Week 24

 Met with our new mission president the other night.  He had just been in Uganda a couple of weeks and naturally is trying to put all the pieces together.  As mentioned, the largest Church Mission in the world and he says equal to 50% of the size of the US. (I had previously been told 25% of the US)  In the US there are hundreds of mission presidents supervising about the same number of missionaries but in much closer proximity.  There are two Church missions in Dallas-Fort Worth area, for example.  He told us, among other things, that at the end of last year there were 52,000 to 55,000 missionaries serving throughout the world.  Today, 7 months later there are 72,000.  While we were in the Missionary Training Center in Provo early March, we were told the brethren expected over 90,000 by year end.  This is due in part to the age for eligible missionaries being lowered...young men at age 18 and young women at 19.  It's been a little surprise to me just how many of our sisters have wanted to serve a   full-time mission.  There are currently more sisters being called on missions than brethren.  There has also been an increase in couples serving. You can see this work is hastening in anticipation of the Lord's second coming.  No one knows when it will be but clearly a prophesy to be fulfilled that before He comes the Gospel will be taken to every nation, kindred, tongue and people.  We are watching the fullfillment of that prophecy right before our eyes.  It is exciting to be a small part of this marvelous work.
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One of our recent houseguests.  Pam thinks he's cute.

 

Ham and eggs, anyone?

We buy our eggs from a poultry farm to assure they are fresh.  They also raise LOTS pigs.  This is one of their four enclosures full of pigs.  If we were to buy a pig, it would not be from here:  too dirty  stinky.  A lot of people have free range pigs.  That is our preference.  The elders found a good source to get fresh pork.  Occasionally a call is made to the owner, telling him how much pork is wanted.  He kills and butchers the pig early in the morning; they pick it up, still warm, before it gets to any market, and we or they marinate and grill it (usually for a transfer dinner).  It has been very good.   

 

 



Pam and a few sisters making water bottle dolls. On the far left is Prossy, counselor in Gulu Young Women's organization, baptized about 2 months ago.   In the forefront is Beatrice, baptized April 6 and a dynamic counselor in the Bardege Young Women's organization.  The one on the left is Nighty, our Gulu Relief Society President, mother of four girls.  Her husband has married two other women and has told her she is no longer his wife because she has only produced girls.  Sylvia, on the end, was baptized same day as Prossy and is President of the Young Women.  Not many years ago she saw her older pregnant sister shot down by the rebels, Lord's Liberation Army (Joseph Kony). She was able to run away.  Two days later they returned and shot and killed her father in front of her.  For some reason they did not kill or abduct her.  The sisters are excited to make the dolls for their children/grandchildren/orphans who generally have no toys. These are virtually no cost -- using scrap material from different seamstresses at the market. They have also made cloth balls, and will learn how to make stuffed dolls, frogs and teddy bears.  The Relief Society is making these for themselves as well as for the very sick children in Lacor (pronounced "law CHO" (long o) Catholic Charity Hospital. 

The Rock Quarry (pictures below):
We'd heard about this place on the Blog the previous senior couple in Gulu, the Wood's, posted before we arrived here  Just happened to stumble across it the other day as we were sight seeing.  It may come in handy for an upcoming Mormon Helping Hands Day of Service.  Backbreaking, muddy, tiring, boring work.  We spoke at length to the owner.  He has an unlimited supply of rocks at this site and others not far away.  He has purchased the land for the quarry but can't afford to hire more people..."no money" he says.  This is manual labor in the true sense of the word.  Pictures below.
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The missionary elders held their weekly zone/district training meeting.  Just to give you an idea of how good these young men are and how converted to the Gospel and dedicated to their faith...following are a couple of quotes that one elder offered:

"Obedience (to the commandments) brings blessings.  Exact obedience brings miracles."

"One's obedience is a sign of one's love and faith in Christ."

Pam and I are always blessed when we sit in on their training meetings and teach each other the principles of the Gospel, the blessing of hard work, keeping their missionary rules..."exactly".
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President Howard W. Hunter (1907–95) admonished each of us to forgive our enemies:
“Consider, for example, this instruction from Christ to his disciples. He said, ‘Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you’ (Matthew 5:44).  (I sure struggle with this in respect to the boda drivers in this country.  I don't feel like they hate me or are despitefully using me or even persecuting me...only that they are trying to kill me.)

“Think what this admonition alone would do in your neighborhood and mine, in the communities in which you and your children live, in the nations which make up our great global family. I realize this doctrine poses a significant challenge, but surely it is a more agreeable challenge than the terrible tasks posed for us by the war and poverty and pain the world continues to face, which we see firsthand every day here. 

