Hello eveyone. It's another beautiful day in Kampala. This morning it was different. I woke up from a huge thunderstorm. It was nice in a way, since the weather was so hot for so long because it wasn't raining. Then I started walking to the Paps to begin school and I got caught in a rainstorm. Other then that, the school day went great. When I was walking home from the Paps, I met a native Ugandan who asked about what I was doing here. Then he told me that he and his wife started two school close to where I live. I pass them on the way to the Paps. They are looking for a North American to volunteer at the school a couple times a week. So, I'm going to look into it. I think it would be fun to see a Ugandan school and see how they are taught. Tonight I am going to the MAF social at the Pap's house. It should be fun.

Hi everyone. Things in Kampala are great, especially since I got myself a cell phone. The day started off slowly because the Pap children had their tennis lesson from 9-10. After they got back home, we started school at around 10:30 and worked until about 1 to finish. Then I went to town. I needed some groceries, so I though I might as well try find a cell phone while I was at it. So I took the taxi into town, and then took a boda boda to the Sheriton Hotel. I saw a cell phone that was really cheap there last week, but didn't have any money with me. As we were weaving in and out of traffic (we only had to swerve out of the way of another boda boda once, because not even a toothpick could have fit in between our tires) I saw another boda boda who had 3 people on it. Ok, try to picture a scooter with three grown men on it. Hilarious to say the least, especially when one of the men invited me to join them. I laughed pretty hard. Anyways, I bought the cell phone for only 100,000 shillings. That is roughly equivelent to $55 US. So incoming calls are free on this phone, and I need to buy "pay as you talk" cards. I thought it was a pretty good deal. So if anybody wants to phone me, just send me an email and I will gladly give you my number. Well, that's all for today. Have a good day.

Hello everyone. It's been a while since I've updated, but I promise that it's not my fault. I blame it on the internet connection and the frequent power outages. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. Things here are going very good. The kids are getting work done, much faster than anticipated. I would say that they are far ahead of where they are supposed to be. Anyway, today I was told from one of the students that I was liked as a teacher. So that made me happy.

Greetings from Kampala. How are you all doing? I am doing really good. Last night was quite interesting. We lost power 3 times. And our generator ran out of gas. I got to experience reading by candle light. Good thing that the power came back on, because those candles are hard on the eyes. Anyways, I had a really good morning here. I went back to the same church as last week. The people were really friendly and talking to me. I was asked several times if I was Lynn's sister. Lynn is the wife of the Pastor for Calvary Chapel. I guess since I came to church with them and her mom arrived for a visit the same week I did, and since Lynn's mom has blue eyes and blond hair, they assume that I'm her son. It was quite funny actually. We also had communion today. That was very encouraging. God is so good. Some people might be wondering what the church service is like. Well, we start off with about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes of singing. First several praise songs, where the people clap to the beat. There is a small band consisting of one acoustic guitar, one bass guitar, and bongo drums. There also is a small choir who leads the singing. Then we sing several worship songs, where the people don't clap. The songs are what you hear on Praise 106.5 or other Christian radio stations. This morning we sang Every move I make, Jesus You are my King (Amazing Love) and a couple that were in Lugandan (the local dialect). The Pastor (whose house I live in) then preaches for about 45 minutes to an hour. Today's service lasted 2 hours because we also had communion between the singing and the sermon. The sermon was on Revelation 13. The application was really good again, about the false prophets who will arise and how we have to try the spirits to see whether they are of God. I really enjoy Pastor Brian's sermons. He is a very simple preacher (who really likes John MacArthur). I pray you have a good Sunday as well. God bless.

Hello again everyone. No, I didn't skip my update on purpose. I just couldn't get on the internet. Honest. Anyway, I finally got my internet connection back tonight. So here's an update. Ok, I went out of the city for the first time today. Gerrit wanted an accident report from his accident a month and a half ago. So he and I drove to Mpigi, about forty minutes away. Ok, so if you actually get on the right road out of Kampala, there is no way you can get lost out here. There are no side roads. There is just the main roads out of the city. To make a long story short, we waited for 3 hours for the accident report. The report was on one 8x11 sheet of paper, with several paragraphs on it. We did have nice talks with the officer about politics and religion and our jobs. The only reason we got it in 3 hours was because the police station closed at 5 and the officer wanted to go home. Well, anyway, that's how things happen here I guess. I'm getting a little excited about tomorrow...I'm going to play football. No, not soccer. Real actual football with touchdowns and everything. Who would have thought it.

