The Wedding

Last weekend I attended OMT's Manager, Prisca's sister's wedding. Prisca is an identical twin, so when the wedding party was presented both Prisca and her sister were dressed exactly the same and hidden under a veil. The groom then walked around trying to pick out which one was his wife.

He picked wrong! Ha!!

Prisca (L) and Juliet (R)

 The exciting part was watching three of my OMT ladies dance as part of the bridal party. Everyone was so welcoming and it was an honor to be invited to such an intimate gathering in the village.
Unfortunately I don't have any pics of my dress. I had a tailor in town make me a more traditional dress to wear (minus the puffy sleeves!)

Last Sunday a few of us drove out for a hike. Here are some of the pics from the day:

Gulu Brownies

I may be having some difficulties cooking savory meals for myself in Gulu, but I have discovered that you CAN bake here!
Last night I made brownies. (FYI: They don't sell boxed mixes in Gulu.) I mentioned before that they do rolling blackouts here, which means the power goes out for any length of time. God is so good and allowed me to have power to use my oven. I know it may not be much, but after being sick constantly and a crazy couple of weeks of work, being able to bake something comforting was just what I needed!

So good. Especially for breakfast.

Mario

I just wanted to share another blessing in my life: Mario. He is my correspondence child through Compassion. When Mom went to Indonesia, I asked her to take a small gift to the main offices to be delivered to Mario. Well, he got it! I'm so thankful that I have these kids in my life. This is what matters!

Health update: I've been doing a lot better after visiting the clinic in Kampala, however I still get days of vomiting and diarrhea. Yesterday and last night were pretty rough. If you don't mind continuing to pray for healing, I'd be so grateful! Instead of simply filtering water or boiling it, I've switched completely to bottled water and trying to be so careful with everything I eat. This has been a difficult season. I'm still loving working with the ladies at OMT. Thank you friends for your continued support and encouragement. Much love!

I Broke My Shoe

Today has been a crazy busy one. I went on a wild goose chase for kitenge (African wax print fabric.) Well normally this isn't a hard task, but this week our market changed locations. So I first went to the new market where they are still constructing stalls, there was little to no selection. Which is daunting after making numerous visits to the same stalls only to confirm there wasn't anything there to begin with. Then I decided to try going to the old market two blocks directly up the hill. Well, that's when I tripped. Ha. Little miss graceful here stumbled and in the over correction of my steps broke the back strap on my sandal. FAIL. But I'm still walking uphill. When I get to the old market, where they are tearing everything down, I find two stalls that have kitenge. Unfortunately it was ugly. I know, I know, beggars can't be choosers, but I'm the designer and it was ugly. A few steps back and we're at the beginning. That's when my left foot fell into murky market puddle. This isn't nice clean afternoon rain puddle, but a dark brown stagnant disease infested pool. I'm still a bit concerned that my foot might in fact fall off. At any moment. Seriously.
At this point, I decided enough was enough. I hopped a boda, stopped by Bata (Ugandan shoe store,) picked up a new pair of sandals (brown because the dust/mud stains everything brown/orange anyway) and came home. Here's hoping tomorrow brings better luck.

New sandals. Yes, I did in fact buy them just for the fake gemstones.

Cheers and much love!

Much Needed R&R in Kampala

Just spent a relaxing three days in Kampala: shopping, walking around, and EATING! Things like oranges I forgot how much I missed..and needed. I was even able to get broccoli quiche! Amazing. If you're ever in Kampala, check out Rocks and Roses next to the Surgery. Best food I've eaten since living in Uganda. Fresh salads, seafood, baked breads. It's what you expect to eat at a nice restaurant in the States.

I also found a fantastic Ugandan fashion line: Sylvia Owori. I met the designer and spent a good while talking design before trying on a handful of beautiful dresses and skirts. Check out her site: http://www.sylviaowori.com/index.htm

I did visit the Surgery (clinic) which was the main purpose in coming down here. I did several tests and everything came back clear. Thank the Lord! So tomorrow I'm getting up early to make the Post Bus up to Gulu. I hope (God willing) to be back home early in the afternoon. Next week is going to be busy with OMT, so I'm looking forward to having tomorrow and Sunday to finish resting up. Thank you friends for all the prayers! Love you!