hope the above explains in a better way why members of my Church fast two meals once a month...usually the first Sunday of the month.)

"Less well known is our Church’s global humanitarian service. Using 100% of funds donated by generous individuals within and without our religion, The Church sends food, clothing, medical supplies, vaccinations, school supplies and other essentials to relieve the suffering of adults and children all over the world. These humanitarian donations, totaling hundreds of millions of dollars in the last decade, are made without any consideration of religion, race, or nationality.

"Our massive relief effort following the 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami provided more than $13 million in cash and relief supplies. In addition, more than 31,000 Church-sponsored volunteers gave more than 600,000 hours of service. Our humanitarian assistance to the victims of Hurricane Sandy in the eastern United States included large donations of various resources, plus almost 300,000 hours of service in cleanup efforts by about 28,000 Church members. Among many other examples last year, we provided 300,000 pounds (136,000 kg) of clothing and shoes for the refugees in the African nation of Chad. During the last quarter century we have assisted nearly 30 million people in 179 countries.

(Elder Oaks is a native of Provo, Utah (born in 1932). He and his late wife, June Dixon Oaks, are the parents of six children.
Elder Oaks is a graduate of BYU (1954) and of The University of Chicago Law School (1957). He practiced law and taught law in Chicago. He was president of Brigham Young University from 1971 to 1980, and a justice of the Utah Supreme Court from 1980 until his resignation in 1984 to accept his calling to the apostleship.)
He has been an officer or member of the board of many business, educational, and charitable organizations. He is the author or co-author of many books and articles on religious and legal subjects. In May, 2013, the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty awarded him the Canterbury Medal for “courage in the defense of religious liberty.”)

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This what is called a purse tree.  Happens to be owned by Kevin, a (female) Church member, just outside one of the restaurants we frequent.  Some good quality goods...Pam has bought a few of the trinkets...ear rings, purse, computer bag.

Feeling back home this week...back in Alabama, as someone gave me some g-nuts from her farm.  I brought them home to boil them up.  Boiled peanuts or as we called them growing up...goober peas.

I grew  up on these as have my children and now their children.

 Goobers in the pot getting ready to boil.

 A few hours later.....ummm, good.

A cold, rainey Saturday.  Had to change out of my short sleeve pj shirt into a long sleeve.  Besides, if I hadn't taken this picture of myself while Pam was still asleep, no one would ever know I had served a mission in Uganda.  No one ever asks if they can take my picture.   Are they afraid of their camera breaking?   Actually, shortly after taking this self-timed picture...my camera broke...no kidding.

These are 4 easels Si has made for Pam for the two branches.  Two large ones, two small ones beneath the larger ones.  In the background a bulletin board, one of many the young single adults installed in a local high school's class rooms.  She has also had him make smaller framed bulletin boards for the two Young Women's rooms, the primaries and Seminary. Pictures are more intriguing to the people here because they seldom see any. 

The same cold, rainey day mentioned above.  What made this drive to Church so pleasant was that the rain keeps the boda drivers off the street.  No bodas means more casual driving.

This is one of the very few toys we've seen kids playing with over here and it happens to be a        torn-in-two, ripped up soccer ball.

Local government run, "free of charge" hospital.  Thought this flow chart of how to handle incoming patients was interesting...if you can read it.  Double click on it on the post and it should enlarge. We may see more of these in America as our nation becomes a single-payor medical provider.  This hospital provides a bed, if you are lucky to get one and that's about it.  Oftimes out of bandage and drugs.  No food, wash basins, soap, toilet paper, blankets.  Friends and family bring what the government run hospital is unable to provide.  I can hardly wait until our US system is as good as this one.  The proof is in the pudding, as we like to say.

 We've had some cucumbers from our garden.  Here are a couple more, plus our first carrot, thanks to Isaac before he left on his mission.  We don't have time to do gardening.

This is a new calendar format I have never seen before.  Anybody seen this type calendar?  Was at the aforementioned hospital.

Caught this little fellow slithering across the grass at our Bardege Branch Building.  I stepped on it's tale while Pam took pic.  About 3 feet long.  A local told us it a poisonous Ogali, but don't believe it is. You can google it.

Week 27

EXCITING NEWS!  ANOTHER BROOKS BORN INTO OUR FAMILY!

Jessica and Brooks just had their fifth baby (all invitro) on Friday.

