Neighborhoods here are very different from the neighborhoods in the US. Our road is very uneven, with rocks embedded in the dirt and crevices everywhere. Along the roadside are local shops, mostly selling fruits and veggies, homes adjacent to the shops and often times even connected. Babies, toddlers and preschool aged children are roaming about and playing along the roadside, a lady is putting a weave in a friend’s hair, a few men are playing a dice game, baby chicks are chirping and scampering about, looking for scraps of food. It’s so lively; an opportune time to meet others.

A young girl, on her way back to school, from eating lunch at home, started walking alongside me. I asked her name, where she attends school and what grade she is in. Her name is Faith, she attends Steps Primary School and she is in P3 (3^rd grade). Faith asked me to push the stroller and I allowed her to, knowing how it would delight her. Realizing that she probably had not ever pushed a stroller, and maybe not even seen one before, I closely guided her. It wasn’t long and my suspicion was confirmed. We walked together a ways till we reached the side road leading up to her school; she went on to school while I continued down the road.

A little further ahead, I decided I should turn around. On our way back, the children seemed to be bolder. Some still just waved from a distance, but others ran up to the stroller, waving their hands and saying, “bye-bye.” A group of 5 boys, all under the age of 5, playing at the edge of the road, approached the stroller and began poking at the wheels. I never knew wheels could be so intriguing! They soon surrounded Alexis and started waving at her and getting close to her face. She looked at them somewhat stunned, but also amused.

After a few minutes, I decided I needed to get back home. The boys decided to walk with us. Each one grabbed on to the stroller, a couple at each side and one at the back with me. I carefully maneuvered the stroller, trying not to roll the wheels over the boys’ feet plus trying not to step on the child in front of me; not to mention trying not to tip the stroller as I rolled it over the unlevel, jagged bumpy road. We had to stop a couple of times and pull over to the side to let a car and a semi-truck pass by.

Finally, I made it to our gate. The children helped me push the stroller inside the gate, curious to see where the bazungu (white people/foreigners) live. Within seconds, they were running around the outside of the house, climbing the steps to the garden and jumping down. With a little prodding, we eventually got them to leave, thanking them for their help with pushing the stroller, and letting them know we would see them again soon. Alexis seemed energized, after the social interaction with the neighbors and children, and I felt a sense of satisfaction. Just a reminder of why I am here.

Walking down the street today, pushing Alexis in the stroller, I could hear murmurings from onlookers…adults and children. As a few children approached us, I could hear some words in Luganda then one word in English - doll. Agnes, a Bugandan friend who was walking with us, laughed as she told me that the children think Alexis is a doll! But it wasn’t just the children saying that, even some adults were also asking if she is a doll.

We attended Easter service at Elim Church. It was so good to see our church family after months of being away. We were asked to greet the church and reintroduce Alexis, since the last time she was there she was only 3 weeks old. Now, she’s 5 months. Following the service, we joined the pastor, his family and the secondary (high school) students (boarders) for lunch Ugandan style…matooke, rice, irish (potatoes), beans, g-nut sauce.  And after lunch, we went to a friend’s for bbq American style…hamburgers, hotdogs, cole slaw, fruit salad. We were blessed to enjoy a bit of both cultures on Easter.

How did you celebrate Easter?

Pastor Butch & Alexis

Pastor Butch, Ricky, Matt

Students serving food

Sitting in the living room this morning, I heard a beautiful chorus of voices singing in Luganda. The sound seemed to get closer, so curious to know where the sound was coming from, I looked outside. And just over our compound wall, I saw what looked like a cross. I called Matt to come quickly and he walked out our gate to see a procession of Christians walking past our house singing and carrying a cross. I was blessed by their act of declaration of the Lord’s crucifixion.

As you may know, Matt and I have written a few life lessons curriculum for youth, addressing the issues they are dealing with as a teen, and teaching them how to handle these issues in a godly way. The first Life Lesson is called Walk Pure, which teaches how to live a life of purity and encourages abstinence from sex until marriage. We began teaching this curriculum last year in Kampala (Uganda) high schools. The second curriculum we wrote is called Faithful Friends, teaching youth how to choose the right friends and how to be lead others in a postive way. We introduced this curriculum for the first time to our staff today. They are quite excited about it and have expressed how it builds on what we’ve been teaching in Walk Pure. Our desire is to launch this curriculum in the schools in January 2010. We have been working hand in hand with the graphic designer and other individuals to revise and tweak it to get it ready for publishing, and it is nearly ready. We are sure the youth will readily receive Faithful Friends as they have received Walk Pure.