Thanksgiving Week

Happy Thanksgiving Week!  I am thankful this week for all of my friends and family in Uganda AND in the U.S.  I am so blessed to be able to serve at Cornerstone for the time God has me here. 

I wish all of my American peeps a great Thanksgiving holiday!  I will be thinking of everyone as we have our chicken (or possibly turkey!), rolls, and pumpkin pie in Budaka, with a few fellow Peace Corp friends  :)

Here's one person I am thankful for at Cornerstone: David, whose about 9 years old, is one of our leaders.  He has a great personality, funny sense of humor, and tells it like he sees it.  I love this boy!

Funny Events

A few funny things to share:

1)   Moses was upset with Aunt Monicah (the “mom” of the orphans) the other morning because she made him do something he didn’t want to do (how mean of her, right).  After she walked away, he was crying and saying, “Mommy, I’m going to report you to Mommy!”  Hehe.

2)  We gave some of the younger kids charts for their daily routines.  They have to make their beds, get dressed, etc., and each day that they do all the tasks without being reminded, they get a sticker for that day.  So on the first day we started using the charts, I had all the little children running up to me to tell me that they had gotten dressed or tied their shoes or washed their hands.  I was surprised I didn’t hear about each time they went and peed, too.  So funny!

3)   I’m sitting on my day off and watching a truck stuck in the mud.  Watching 5 men struggle to lift the front end of the truck up.  Then watching them do this 4 times because they forgot to put something under the tire for traction the first 3 times…

There’s a little bit of my week in a nutshell.  Kids are well and it’s been another great week.  Until next time, bye!

Great Developments

Here are some of the wonderful things that have been going on here at Cornerstone: 

     The kids have been learning about responsibility on Wednesday nights.  We just reached the end of a 5-week study on that subject, and there are already some encouraging changes in behavior.  All of the children were given new mosquito nets last week, and when I went into their rooms this weekend, every child in every room said : “Look, Teacher Abby, my net doesn’t have any holes!” 

I’m so proud at the effort they are putting in towards becoming more responsible…and I’m guessing the candy and little prizes they are earning has something to do with the change, lol.

     Lately, I am seeing several of the older children (who are part of the leadership team) growing in huge ways.  Hellen, whose about 10, had been bickering with the other girls in her room daily and generally being a bossy adolescent.  During this last month, Hellen has turned a corner and is being one of the best examples on the leadership team.  She is cheerful towards others and is extremely helpful with the little girls in her room.  Praise God for His work in her! 

          Another child I’m encouraged with is Emma (a boy’s name here).  Emma is one of the quieter children, and he had a lot of behavior problems when he first came to Cornerstone in 2010.  But as he has matured, he has shown what a gentle spirit is inside him, and he has made a wonderful leader.  We recently moved another young child, Isaac (about 5 years old), into Emma’s room, because Isaac was (and is still) needing extra attention.  Emma is assigned to be the one to care for Isaac and to help him learn to do chores (like washing clothes and polishing shoes).  Although Isaac is really good at pushing people’s buttons, we have watched Emma stay calm and collected, and come and ask for help with Isaac whenever he needs it.  Even though other children might’ve lost their cool by this point, Emma is still quietly patient but firm with Isaac.  Yeah Emma!    

That’s about all I have for now.  Thanks for visiting my blog!!

-Abby

More Swimming Time!

Today, Ellen and I had the pleasure of taking two more Cornerstone kids for swimming.  Beatrice, who's about 7 years old, and 4 year-old Doreen, went with us to Mbale today.  After playing around in the water, they got to go on the swings, merry-go-round, and teeter-totter the hotel has to offer.  So much fun!  Here are some pics from the day.  Woo-hoo!

