Update Nov. 2009: Family news, Setting-up home / home-schooling, Meeting Arua’s deaf again, Getting to know the YWAM Arua team.

Family news
Laurence: Hi everyone. Hope you’re all enjoying England. Uganda is okay. We’ve got a dog called Snowy, but she’s kind of small, which isn’t great as she’s supposed to be a guard dog. We won’t have her for long though as we will be giving her to our watchman called Nixon and getting one or two tiny Alsatian crossbreed puppies from next door. They are extremely cute at the min and can fit in one of my hands. (I’ll try to get photo’s on facebook within a few days).
When they grow they will be really good guard dogs as their dad is a mahoosive German Sheppard. Maria and Jerome have agreed on names - if we get two they can call them beauty and beast; but if we get one I get to call it Diesel. Okay, that’s about it on dog news goodbye.

Jerome: Hello people reading. I hope the weather in England isn’t too cold- here we are entering the dry season. I’m settling in and my room is starting to look a bit more homely. I have finally got some curtains.
I have been involved in the garden since we arrived and all our seeds have now germinated. We have a range of veg. and fruit, from small strawberries to rhubarb. We also have cucumber, watermelon, pineapple, sweet corn, mango tree, onions, tomatoes, roma beans, basil, broccoli, cherry tomatoes and passion fruit.

We will buy a few chickens soon and some new dogs which my brother mentioned. We have bought a bike which isn’t entirely reliable but I have got around ok on it with Laurence on the back. We found a tennis court in Arua but at present I can’t get in touch with the coach. The diet is ok as my mum is supplementing it quite a bit. We have also finally got solar! So I think that’s all. Bye!

Maria-Well…I’ve been kinda chuckin myself into things. I’ve gone along to the Ugandan sign language classes with mum and dad and have been to the deaf school. Learnt how to make chapatti and can now make them perfectly circular – oh yeah get me. Have been pleasantly surprised to find out that I am now an ‘Auntie’ to a load of Ugandan kids! The puppies are totally gorgeous, it’s really cool to see them cos we wouldn’t have gotten the chance to play with them back in England. There are 7 of them and I wish we could have them all!

My bedroom is cool. Not only do I have the best bedroom in the house, but I have a double bed, nice wardrobe, desk and a light that works! I SOO gotta better deal than the boys! Ha :P

Have made some friends and found a nice café in town and a place for picnics.
Weather is amazing, sun and blue skies most of the time and its warm enough for skirts n tees. I’m getting used to the skirts, they aren’t so bad if you wear shorts underneath lol :PMiss u, hope u don’t die of the cold :P Maria x


Setting-up home / home-schooling
In addition to ordering furniture from a local carpenter and buying utensils for the house and garden, locals Kevin and Nixon (see above) are working for us, assisting with domestic chores whilst we home-school, and with security of the compound at night. We use some of the local meal recipes but supplement it with imported food from the supermarket where the taste difference is too big a battle!

For the last month we have managed without light or power and intermittent water. Its pitch black from 7pm till 6am. But while I’ve always liked kerosene lamps six weeks nightly use was enough! Then, last friday THERE WAS LIGHT! This has made recharging the laptops for home-school and emailing much easier. Then, this week, guttering was fitted for water harvesting as the town supply will be even more intermittent in the dry season.


Meeting Arua’s deaf again
We are attending twice-weekly sign-language classes to improve our Ugandan Sign-language fluency. Lessons are free and they are hosted at Arua’s Disability Centre. This is fine for those living within walking/ commuting distance (4 mile radius) but this centre serves the whole region so sign classes are not accessible to most people.
We have made some good friendships in the local deaf community.

Temia, one of the young ladies that we helped attend the deaf conference in Kampala, has become my Ugandan sign language trainer. She’s great fun and has a rhythmic way in which she moves and signs. It’s almost as if she is constantly dancing.
At 7.00am last Sunday we joined our deaf and partially sighted Pastor Allan and a small team on outreach to a local village, Alioce. The pastor of Alioce church had a partially hearing and fully deaf child. It was both a challenging and rewarding day. Allan preached in sign to two intrigued congregations. The incidence of deafness is high and people are keen to receive guidance and support. After the service we met many deaf people and their families.

A number of other deaf had not come to the church service because of personal beliefs and other reasons so I suggested that we go and meet the deaf. It was a long afternoon! We ended the afternoon in an Elders house because he had adopted his orphaned niece who was one of the people we wanted to find. We chatted about educational, vocational, and social opportunities for the deaf of this large parish and agreed another meeting was needed, before leaving. Helen

I recently re-visited the local Deaf Unit to handover a volleyball net funded by partners back home. The deaf students and staff gave a really warm welcome and then enthusiastically helped their head-teacher and I mark out a court on which they can train and eventually compete. Helen, Maria and I have been again since, scoring or umpiring bench/ volley ball as needed. Good fun. Adam


Getting to know the YWAM ARUA team.
We are gradually getting to know the YWAM team here. There are about 20 adult staff here, half with families generally younger than our own. There are also about 10 single staff, mostly in their late teens/early 20’s whom Maria and Jerome are enjoying getting to know too.

