Exercising Thanks

Because I prefer to begin a blog with at least one picture, let me start with my thanks for the abundant harvest in our gardens!!!

Geoff, Kakande and Medie returned yesterday from our garden with some of the harvest of our black beans, yellow beans and another pumpkin!!! Soon we will be enjoying more sweet bananas and carrots!! YUM YUM

I exercised this morning. I am thankful.

I am thankful that I am able to exercise. Two and a half years ago we were in a serious automobile accident and for quite a few months I was unable to do my favorite stretches or even take a leisurely walk a short distance without pain. As I walked with my friend, Tiffany, and my dog this morning over on the farm I realized what a blessing it is to be able to walk. Then later as I was kneeling for a certain stretch exercise, I was again reminded that my ability to do so is a blessing.

I don’t take lightly my ability to freely move about.

My children are “grounded” this week from their usual weekend iPad games. They were careless with their privilege last weekend and as a result, they are spending this weekend “electronic game-free”. I smiled as I spent the morning listening to them playing nicely together – they played football and nerf missile outside and inside they enjoyed “The Dangerous Book for Boys” board game for about an hour. Then they happily trotted off to the secondary side to spend some time playing with the Anderson’s children. I am thankful that they play so well together! I am blessed by their laughter, smiles and jokes. I am glad they are free to move about as well! As I opened my journal to write this morning I found that it was the first entry I’ve made since mid-August!!!!! My previous writings were words of thanks. I looked back over the weeks since August and realized that I’ve not spent anytime at all writing down what I am thankful for, and I am the less for it! Seeing before me my neglect has been a catalyst for exercising thanks and nurturing a thankful heart—I am now on the lookout again for blessings!

This week I was able to weed in the garden with a few of the kids from David family. I so enjoy getting out in the dirt and spending some quiet moments with the kids. . . .especially because after the quietness I was blessed to talk for quite awhile with one of my favorite kids!

We were able to share supper with someone almost every night this week!!! On Monday we welcomed back Aunt Nancy who has been in the U.S. since May. We are so happy to have her back here—AND she brought us two bags of our addictive substance (STARBUCKS!!!!) On Wednesday we had Aunt Kate over and shared a meal, smiles and some prayer time. On Thursday we enjoyed Uncle John for the last time as he is leaving to return to the U.S. for an extended amount of time. He brought his DVD of Tim Hawkins—a comic who makes us laugh!!!! And last night we were blessed with one of Geoff’s former NHVI students, Kambo, and his brother. They survived eating our mzungu food after Geoff and the boys had gone out to see the land Kambo has been working on this past year. They all left this morning at 6 to travel beyond Jinja for a wedding of one of Kambo’s brothers.

So, here I am in the quiet of my house—Geoff at the wedding, kids at the Anderson’s and no visitors for the past hour or so.

Aunt Lydia and I, the wife of a fellow staff member and a dear friend, don't get to spend a great deal of time together, but we sure enjoy it when we find the time!

I am thankful to God for so many things—where we live, what our “work” is, who we live near, the kids we have the privilege of loving and teaching and all the fresh fruits and vegetables you can imagine. A fellow staff member, Uncle Godfrey, who enjoys the abundance of our garden!!! He and his wife, Olga are always looking for another branch of matooke (bananas for steaming)!!

This afternoon I am walking 4km to the Kiwoko market with Aziza—one of my very favorite kids of all time. She tells it like it is!!! Last year when all the other girls wanted me to get my hair braided in corn rows, she looked straight at me and said, “Aunt, that would look BAD!!!” When I showed up to work with her in the garden for the second week in a row (normally I am busy with other things and not able to go), she stopped her work and asked, “Aunt, WHY are you here?” and last year when I brought her a pretty little scented candle from the U.S. she queried, “Aunt, what is the purpose of this?” (After all, it was too small to read by its light). So, in a few hours I’m off to the market and most likely I will receive along the way many more things for which to be thankful, and more quotable quotes from Aziza!!!!!
Uh oh, a knock at the door . . . Oh, it is the loaf of bread I ordered from the David family bakery . . .warm and smelling heavenly!!! The reasons to be thankful just keep on coming . . .

Bless you on this day and may you find MANY things for which to give thanks!!

Multiplication

A simple multiplication math lesson for our blog today . . . five years ago I taught the girls in our David Family how to make bread. They have turned it into a successful family business. One of the girls then taught our houseworker to make bread (it was easier for her to teach in Luganda--instead of me in English--as Jessca, our worker speaks limited English). This past week, a catering student from the New Hope Vocational Institute was taught by Jessca how to make bread. When Josephine (who washes our laundry) heard there was a bread-making lesson going on in the kitchen, she joined in to take notes and learn as well!!!!! I love that something I taught five years ago is still yielding fruit!!!!! (and great tasting bread!)

This past Tuesday a few of the staff ladies went to Kampala to celebrate two of our birthdays! (Jill's and mine). We ate breakfast at the Rocks and Roses Tea Room. From front left, Kim, Marian, me, Vicki, Jill

Same group and place minus me and add in Tiffany! Multiplication lesson: ladies x laughter x lots of yummy breakfast treats equals joy (and a few more calories to exercise off!)

Feeling in the mood for a natural, organic snack?? We have white ants (termites) in abundance this week! Kevin and his friends took advantage of the afternoon flight from the ground to the sky--catching and eating many!!! Multiplication PROBLEM: little children x white ants = stomach aches (but, they are good protein--they are even listed on the nutrition charts for East Africa!!)

Left to Right: Acacia, Kevin, Sammy, Joshua, Solomon

What’s up with maize

I have heard that this is Mary’s blog since I never write here…Well today I thought I would dispel that rumor. One of the things that I am involved with that is a large part of what I do here is the Enterprise Maize Mill. The mill has now been functioning since 2008 and this year it began fulfilling it’s purpose. We have began funding $400 per month to the ministry general fund with expectations of that growing in the months to come. The past 2 weeks have really been busy there as the harvest has fully come in. This week we purchased about 16,000 KG.



One thing that is always interesting to see is the guys off load the truck as it arrives. To off load a shipment it usually takes 4 guys, 2 to offload the bags from the truck and then 2 to carry them into place. But this week we had a truck show up with only 3 guys and 4,000 KG, due to the shortage of workers 1 guy carried all 4,000 kg by him self. Can you imagine 225 kg at a time until 4,000 has been put away? Impressive. It is amazing how God has given some of these people the ability to work.





Right now we have over 55,000 kg in stock. That is enough maize to keep our business going for the next 4 months. The concept is buy when the maize prices are low and as the market prices increase farther from the harvest we see our profits increase.



Pray that we continue to make good business decisions as things are constantly changing and this business is key in funding the ministry into the future