Good Times with Good Friends

This last week has been a special one at Cornerstone.  Ann, Glenn, Kevin, Emily and Caley, who are all from Evergreen Christian Center, have been visiting us in Budaka.  It has been a great seven days with friends, and getting to share the passion of Cornerstone Ministries.  The team has taught the kids softball, played Simon Says, and just loved on the kids in more individual ways.  I always struggle with the fact that I am only one person, and that reaching 30 kids is impossible.  But having a group like thi come creates opportunities for the kids to have so more concentrated love and affection, which is wonderful to watch.  The team already knows the names of most of the children, and every time they come into the orphanage, the kids run and give them hugs.
Here's a picture of the kids lined up to play baseball with the team.  The girl trying not to smile is Sarah, one of our oldest girls, as she waits her turn to bat.

Another great thing for me this week was to celebrate my birthday on Monday.  I couldn't think of a better way to start the day than by waking up at 5:15am, drinking a cup of tea during my quiet time, and then going down to see the Cornerstone kids for breakfast.  Then as a treat, my mom and I went by ourselves into Mbale town and had nature burgers (they call them "chicken" burgers, but there's no meat in them!).  It was a nice, quiet lunch with a little nap as I dozed on the way back to Budaka.  In the evening, I shared my birthday cake (it was a delicious carrot cake variety) with my mom, the kids, staff, and American team at the orphanage.  Each of the kids shared what their favorite thing is about me, and it was cool to hear what they said.  Mostly the children answered, "She brings movies for us to watch," or "She plays hide-n-seek with us."  As we munched on carrot cake, we also had tropical punch to drink, and the kids loved it.  Many children came up afterwards to thank my mom and I for celebrating with them.  Oh, how I love these kids!

Here is a picture from the party with Ann, Emily and Caley in the background.  It was a fun celebration!

Pool Time

Here's a picture of me with 3 of our Cornerstone children.  All of these kids took care of their belongings and saved their allowance to come to Mbale and swim.  We are so proud of them for showing responsibility!

For none of them having been in water before, they all picked up on the splashing game very quickly, as you can see in the picture below :)  From left they are: Brenda 2, Mutwahiru, and Sarah.

As we were driving to the hotel, I asked them if any knew how to swim.  Only Mutwahiru, whose about 11 years old, answered "Yes."  I asked him where he had been swimming from, and he said "I haven't."  I asked who taught him, and he said "My mother."  I don't know if you've ever heard of learning to swim without any water, but this was my first time! 

This last picture is of Magdalene and I.  She's about 3 years old and was terrified of the water for the first 20 minutes.  But within a short time, she was jumping into the pool on her own.  When we got back to Budaka, she told me she was going to go back to Mbale again next week!

Teaching responsibility...hopefully!

This week we have started a new area of learning and discussion with the Cornerstone kids.  We asked all of them to tell us what responsibility is and what does it mean for each of us?  We talked about President Museveni, the staff at Cornerstone, and the children themselves, and how all the responsibilities differ.  My two favorite responsibilities the kids listed for their president: "He has to make sure everyone in the country gets food" and "He has to collect money from all of Uganda."  I love how kids think!
As part of this whole responsibility "study," we checked through the children's belongings to see how responsible they have been.  Those who cared well for their blankets, sheets, etc., are getting new pillows and sheets, while those who abused their things are getting the passed-down ones from their friends.  Plus, those who have seriously spoiled their things are going to pay part of their allowance money to get new ones.  My favorite part of giving out the new things to the responsible children was watching their faces light up.  John, who's about 10 years old, got a huge smile on his face and began jumping around the room :)  Now we will see if others can pick up on the theme and care for their things!

The Awesome Kids at Cornerstone

Our fruit of the spirit competition has just come to an end.  Ronald’s and Sarah’s rooms were the winners, each with over 130 stickers!  Each sticker represented one time someone in their room showed love, joy, or any of the rest of the fruits.  The kids in these two rooms were ecstatic to hear they had won.  Their prize is that this Sunday afternoon, they won’t have to rest (each day, the kids rest for about an hour and a half).  During that time, these 14 children who won will get to have free play with the sports equipment and make special crafts with me.  It’s so fun to do make a major afternoon event out of some coloring and a few balls. 

         No matter what time of day I am at the orphanage, there always seems to be something happening.  As I was putting the girls to bed one night, I laughed at something 5-year-old Margret said.  She looked at me and said, “Teacher Abby, you laugh just like your mother!”  She was dead serious and I couldn’t help but giggle at her very serious (and true) observation. 

