I'm pretty sure we have set a new record for how long we have gone without updating our blog. Im not ashamed to say its an area we need to work on....next time we will try to be a little more on top of things.
Okay. Now where do I begin.
A few weeks ago we were able to go to Our Banner of Love (the school run by Pastor Joseph...not to be confused with Oasis of Love run by Pastor Emma). Pastor Joseph lives in a village about 15 minutes from Kisoga. It is very small and seems like it is even more in the middle of no where than where we are but the school itself has a lot of children. We went for an afternoon visit and visited the baby class and the primary school. We played a few games with baby class and then went and introduced ourselves to the primary classes. After lunch we had an assembly with all the kids under a tree because there wasnt enough room in any of the classes (they already had two classes per room). We sang a few songs, gave a few testimonies,had some time of prayer,and then they asked us questions. One of the kids asked if the white people had fingernails just like they did. It was interesting to see how the kids view white people especially when they view themselves in comparison to white people. We had some time to explain that we were just like them...we just have different colored skin. Among other things we got to tell them about Texas weather and about our favorite food. Overall it was a good time and we enjoyed visiting another school. We will be returning sometime next week for another program. Your prayers would be much appreciated because according to Pastor Joseph there is a lot of which craft in that area and many of the kids parents or guardians are in bondage of it.

a picture with the primary students


primary school building.


Although living smack dab in the middle of town has it disadvantages it does not go without its advantages as well. One day Marlee thought of starting Jump rope for Jesus. Pretty much all it consists of is us bringing out two ropes that have been tied together...then we start swinging it round and round. Not long after kids start a-flockin. (we have even had a few adults join the activity....one of which is way prego-we were a bit apprehensive and a little worried she might pop but we were wrong and she proved to be an awesome jump-roper). When it starts getting dark we gather the kids and sing a few songs. I must admit Tj and I prefer hanging out on the sidelines holding babies but its really fun having the kids over. Its even more fun whipping out the bubbles and watching the kids scream and chase them.


some awesome jump-ropers



Two Sundays before Easter we were asked to lead the church service. Ok well we didnt exactly know what to do other then praise&worship and the message. (apparently we were also supposed to be like the MC and give another message but no one ever told us that..but no worries everything worked out). So yes... im not sure if anyway has told yall but we are on the praise team. Okay-this isnt so strange for the very awesome very talented Marlee and TJ who not only sing but play the guitar but for awkward no rhythm McKenzie...it can be a challenge. I was doing fine until i was put in the middle of the praise line and then we started swaying...thats when i thought THIS IS AWESOME ;) Anyway, so we led praise and worship and then Marlee and TJ sang and awesome song (revelation song). Then for the message we each talked for a while. I talked about Gods word and the importance of being founded on truth, Mar talked about testimonies and the importance of it, and Tj talked about asking God for bigger things and then expecting Him to fulfill it. It was a good service and i think we were able to bless the people.

One of our friends from church invited us to DDM (Dance, Drama, and Music) Competition. His name is Billy and he goes to a secondary school right outside of Kisoga trading center. He was participating in one of the dramas. We went for a few hours. The school was competing within itself and there were four groups. Although the dramas were really good (they were original plays about domestic violence in families) the dances were my favorite. The groups each had a different traditional dance(northern, central, eastern, western).I have never in my entire life seen anything like their dances. They were so so awesome and unique and i just couldn't believe how talented they were. (dont worry we video taped it so anyone interested in watching it just let us know.)






Besides the worms that have made a home in our stomachs we have been relatively healthy for the majority of the time in Kisoga. At least this was true until Marlee got malaria...thats right it finally caught up with her :( At first we thought she had the flu because she had a cough and was really stopped up....well the Sunday before Easter we woke up to find her with a very high fever. After getting her fever down we decided to take her to get tested for malaria because she started having a bad headache and had no appetite (both symptoms of malaria). Well she went and was tested and was found to have malaria. Long story short she was given treatment but because she couldnt keep her food or her medicine down we took her to a hospital in Kampala. She hadnt been getting any better and we thought better safe than sorry. She was put on an IV (after being pricked 5 to many times) and was started on quinine treatment. After her treatment was finished she was released from the hospital and taken home. The hospital was good and clean for the most part but the doctors and nurses werent the most informational. A few days later marlee was feeling back to her normal self...just in time for her 19th birthday and Easter. She took a hard beating from malaria but in the end she kicked it to the curb. Thank you so so so much for all the prayers...i know it boosted her moral and made her feel better despite her situation. We give God the glory for restoring marlee back to good health. Thank you once again!!