“We all have significant opportunity to practice Christianity, and we should try it at every opportunity. For example, we can all be a little more forgiving” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1992, 22–23; or Ensign, Nov. 1992, 18).

One more baptism in Bardege Branch by one of our newest elders, Elder Erickson...6 weeks on his mission.

 Elder King on bottom/left in the MTC Provo, Ut.  Just arrived here 6 weeks ago.

Our Gulu Zone missionary elders just wrapping up a service project.  They do a service project at least once a week.  Lots of smiles.  It's serving others that brings joy.

 Down in the quarry hole sledge hammering large rock.

 You can see how large this stone is here...maybe 18" x 4'.  Too heavy to lift.  They manage to stand it up on its side in the mud and begin pounding away.  It sinks a good ways back into the mud, eventually stops sinking then their heavy hammering eventually breaks the large stone into pieces that are lifted by two people..must weight 35-50 pounds each after broken up while down in the mud and muck.  The men are very lean but super strong.

The quarry doesn't like the rain...it just fills up their quarry mines.  This fellow is hand pumping the water out of the pit where the two guys in the picture above are digging.  There are 3 or 4 other pits filled with water they can't access until they pump out the water.  As I type this, it is pouring down rain as hard as I've ever seen it rain anywhere.  A bad day for the quarry.  Just means more hand pumping of rain before they can start digging for rock.  Life is hard in Uganda!

Pound it and pound it and pound it and eventually.....

Rock brought from the quarry.  Broken up to this size and then smaller below.  "Broken up" means hammered.  I only saw women doing the hammering other than the men in the quarry itself.

Then broken up again even smaller.  These piles of fist-size rock throwing stones cost 15,000 shillings each pile...about $6.50.

And then even smaller...a fine gravel.  This pile may cost 20,000-25,000 shillings due to extensive labor...more hammering.

 The quarry owner's feet., covered in mud.  He's "down in the dust" like the lumberyard owner I mentioned a few weeks ago.

 A lady pounding stone into good rock throwing size.

 There is an unlimited supply of stone to be quarried and a few tons of it out of the ground to be pounded with large and small sledge hammers to break it into the pieces that will sell.

Relief Society President in Bardege Branch, Sister Ricky, and a friend having lunch we had just dropped in on.  Notice they eat with their fingers.  They offer us, as guests, forks.

Pretty nifty contraption here.  One sees a number of tools made out of bikes.  This one is a knife or tool sharpener.  Turn the bike foot pedals and sharpener on top spends around via a cord wrapped around the back wheel rim.  I am constantly amazed at the ingenuity of the African people.  They throw hardly anything away and then figure out a way to make something of value out of it.

 Main street in Gulu on a slow morning.  The pace quickens soon enough and one's eyes are constantly on the road looking for boda drivers and folks in the streets.  I missed an opportunity for a picture today that was very unusual.  A person was walking down the street...more in the street than off it.  He/she had a motorcycle helmet on his head and a long pole in his hand.  The pole had a paint roller brush on the end of it as if he were painting the street.  The person was either mentally disturbed or perhaps he had epilepsy or inner ear problems.  The paint roller was being used to keep his balance and the helmet to protect him if he happened to fall over.  Once again...very ingenious.

This is Si.  (Used to be Simon til he asked me for a nickname and I gave him the name of Si...now he insists everyone call him Si.)  He's made bulletin boards for us for a local private school.  Here he is sanding blocks of wood that Pam will distribute to children to play with at Church or an orphanage or hospital.  He's earning money for his mission.  Few toys over here for kids to play with.  Just wooden blocks we picked  up at a planing mill.  Si sands them.  Some may get painted.  The kind of blocks we had as kids to build stuff..remember?

Here is Beatrice.  She's earning school fees by working at our place a couple of times a week.  Making dolls, ironing, cooking, cleaning.  She wants to serve a full time mission too and the sisters are encouraged to get as much schooling done as possible before going on a mission.  Those who are helping us with money in the states have given us permission to assist her with school fees.  Thanks to you, her life will be changed forever;  an education making her self-reliant, a mission taking the Gospel to others somewhere else in the world.  What these kids learn on their missions is nearly incomprehensible.  Knocking on doors, meeting strangers, learning to speak in public.  They come home and become model citizens in their communities.

