In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

James 2:17

Sunday 8 February 2009

Life in Makindye, Kampala....

Our first two weeks in Uganda
We have struggled to learn Luganda,
But we’ve picked up some words
Phoebs has seen some cool birds,
With binoculars on the veranda

We started at schools on Wednesday,
Some were good, some were only ok,
The teaching is tricky,
But we’re not to be picky
So maybe for us you could pray?

Kampala the city is busy,
Boda rides can make you feel dizzy.
The rain in the air
And the heat everywhere,
Has made the girls hair go all frizzy.

Traipsing through Owino market
With no particular target,
‘Mzungu’ was shouted everywhere,
Lots of people stop and stare,
And ‘Squeakers’ the bus we can’t park it.

The food so far has been good,
Many carbs but lacking in pud.
Matoke and ‘wacky cake’,
G’nut sauce ain’t hard to make,
But posho tastes slightly of wood.

Locals can’t pronounce Barney’s name,
But they are not to blame,
As a result, oh so funny,
It has been changed to ‘Bunny’,
Causing laughter all the same.

Chapel was led by Charlotte and Ash,
During which something happened in a flash:
Assembly in the playground,
A man was arrested and found,
They continued preaching on Moses,
Whilst the man was dragged through on his toeses.

Friendliness and smiles are prevalent,
And to ‘Aunt Daisy’s’ house some were sent
To drink soda and chat,
Some sugar cane we have spat,
Although no disrespect was meant.

In the garden we play volleyball,
Our guards built posts for us all.
We need all our might,
To ignore mozzie bites,
And barter goods at local stalls.

Whilst the boys miss their meat,
The girls’ brownies are treats.
Power cuts in night,
Gave us all a big fright,
But we’ve risen to all of these feats.

We have had a great few days,
And now all of us can say:
Let’s praise our Heavenly Father,
And sing ‘Webale Mukama’
Throughout the rest of our stay.


Nat, Mikey, Charlotte, and Ella.

Uganda

@ The main languages spoken are English and Lugandan.
@ Much of the land is fertile and well-watered
@ According to
the census of 2002 Christians made up 84% of Uganda's population, 6.00% were
Mulism, and 4% traditional ethnic and a small minority Baha'i and Hindu.
@
Uganda is the first country in the world with a massive aids problem to halve
from 25% in 1992 to 8-10% in 2000.
@ Life expectancy for a man is 51 years,
and for a woman, 52.
@ The area of Uganda is 241, 040 sq. miles meanwhile
Britain's is 244, 820 sq. miles. However the population of Uganda stands at 31.9
million, while Britains is almost double that at roughly 61 million.


Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God and of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.

2 Corinthians 1:3-5