It seems a lot has changed for Kami and I since 6 months ago. Leave the loads of experiences, lessons and growin up we've done aside, and still a lot has changed. Although it was intense at first, we settled into the home the first two months and found such a peace. A silent calm that lasted no matter how crazy things got lost somewhere in the perpetual breeze, and brilliant dusks that lasted for hours. Just as it is any time you move to a new place, at first the circle is so small. Your world is what you see and what you see is all you know. But steadily and surely, our world has continued to expand here until now where I look at an average day and actually remark, "what happened to the simple times." Our cell phones are full of contacts working here for endless amounts of reasons, our plates are full with teaching, accounts, hiring and firing, projects, plans, fundraisers, and so much more, our vocabulary has expanded every day to the point I look around now and actually know what people are speaking about in Luganda in the next circle, (well every 3rd word or so), we travel with ease through the country, riding with chickens and goats, know every inch of the city and best places to get the cheapest posho and beans, what times to drive, which alleys to take if police are out looking for bribes, and I even take the occasional Sunday morning motorcycle ride to a place you can get real coffeee and sit on a porch! So like any place, after you settle in, the world starts expanding and your as intrenched in business as you were when you left. Besides the expansion of our world though has been that of the home and of the kids' with all the visitors we have had in the last few months. With traffic the airport trip is a full 4 hour ordeal and I've been driving it too much lately. (I'm just kidding, if you want to come, I would love to pick you up from the airport!) It started with our great friends Kip and Megan from Oregon, moved to many people we met in Kampala, then more, then 8 great visitors from Colorado, then our friends Johnny and Courtney who worked with Invisible Children and last Tuesday brought in the newest member to our workforce Joe Hedrick, a good friend of Kami's from North Carolina. The kids have grown to know all our movements and can't even try to tell us something not true anymore. They look up, see we know and then smile sheepishly and produce the real answer. Everyday still brings with it new challenges and the future of the home is always in our minds. Sam's health is really leading him towards retirement and Kami and I are working diligently on coupling the home with an incredible mentorship program here called Cornerstone. They do the same thing we do, only much better and with more resources. They take kids out of horrible situations, pay for all of their schools, provide a strong community and mentorship based on the principles and teachings of Christ and the men and woman we have met who have gone through their homes are testaments to the work they are doing. After they are done with secondary school, their college is payed for too and during this time, the older ones take over the leadership of homes for other children, and always still have the community of those who have come before and are living and working in higher positions through out Uganda, Kenya, Sudan, Rwanda and even further. In this way, they always have mentors above them, peers they share mentorship with, and those who they mentor below. We are excited to see where it goes. I will be meeting with one of the directors this week again to discuss it further.
We will keep you posted. We're both still safe and healthy and loving the life we have found here. Unfortunately, to all the children's dismay as well as Sam's, Kami and I have still not fallen in love. Actually, our friendship has grown so much and we both come from such similar families, something resembling a brother/sister relationship has developed and I would venture to say we are much further from seeing in the other something more than when we first began. Which suits us both great, but disappoints the Ugandans who keep trying to get us together.
We had to fire the headmaster of our school today. He kept starting fights with the teachers and one time stole the cooks food because she did something he didn't like. It was so intense. I sat as a 24 year old firing a 35 yr old and actually said the words, "clean out your desk and hand over the keys." (Its not as fun as it sounds.) So if anyone wants to be the headmaster/mistress of a primary school in Uganda, the position is now available...we're taking applications. haha. We love you all. Thank-you for the support!
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