Week 23

Why are we here on a mission in Uganda?  We've been asked that by friends and family, in and out of the Church.  We came across the following story by the President of our Church, Thomas S Monson that I thought would shed some light on why we as Latter-day Saints do what we do.  It was a lengthy story and I have edited out some of it to concentrate on the most pertinent points that answer the question posed above:

President  Monson related an event as he described the circumstances surrounding the decision made by the government of the German Democratic Republic (East Communist Germany) to allow missionaries to preach in that land after years of restricted Church activity:

“Our ultimate goal was to seek permission for the doorway of missionary work to open. Elder Russell M. Nelson, Elder Hans B. Ringger, and I, along with our local German Democratic Republic church leaders, initially met with State Secretary for Religious Affairs Kurt Löffler as he hosted a lovely luncheon in our honor. He addressed our group by saying, ‘We want to be helpful to you. We’ve observed you and your people for twenty years. We know you are what you profess to be: honest men and women.’

“… We were driven to the chambers of the chief representatives of the government....
“Beyond the exquisite entry to the building, we were greeted by (head of state) Chairman Honecker.  He then escorted us into his private council room. There, around a large round table, we were seated. Others at the table included Chairman Honecker and his deputies of government.
“Chairman Honecker began, ‘We know members of your Church believe in work; you’ve proven that. We know you believe in the family; you’ve demonstrated that. We know you are good citizens in whatever country you claim as home; we have observed that. The floor is yours. Make your desires known.’
“I began, ‘Chairman Honecker, at the dedication and open house for the temple in Freiberg, 89,890 of your countrymen stood in line, at times up to four hours, frequently in the rain, that they might see a house of God. In the city of Leipzig, at the dedication of the stake center, 12,000 people attended the open house. In the city of Dresden there were 29,000 visitors; in the city of Zwickau, 5,300. And every week of the year 1,500 to 1,800 people visit the temple grounds in the city of Freiberg. They want to know what we believe. We would like to tell them that we believe in honoring and obeying and sustaining the law of the land. We would like to explain our desire to achieve strong family units. These are but two of our beliefs. We cannot answer questions, and we cannot convey our feelings, because we have no missionary representatives here as we do in other countries. The young men and young women whom we would like to have come to your country as missionary representatives would love your nation and your people. More particularly, they would leave an influence with your people which would be ennobling. Then we would like to see young men and young women from your nation who are members of our Church serve as missionary representatives in many nations, such as in America, in Canada, and in a host of others. They will return better prepared to assume positions of responsibility in your land.’
“Chairman Honecker then spoke for perhaps thirty minutes, describing his objectives and viewpoints and detailing the progress made by his nation. At length, he smiled and addressed me and the group, saying, ‘We know you. We trust you. We have had experience with you. Your missionary request is approved.’
“The black darkness of night had ended. The bright light of day had dawned. The gospel of Jesus Christ would now be carried to the millions of people in that nation. Their questions concerning the Church will be answered, and the Kingdom of God will go forth.
“(in Conference Report, Apr. 1989, 68–69; or Ensign, May 1989, 52–53).
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The purpose of our missionary work is not simply to bring people into the waters of baptism.  We want to help people change their lives for the better.  To become closer to their Heavenly Father, to learn to serve others, to become self-reliant, independent, to strengten their families, to become successful in every aspect of their lives, to "have no more dispostion to do evil, but to do good continually"...in other words we want the Gospel to change peoples hearts.  What good does it do to confess that Jesus Christ is one's Savior only to continue to live the type of life one lead before doing so?  Being born again means a new life, starting over, repenting of transgressions daily and trying to become more like Jesus Christ...it was he who said, "Come, follow me." and, "If ye love me, keep my commandments."  In other words, do as I taught you...don't just think about it.  Very similar to "The 10 Commandments, not the 10 Suggestions."

Former President of the Church, Gordon B Hinckley liked to say, "The purpose of the Church is to make bad men good and good men better."
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We had a young man show up on our apt porch last Thurs.  His story is that he was run over by a car 4-5 years ago.  His ankle is in terrible shape with open rotting flesh - no skin - all the way around his leg.  The stench was almost imbearable to be around.  We have a neighbor doctor from Serbia that came over to look at him  He said he must be admitted to a hospital immediately or he'd lose his leg or his life sooner than later.  We allowed him to sleep on our porch.  Pam fed him and changed his dressing until we could take him to Lacor (pronounced La cho) hospital the next day for admittance.  He says he didn't fall asleep til about 5:00 am which surprised me a little because I overdosed him on some prescription pain pills but he was in terrible pain. The Elder's administered to him; he was told

