Of Bibles & Bore Holes 2

I'm already discovering the good that come of keeping a journal. Today I was reading the list of things I bought last month in Namalu, and remembered that I bought a packet of curry powder for 100 shillings (about 5 cents). Unfortunately I think I forgot to pack it, but while searching through my backpack I found the little bag of raw g-nuts (peanuts) I'd bought at the Star Mart in Jinja, on the trip out. They might be completely stale by this time, but I'll roast them up and see...

Wednesday, April 26th

There has been much rain again. Craig is having a hard time getting the plowing finished, because it pours in the mid-afternoon and the ground is still soggy enough in the morning to get the tractor stuck.

Before the rain came, Amy and I went to the place where Bob and his right-hand man, Lodim Thomas, are working on a bore hole. She drove her piki, which was fun.

Agirowas' (sp?) village, where we went to tell the parable of the banquet also, is a large ere, and the only one I've ever seen with a real corral in the middle. Naturally it smelled stronger than the other villages I'd been to. I prayed sincerely that God would not let me be overpowered by the smells! He answered my prayer very quickly. So we went to the house of Locabokale's wife and about 10 kids gathered to hear the story. I took pictures, but it was somehow dark inside so probably there is no way to capture their smiles - amazing, happy smiles when many of them have orangish hair from malnutrition.

kids at the village of Agirowas

Amy had to be back for science class, so we made a dash through the rain and slick reddish mud. It was so slippery that it actually felt like skating as we went along. I'm glad neither of us fell! Kris had just been telling us at lunch how the rain brings out the parasite worms and amoebas. What to do?

Wednesday

Amy and I went to Agirowas' again. This time there was no rain so we sat outside on an old board next to a hut, and all the kids gathered around. Amy read the story of the Good Samaritan in Ngakarimojong from the Bible; I held the story book with pictures so they could see. She also taught them a verse complete with hand motions, which they enjoyed. ("'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" Luke 10:27) They also liked posing for the camera, and I got a video clip of them saying the verse. Ejok nooi!

Friday

This morning Mary and Kipsy and I made bread for home ec., which meant a yummy lunch of bread and cheese. Then Amy and I went to Agirowas's and on the way back stopped at the church where some of the women were sorting greens after a day of weeding. Amy asked and was invited to tell the story again there, sitting on the dry dirt road in the shade, while the women worked and listened. They were mostly young; the one sitting across from me was mouthing the words of the storybook (the kind with big pictures and text written for kindergarteners), so I assume she's had some small schooling, although she didn't say anything aloud in English. She is the kind it would be good to have a literacy program for....