Leaving, coming and going

High schoolers from Nakaseeta at Hope Community

What a strange life the pair of us, now enjoy. We live here in a beautiful house with a great view, eating the delights of the land, the avocadoes, the guava, the mangoes and the bananas to name just a few. We have many friends in the best sense of the word and plenty of worthwhile activities to fill each day. Then, we up and leave and go back to our other home, one many thousands of miles from here where we too enjoy friendship and family and plenty to fill our days and our stomachs are filled less from the land and more from the store! This in between time is difficult, there is great excitement at seeing friends and family.

Laboratory at Hope Community - great facilities helping the community

Looking forward to seeing our little grandchildren and how much they have grown up in the time apart. Anticipation at feeling cold again, joy at the thought of not being bitten by mosquitoes and other insects constantly in the evening particularly. Yet, there is sadness too! Each day here holds so much value. Interactions seem to have a bigger impact, the work somehow seems more worthwhile and the reliance on the one we serve seems even closer. I know it is only a few short months and we will be back. However, then I think about how I will again be leaving our family and friends! This morning I think I realized though that there are two unchanging states, one is that I am with Ron and that makes an incredible difference. The other that the God we serve and love is there in both places. He is here when I am not and He is here when I am. He is there when I am not and He is there when I am. This is the true assurance. I am not the one who does the work and so as I trust Him in both situations, He is there to meet the needs, not only of me but more significantly of those I love in both places.

We are now with our heads looking towards a flight back to Australia, but in our bodies trying to make sure that all the ends are tied up. Tomorrow there is a visit from Global Development Group (the ones that make tax deductibility of Hope Builders possible) and so they will mainly be interested in Village of Hope but there is responsibilities there especially Ron as a director of Hopebuilders here in Uganda. We too have been beneficiaries so there will be a bit of a check up on us as well.Tonight we shared devotions with the children for the last time for a while. This morning it was a great church service with praise raising the roof - it will be strange to be back in a more sedate atmosphere! Visits to friends and catching a drink yesterday with one couple. A parent day visit to Hope Community High School and catch up with the children there. Fortunately, we have now placed and paid for all the children in the different places with a quick trip to the primary school up at Nakaseeta on Friday. Sometimes seems a long time from morning to night as so many different experiences are fitted into each day.

Just so you can see why Ron didn't wear the suit jacket! Nest I think!

The school continues to grow with a couple of enrolments this week. We have not yet got anyone definite to fill the post of 'fill-in' person to give teacher's a break in the day, to take out groups for extra help and to be available when a teacher is absent. Though, we are working on it and not worried. A whole morning at the bank but no school bank account as yet. Teachers have been allocated responsibilities for our absence. Most of the teacher reviews are successfully completed, just one to go. The house has nearly been gone through to make sure it is ready for a teacher and bursar to move in. Now, it is a matter of making sure that at least one person can do each of the things we need to have done and the appropriate people can access what they require to do their jobs. I think we have worked it out but it certainly is easier for people like the cook when we are around to buy the supplies! We are very pleased that there will be email access and that the bursar will be able to check it and make good contact with us. We are desperately trying to make sure that people that are already too busy are not given extra responsibilities. I have told our bursar she can take as many photos as she likes - we want to see how things are going.

We have yet to cross some 't's and dot some 'i's but largely we are doing well. We will miss here so much but will also love being there!