We got him admitted the next day at the catholic charity hospital, St. Mary's Lacor (pronounced "law cho".  (Even though it in no way compares to what we have in the states, people from all over Uganda come here to this hospital.  Catholic Charities does a wonderful job on extremely limited funds.)   His bandage must be changed daily and his wounds scrubbed.  It is very painful.  Therefore, he refused to have it done.  When we learned this the day following his admittance, we gave him a stern lecture telling him he MUST do as he was instructed or we'd pull him out of the hospital and let him fend for himself.  Today is Tuesday.  He behaved today.  We'll see about him each day this week.  One slip up and he will be on the street.  Why?  He was in this same hospital due to someone's goodness earlier this year for 3 months.  Because he couldn't get enough food, he said, he left unauthorized.  Now he is in as bad a condition as he was when he first checked in.  People have to learn to take care of themselves to the extent possible.  We can't help him if he won't help himself.  Over the past week many of our church friends have gone to visit him.  He is very appreciative.  Our Relief Society president noticed on his chart that he also has sickle cell anemia.  Thanks for those of our family members who have sent money so we can pay for his stay and prepare food for him each day. (The hospitals do not provide any food.  That is why you see so many people out on the "lawn". They have brought their charcoal or wood and prepare whatever they can afford for their friend or loved one.  You also have to bring your own toilet paper, blanket, towel, soap, basin for bathing and other similar things.  We purchased these for Martin. Martin's parents are dead and his grandmother, who lives in a village is too old to assist.  Normally there are extended family member that can help but he claims that they have also died.  Over the course of the previous time he was in the hospital, the nurses never saw anyone visit him. I was concerned who would be able to feed him when go out of town because the hospital is a long distance from where our members live and most are too poor to ask to feed him.  Fortunately, we learned of a service across the street from the hospital that will prepare a simple meal (beans and greens) and occasionally a little meat, for about 7,000 shillings.  That will be a great blessing to use at time.
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Opio Martin.  He's not sure of his age but thinks he is 19.  His last schooling was Primary 7, which is about 6th grade.  He is anxious to learn so we will purchase a couple school books for him.   He lights up when we come in the room.

This is how we stay cool...the components:  1. a portable a\c unit, 2. a duct leading out of the unit to a window covered by  plywood in the window, 3. a bunch of duct tape to hold the duct on the plywood and 4. some thumb tacks to keep the Ugandan duct tape from coming unglued from the plywood.  Actually, we haven't needed this since about mid-April.  Nights have been very comfortable and sometimes too cool even for us when our fan is blowing directly on us.  Update...has been unusually warm last couple of days.  We've turned the a/c on and after a few minutes it blows the circuit in the apt.  It could be a long hot summer beginning in December.  Will have to talk to someone at Church headquarters in Kampala for a "fix"./

 Found a new restaurant in the city.  I walked up a few flights and took pics off the terrace.  This is Gulu from on high.

 Same.  New construction in the background.

Met this fellow at the egg farm.  A real testament to "don't judge a book by it's cover".
95 yrs old, 6 months and 6 days, he told us, when we took this picture.  Former military instructor...new recruits, basic training...excellent English, quoted scripture from Isaiah and other books of the Bible.  He recognized our name tags immediately saying he has attended our Church before and brought us out a church pamphlet he had been given.  If you enlarge the picture, you'll see that hhe has only one tooth and his gum is grossly swollen.  It must be very painful, but he was very cheerful.  It was a delight to converse with this good, humble man. 

 This little fellow just wanted to look cool wearing my glasses.

And his buddy.  Both of them with a sucker we'd just given them...making them very happy.  We buy suckers from a lady in the village every time we go there.  It helps her a little and the children we see are thrilled to get a little sweet.

This is a boda wash...motorcycle wash.  It's a shallow pond caused by rainfall..  Folks will pull their cars into the pond too for washing.  I was invited in today but declined.   A half dozen or more bodas in the background in the pond.

The Gulu Airport.  This is the terminal.   That's it.  Runway is under 4 month construction then we are told "many" flights arrive and depart each day from across Africa and US.  OK Doodle...no excuses.

Inside terminal.  There is no ticket counter.  Maybe like buying a bus ticket to Kampala I have watched our members do.  You just step on the bus, buy your ticket and find a seat.

Which way is the wind blowing...pretty important info to make a safe landing.  Here is the wind sock used by FBO's across the world including the US.

 A new tie tac I'm using over here...live praying mantis.  We are recommending for all our missionaries.

