America - My home?

We came back to America in June 2013.  It has been crazy travelling on the road since we arrived.  Living out of a suitcase and travelling all over the USA east of the Mississippi River. We have traveled many miles on the road meeting new people and updating everyone of our journey over the last year. We have now arrived to our new home in Wilmore, KY.  It is wonderful to be settled in a place that we can call home. Have a schedule, cook for ourselves, and explore how God wants to use us here in America.

One of the interesting things we have realized, when people ask us, "Where are you from?".  My heart says Uganda, but to many Americans they find that strange.  Yes, home is where you put your head at night, where you grew up, where your roots come from, but it is also where your heart is.  I did not expect to feel so strongly that we left our home in Uganda. It is where I will return to and it is where I long to be.  Yes, I love to hug and kiss my family and friends.  Go eat in a restaurant of food that I have not eaten in a long time.  Watch American TV, play games, go shopping, drive on paved roads.  There is still one thing that remains.  My heart and soul long to walk on the red dirt streets of Uganda, the sound of the "monkey birds" as they call out above my house, the dancing and singing to God in a language that I am still trying to understand, and the joy of a small child greeting me at my car - walking me hand and hand into a small village church.

The people of Uganda, my teacher friends from around the world, and my missionary family that I worked with daily.  They stole a piece of my heart and will keep it until I return safely to them in Uganda.  So yes, my homeland is America, but my home is in Uganda, Africa.  Will you pray with us, for our return to Uganda?  We want to build a whole new team of prayer warriors to walk with us on this journey.  Contact us and let us know if you want to join the team.  We would love to introduce you to our home!

24/7 Prayer Room: Not just Preachers Needed!

Check out Ray's video over at the WGM Uganda Blog!

24/7 Prayer Room: Not just Preachers Needed!: Hope this video by Ray Leisure opened your eyes to the many ways you can be a missionary in Uganda or around the world.  God can use ...

24/7 Prayer Room: Leisure Family: How They Got Here

Here is another blog over at WGM Uganda Blog.

24/7 Prayer Room: Leisure Family: How They Got Here: Ever wonder if God could use you on the mission field?  Feel like you don't have "the right" skills?  We're excited ...

24/7 Prayer Room: Fight the Good Fight

We are blogging in April at the WGM Uganda blog.  Check out the link below as well as the 2 other posts from this month.

24/7 Prayer Room: Fight the Good Fight: I once was told that I had a fighter spirit in me. That I do not give up and have determination for the cause. My cause for so long has been...

Arua

In January, we had the chance to travel to Northwest Uganda to city called Arua.  We had the privelege of spending time with WGM missionaries in the city.  It was so refreshing to get out of the city.  We enjoy Kampala where we live, but it is a huge metopolitatan city. 

When you get just a short time out of the city the country is very beautiful and diverse with it's landscape.  It was a about a 8 hour drive to Arua by car.  The roads are just like the scenery, very diverse.  Sometimes they are smooth and others rough and bumpy with a lot of potholes.  We stopped at a road side diner with working toilets about half way there.  Great place for a snack in the middle of no where.

Arua is a small town with a very diverse population that is very close to South Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo. 

 

Life is much simplier.  The missionaries have solar power at their homes.  So some of the convienences we have in the city are not possible.  Clothes have to be washed by hand and hung out to dry.  They have a solar water heater, so when the hot water is gone, no more till more is heated by the sun.  If you use up the electricity, you have no more electricity.  With the four of us staying with the Rambo family of 5, we ran out of electricity the last morning before we left.  The sun was not up yet, when we got up to leave, so out came the flashlights.  If you don't have to turn on the lights or use electricity, don't use it.  If you need some clothes ironed you have to use a charcoal iron.  And Meg Rambo had a threadle sewing machine, so she would not use electricity.  You use foot power to run it.

The Rambo & Coppedge family are involved in  pastor training in the area.  We were able to see prepration for a pastor retreat.  Joshua & Raymond were able to go with a missionary volunteer CT, to a boys home to play soccer and share a bible story   Nicole was able to attend a womens bible study with the expatriate community.  And we were able to see the market area for food and fabric.  During this time, we were able to meet some of the various Ugandans that the missionaries work with and build relationships with in the community.

One woman, Rose, is a tailor that we hired to make Katherine and Nicole a skirt out of the fabric we bought.

