Dear Family and Friends,
We've had such a busy month in December that today feels like a
real vacation. We had four people pull in our driveway this morning
(three missionaries and their driver) who were on their way to pick up
three other missionaries because their visas have expired and they are
making a quick trip to Kenya to get their visas stamped their, then they
can come back into the country for 90 more days without paying
exhorbitant fees for the expiration. Whatever the case, they were
"starving". We hated to see one elder "starve" because he couldn't have
weighed more than 120 pounds soaking wet, but the other two looked like
they could have handled starvation for a little while longer. However,
being the nice people that we are, and the fact that we just happened
to have some waffle mix in our refrigerator (another story), we fixed
them all breakfast and then they went on their merry way. It wasn't
even 9:30
before they LEFT our home, so we were stuck with making our own
breakfast again (we hadn't eaten yet....or maybe that shouldn't have to
be an explanation...whatever), and then do all of those dishes. Our
favorite thing...NOT! Nevertheless, they will all be back home tonight
in Uganda and the problem will be semi-solved, like many other things in
a mission. It's kind of like being on the telephone on hold and
listening to music. After a while you realize you've been listening for
months and it's time to go home and someone else will just have to make
that phone call again and listen on hold for their 18 months. Not much
gets totally resolved, but when it does, we're definitely happy! The
visa problem is one of those kinds of telephone calls. Snore!
So, we have attached photos of our safari. It's definitely not all
the photos you will get. We have some videos, too, but I've been told
by other resources (mostly senior missionaries who have kids to help
them solve these little computer problems) that we can set up a site
through Google that will allow us to download our videos and then you
can receive them and play them. The most famous will be the full
elephant sauntering behind us about 30 yards or so. Wait a minute, it
was actually in front of us. We spotted him from the road while going
on a last effort trip to see if we could find a lion to photograph. So,
he's by a tree minding his own business, and we decide (with our
guide's permission) to get closer by going off road and getting so we
could really film him better. He was flapping his ears back and forth
and the guide said that it was to cool himself off. He's all alone, and
we're in two trucks, we are behind the other truck, but only feet
away. So, this elephant starts to walk from north to south. He's
eyeing us, but doesn't seem at all bothered by us. It's not like we're
talking loud or anything, but we're definitely saying a few things and
how great it is to get such a close up shot of an elephant all alone,
etc We're totally out of our trucks, but not far from them. So, he
saunters about 50 yards inbetween some trees and then stops and stares
at us. He turns and looks like he's going to go the other way, and
suddenly turns back toward us and starts charging. WE FREAK OUT!!! He
could have squashed us like ants under a shoe, but instead the guide
starts clapping her hands and that elephant (who, by the way weighs
between 6 and 7 tons) just stops in his tracks, turns around and walks
away. It was exciting and scarey at the same time. We're lucky we had
bodily control. I got him on film running toward us a little bit, but I
hear myself say, "Uh, OH!" and I turn it off and get in the truck. We
backed out of their and got going pretty quickly.
We saw baboons, including a new baby baboon...so ugly it was cute.
But, the hotel people chased them off because the baboons will steal
your stuff. They were right by the pool area and I was lounging reading a
book and there must have been about ten of them. Of course, I didn't
have my camera, but they came mighty close to where I was and I thought
they were going to grab my glasses, but the hotel guy came and chased
them off. They've been known to be a nuisance, but of course, you're
willing to put up with it if you have never seen them before. It's kind
of like your kids, after a while you get used to them and then they
don't bother you any more!
We took the "African Queen" (what else) which was a nice two-decker
pantoon boat over to the beginning of the falls. It was a mile and a
half hike up and it was steep, but we seemed to make it ok. Of course,
sweat, red faces, twisted ankles, hurting knees, and bug bites cannot
figure in to the equation, as we figured some of us would suffer since
we don't hike like that every day. Heck, we don't hike like that every
year, but some were in better shape than others. You could not stay
clean on the hike. No way...because sometimes you had to sit on your
bum just to get down a little rock slope so you wouldn't kill yourself
for the climb to the next height. Nevertheless, all of us who tried the
hike made it and it was worth it all the way. The scenery was
beautiful and there were actually two falls that formed into one deep
ravine that was more water than anyone would need to provide to
electricity for all of Africa, it seemed. We took pictures at the top
and hung around for a while. There used to be a bridge across the
falls, but it was gone, and we decided that we wouldn't want to be the
people who designed and built a new one...those waters were rapid.
Someone told us that the tribal kings used to throw people into the
falls for kill them and if they didn't die, they didn't worry because
they knew the crocodiles would eat them when they got to the bottom.
The river itself isn't that deep. We saw hippos everywhere and if they
would step up into position, they were in shallow water. Now, the
hippos were a little creepy.
