Home

As of today, we have been in Uganda for 3 weeks; I can’t believe it! It feels like just yesterday we were dreading the 18 hours of flying with a toddler and now here we are in beautiful Nyakera, Theo napping peacefully in his tent.  Every aspect of our life and our family roles has changed, but with Andrew’s undying optimism and my stubbornness we have really started to make this our home.  I said once (I think in my vows) that my home is wherever Andrew is and let me tell you my friends, that is the God honest truth.  Andrew works hard every day: reading to Theo, playing with the twins, building new friendships and constantly thinking about what I need to be comfortable here.  Home is now here.

Last weekend, was a lot of fun.  Andrew, Derek and the couple from Utah headed into Mbarara for a nice little getaway and to do some shopping.  They enjoyed a couple meals out and picked up a bunch of comfort foods from the Golf Supermarket…Oreo’s, Pringles, pop…mmm!  I stayed back with Theo and 3 others to just relax at camp.  We stayed up really late for once and played games and watched a movie.  Now that we’re all adjusting to life here, it seems we’re finding more time to hang out and get to know each other, which is really nice.  This upcoming weekend is our long one and we are heading to Queen Elizabeth Park to go on safari.  We will also spend a day at Canada House, so I should have a better internet connection to upload photos.

Work is going really well this week.  We are still surveying towards the reservoir tanks, but we are now working on some new designs as well.  Lifewater (the organization providing funding for the Kishororo project we are building right now) has said that if we have excess funds, they would like for us to add additional taps unto the system.  So exciting…we got to prepare a bunch of different design options and price them out…well so exciting to me, lol!  We have also started working with AutoCAD, which is great for me to sharpen up my skills.

I wanted to say a special thank you to all those that have supported us financially over the last couple months. With your donations we have raised enough to cover both Andrew and Theo’s trip costs, plus a small surplus to assist us in settling back into life in Canada.  Quitting our jobs, moving our life into storage and spending what little we had in savings to prepare for this trip, we are very thankful that your donations have kept us from going into debt.  It also affirms the calling we felt to come to Uganda and serve with all our hearts.  So again, THANK YOU…every single cent has made a difference in our lives and hopefully in the lives of those we come in contact with here.

Love M

Work

I have had a couple requests to tell you all about what we are doing here in Nyakera, so here it goes…


Adding the coupling to the pipe...and me with the kids ;)

Our team out surveying...with our onlookers
(we have a different group every day)

Unwinding the pipe in preparation for it to be laid

        Our team of engineers has been busy here at camp since day 1 surveying and reviewing the work of the previous team.  Every morning at 8am all 7 of us pile in our 1990 Toyota Proda and off we go to begin surveying from where we left off the day before.  We have to take some pretty sketchy roads, so if you weren’t awake when you got in the truck, you WILL BE by the time you arrive.  Then for the next 8 hours we slowly make our way through banana plantations, villages and pastures to check the elevation of the break pressure tank and the reservoir tanks for the water system being built right now.  By the time we have completed this loop, we will have walked close to 40 km in the HOT Ugandan sun.  As well, this week we got to get our hands dirty and work with the Ugandan crew to lay the pipe…what a riot that crew is…if only we understood what they were saying, lol!

       We have been lucky these first two weeks that we are close enough to camp that we can return for lunch.  I particularly love this, because it means I get to spend some more daylight hours with my family.  It also gives Andrew a much needed break from child-rearing, lol!


Surveying through the swamp...Derek got soaked!



       Theo and Andrew have been busy adjusting to camp life and exploring the area.  So far they have visited 3 schools, gone to the market at least once a week and checked out the different villages in walking distance.  During the morning they enjoy relaxing in the “play tent” to keep out of the sun and then usually go for an adventure after lunch.  At least three times a week, Theo gets to play with and learn from his new friends Rett and Rihanna, which has been such a blessing for him.  Andrew has had the privilege of leading Bible study and hopes to continue taking part in this nightly routine.



Out for a walk in the nearby village

      

As for free time, our team likes to play Settlers of Catan, watch Dexter and play sports.  We have just instilled a weekly movie night with our Ugandan team mates and they are very excited about that.  Next weekend is our long weekend and we are planning on going on safari in Queen Elizabeth park.



Handwashing diapers

 

 

       Well I’m off to Bible study, I hope you all have an amazing weekend and please keep the prayers and correspondence coming J

~M~



Camp Life

        Well my friends, we are now settled into our new home at camp in Nyakera.  Today is Sunday, our day of rest and it is glorious!  Andrew, Theo and I are having fun learning the ins and outs of living outdoors in Africa.  Our project manager Richard helped a lot in making us feel at home: he arranged to have two tents set up for us facing each other on the same deck.  One tent is where we sleep and dress, and the other tent is the play area/movie room for our whole team at night.

Our Home for the next 6 months...Andrew is drying all the
diaper laundry :)

Camp life is simple and routine based.  A typical day looks like this:

• 7:00am – Breakfast bell rings & sun rises
• 8:00am – Go to work
• 1:00pm – Lunch bell rings
• 2:00pm – Back to work
• 5:00pm – Chai time (snack & tea)
• 7:00pm – Dinner bell rings & sun goes down
• 8:00pm – Bible study & worship
• 10:00pm – Bed time

Some other interesting things about life here at camp:

·         There is a market in Nyakera every Wednesday…we have a crowd follow us to every booth, just to listen to us try to speak Runyankole…we create a lot of laughter wherever we go

·         We can buy “cold” coke at a small shop in Nyakera…but be prepared to pay the “mzugunu” price…around 50% higher than Ugandans pay

·         Our shower is warm from about noon to 7pm, depending on how many people have showered that afternoon

·         We have a REAL toilet…so exciting! It is called an eco-toilet and barely ever smells, it’s magnificent!

