Week 18- Suubi

Week 18- Suubi

Tuesday 7/5/13

Today was a sad and happy day as it was our last day to visit our family in the slum. The mother in our family has been expecting baby and since our last visit has had a little boy called reality. While we were there she asked us if we knew any good names and after us all vomiting out different names I started to push for the name William (my middle name) and after saying William Reality a few times we all fell in love with the name. The baby was three weeks old when we saw him and he is still very small but is very healthy which is great as he is HIV+. Being our last visit we bought them some things like food and a basin for the baby. I then gave the potato peeler I had brought for them and he must have never seen such a thing because I gave him a quick demo and he was so amazed by such a simple thing. He quickly grabbed it and proceeded to peel a potato as his jaw lowered and he jumped in the air with the same excitement a kid has on Christmas’; and then the best thing was that he then stopped looked at me and said “Is this for me” and I got to say “Yes”;and witness some more intense excitement. It was very sad as this was my favourite ministry and Mamma Promise was sad when we told her that this would be the last time we saw each other. The others are able to see them after 360 so she asked if we would still be able to stay in contact and I told her we could communicate through Richard in our group. So after cradling the baby and some last chats we walked back to our bus. It was very sad but I now know with certainty that we had chosen that family for a purpose and that God had defiantly been in the process.

Wednesday 8/5/13

Today we went to Suubi for our four day stay. The idea is so us internationals get to see what living in the villages is like and we as a 360 team will also work on a project to help the village. Our project was to help build a cement path. I had to use the only bag Ii had which was the one I used to come here so it looked like I was taking everything and anything and I was a bit worried about being judged, but then I was comforted by Natalie’s famous words of “ Don’t Cure”. We arrived and then went to our homes. I was staying in my best friend here’s House, Jonah Jonal or JJ. I settled in very well as the family is very welcoming. We had lunch and then for a meeting to outline the agenda of our stay. Then I painted with the two boys who live in Jonal’s house; their names are Adrian and Alkarna, both were very sweet and had beautiful smiles. Later that afternoon I went for a walk with Ivan who also is in Jonal’s house and in 360 and is my friend to Suubi 2 to have a look at what we might be doing; it was nice and I got to see a lot of things and find out a bit about Ivan. After tea we had a devotion time which happens every night were we pray and sing worship songs as a family; it is a really nice time to reflect on the day and God.  Then came the fun task of bathing. In my house there was only one tap that worked during a few hours a day in the bathroom, so you had fill up jerry cans during the day and then you would pour water into a plastic tub and then proceed to wash with soap and a plated scrubber thing. It was an interesting task and with no locking door there was defiantly the fear of someone walking on you and let’s just say seeing full view and yes this fear did come to life for a few other people, I was lucky. So it was a very good first day and we also had cell which was nice along with a walk along the school at the top of the hill.

Thursday 9/5/13

Today was our first morning of working on our project. We started work at 8:30am which involved many jobs of mixing cement by hand, wheel barrowing it over to the path moulds, roughly flattening it out, then people smoothing it over to perfect smoothness and then finishing off the path with a broom and dry cement powder. There was also the job of getting materials like cement and water, so I took one of the rides on the trailer up to the store rooms. It was really fun and I even got to drive the tractor on the way back from a water run, my farm skills have come in use after all.  In the afternoon I did some painting with the boys, had a sleep after lunch and had a very relaxed afternoon.

Friday 10/5/13

Today was our second day of cementing and to complete the job we would have to achieve 150% more than we did on Thursday. I did the job of evening out the cement when the wheel barrows dump it and even it out as best as I can so that it could be easily flattened with a plank. I’m glad to say that we did indeed finish the path and we worked really well. It was lots of fun with many small mud fights and assassinations. Then in the afternoon after lunch and my sleep I went for a walk with Jonal and Laurence to the trading centre which is a cluster of shops about a 15 min walk away from Suubi. Then later in the evening I went for a walk with Richard and later whilst doing devotions Callie and Ritah came over for a visit.

Saturday 11/5/13

I woke up early today to finish a painting I was doing for Mother Victoria as a thankyou present; which consisted of flowers ad cows, her favourite things. We then headed off for a sports day which was pretty boring except for a small conversation with Peter, Jess and Emily about the Vatican in Rome. After that we went home, had lunch, I packed and we headed off to the buses that would take us to church. When we got to central Jonal, Moses and I went shoe shopping. I have been hoping to get some small shoes and when JJ said he was going I thought it would be the perfect opportunity. There were so many choices, with table after table for a goo 40m or more; and after much looking and contemplating I decided to go with a pair of ‘Doggies’ which is a brand of show similar to a converse and Jonal also has a pair. I did wonder if I had made the right choice walking back but when I put them on I knew I had made a great choice because every time I were them I will rember Jonal and we can also both were the same shoes and dress like twins and be a pair of dags. We then went to church were we saw the baby Winnie and I saved being committed into the Bulrushes home, so that was a great end to the day.  It was sad to leave the peaceful Suubi but it was also a delight to have electricity and hot water.

Sunday 12/5/13

I know at the start I did not like Sundays at all but since I now love them because I get to create the Babies class scenes for the things they learn about each week in their lessons of ‘God made...’. It is really cool to have a thing that only you can do and being depended on. I have been using glue that the teachers said I could to glue pictures on the walls every week of chickens, cows etc, but we have noticed that paint has been ripped off the walls and that isn’t good. So I came up with the redeeming plan of making posters to cover up the scruffy part of the wall. The teachers seem to be on board so hopefully all goes to plan. Callie and I worked on a good chunk of them today so hopefully next Sunday we will finish them all.

Monday 13/5/13

Today was a very slow day and my biggest achievement all day was my blogging. I Skyped my parents, did some eating and watched my new favourite movie ‘Mental’. I am looking forward to going home, I really think it will be a very fun time and will grow a lot there just like I have here. However I am also working very hard at staying in the present and enjoying every moment here. Missing everyone back home, lots.