We could see their eyes everywhere! The first night we saw them it
was getting almost dark and it looked like a bunch of rocks, but in the
end, it was hippos. They come of for air,and if they know someone's
around, they get their eyes out of the water to make sure you're not
going to attack. If they had a baby boy hippo, the females would try
and keep them out of their little group by literally pushing them away.
The females would protect their own. And they are huge. The little
baby hippos were so cute, but you know, a brand new baby probably weighs
about 200 pounds, so you can imagine what the mamas look like! We did
see one dead hippo and the baby was right by it. The guide said the
crocs will not attack babies because there's not enough meat on them,
but they will kill a bigger hippo. This poor baby didn't know her mama
was dead, but we did....we think the smell tipped us off besides being
tipped on her side and was in total rigormortis. Just sayin'.
Of course, with all of this adventure, we had a great hotel and had
buffets three meals a day. Some of us would come to the table and ask
why we were even there, because it wasn't from hunger! We had a senior
missionary meeting during all of this that was great and also had a
little Christmas white elephant gift exchange. Someone actually got
"white elephant" book ends. It was funny! Another person got their
dream gift, a white T-shirt and socks, we got a bag of chocolate chips
all the way from America, and Dad got a humanitarian T-shirt. About a
dozen people got salad spoons and forks from the gift shop in the
hotel...evidently there may have been a sale on those, but it was
hilarious in the end. By the time people had gotten to number 30 or so
to choose their gift, that was all that was left, and of course nobody
wanted them anymore. However, I don't have any, and was thinking maybe I
shouldn't have been so stingy about those chocolate chips, but
truthfully...I wanted them BAD! President Chatfield got some toffee
coated peanuts and his wife let him keep them but made him share them at
our other Christmas party two days later, so he probably got about half
a bag to himself.
There's more to all of this stuff, but I'll just have to tell it
another time. Tuesday we had Christmas Eve with the elders and sisters,
had 33 plus ourselves and served teriyaki pork roast with pineapple
over rice, a tossed salad, rolls, and spice cake with ice cream. There
wasn't anything left. We also had gifts from the mission for all of
them, and because of some special friends in the U.S., we had a bag of
candy for each elder and sister especially for them from our friends and
us. We played lots of games, once of which was which was a
minute-to-win it game where you had to put a cookie on your forehead and
try and use your facial muscles to get it into your mouth without using
your hands. We laughed so hard at that and one elder we thought my wet
his pants he laughed so continually. We watched "Mr. Krueger's
Christmas" and "Joy to the World" as well, and had a lot of fun for
about six hours, and then we sent them all home before it was too dark
as we had elders from some distance who needed to travel home.
We've also had a wedding this week and it was beautiful. It was
the marriage of one of the girls in the mission office and one of the
guys here in Jinja. They've been best friends since they were little
kids, both served missions here in Africa (they're Africans themselves)
and it was a really huge event. We went to the reception, all of the
senior missionaries having made potato salad to go along with the other
food. There was African dancing and of course, karaoke. We stayed
until almost the end and that's when they cut the cake. The couple and
their bridesmaids and best men, etc. come down and they are all dancing
and they get to the cake and then they light these fireworks kinds of
things that stay lighted for a while. Then they dancing around the cake
and have two chairs at one side. Then the couple sit in the chairs and
they have already sliced some of the cake and they share the cake with
each other. Then they take cake to the bride's family first and serve
them some cake. Then they take cake to his family. When the bride
served the cake to her new husband's family (who were all women who
helped raise him since his mother, father and all brothers and sisters
are dead), she bowed down and served from the knees, which is the utmost
respect. These women loved it. When these women got up to tell her
family about their "son" Moses, they all danced to their designated area
and then they (as old as they were) bowed down to the bride's family.
So, when the bride bowed to them, they were very, very happy about
that. Anyone could have some cake after that, but we left, because
December had seemed to be one big, sleepless, getting ready for
everything in the world month, and we were just tired.
So, now you see why today seems like a vacation. We're just doing
normal stuff for P-Day..including laundry, etc. We almost had to go to
Rwanda this coming week, but thankfully we get to stay here. There's
not doubt we'll be sent in the future at some point to do something for
the mission president, but we're okay with not having gone this soon
after so much has been in the works. We'd like to get back to normal
things, like our meetings and trainings.
More to come in the future, but for now, CJ, we hope your birthday
was great! Ryan, we're celebrating yours in a big way. The entire
world is taking the day off in your honor, except here in Uganda. It's
just another day to them. Oh, and Ethiopia...their calendar says that
next September it will be 2007. So, they're behind our calendar a bit,
so think of how young you are there! We were thankful to talk to our
kids on Christmas Day and my parents. We pray for you always and hope
things are going well in your lives. After hearing your voices and
seeing some of you through Skype, it was a most rewarding Christmas for
us.
Thanks to others who sent Christmas greetings. God bless all of you.
Love,
Mom and Dad, Ed and Kim, Grandma and Grandpa
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