Long time...

It has been a while since I have last posted, sorry! I'll start from the last time I posted...
Three weekends ago, we traveled to Kampala to pick up Hugo (Ruco's younger brother) from the airport! We had a fun weekend and I was able to go to the craft market to shop for our house. I bought some paintings, a cool African tapestry, great lamps, and a really awesome apron (due to my numerous cooking attempts these days!) I think our apartment is really looking like a home now.
We also bought a TON of meat and cheeses since we can't buy nice steaks, ground beef, sausages, etc. or cheese here in Moroto...and we usually have a great fridge/freezer for storage. We stocked up, just for Hugo! However, once we arrived back home, we realized-we had absolutely NO power! The generator was in need of repair and had to be sent all the way to Kampala for those repairs. The city power was also not coming on at night (we usually have city power from 7-11pm.) We did our best to keep the meat cold, and two days later, for Huggie's 18th bday, Ruco decided we should have a serious grill-out in honor of the bday boy. So we cooked up ALL that MEAT! Food poisoning waiting to happen...and oh did it! We were SO sick for almost a week! :(
I should also comment about Hugo's bday cake. We have a really good friend, Brian, here in Moroto. He used to make cakes professionally, so I asked him to make a cake for Hugo's bday. Well, Brian is really busy..working for WFP, and timing wasn't working out for him to make the cake in time. So I made it myself. And it was good..the actual CAKE part. Tred (the intern here with us for 3 months) helped me to come up with a chocolate icing that was also turning out really nicely...just icing sugar and baking chocolate, which we were cooking in a double boiler. When we were ALMOST done with the chocolate icing, Brian showed up! And he said we were doing everything WRONG..haha! So I let the pro take over. And when I got my cake back, it had a thick layer of "Blue Band" (local margarine) coated as the icing. Then my chocolate icing was just used to write, "Happy Bday Hugo." Tred and I really laughed, and thought, well, it's different... margarine as icing. Oh well, Hugo was happy anyway...
Now we are back to work, and still loving having Hugo around. He has been volunteering at the "sisters of charity" orphanage close to our office! I love going and playing with the kids there, and I think Hugo is really enjoying it as well. He brings the kids "sweeties" everyday. It is really interesting to have his thoughts on the things he sees and experiences here. I think in the short amount of time he has been here, he has really thought a lot about what he wants to do with his future, etc. and it's nice hearing about his plans and ideas.
So that has been the last 3 weeks for the van der Merwe's in Karamoja. Please continue to pray for us here, as we love on the people of Karamoja. Prayer requests: our health, and for God to give us and our co-workers strength and energy for the long days in the field with distributions.
Please let me know how I can also be praying for you. I really want to be a prayer warrior for my friends and family...

This morning...Ruco wrestling with the puppy

Random shot.

Tred, Shadrack (program manager) and Ruco

Ruco and Shadrack...they really work so well together and enjoy each other.

Brian (the pro cake maker's) daughter Sylvia and I

Hugo blowing out all 18 candles!