SMOi

Hello family and friends,

So as of right now it is approximately 5 days until I leave Uganda and
go back to the States. It is crazy to think that I have been gone for
59 days!!! I am excited to get back to you, my friends and family;
however, it is and will be hard knowing that I will be leaving the
people here. I have made great relationships with several people here
in Uganda and I will miss the local church too. They have been my
family. So I have many mixed feelings but God has governed this time
and I know He has something BIG for me when I get back home -- like
MARRIAGE!!!
Anyway, it has been a while since I updated you on what has been going
on here. First of all I wanted to tell you that Africans think that
Westerners (white people) have so much money that they don't have to
work and even don't know how to work. When I say "work" I mean manual
labor. Well the other week I had an opportunity to serve the church.
They wanted me to play the guitar for them because someone told them I
played (for those that know me well, you should know this is wrong! I
cannot play a lick). So when I got to the church I saw a man out
front shoveling gravel for the church's walk way. Well thanks to my
up-bringing, despite what Africans think, I can wield a shovel well.
I immediately dove in, took the shovel from the exhausted man and
started movin rock. Not only was he stunned but everyone at church
and the people walking by. Well the other church members would rather
me play guitar for them than shovel gravel so they basically ordered
me inside (in a polite way). So they gathered around me and told me
to play for them. Well I told them I really cannot but I will do my
best. They expected me to play notes that matched the notes of there
singing. I could not do this to save my life. After a short time, a
friend from EMI came by who is musically talented and took over. I
was so relieved and ran outside, before they could tried to get me to
do something else musical, and helped the man shovel gravel. It was
so funny to see Africans walk by and stop to watch me work. They were
so stunned I knew how to shovel and use a wheel-barrel. Anyway I had
a great workout, shed a lot of water because it was so hot and in the
middle of the day...incredible time.
After I served the church in this way, I could tell I gained a lot of
respect from the locals. They did not think muzungus (white people)
could work hard. I was thankful for this opportunity God gave me to
show the Ugandans that Americans are not all lazy.
I also tried a flying ant for the first time the other day. We went
to the directors house to play some games with the other staff when we
noticed hundreds of little insects moving in his garden. We
approached the garden corner to see tons upon tons of flying ants
(pretty big compared to our ants). Someone had told us that African
children LOVE catching and eating these ants so I figured "now or
never" --- so I tried one. You have to take off their wings (that is
what the locals do) before you eat them. The ants do not taste like
much and I was hungry at the time so followed my first ant with a few
more of his friends. No other muzungu ate them but I thought it would
be okay.
Well that is really all for now. We are working hard and long to make
sure and meet our deadlines. I am excited to show everyone the report
from our work. It looks great!!
I will share more stories for those who want to hear them when I get
home. God is doing great things here. Please be praying that He will
use me to impact lives even though I only have a few more days here.
God bless friends.
John