Hi everyone. Today was a nice relaxing day. Actually, after I got finished with the school work it was relaxing. The mornings always go by so fast; they're kind of like a blur. The kids really keep me hopping, making sure that they are all busy at the same time. This afternoon I went to the American Recreational Association (henceforth I shall refer to it as the ARA). I played tennis with Gerrit...and lost horribly. I'll blame it on the racket, although Gerrit just got back from Madagascar this morning so I think he would probably have more excuses for poor play than I do. Then I decided to have supper there. Lynn (the pastor's wife who lives upstairs) and her mother were there so I ate with them. They are really nice people and we had a good time. Lynn's mom used to live in Abbotsford and in Lynden so we are kind of connected. Anyway, it was nice to relax for a bit.

Ok, I've finally been able upload pictures. This picture is of the road outside the compound where I'm staying. It looks like it ends at that gate way in the back but it actually veers sharply off to the right and up a steep bank. This is what most roads here look like, except for the main ones which are paved.

Hot. If there is one word that I can use to describe today, it would be "hot." It's kinda crazy because I'm used to it cooling off at this time of year, but today the temperature reached at least 30 Celsius . It was really humid today too, until about 4pm. I did take the Pap children to the American Recreational Association today for PE. The ARA is like a private club for foreigners here. It's located just down the road from where I live, so it is really convenient. We played a little soccer and then some ball tag. After that we were a little worn out because of the weather. All in all, it was a really nice day today.

There is no food quite like homecooking, let me tell you. Especially when you try to cook on your own for the first time. Sandwiches get old after about a week. Plus, how good can only bread be for you? So for the past few days, I've been cooking for myself. And let me tell you, those mashed potatoes tasted pretty good. Well, actually I was happy that they were at least edible. So anyway, while I'm typing this, the power went off. Good thing I have a laptop with a battery that works. This is quite a common occurance here in Kampala. Every third day or so the power is off from 7pm til 10pm. I guess they can't generate enough power to light the entire city for the entire day. So most people have a generator of their own. I'm thankful for that. It wouldn't be too fun not being able to do anything from 7 til bedtime. So back to cooking. I think I'm doing fine except for one thing. How on earth do you ladies get the veggies to bed done at the same time as the meat? I started my meat about 10 minutes after the veggies and they were done at least 10 minutes earlier. Oh well, practice makes perfect, as they say. I'll just have to keep trying. So, in conclusion, I would like to thank all the ladies for their homecooked meals, because I sure miss them.

Good day. I hope you all are having a blessed Sunday. I just got back from the service here. I attended a different church today than I did last week. The church I attended is called Calvary Chapel, and the pastor is my "landlord." It was a bit more happy clappy than I'm used to but I could tell the people were really worshipping our God and Saviour. The message was on Revelation 12. The application was really good: how Michael defeated Satan and his angels, found in Revelation 12:11. In these same ways we can defeat Satan too. So I am having a good Sunday so far. Now I'm going to take a nap and then go to the Missionary Fellowship tonight. Hope you have a good Sunday and God bless.

A very good Friday to you. Today went very smoothly. This whole teaching thing is going smoothly, it's almost scary. The kids finished their assignments early today, so at 11:45, everybody was finished. So afterwards I played darts with Jonathan and memory with Benjamin. They are all pretty cool kids. Right now, I am getting ready to go over to the American Recreational Association to play tennis with the Paps. If it doesn't rain that is. Seeing as it's rainy season, there's a pretty good chance of that happening.

Grocery shopping day! What an experience that was. First of all my roommate (Eric) and I took a taxi into the city centre. The taxi system here is pretty much like the North American bus system, except they use toyota minivans instead of busses. We went shopping downtown at a place called Shoprite. I bought some apples, potatoes, beans, carrots, juice, laundry detergent, salami, sausage, some type of beef strips that said minutes steak on them (hopefully they are at least edible) and tuna all for 30,000 Ugandan Shillings. That is about $16 US. Then on the way back, we had to go to the "taxi yard" where there is thousands of these taxis. Finding one that actually goes back to Makindye (where I'm living) was a chore in itself. Apparently these taxis are organized but I'm pretty sure organized confusion doesn't even begin to describe it. I did get home though, and now I'm going to cook up some supper. This whole living on my own could get interesting yet.

Greetings from Kampala,
Ok, now I know why it's called "rainy season." Today it rained/drizzled for most of the day. The roads were extremely muddy, which isn't so nice when you walk around in sandles. Schooling went pretty smoothly today, except for at the end. I guess no breaks puts alot of stress on kids. They had tennis lessons at 8 o'clock this morning so we had a late start to the school day. We didn't stop until 12:30 for lunch so it was a long morning. Most of the school work was completed before lunch so after lunch I helped Jonathan and Benjamin for a couple minutes. I did get the job done, which was a relief. Well, I need to get some prep work done for tomorrow, so thanks for reading my blog and have a good day.