Benson Brooks and mom are doing well.  They sent pictures 

but we couldn't download them.  We'll try

again next week. We are so

grateful for SKYPE which

allows us to talk and

see our family with-

out missing a beat.

 

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Back in Kampala this week transfering missionaries from one area to another.  Taking one home with us to Gulu and bringing one Gulu missionary home for good after having served his 2 years mission in Ghana.  He knows Pam's cousin's son who recently left from Ghana as well for home.  Said they were best friends...the Church makes the world a very small place.  Ours is the first Gulu missionary to return home from his mission.  Have another coming home this month...Sept.  These young men will begin to add strength to our struggling branches.

 

We went to Mbale again on Sunday for a regional missionary zone conference...Gulu, Lira and Mbale missionaries, mission president.  Elder Kevin S. Hamilton of the 2nd Quoum of the Seventy and second counselor in the Area Presidency in Johannesburg is touring the mission.  We left Mbale on Wed, 11 Sep, to Kampala and had dinner with him and all the other senior missionary couples in the area.  A great honor to be with him and his wife.  We also enjoy getting together with all the other senior couples.  It's a good reprieve from the never-ending assignments, training and activities with our dear "babes" in Gulu. 

 

(Elder Hamilton received a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Brigham Young University in 1979. In 1982 he received a master’s degree in finance from the University of Washington. In 1987 he was named CEO of Prime Matrix Wireless and later president and CEO of Encore Wireless, Amerivon, and Truconnect, all mobile telecommunications carriers.  58 years old.  The brethren give all this up when they are called as General Authorities.  Being a GA is full time.  He lives in Johannesburg, our Area Office, and serves in the Area Presidency)

 

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Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles described the “tender mercies of the Lord”:
“I testify that the tender mercies of the Lord are real and that they do not occur randomly or merely by coincidence. Often the Lord’s timing of His tender mercies helps us to both discern and acknowledge them.
“… The Lord’s tender mercies are the very personal and individualized blessings, strength, protection, assurances, guidance, loving-kindness, consolation, support, and spiritual gifts which we receive from and because of and through the Lord Jesus Christ. Truly the Lord suits ‘his mercies according to the conditions of the children of men’ (D&C 46:15).
“… One of the ways whereby the Savior comes to each of us is through His abundant and tender mercies. For instance, as you and I face challenges and tests in our lives, the gift of faith and an appropriate sense of personal confidence that reaches beyond our own capacity are two examples of the tender mercies of the Lord. Repentance and forgiveness of sins and peace of conscience are examples of the tender mercies of the Lord. And the persistence and the fortitude that enable us to press forward with cheerfulness through physical limitations and spiritual difficulties are examples of the tender mercies of the Lord” (in Conference Report, Apr. 2005, 105; or Ensign, May 2005, 99–100).

(Elder Bednar was born on June 15, 1952, in Oakland, California. He served as a full-time missionary in Southern Germany and then attended Brigham Young University, where he received a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree. He also received a doctoral degree in organizational behavior from Purdue University.  After completing his education, Elder Bednar was a professor of business management at Texas Tech University and at the University of Arkansas. He then served as the president of Brigham Young University–Idaho (formerly Ricks College) from 1997-2004.)
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How to make passion fruit juice:

Whole passion fruit.  about the size of a lemon

 

Two whole pieces of fruit cut in half.  It is filled with juice and seeds...doesn't look too appetizing at this point.

 

                         
Doesn't look too appetizing here either but sugar is poured on it, then it is mashed through a strainer and yummy juice is captured in bowl beneath.  It is then diluted with water. Very good when chilled.  a little on the acidic side.  A favorite drink in Uganda.  The seeds are also edible.

 

Little Nellie - about 3 years old - in her family hut.  Our Gulu Branch Relief Society President's daughter.

 

Off to the market to sell his irish potatoes and ???.  Can't recall what these are but they came from his garden.  Look like onions from here but these are way to big to be Ugandan onions...I think.  Normally onions look very malnourished, very small.  No fertilizer?

 No exaggeration...largest beetle I've ever seen.

Beetle playing opossum on me.  Probably a delicacy among the locals and thinks I'm about to take him home and boil him up in cooking oil and mix him in some rice and beans for a little crunch in my dinner.

