Praying and Shopping

July 27^th- July 29^th: Monday-Wednesday

Jim gave me a book called the Valley of Vision. It consists of a collection of Puritan prayers and devotions (straight of the front cover). It is really good. It is very hard to pray a good prayer. Especially because most of the time I pray it’s to ask for things. I have been using ACTS lately. Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication (I think that’s the right word, anyway that’s where you ask for stuff) and trying to focus on thanksgiving. This book though has really been helping me become better at praying which I really struggle with.

Monday night I played football with Logiel Mark, Peter, Mark, J.B., and Johan and then went for a quick run with Jim. When we got back there were about 30 school boys in our compound playing football with the guys. These kids are so good. They all are really impressive ball handlers more so by the fact that most of them aren’t over four feet tall. That night we also had a “guy’s night”. Every Monday the girls have a bible study and so they went over to the Wrights so we invited Bobby over and ate chili and didn’t talk about our feelings and watched Blackhawk Down.

Wednesday morning Kris offered to take all the guys to market day in Namalu because neither Peter nor Mark have gotten to go yet because they were working last week when all the girls went. Both the missions white Land Rover and the Okkens car are out of commission so we gave Martha Wright and Jennifer and Marisa a ride to the school where they are doing a bible camp thing. Going to market with just the guys and Kris was really fun. We bought mandazi which are the fried dough things and scoured the entire market for “man” beads for Mark. We finally found them. I bought another blanket, blue and white plaid and some tire sandals. Johan is going to have Christine at the clinic teach him how to make African food so he bought two kilos of meat, flour, spices, and a lot of oil. He also bought some Sunny Gin which is cane sugar alcohol and lethal. 40% alcohol. It comes in little 120 milliliter plastic bags. One is enough to get you trashed. Johan bought two.

This past few days at work have kinda been filler days. We’re waiting for the sorgum to ripen so we can harvest it. Craig thinks by next week but Thomas thinks longer. We can’t let it go too long though because the Karamojan will steal it. Monday put plywood over the cracks in the walls at the bathrooms at the clinic because the women were complaining that men were looking in. Craig said just to give the woman a sharp stick. Then we dug up and moved the cloths line. The posts took a while to dig up and re-cement but now the lines are in the sun instead of the shade like they used to be. Have continued to pick and cut hibiscus. All joy is gone from hibiscus. No fun. Also we put the screens and glass in the bands down at the clinic. Now all they need are some more paint and electricity.