         Another person I am so happy with is Moses.  He is making huge progress in the growing up process.  Beginning last Saturday, he has only worn “big boy” underwear and has not once had an accident!  This is such a big deal for this little boy, who only a year ago began walking.  He was wearing diapers all the time when I arrived two months ago.  But, he has a family of 29 children cheering him on, plus all of us adults.  He keeps telling Aunt Monicah, “I am a big boy and big boys don’t urinate in their trousers.”  Moses is also still going to school each morning, wearing his blue uniform and shiny black shoes.  Yeah for Moses! 

        

A big thanks to all of the people who support me monthly so I can volunteer at Cornerstone!  I love my work here!

Bath time for Moses!

Funny Children

A few funny happenings from the past couple weeks:

·      We just received our newest American visitor!  Ellen, a friend from the Portland area, has come to stay and volunteer for 3 months at Cornerstone.  The whole week leading up to her arrival, we were talking to the children about her coming.  They were praying for her and were so excited for her arrival.  My favorite question as her car came up the road was: “Is Teacher Ellen a boy or a girl?  Oliver keeps saying it’s a boy.”  Lol.

·      Moses is progressing well.  He is exhibiting some Terrible Twos behavior (aka temper tantrums), which is encouraging in that he is growing past the “baby” stage he has been living in since coming to Cornerstone.  Plus, Moses is now going to school every morning on his own, and is sometimes staying up until break time (about 3 hours).  Each day that he stays until break time, he gets a jellybean or skittle.  It’s a small price to see him trying to join his friends in school :)

·      David, who is about 9 years old, is quickly becoming the Cornerstone Children’s Comedian.  He has a quick mind and a hilarious sense of humor.  These last few weeks, he has been regaling my mom and I with imitations.  He “does” everything from my mom’s way of dancing at church to my “walk.”  When you find the Cornerstone boys gathered together and giggling, David is always in the forefront, providing some sort of entertainment.

·      Aunt Monicah and I had a really honest conversation with the children this week about showing the fruits of the spirit.  One of the boys, Bartholomew, who often has a short fuse, said: “I have a hard time showing joy.”  Then Charity, who often beats up on her friends, shared, “I’m not very good at self-control.”  As much as their honest comments made me laugh inside, I am so glad that they are becoming self-aware!

That’s all I have to share for now.  Have a great week!

-Abby

A Fun-ny Activity

A couple weeks ago, I brought a little surprise to all the kids after rest time.  I gave each of them a small shaped sponge, the kind that come in small clear tablets and "grow" when you put them in water.  The excitement was huge as they crowded around 3 buckets of water to watch their animal sponges grow.  Some had T-Rexs and others goats and chickens.  Even Moses joined in and watched his cow grow out of a tablet.  I love that our Cornerstone kids have fun with the small things in life!

Busy Days with Great Results

The last three weeks have been a blur of activity at Cornerstone.  The kids came home from the village, my mom and I made a journey to western Uganda and three trips to the doctor in Mbale (for her acute respiratory infection), I baked and delivered goods to Budaka and Mbale, Aunt Monicah and I did a program with the kids at church, and I helped the kids get the uniforms fixed (small tears were repaired, initials were sewn on each, and buttons were re-attached) and everything else ready for school this last Monday.  I do love to keep busy, and living here really fills the days for me J

         This last Wednesday, we started a new competition to see which bedroom has the most people showing the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Over the last 9 months, they have studied one characteristic each month and done activities and games themed around that trait.  The children each have a chart in their room, on which we put one sticker for each act each day.  The room with the most actions showing all the fruits of the spirit will win a prize at the end of the month.  The kids are very excited, even without knowing what prize they will earn (they will be as surprised as me, because even though I organized the competition, I haven’t chosen a gift yet, ha).  Hopefully this contest will keep them concentrated on showing all the things they have learned about!