Outside home of our Bardege Branch Relief Society President.  It's quite warm outside but this lady sound asleep under a couple of blankets.  We see all sorts of folks in and around town.  There is a lady who I've seen twice now who walks up and down the streets completely naked, holleering something in the Acholi language.  People pay her no attention.  Unfortunately, the second time I saw her I was in a restaurant downtown facing the window.  She walked up and down in front of me 4 times.  I thought each time would be the last.  I don't face the window anymore when I go in there.

On this week's trip to Mbale there was a fellow standing in the middle of the road with no clothing on.  He was inching closer to the car.  I was able to avoid him.  One of the elders in the car said he looked like the fellow who was in the street the week before when we all went to Chobe Lodge on the Nile for their preparation day (P-day).  The guy inched closer and closer to my car.  I could not avoid him entirely.  I'm doing 40-50 mph and he hits the side of the car.  He spun around a few times but never hit the ground.  It is my opinion some of these people actually want to get injured so they can claim/ seek damages.  The same can be said about some of the crackpots in America. 

This large mortar and pestal is used to grind corn, beans, whatever.  Typical stool a local sits on while mashing/grinding.  In the background are the jerry can. (Lots of ways to spell this.)  Used to carry and store water from local bore holes (water holes).  They drink, cook, bathe from it.  Some fill the can with gasoline to haul home to refill their bodas (motor cycles).  One can't survive here without jerry cans.  No neighborhoods in the Gulu area have running water.  A rare number have electricity...may one in 200-300. They share bore holes...those that are fortunate to have one nearby.  In another part of Africa, can't recall the country, the Church has built the largest irrigation system on the continent...probably the world.  It runs for miles and miles and feeds  ten of thousands of farms and people. 

Catholic cathedral in Gulu.  VERY nice looking.  Nicest looking building of any building I've seen in Gulu.  As you recall, Gulu was torn apart by a 20+ year civil war.  It has a long way to go to catch up with the rest of the country.

Amazing shot...this is a fellow working a downed tree on the side of the road. Cutting lumber planks with a chain saw.  Does a fantastic job of cutting a straight board.

Looks like he's coming after me but he's only posing for the picture.  A better shot of his work on the ground behind him.  Very long planks and well cut.  Most lumber here is sold in 12 foot lengths.

Our condolences to all the Texas A&M Fans on the blog...not.  Roll Tide Roll.

Week 27

Roll Tide

Week 26

In another recent conversation with our Mission President he told us that during his New Mission Presidents Seminar in Provo before leaving for Africa, he was impressed with the brethren's vision of what the Lord is preparing for people here in Africa.  As I've mentioned, quoting one of our Church leaders, what the poor in Africa lack in material blessings, the Lord seems to have made up in their spiritual inclination to accept the Gospel when it is presented to them.  They are a very spiritual people as a whole.  On any day, Pam and I are stopped on the street, asked about our missionary name tags, "who are we, what are we doing here, I know where your Church is, I'll be there this Sunday.  Let me give you my name and telephone so the missionaries can call me to teach me"  It's how I got my "free" 15,000 shilling downtown parking pass...all because they saw I was a missionary.  It's how we got out of our speeding ticket early on in our mission.  The police officer got on the phone and returned to tell us he is not authorized to ticket missionaries since we are here to help his people.  We learned last night through him that of all the applications senior couples complete for a full-time mission such as Pam and I are serving, only 5% are healthy enough to be called to Africa, and of that number 90% turn the call down.  For the life of me, I do not understand how one turns down a call from the Prophet of the Lord!

Well, at the seminar mentioned above, all three members of The First Presidency spoke, all 12 members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke.  Of that 15, 7 mentioned Africa, 3 or 4 mentioned Uganda specifically.  "The field is white, already to harvest".
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Growing Pains:

Pam and I were sitting in Church service meeting a couple of weeks when the branch president announced there will be a Relief Society activity this Saturday.  I thought, "Great".  How neat is that?  He didn't say what it was nor the time it would be held.  I thought, "How odd is that." He's looking at Pam the whole time as if to say, "This is right, isn't it?"  and "You'll make it happen, right?"

After the meeting the 1st Counselor in the RS came up to Pam wanting to know what the activity was.  "I have no idea", Pam says.  Well, I don't know what it is either the counselor says and adds that the RS president isn't even at Church  today.  So a 5 minute discussion resulted in the sisters announcing in RS meeting a few minutes later they would meet at the Church on Saturday at 2:00 pm and watch a Church movie.    Later we learned the Relief Society president and branch president had discussed an activity of some sort.  Pam gave the idea of showing a movie since she was helping with another organization before and after.  The RS president suggested an exorbitant budget for food/drink.  When the branch president said it was too high, which it was...way too high, neither the RS President nor her counselor attended their own meeting.  Two sisters showed up the following Saturday and Pam showed them, Legacy, a wonderful Church produced movie.  The two that came - along with the Branch Presidency counselors were deeply affected.