On the road home from Kitgum last Sunday.  People walking...lots of people always walking.  These aren't pleasure walks.  Work and work hard walks in Uganda.

 We attended a handicapped special even  last weekend.  Basketball, volley ball for deaf, pitch the ball for Downs children, a game like pool for the blind.  One more example above of the ingenuity of these people...a plastic chair fixed to a concocted wheel chair.

 

No political correctness here.  This type sign would insult millions who belong to AARP or just simple alumni from schools across the country.  Instead of Alumni Association, it's Old Students Association.  Hoorah for honesty!






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Week 22...A Day in the Village

We postponed this weekends blog until Monday in honor of Nick Chase who passed away Tuesday and whose funeral was Saturday.

Nick was one of the finest young men I knew and I got to know him very well as Priest in the Young Men's organization of which I served as President before our mission call.  Nick, who had just graduated from high school and I had lunch one on one on a couple of occasions before we left for our mission.  We talked about the weaker members of his Priests Quorum and what he and his quorum members could do to strengthen them.  Nick loved his fellow Priests and wanted to serve them in every way he could.

Thurs night I taught Institute because our local Ugandan teacher had a conflict.  As I began the lesson, I looked out over the 15 or so college age kids in attendance and thought about how difficult life is for them in Uganda.  I wanted to tell them that life is difficult for all people, no matter where they live.  I then began to tell them of the loss of my good young Nick.  I began to cry and was unable to gain my composure for a number of minutes.  I cried as hard as I've cried in a long time.  I then told them that no matter where one lives, no matter how healthy or wealthy one may be, everyone has trials, troubles, afflictions...that they are not to feel sorry for themselves but know that God loves them and will sustain them when life is difficult to bear.  I reminded them of President Thomas S Monson's words..."just give more".  No matter how downtrodden they may feel, just give more, serve more, study the scriptures more, pay their tithing faithfully, keep the commandments as best they can...then comes the Peace which the Savior promised his disciples...not the peace of the world, but His peace, that peace which surpasses all understanding. 

I visited Kitgum 100 kilometers away Sunday morning and talked about Nick.
I cried again.  As Pam and I knelt in prayer this morning, tears filled my eyes once again.
Perhaps it is because I know the unspeakable pain of losing a child or because I could not be at his service Saturday and feel some sort of closure.  I watched the clock here all day Saturday and anticipated it's 10:00 am start.

Life is difficult no matter where one is.

I love you Nick.
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You've heard us mention Simon  (Si) and we've posted pics of him working around the house for mission money.  It is Simon who watched as his father was shot and killed by Joseph Kony's rebels when Si was age 6.

Simon joined the Church in March and has time to earn money and prepare spiritually for his mission. He is making great headway. This blog post is dedicated to our day in "the village" Monday, 5 Aug.

His mom lives in "the village".  "The village" is really any place outside of the city a ways.  We would call it "in the country" back home.  He wanted us to visit her and teach her a gospel message.  Because she doesn't speak English Simon did all the teaching in Acholi and then translated some of our thoughts and well wishes to her and her family.  We also met Si's grandma, a sister, some nephews and nieces.

A pictures tells a thousands words as we say so here you go.

 The village is about 25 miles up the road from Gulu.  About 15 miles outside of Gulu, we approached this tree.  "Here is where I watched the rebels kill my father.  Right under this tree." Simon told us.  At age 6, all Si could do was to continue walking to Gulu where they had been headed with his Dad, find his sister and then an uncle who was serving in the military who helped find and retrieve his father's body.  As wev'e told you we have met westerners who say the Joseph Kony story is a myth.   No form of government is perfect but the Ugandan government hasn't been involved in slaughtering it's own people like Kony's rebels ..."The Lord's Resistance Army" (LRA), he calls it..  Don't you love how people take good names and good causes and pervert them in such a manner as if killing, kidnapping and raping is done for the Lord?  Kony is still loose and on the run by the way...maybe in the Congo to our west, may South Sudan to our north, lieing low because the hunt is on...but he is not in Gulu!  There was a world-wide campaign in 2012 to capture him but he has successfully alluded all authorities.  He waged a 25 year war centered in Gulu that ended 7-8 years ago and set the city back farther than that.

 Scenery on the way to the village.

 It rained heavily last night.  I had just washed down the truck earlier in the morning.   It was a 4-wheel drive kind of day.