First day of school, for me it was anyway. It went pretty good today, aside from the usual I don't like school attitude from one of the kids. He had to work on math for half the day. Can't blame him really, I mean who like math anyway. He did finish his assignment, with much prodding from the "teacher." Everything went really smoothly though. It was really fun today. I'm looking forward to tomorrow, even though i start late. The kids have tennis lessons from the #1 tennis player in Uganda. Apparently he won the Davis Cup a few year back. Anyway, it should be a good day tomorrow.

Here is a view of the backyard on my compound. Everything is very green. There is a fence in the back. All the houses out here are gated and fenced, which is a little intimidating.

Hi everyone.
Well it's Sunday night here. Today started off bright and early again. It gets light here at 7 every morning so I don't really need an alarm clock. I just keep my curtains open and let the sun wake me up. This morning church started at 10:30. I attended the New City Bible Church. I don't really know what kind of church it is, but they used the Westminster Confession of Faith in their bulletin. The service started with a call to worship (Psalm 27:4-5) followed by the congregation responding by reciting Psalm 84:1-4. Then we sang the doxology (yeah, i know, it seems backwards but that's what we did). Then the Pastor prayed and then we all recited the Lord's Prayer together. Next came another hymn (Praise my soul the King of Heaven), followed by a silent prayer of confession and the assurance of pardon. Then we sang "Nothing but the blood of Jesus." Next was the introduction of visitors so I got to wave and then people near me shook my hand and welcomed me. Then the congregation recited the memory verse for September (Romans 7:7-13). We sang again (Tis so sweat to trust in Jesus) followed by prayer. Then came the sermon. It was about the 7th commandment, focusing on the role of marriage in creation. It was a really good sermon, talking about how God knew that Adam needed a helper (whose name was Eve, not Steve, as the Pastor emphasised). Then we had the collection and then the benadiction. The service was really loud. I think that Ugandans like having the sound system cranked right up, especially the worship leader. He played the keyboard (adding beat when he thought the song required it) and the bass on the speakers must have been cranked cause i'm pretty sure I felt the building shaking. All in all it was a great experience. Then at night I went with the Paps to a fellowship they attend. It is mostly a bunch of missionaries that get together and have a bit of singing and then someone talks. Tonight some guy spoke about what his ministry is, but other nights someone gives or testimony or a sermon. I had a really enjoyable Sunday here. God bless you.

It's the song of the redeemed,
Rising from the African plain.
It's the song of the forgiven,
Driving out the Amazon rain.
The song of Asian believers
Filled with God's holy fire.
It's every tribe, every tongue, every nation,
A love song born of a greatful choir.

It's all God's children singing
"Glory, glory, Hallelujah,
He reigns, He reigns,
It's all God's children singing
"Glory, glory, Hallelujah,
He reigns, He reigns.

Hello again everyone. Well, I had a good day today. I woke up bright and early (6 AM) to the sound of the neighbours. It was still dark, until about 7. I went for a walk down one of the main roads. The people were friendly, although it felt like a few of them were stairing at me. The joys of being in the minority, i guess. I went to the Paps from at about 11:30. The kids are pretty cool, with several "fights" over who got to play with me at what time. Should be a fun experience teaching them starting Monday. Anyway, jetleg hasn't really hit me for some strange reason. Maybe it's those tylenol PM's (thanks mom) that help me sleep at night. The sun sets here really early, like 7 o'clock with absolutely no dusk. It gets very dark in a matter of less than half and hour. I tried to upload a picture of my backyard but I haven't had any luck. It seems that I get kicked off the wireless network here just before I can post the picture. Maybe I'll get it tomorrow. Right now the power is off but the generator here has been running for the past hour. I'm looking forward to church tomorrow. I can't wait to experience an African worship service. It starts at 10:30 and who know how long it lasts. I'll make sure to eat a good breakfast. Well I should get some rest for tomorrow.

Hello everyone,
I made it to Kampala, Uganda. What a beautiful part of the world. Everything is so green. I flew in on Friday morning. I spent most of yesterday with the Pap family. They are the ones that I'm going to help homeschool. Last night for supper I ate some kind of Ugandan pancake/soft taco shell. Put meat and cheese and lettuce on it and ate it like a taco. Anyway, my room here is small but at least I have wireless internet access. I do get kicked off the network sometimes but I just have to get used to it I guess.