The same Sunday, I head over to the other branch in time for Priesthood Meeting.  The Elders Quorum President announces there will be a meeting at 9:00 am next Saturday morning to review the Mormon Helping Hands Service Project...Tippy Taps.  After the meeting I ask him "is this a planning meeting or is  this the meeting to gather and conduct the project."  "I don't know.  I think it's the planning meeting."  Whew...I'm a little content with that answer but as I'm pulling away from the building in the Nissan -- not Toyota -- truck the branch president says he needs to counsel with me.  I get out and he tells me about the meeting next Saturday.  So I ask, "This is a planning meeting right?". "No, this is the project.  And then he barrages me with a list of questions,  "How do we build the Tippy Taps, what neighborhoods will we place them in?  Where do we get the lumber?  How does the Tippy Tap poor out water?"  I tell him I've sent him two emails with all the instructions in them, the need to identify a neighborhood captain to maintain each Tippy Tap constructed, the need to involve local city leaders, inviting other Churches to participate, the need for Mormon Helping Hands shirts, etc, etc.  He says, "I think we need to postpone the project."  Whew, again...he's seen the light. I say,   "That's a good idea.  Go ahead and hold your meeting with your committee this Saturday and other interested members and build a plan."  Now, this thing stands a chance of having an impact on many neighborhoods and raising the Church out of obscurity in Gulu.

I came home and re-sent him everything I had already sent him on the why's, hows and what fors of  the project.  Now he just has to read it. 

These Helping Hands Projects are something Pam and I could jump into and lead out on but they are not a missionary responsibility.  Sits squarely on the local priesthood leaders and their branches...learning leadership, independence, how to work together, raising self-esteem, service to others.  We will pitch in by lending our Nissan -- not Toyota -- truck to haul bamboo or gravel and to even to help build some Tippy Taps but we won't be leading out.  It's sink or swim deal for the local branches.

Tippy Tap link...FYI:  http://www.tippytap.org/

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My Nissan -- not Toyota -- truck tailgate malfunctioned.  The tailgate wouldn't drop down.  I drove up to the Motor Care auto shop (an arm of the one we use in Kampala) to have them look at it.  My man George came out and with the right tools, took off the taillight, the tailgate cover and replaced a couple of bolts that were too long and too lose.  When he was through I wanted to make sure he wasn't doing this for nothing so I walked him over to the Motor Care office at the shop and told the lady, Caroline, to bill the Church for the work and to make sure George gets his due pay.  She laughed, as did George, as she said we can't bill you, "This is customer care".

I insisted.  She insisted back.  I said then George won't get paid.  She tells me he works by the hour, not the job.  So I slip George a tip, thank him and drive off.  "Customer Care!".  What a novel idea!  Imagine how much an hour of automotive "customer care" costs you in the states.

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The Effects of Adversity

• Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained that we choose how we will be affected by adversity: “Surely these great adversities are not without some eternal purpose or effect. They can turn our hearts to God. … Even as adversities inflict mortal hardships, they can also be the means of leading men and women to eternal blessings.
  “Such large-scale adversities as natural disasters and wars seem to be inherent in the mortal experience. We cannot entirely prevent them, but we can determine how we will react to them. For example, the adversities of war and military service, which have been the spiritual destruction of some, have been the spiritual awakening of others. The Book of Mormon describes the contrast:
  “‘But behold, because of the exceedingly great length of the war between the Nephites and the Lamanites many had become hardened, because of the exceedingly great length of the war; and many were softened because of their afflictions, insomuch that they did humble themselves before God, even in the depth of humility’ (Alma 62:41).
  “I read of a similar contrast after the devastating hurricane that destroyed thousands of homes in Florida some years ago. A news account quoted two different persons who had suffered the same tragedy and received the same blessing: each of their homes had been totally destroyed, but each of their family members had been spared death or injury. One said that this tragedy had destroyed his faith; how, he asked, could God allow this to happen? The other said that the experience had strengthened his faith. God had been good to him, he said. Though the family’s home and possessions were lost, their lives were spared and they could rebuild the home. For one, the glass was half empty. For the other, the glass was half full. The gift of moral agency empowers each of us to choose how we will act when we suffer adversity” (“Adversity,” Ensign, July 1998, 7–8).