Katherine and Nicole with the tailor - Rose

Raymond with the carver

 

Please pray for the missionaries in Arua and the work they do to further the Kingdom of God.  As I am writing this the Rambo family has left for the United States to raise funds to continue the ministry in Africa.  Please pray for the continued support to these two beautiful families.

Coppedge Family

Meg Rambo with both families kids

 

Scott Rambo with son Josiah in front of their house in Arua

 

Shopping in Uganda

 I thought I would tell you about shopping in Uganda. When you go shopping here, you have to plan a good half day to full day to get every where you need to go. When I am shopping for groceries, I have to plan anywhere from 4-6 stops to get everything I need. Depending on how much time you have can also depend on where you go as well.

I use to coupon in the states. Buy multiple items of the same thing to get it at the lowest price when I added my coupons. Here you figure out who has the cheapest prices on different things and you go to that store. I still buy many items, especially if the price is good.

 Here in Uganda, I go to the butcher (meat store), the produce stand, and then a few different supermarkets. Each supermarket varies in size and all of them have food items, but also home items.  One store called Capital we go to even though it is across town.  It has our favorite bread and really good prices on cleaning products and food items.  We also have a store called Game which is owned by Wal-mart.  So we see some Wal-mart brand things in there.  They have weekly sales that you always want to check out for specific household items.  Shoprite is another store that reminds me a lot of big grocery stores in America.  We can get cheese cheap there and a few other items cheaper there.  Cheese is very expensive, it usually cost around $5 or more for a small chunk.  A large chunk cost about $10-$12 for a good tasting brand.  So going to a store that puts cheese on sale is wonderful.  We even have one other store called Embassy that is near the US Embassy that usually has some American items and a few other things.  It is the closest store when I just need a few things.

 Here are a few pictures I took of a couple of stores.  The objective is the same.  You shop where you can find the best prices and the items you need.  Shopping it is always an adventure in Africa.

 Meat Market

 Eddie the produce man in front of Embassy Supermarket

 Typical Supermarket that you see all over the place. 

 This is a mall.  It has another grocery store, hair salons, nail salons, pizza place, dry cleaners and even a Ice skating rink.  You skate on a type of plastic.

This is a supermarket that is very close to our house and has a little ice cream shop.  We love to have a treat of ice cream.  You can get a mini cup for around a $1. :)

 

Happy Shopping Everyone!

Sickness

We have been here since August 2012 and have had our fair share of sickness. Even while I write this, I am dealing with sickness. When you come into a new environment, you seem to get a lot of things. I had to go through 3 weeks of treatment back in October for an infection. When we are sick, it stops us from the work God has brought us to do. Sometimes it is very discouraging.

I will tell you a little about the process here in Africa. I go to a local hospital that is considered one of the best in the city. It happens to be not to far from my house. When you arrive, you check into a desk. They give you a slip of paper and you go and pay the bill. Some do have accounts, but they have to have their index finger scanned for verification. When I see the doctors at the clinic, I pay about $8-9. If I see a specialist, then I pay about $20-$25.

I then go back with my paid receipt and then I am put on the list for the nurse to take my vitals. Once I have my vitals taken, I then wait for the doctor. Each part of the process, you sit and wait on wooden benches outside. It is a covered waiting area, but it is outside. When you see the doctor, they bring you in to sit in office chairs, next to the doctor’s desk. I never laid down on a bed or was offered the bed, unless it was necessary. It is not being mean - I think being a efficient. The doctor checked my ears for infection, but that does not need a bed. It is funny, how we seem to think we always need a bed when we go to the doctors.

I was asked to go get blood drawn and urine checked. We then have to go and pay the cashier first. Which I will say is usually another long line, since a lot of people pay cash. It is ok - it is just a part of the process. The positive is that I have gotten to know the cashier Ronnie by showing patience and kindness. That is the key to everything you do in Uganda. Smile, greet, and be patience. The workers remember you and will treat you nicely when you do. So after I get the test done I wait somewhere else and then I am called to see the doctor when they get the results.

The difference in the states, you usually stay in one room, lay on a bed and they take blood, and you wait in that same room. Here you just transfer to different places, so they can see the next patient. I kind of like it. They also have a pharmacy right on sight. No traveling is needed. This is very nice to have one right there.

They have a cafeteria, but the difference is that it is outside. You can sit down and be served or can get things to go. There is hard working people that want to help in every area of the hospital. Not much different than the states. The bonus is I don't have to pay a huge amount of money. I am trying to still be a light to the people, even when I am sick.