Still settling...

We are beginning to feel more at home in Moroto. I now know my way around town (a big feat for a directionally challenged me…) There is a nice market with fruits and vegetables which come from Mbale (the closest large town,) another market more in the center of town for hardware and supplies, and some places where we can grab lunch or dinner. Ruco and I have been surprised at the food here. We do have the staple rice every day, but we are able to get some decent chicken, and great veggies like cooked eggplant, greens, or carrots. The town is pretty quiet actually. It is definitely much smaller than Basse, where we lived in Gambia…but there is enough going on in the center of town so as to chase away boredom. There are around 7 or 8 young boys in town who are ready and waiting to tell you each day that they are “hunger.” Ruco goes and buys them chipotes (like tortillas) everyday, and in the process, we have learned their names and stories. There is one boy Peter, who is all smiles, all the time. He will literally make you light up, he’s so cute. He has taken to the idea of running behind our car throughout town, but not just like any other Ugandan kid will run after a vehicle…oh, no. Peter can find us WHEREVER we are in order to run after us. It’s amazing really. If we speed up and get far from him, he will take some kind of back alley short cut, and land right behind us (or in front of us) again. He can always guess where we are headed and will always show up there. I guess Msungus are pretty predictable..I don’t know.
As for a place to reside over the next year-we have also decided to go with a two bedroom flat close to Mt. Moroto Hotel just because of the sheer convenience of guaranteed running water and electricity. The town is supposed to have city power and water, but we haven’t seen either one since we have been here. The guys in our office said the water came on once for 30 minutes in the 3 months that they have been in Moroto.That wasn’t so encouraging, which is why we opted for the flat.
The place is at the foot of the mountains, and it’s really beautiful. I’m counting on long walks with Ruco in the evening once he is not working such long hours! He is indeed still working a ton, but things have gotten better. He’s around the office a bit more instead of always in the field, and I have been helping Susan (who we lived with in Lira last year) write a proposal for a ministry program in Moroto. I am gathering the information on a woman’s vocational sewing ministry. The program which Susan runs in Lira operates so that 40 women are given skills training in tailoring over a 6 month period, and are also provided with spiritual training and mentoring in that time. At the end of the program, they are equipped with a sewing machine, materials and tools in hopes that they will launch a small business of their own. They are also better equipped at the end of those 6 months to be role models in their communities and demonstrate the love of Christ. I had the opportunity to spend some time with the program in Lira, and I really think that it would work well here in Moroto. Pray with me as we work on a proposal for a ministry program here in Karamoja that God would lead the direction and the vision, so that His will would be done here and not our own! We are also praying for all of you, as always.

Ruco at a food distribution

An elderly lady waiting to receive food

People waiting in line at another distribution point

Women dividing the food between themselves

A little girl carrying a bundle of food on her head

A little girl shielding the sun with a very common Karimojong garment

Cute kids underneath their house

children showing off their manyatta (Kiswahili for “villages”)

A little girl holding her registration card for WFP and shielding herself from the rain