         On Sunday, the kids came and talked to the adults at church about the fruits of the spirit.  The children shared verses from the Bible, sang “Today is the Day” by Lincoln Brewster, and talked about how they have been making better choices to show love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.  It was great to see their confidences being built by standing to speak in front of other people, something that is difficult to do even for many adults (like me!).  Brenda 2 shared that she now shows love by “loving her room,” and Sarah said she shows peace by no longer “beating up other people.”  So glad so see that the kids are not only hearing all of us adults talk about these things, but that they are taking responsibility for their own behavior.  It’s so wonderful to see the kids maturing in this!

        

Thanks for reading my blog!  Until next week,

Abby

A Quiet Week

         It has been a quiet week at Cornerstone.  This can very rarely be said, with Cornerstone’s 30 children and 18 staff members and a neighborhood full of cows, goats, chickens…and other children, of course.  This last Monday, 26 of the 30 children left to go stay further out in the village with their clans.  They go as part of a government requirement that they spend 5 days with extended families during each school break.  Most of the kids were excited to go and see their friends and family but I have been feeling lonely without all the children and activity at the orphanage.  There IS such a thing as having too much quiet!

         Natasha, Vanessa, Isaac and Moses, however, have been around to help keep me occupied!  They are the only 4 children who have nobody in the village to go and stay with.  So, they have been getting to stay with Pastor Rogers, which is a special thing in itself.  They are allowed to stay up later than their normal bedtime, and can watch as much television as they want!  How much more exciting can things get when you’re a kid, right?  Plus, my mom and I had all 4 come and stay at our house last night and eat scrambled eggs, “sausage,” fruit salad and toast (I have to put quotations around sausage, because after all, it is Uganda), and of course, eat American pancakes this morning.  We played Candy Land, built Lego creations, watched a few episodes of Mickey Mouse cartoons, and ate bakery “mistakes” (cupcakes that are scarred by the oven rack or slightly burned on one part).  What a fun time it was together, and I can’t wait to see the other 26 come home tomorrow!  

A picture taken last week of Christine and Natasha being goofy :)

An Overwhelming Thankfulness

          The children showed a great appreciation for one of the Cornerstone employees this week. Uncle Guster, the dad at the orphanage, will be leaving Cornerstone soon, as he is going to finish his college education.  He has only been at Cornerstone since the beginning of 2012, but he has been a wonderful dad to these kids.  When we first told the children that Guster was leaving, there was silence and a lot of sad faces.  We told them that we would like for them to think of the things he had done for them, and to show their appreciation through cards.  Wow, were we ever surprised at the amount of things they thought of.  Everything from him making them bathe well to helping them with washing clothes to playing soccer with them during free time.  We actually had to put an end to the ideas because we ran out of time and free space in the cards!  How wonderful to see that the children see the impact of this adult in their lives.

         After putting the cards together, we also asked the children to consider showing thankfulness in another way.  We asked them to give some of their weekly allowance towards a few gifts for Guster to use in college.  They all agreed to participate financially (except for Isaac, whose 5 years old and apparently thought of other, greater uses for his money, like buying a Hot Wheels car).  All in all, the kids gave about 4,000 shillings (or $2 in printed Cornerstone money, which we then converted to real Ugandan shillings), and we were able to buy a ream of paper and 10 writing pens for Guster to use.  We collected these gifts and waited patiently to surprise Guster this past Wednesday night.  As he came back from town that evening, we had the children hiding underneath the desks in one of the classes.  Aunt Monicah and I asked him to come inside, and as he entered, the children jumped out and yelled: “Surprise!!”  He was definitely shocked and overwhelmed with the cards and gifts they had for him.  It was touching to watch the kids read what they had written, and present him with the paper and pens.  I think he felt appreciated, and the children definitely came away with another life lesson.  I hope that they are always thankful, not just for what they get, but also for what others do for them.  Although I have shown appreciation to other people in my own life many times, I also took away a new appreciation for thankfulness.  How wonderful to learn from a lesson that I am also teaching!

          

This is a picture of a group of kids (from left to right: Charles, Mutwahiru, Peter and Brenda 1) as they waited for Uncle Guster.  Behind them is one of the cards the kids decorated.  (I’m not sure why Peter is putting up his index finger, but there was a lot of excitement at this point, so who knows!).