 The ceiling inside his Mom's very nice hut.  The center pole holds up the roof supports and thatch on top of the roof.  Just amazing to me that the thick thatch keeps the heaviest of rain water from coming inside.  You can see the thatched roof in the picture below. The 2010 calendar is the only picture or artifact in the hut.

 Naturally, Pam found a cat.  See lots of Calico cats over here.  Very common.  Far more so than in the states.  Notice how "happy" the cat appears as it is trying to claw it's way out of Pam's arm.  No matter, Pam is determined to make that cat love her.  (Pam:  he did "love" me when I gave him scraps from our meal.  His mother, seeing how much I love the cat, offered to let me take it home.  That would have been better than the live chicken they wanted to give us, but I declined.  Again, it shows their generosity.  The cat helps to keep out the mice and rats.)

 Si's Mom's place.  The building on the left is her kitchen.  On the right is her very attractive and neat hut.

 Si and him Mom in the kitchen/hut.  She is 52.  He says she is very old.  By Ugandan standards, she is.  His grandmother is 72, a very attractive older woman.  His sister is about his age and can speak good English and can read it.  She asked for a copy of the Book of Mormon.

 Cooking up millet-pocho in the kitchen/hut over small logs set on fire.  Was pretty smokey in there.  I had to leave eventually as the smoke was burning my eyes.

 Some nephews with homemade ball.  The center is filled with plastic bags tied around with leather.   You should see these kids bounce this ball on their knees and feet...like professional soccer players.  Likely the only "toy" they have so they get good at it at an early age.

 Rice paddy.  They simply throw the rice seeds onto the ground.  This was done in February.  Will be ready in about 4 months.

 Beyond the rice paddy, Si's cassava field in the background...the low plant...this is the plant we've bought often that tastes like a large potato wedge we've told you about.  We've eaten it after being boiled in cooking oil and lightly salted.  We are eating the root of the cassava.  This field was planted in Feb also.  Each plant represents one cassava stick planted into the ground. Takes 2 years to grow.  Will be ready when he comes home from his mission.

A cow drawn plow.  She owns two of them.  To the left of the plow you see a yoke to which the cows are tied/yoked together while they pull the plow through a field.

One of three baskets hanging outside the kitchen hut to hold eggs recently hatched.

Here are a few eggs in one of the hanging baskets.

The lunch his mom, grandma and sister made for us.  Beans, rice, chicken cooked in oil...the best chicken we've had here and posho.  The pocho is what looks like the roll at the bottom of the plate.  It is like cream of corn but cooked til it feels hard...like a roll...firm.  Not like runny grits.  Sort of a bread replacement.  This was truly the equivalent of a Christmas feast.  These Acholi people who have so little, who live off what they grow, are so good at heart.  So little in material things but so giving, so charitable.  Pam, Si and I ate in his Mom's hut.  Mom, grandma and his sister stayed in the kitchen hut to eat.  We asked Si why they wouldn't join us.  "I am here with you."

This lucky guy has a lot of girlfriends in the yard and supplies a lot of eggs and  baby chicks for the family.

Here is just part of the family...Mom, grandmom, sister, nieces and nephews, Si and Pam.  They all live in the same village...maybe a ways down the road.  Nobody ever offers to take my picture so when I long dead and gone my grandchildren will always think grandma served her mission to Uganda by herself...not that she couldn't have!  As we were about to drive away other relatives living in neighboring huts (perhaps a block of so away) came by, but didn't get their picture. 

It was a muddy ride out.  This is on driver's side window.  Just glad I had the window up.  It was a comfortable day temperature wise.

This is millet growing in a field.  Reminds me of tall "crabgrass"...that thing on the top of the week with the seeds dangling on it?  Pull off the brown millet you see there and pound it down with a long stick in a wooden bucket. 

Place the millet in this small, wooden"barrel" and pound it to death.  Then they winnow it by tossing in the air from a flat basket. The wind blows away the chaff leaving tiny grains a little larger than a mustard seed. The little grains are ground by rubbing the grains between two flat stones. From that they make a very runny porriidge (the traditional breakfast - that you drink) or they make pocho, like what is shown in one of the previous pictures.

This concludes our day in the village.  It was one of the nicest days we've had in Gulu.  A beautiful 25 drive into the village, cool temps, wonderful people, slipping and sliding our way back and forth down a road that at times looked like a shallow river we were riding in.  Took a picture of the riverbed we traveled through for 4-5 miles but couldn't download it for some reason.

p.s.  Si was very excited this weekend because his "brother" (a cousin he lives with in Gulu area) was baptized.  Si was able to baptize him. They were both elated.