Well those are just the basics, but we have so much else to tell you about, so stay tuned!!!

Love M

What We've Learned So Far...

It has been a whirlwind 5 days, full of new people, cultures & smells!  I feel like I have been here for weeks and as though I have known my team for years.  It is such a blessing that we get to experience this as a family and every day we learn to appreciate what we have been given.

I thought I would share with you some of the funny and “different” experiences we have had so far...

·         Honking at other drivers is the polite thing to do…all the time!      ---->---->

·         Babies don’t wear bottoms, only shirts…you see a lot of little bums running around

·         It’s dangerous to take pictures of police or government things

·         Men hold hands with each other as a sign of friendship

·         Public displays of affection between anyone of the opposite gender is not allowed

·         If you get pulled over by the police, the only way to get out of a large fine is to plead for mercy or slyly hand over a small bribe

·         Most vehicles don’t have seatbelts, even though the roads & traffic are so dangerous   <----<----

·         You can transport 4 people on a boda-boda (motorcycle)

• There are more cell phone stores than there are food stores

• Avacadoes are the size of Theo's head

·         Twigs are appropriate scaffolding for buildings ---->---->

·         When you walk through the town with a stroller, expect to have a crowd of children following you screaming “Mzungu baby!!!”

·         Showing your shoulders and knees are more scandalous than breastfeeding uncovered in church

· Malaria infected mosquitoes only come out from 6pm-6am

·         When it rains, you can guarantee that the power will flicker or go out <----<----

·         Many Ugandans choose to carry items on their heads, even when their hands are free

• A bottle of beer here is a whapping 500 ml…and sooooo delicious!!!

·         The fruit here is the best in the whole world

·         Car seats are unheard of --->--->

This is just a drop in the bucket of the things we've seen and heard, but they're the only ones we could think of right now.  Tomorrow we are off to our full time camp in Nyakera and we will post photos once we have them. Oh and we now have a cell phone, so if you would like to talk, let us know and we'll email you the phone number!

Missing you all at home...feeling encouraged by all of you that have been messaging us!

~M

Three Special Steps

My two year old nephew introduced me to a show called Special Agent Oso last year and the show’s song has become the theme of our travels.  Our team has been singing their own version for the last couple days:

Your special assignment was a success, because you followed three special steps...

Step 1…fly from Comox to Vancouver

Step 2…fly from Vancouver to Heathrow

Step 3…fly from Heathrow to Entebbe

In three special steps…three special steps!

       So after 3 flights, 12 hours of layovers and 19 hours of flying time we have arrived at our temporary destination.  Theo was an angel on the flights, sleeping for over 12 hours and enjoying his new headphones ;)  We spent our first night in Kampala (capital city) at the Adonai Guest House; a beautiful missionary hostel just outside the city.  Our group took a short trip to the city to meet up with some North American friends at the Chinese restaurant (I’ll tell you about them later) and to deal with some visa things.

Adonai Guest House

Back at the hostel, we enjoyed some delicious spaghetti and headed to bed very early…we were trying to make up for the crazy last 3 days.  We were welcomed with the smell of pancakes and fresh pineapple in the morning and packed up our luggage to travel the 6 hours to Mbarara.  Along the drive we made a couple stops at a little drum stop, a local restaurant and the Equator.  Just after dinner we arrived at Canada House in Mbarara, our home away from home while we are here.  The next week will be our language training and getting acquainted with the Ugandan culture.

A Boda-boda with 4 passengers

Ok now for the most awesome part of our story here yet…While at the Heathrow airport David (our director) spoke with a couple from Utah that were heading to Entebbe to volunteer for an organization called Ethical Encounters for 6 months.  When we arrived at the Entebbe airport, they were promptly met by the police and were told that the organization was a fraud and the director was being investigated.  This left them with no place to stay and a lot more unknowns, but by God’s hand, David felt called to wait and speak with them.  Since then, we have taken them into our group and they are currently staying with us until they decide what to do next.  We are hoping that they will choose to come on this adventure with us, but either way, we are praying that through this unusual series of events they will see God.

Theo makes friends here easily...here he is playing the
shaker for the street performer

Well until next time I have internet, orare gye (good night)!

~M~

The Beginning

The beginning is the most important part of the work.

~Plato~

       Well today is the day!!! In less than an hour we head to the airport to fly off on our grand adventure.  We will spend the next two days either on a plane or in an airport, flying from Comox to Vancouver to London to Kampala, arriving 7:45 am on October 3.  Please pray for safe passage and for Theo to sleep a LOT ;)

Our 6 months worth of luggage...can't wait to lug it all
the way through the Vancouver airport :(

If you would like to contact us, we will be available by:

1. Mail:  The MacGregor Family, c/o ACTS, PO Box 901, Mbarara, Uganda
2. Phone: We will be put up our new numbers once we purchase cell phones in Uganda
3. Email: Melissa (macmeems@gmail.com) or Andrew (andrew.macgregor14@gmail.com)

We feel so blessed to have this opportunity to explore this amazing world and can't wait to tell you all about it!

~M