Growth and Development

         I can’t believe we got back to Uganda only two weeks ago.  It’s wonderful to be back and be so near to the Cornerstone kids again. It’s awesome to see how all the children have grown older and more mature (well, most of them, haha).  I have missed being able to play Follow the Leader, Hot Potato, and Duck-Duck-Goose with them.  I have missed Wednesday Nights, where the kids are learning and sharing about their struggles with self-control and patience and other fruits of the spirit.  I have missed little Moses, who is not so little anymore, and his eagerness to tell me about the flowers by the side of the road and about his cup of porridge and about everything else going on around him.  Being with Moses and the other orphans as they continue to develop is one of my favorite parts of being back in Uganda!

         This week, Moses has been working on potty-training with Aunt Monicah and I.  Apparently, Moses is not yet big enough that he can manage the latrine holes without falling in.  So, his learning involves him going outside to a section of dirt or rocks in the yard, letting him take off his pants and having him pee there. For now he helps keep the soil in our yard healthy.  And one day, he will learn to use the latrines.  I am so glad that he is able to grow up normally now!

        

I took this picture yesterday when Moses and I were reading books together on my bed.  It’s so fun to cuddle up with him and read together!

The First Week

         What a great first week we have had in Uganda!  My mom and I were received so warmly by the children and staff last Saturday, and then again by church members on Sunday.  I had many Ugandans tell me that I am now “fat” (a way of complimenting by Ugandan standards, contrary to American culture!).  It is interesting and funny to be back in this other culture.

         Since Monday, I have started working in the bakery with my mom and Aunt Monicah (the mother to the kids at Cornerstone).  It was difficult for me to get into a rhythm of baking and cleaning and monitoring the goods in the oven.  I have only baked for fun before, so making sure each cookie and each slice of bread is exactly the same size and shape is an adjustment for me!  Also, the lack of running water (and electricity) just makes things take longer and be more labor-intensive.  But all-in-all, I think my learning curve is looking up J  I’m glad I get to be a part of this new business to support Cornerstone.

         The other major thing I’ve worked on this week is establishing time with Moses.  I am creating a preschool program for him, which includes reading books, singing songs, doing phonics flashcards, and of course, playing!  He was SO excited to come to my house this week, and play with blocks and cars.  Moses also got to read his favorite book: You Are My Sunshine.  Here’s a picture of him chillin’ on the couch with his book.  Isn’t he a charmer?

A Wonderful Surprise

         It’s so wonderful to be back at Cornerstone!  My mom and I have now been back in Budaka for two days.  I am so thankful to be back in my Ugandan home, with the Cornerstone kids. 

         As we came back on Saturday, we went through with the surprise (me).  I hid in the backseat, between 6 suitcases, under a jacket, during a pretty hot day.  BUT, it was so worth it to see the faces of the children as I jumped out of the car to surprise them.  Their excited screams and near-trampling hugs couldn’t compare to any discomfort during the drive in!

         As I stood outside the car, overwhelmed, trying to hug all 30 kids, plus 10 staff members, I felt two small arms wrap around my leg.  Moses stood looking up at me with a big smile on his face.  I picked him up and he grinned even more, and kept repeating: “Abby!  Abby!  Abby!”  I have waited 10 months for that hug!

My mom and I are heading back to Uganda in a few weeks, July 12th to be exact.  Yahoo!  It will be so good to see everyone at Cornerstone again!  I have missed the children, and especially Moses, during these last 8 months in the States.  Nobody except Pastor Rogers knows I'm coming back with my mom, so it will be fun to surprise everyone on arrival :)

When I go back this time, I get to work regularly with Moses (again).  Moses needs individual help with his speech this time around, so I get to do that with him.  I will also be helping in the bakery, teaching Sunday School, and doing whatever else needs to be done at Cornerstone.

Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers as this next stage in my journey begins.  I look forward to seeing what God will do in the next six months.  It's so nice to hear from friends at home when I'm overseas, so feel free to write me and tell me what's going on in your life, too!