Happy fist bump champ
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream
Monday is our day to prepare for the upcoming week. We cleaned our house and went shopping, which we are getting more comfortable with. We found a new market to visit and ran into a member there who communicated with the seller for us, which helped us out. We also had a little girl run up to us and repeatedly give us first bumps. She thought it was funny. It got the rest of the people's attention as all eyes were upon us. Later, we treated ourselves to an ice cream treat: vanilla ice cream covered in chocolate on a stick. We were not sure how it would taste but were pleasantly surprised. Perhaps the bigger surprise was that Elder Kaiser has not had ice cream since Aug 29. A Kaiser without ice cream is kind of like a fish out of water. Well, I guess we all have the ability to adapt.
Hairy arms are not the normAfter we returned home, we visited our little neighbor friend Mildred and her cousins. Sister Kaiser taught them how to play "button button whose got the button?" Playing and laughing-a universal language. Mildred noticed that Elder Kaiser has hairy arms which is not the norm here. The men here do not have hair on their arms, facial hair is also pretty sparse. Mildred, not being shy, reached out and stroked his arm to see how it felt. Soon others joined in to experience this "strange phenomenon".
The following day brought more training on how to help prospective missionaries with their paperwork and a visit to Geoffrey and Benjamin. Several of Benjamin's nephews and one niece were also there. A couple said they go to school but most of them do not. School here is not mandatory. They have government and private schools. Private ones are better but cost money, which can be a challenge for many families. Government schools do not cost to attend but uniforms are still required. This can cause problems for some. For our "class" We did some drawing in the dirt with sticks to see if they could recognize and make their ABC's. We taught about the vowels and the long and short sounds they make. Next we made some short words; all in an attempt to see where they currently are. The boys who go to school have some skills but the rest need support and learning. We will return and continue to teach them. We wrapped up the day by going out to dinner. Sister Kaiser had a traditional Ugandan meat pie and a Greek salad, Elder Kaiser opted for the pizza. It was pretty good. The biggest difference with restaurants here is time. The take their time and do not rush things. When you order plan on waiting close to an hour for your food. There is no fast food here.
Class keeps on growing Role playing "helping father herd the cows"
Our weekly trip to see "Calvin and the Chipmunks" this week was a fun time. OK so it was more like: "If you "teach them they will come". Enough movie references? We did go out to see our friend Calvin at his school and also teach the children. Sister Kaiser taught the children, who continue to grow in numbers each week. It was up to 77 this week. Primary is alive and well in Aminomir, Uganda. Our primary back in Broomfield, CO. would be thrilled to have 77 kiddos. It was cozy today as it was raining, so everyone had to squeeze into the classroom. It was like sardines in a can. They participated in the lesson and were very attentive. Then Elder Kaiser taught Calvin and Eunice about the priesthood and Sister Kaiser told the other adults stories from the Bible using the gospel art book (fine art in a spiral bound book representing Bible stories) They sat entranced and did not want Sister Kaiser to stop when she suggested that they watch the children play. Elder Kaiser finished up first and saw the kids playing in the field next to the school, so he went over and gathered them together and taught them how to play "sharks and minnows". They were pretty excited about the new game. Elder Kaiser was in his happy place playing games with the school kids.
"My name is Doreen."
We got up and out early to teach an English class. We taught the sisters the sounds of "my" and "you." and came up with examples of how to use those words in a simple sentences. Then we helped each member in the class learn how to spell their name. On their paper they would practice writing their name and then say, "My name is...." We had three women who were struggling. Elder Kaiser worked with Evelyn and Docus, Evelyn understood what she was writing but was struggling with forming some letters. Docus was very pleased to be able to write her name. Sister Kaiser focused on Doreen who came late to class late and was struggling. Sister Kaiser helped by putting her hand over the sisters hand and helping her form the letters of her name. During the process she kept pointing to the words repeating "My name is Doreen" and then had Doreen repeat the phrase. Finally it clicked, Doreen got a big toothy grin and, while looking at what she had written then looking at Sister Kaiser she proudly said "My name is Doreen". She is 64 years old, this was the first time she had ever written her name. She was so happy, a simple ability that we take for granted.
Fun Stuff:
What can you carry on one boda boda? Things we have seen:
Sunday, chairs for church?
- a couch
-Large home water storage tank.
-Several cartons of fresh eggs.
-Sugar cane stocks.
-Long poles.
-Mattresses.
-Several stalks of bananas.
-Women with their sleeping babies tied to their backs. (often riding side saddle)
-Huge bundles of leafy greens.
-Chickens in layers of cages.
-Live chickens tied by their legs to the handlebars.
-Milk cans.
-8 family members.
-2 full grown hogs.
-A bunch of old tires.
-Huge bags (think 70 gallon sized garbage bags) of produce such as cabbage or potatoes.
- A person holding their bike.
- A passenger holding a piece of plywood up on one end like a windbreaker.
-Multiple huge bags of stuffed animals/
-A passenger pulling his wheelbarrow with one hand while holding his shovel in the other
-Any and all combinations of the above
I love all the teaching you are doing!
ReplyDeleteSuch wonderful learning experiences for so many!! Glad you both are using your talents to help others progress.
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