Below the Belt.

I am pretending today is Friday, so I can write before I leave.

Tomorrow morning we leave for Kapchorwa, a village northeast of here, to live in a more rural setting; we return March 3, I believe.

They have a whole different language. Luganda is invalid. Crap.

Quick, little news up in here. But first: the big.

Rebecca got a job! I couldn’t believe it. It was one of those times when your mouth hurts because you can’t stop smiling, and when you’re not smiling, you’re screaming. She has been praying for this for so long; she feels helpless and bored at home, and all the other feelings, I am sure, that come with hopeless unemployment.

I remember that night we talked about the man from Brussels. She was so shocked as she told me,

“He took time off of work for a few years. He had enough money to keep him going. But he spoke…he spoke as if, when he was ready to get a job again, a job was just as guaranteed as sugar being available in the market. Hmmm.” That does seem to be the case; and I hate that she doesn’t have that same luxury. But, oh man, God is faithful.

We were about to watch “Little Man,” on Huntington’s DVD player, and Mom came in and said to us:

“Tell me. If I gave you something, and you said nothing, you did not thank me, how would that make me feel?”

We all just sort of looked at her; one of us said “Sad.” She said,

“Well then. Look what God has done today, and we haven’t even thanked Him yet.” At that, we all kneeled at our chairs in the dining room and thanked God for Rebecca’s job. I can’t get enough of this family, basically.

I had an incredible time with Vicky and Susan today. I am getting attached to so many Ugandans; I wasn’t expecting this outside of my household. But they are simply incredible. They were telling me about what people think of them here, because they always hang out with the Mazungu (they are so friendly with all of us). They get rolled eyes, the silent treatment, and people assume that we are all financially sponsoring Susan in her school fees, and they are milking us. That’s crap. Ticks me off. They don’t mind it, though. And I love that they are still so openly loving toward us. These two are such a blessing. They are the only reason I didn’t skip New Testament today.

It rained torrentially yesterday. When it rains here, it’s like the world stops. I wouldn’t expect this. But, after showing up in New Testament completely soaked through—my slip was even showing through my skirt…I really was drenched—no one was really there. The professor came later, once it stopped raining, naturally. And afterwards, I got as far as the library and it started again. A crowd of us waited for a full half hour in the library before venturing back out. It’s interesting. But if you walk in it, chances are you are the only one, you are assumed crazy, and you are white.

I keep meaning to mention that they burn the trash here. I don’t know why I really care, but it’s neat: having two garbage pails together, usually. Labelled Burnable and Non-burnable. On my walk home, I pass countless heaps of burned and or/burning trash. Pretty smoke.

That song here that I love so much: my mom taught it to me. It’s incredible and beautiful. Hopefully I can videotape my Sunday School class kids singing it and eventually put it up here.

(Sorry about the lack of visuals…it takes so dang long to upload).

Be back in 10 or so days, hopefully with slaughtering a chicken and milking a cow under my belt.