The Mckenzies (the family who connected us to this village) have gone back to America. They will be coming back in September. They were planning on going back for the summer but the father, David, has been in America since Christmas fundraising and it didnt look like he would be coming back any time soon so they decided to go be with him there. No worries if anything were to happen we have people we can go to and numbers we can call. Not to mention God is on our side. His protection and mercies have been so overwhelming and his hand has never ceased to be upon us.


Now for an update on our school. This week is testing week. Most of our classes have taken their test and honestly they have done better than expected. This is a huge blessing because we werent really sure if the kids were learning as well as they could have been if we had known Luganda. We have one more week with them and then the term is over. At times teaching has been the most frustrating thing...other times it has produced some of the sweetest moments. We are all going to miss those kids so so much and saying good-bye is going to be really hard.

I will finish with this. We have worms (dont worry we finally got medicine to kill them) and have been experiencing the oh so wonderful life of spending way to much time in the latrine. Two days ago i got that ol' familiar feeling.Headache, joint pains, fever. It was the feeling of malaria. I wasnt worried just give me some medicine and ill be just fine. Last night i was sleeping only to be awakened by a coach roach crawling through my hair and up my mosquito net. I calmly sat up brushed it out of the net, grabbed a shoe, swung to kill it, missed it, then went back to bed. A few months ago when this happened i freaked out jumped out of my net grabbed a shoe and some DOOM (bug killer) and searched all around until i found it and knew it was dead..only to get back in bed and be a nervous wreck the entire night imagining things that were on me that really werent. My point is, this is my life, and i love it. We have made some adjustments (some of which probably shouldn't ever be adjusted to...a.k.a cockroaches) but in no way would i ever chose to take this experience back. We will be returning to America soon and i know i need to prepare myself for returning home just as i prepared myself in coming here. I have been thinking about home a lot and have been reflecting on our time spent here. Words do not adequately explain my love for these people and for this place. There have been struggles and challenges but Christ has never let go of us nor has he ceased to show us his unimaginable but very tangible grace. Many times the people here comment on how we have given up so much to come here and every time they do i just smile and tell them that i would do it over and over again and that we are the ones who are truly blessed in being here. We might have given up some of our possessions but theres no doubt about it, we have gained so so so much more. I am very grateful for my God who gave us the vision to do this, and i am very grateful for everyone who made this possible. Leaving Uganda is a sobering thought that wakes me up to a reality i need to face. I am excited to see my family and friends but honestly i wish you all would just come here ;) well i think i have rambled long enough.

Oh one more thing. We have purchased 100 bibles (70 in Luganda, 30 in English). We have recently just received the order and have started out passing out the bibles. Marlee was the first one to take it to one of our friends named Rebecca. She owns a shop where we buy water and bread from. When Marlee gave her the bible she couldnt believe that it was hers. Mar said she wouldnt stop shaking her hand and telling her thank you. She said she would read it everyday. She also told mar that she couldnt imagine or understand the amount of love she had shown her. Having these bibles is such a huge blessing for us. We have the opportunity to give these people the best gift they could ever receive, Gods everlasting truth. We have given out bibles to a few other shops and our neighbors. One two of the people we gave the bibles too had one already. One of our neighbors who doesnt speak very good english had a bible but it was in english so she couldnt really understand it. When we handed her the Luganda bible she was so so happy. We will continue handing out the bibles and are going to give some to the church we are a part of (there are about 20 members who are believers but do not have a bible). Thank you so much for blessing us financially to be able to do this. I wish you could see these peoples faces - they are so grateful.


Well we love and miss you all!! thank you for checkin out our blog.
we are prayin for you guys...be blessed.
-mckenzie