(Elder Oaks is a graduate of Brigham Young University (1954) and of the University of Chicago Law School (1957). He practiced law and taught law in Chicago. He was president of Brigham Young University from 1971 to 1980 and a justice of the Utah Supreme Court from 1980 until his resignation in 1984 to accept his calling to the apostleship.)
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These guys work long and hard.  Up at 6:30, exercise, shower, dress, one hour of individual scripture study, one hour of companion study then out the door at 10:00 am.  Return no sooner than 9:00 pm and often times later.  This is the Mormon missionary routine around the world.   These guys pay their own way, or their parents do.  All this hard work because they believe in what they are doing.  They love their Heavenly Father to take 2 years out of their life to share his Word.  Coincidentlly, this is 2 years just around the age of 20 for most of these young men and women....a tithe of their lifetime!

Another delightful dinner beginning with sun dried fish.  No doubt these would look a little healthier if the flies hadn't carried off a lot of the meat.  Not really...we didn't eat these stinky things but there likely would have been more meat had the flies not eaten most of the fish in the market.

Our recently departed Elder Thabethe in the middle....back home now in South Africa.  As good as they come...Elder Thabethe, that is.

New shirts the elders ordered up for their Gulu Mission Zone.

Teaching the people principles of business is all new to them.  Until a few years ago, they only bartered with what they grew.  Like many in the states, they haven't learned to budget, to set aside "seed money" for future supplies, and to save a little.  One sister was selling liquid soap she was making.  When we analyzed with her the expenses vs income, she finally realized that she making less than 100 shillings (4 cents) per bottle at her current price.  She said, "I need to get out of this business." Pam showed her how she could make money in that business, but she would need to charge a little more, particularly for the bottles that were 20-50 percent larger than the most prevalent size she used!  Sound business practices are very, very hard for most to implement.

 Service project...king of the hill!  More smiles for a job well done.  Their smiles make me smile.

Monday night Family Home Evening  for ages 18-30.  Had 15 show up this night.  They played soccer with a deflated ball...got popped while playing volleyball when it hit a fence with a nail popping out.

 Some played tennis.

 Volley ball.

Institute (religious study) class for 18-30 year old singles.  We've had over 20 attending the last 2 weeks.  These young men and women, all of whom are recent converts, have STRONG testimonies of the gospel.  I have them teaching Institute to each other...an effort to get them independent, self-reliant as one never knows when a senior couple may not be called to serve in this area when the next couple moves on.  Pam is setting a similar goal for Seminary...religious course of study for ages 14-18.

Another pretty neat contraption I stumbled across.  This lady owns this peanut (g-nut) machine that strips the dried shell off the peanut and drops the peanut into the blue bucket below the machine.  She probably has a peanut farm but in this case she is using the devise to de-shell g-nuts for those who want to rent the machine.

A mini-Mormon Helping Hands Service Project hosted by the Institute kids mentioned above. The beginning pose, including 6 full-time missionaries.  As the morning progressed more local members joined us.  There were a total of 21 who worked the morning to serve a private school called Gulu Central High School. 

The Deputy Headmaster called this Issac Day for Ayubu Tabule Issac who is currently on his mission in Zambia.  He was a great student at the school and set such a wonderful example of service and love for his school mates and the administration.  After he graduated a couple years ago, they have never forgotten him.  It was Isaac, who, while serving his mission in Zambia, brought this day to pass.  Our good works influence others for a long time.

 Broken clothes line being repaired.

 Job well done.

 Painting a new latrine recently constructed.

Roy in the forefront.  Elder Bokwe in the back.  Since I have been here since mid-March, Roy has NEVER missed our Thursday night Institute course of religious study...even when it rains, Roy is there.  Most others are not. (One walks in the rain here, a few bike...no one owns a car.  Wonder how many Institute age kids in the US would walk in the sun or rain 2-3 miles to attend class?)

 A few more gathered.

 A large pile of broken desks that needed repairing.

 Final product...dozens of tables rebuilt/repaired...looking very good.

 Lunch time.

 A little white on black...paint that is.

One of a half-dozen bullein boards mounted on the wall for the teacher to use to post notes, assignments, announcements, etc.