Staff are mainly from Uganda, with some from Sudan, DR Congoand Ruanda too. All have some fascinating and challenging stories. We and the base co-leader, John, are from the UK whilst his wife is American. Sharon, another base co-founder is from Australia.

Staff meet altogether at the beginning and end of each week to bring our focus back to our Maker, to learn more about Him and exchange insights, developments and challenges we are experiencing and pray about them.

Between us we are supporting the base catering and maintenance needs one afternoon each/week, and have started a base kids club on a third. (Picured)


Several staff are taking more of an interest in sign-language, having known deaf people in the villages they grew up in, but being unaware of sign-langage until recently.

Numerous local staff are employed to slash the base (no mechanical mowing here) and to build, plumb and wire up more accomodation for staff, students and vocational trainees. Watchmen and the base guard dogs maintain security.

We are thankful for:

Wisdom:
- unity of mind/spirit in our family as we plan home-schooling (h/s)
- offers of additional h/s resources
Friendship:
- opportunities for us all to exchange blessings, insights and challenges our Maker is taking us through, with other development workers and their families
Health/Travel Protection:
-Laurence’s speedier recovery from a second bout of malaria thanks to more specialised advice.
Finance Received:
- for a motorbike for cheap/quick travel

A Vocational Training Opportunity:
- emerging for a deaf unemployed youth
Local Passion:
from the leadership of St. Phillips Deaf church to develop more creative and interactive services

If you plan to financially support our vision please get in touch now. We can help you set it up. Thanks. A&H

Good friendships in the local deaf community

12.10.09
In the relative safety of being under our mosquito net I feel more comfortable to write. Its pitch black except for this screen. Adam is with Laurence writing a letter under the subdued light of a kerosene lamp. Oh for solar power. We will really value it when we get it.


Come and meet our Pastor, Allan, of St. Philips Arua
Allan who was ordained during Adam’s last visit to Uganda in November. Adam made good friends with him. Two weeks ago Adam and I were privileged to attend Allan’s and Asha’s wedding. It was a wonderful experience. Allan is deaf and partially sighted. His wife has full vision and full hearing,- a great asset to Allan. The newly weds are joining us for lunch on Saturday.

Allan is also our Pastor. Since being ordained he has lead the weekly deaf service at St Philips. A week last Sunday we attended this service and it was so joyful. The simplicity of the service made it very accessible to hearing and deaf alike.

Wedding of deaf-partially blind local pastor, Rev Allan Alems

We did also accept an invitation to attend attend the wedding of deaf-partially blind local pastor, Rev Allan Alems. deaf –blind Pastor for People With Disabilities (PWD), and his fiancé Asha. A real colourful, all day, community affair, with lots of mini-ceremonies we’d not seen before.

International Deaf Awareness Week, Kampala, Uganda 24th, 25th sept. 2009

Thanks to your support we were able to subsidise the travel costs of an extra six young deaf adults wanting to represent the Arua District in Kampala, amongst larger delegations of deaf from many other parts of Uganda - over 400 delegates in total. There was encouragement from other National Deaf leaders representing Australia, Finland, Holland and Nepal there, to pubicise and claim the legal provisions Uganda's deaf have now beeen accorded by the government

Next we visited a deaf school and a deaf kindregarten, the first of its kind. Increased awareness is swelling the numbers of the former dramatically; but without increased funding to match.

Then a march through the city to hand in a petition to the Social Affairs Minister at his office, and then to the studios of Uganda's Broadcasting company. The petitions called for improved access to education, work and information through more sign-language interpreted services and programs.

Finally, there was a cultural celebration in Kampala's Centenary Park where deaf delegations from different tribes performed dance and drama. good to meet other workers involved in deaf projects in other parts of Uganda.

Alicoce sign workshops begin

Last week was the first of seven visits planned to the Aliochivillage.





All 27 deaf villagers arrived each with a hearing family member or close friend. They were then introduced to the deaf team and split into small groups for basic introductions and later for basic sign teaching.





Many of the deaf were so very shy and timid, many cried and one boy just curled up on the floor shaking. Adam explained that this was because many of the deaf had never met other deaf people before and so they were dealing with a whole host of emotions on this first meeting.





I am pleased to say that at the end of the first session everyone was more relaxed and there were many happy faces. At the end of the session each deaf person left reassured in the knowledge that they had someone, a hearing friend or relative, with whom they could practice signs for the following week.




Two deaf students from Erubajoin AlioceSign Workshops...


.. each week to encourage those deaf from Aliocewho are of a similar age. They have really encouraged them.


The deaf students took on their hearing class-mates this Wednesday, in both football and volley ball, winning and drawing respectively.