A great group of youth

I am back in Bundibugyo for the holidays and so enjoying reconnecting with friends and teammates.  Yesterday I went to a party that was organized by the  youth of Bundimalinga Presbyterian church.  The party was to recognize the work of the youth this year and to celebrate the birth of Christ.  The event was set to begin at 10 am, which really means 11.  We arrived around 11, but the rain earlier in the day pushed for even more of a delay.  This was OK because it gave me a chance to check out the cooking that had going on (they probably started around 9am for a meal that would be ready at 4:30... we had some wonderfully dedicated cooks.

Now that's a pot of meat!

Irish potatoes...  some g-nut(my favorite) pounding in the background

The delay also gave me time to capture some of the Decorations.  I was pretty amazed that whole banana trees were cut down for decorations.  But I guess we cut down whole trees to decorate for Christmas too.

Josh delivering a Christmas message, encouragement and challenge to the youth to bless their community!- the first of many speeches of the day.

Soon the festivities began, with a gospel message from Josh and the singing of the national anthem.  Juliet was the Emcee and kept the event going.  Introducing each speaker and the groups who did miming of music, which is just lip-sinking.  Though the dancing that accompanied it definitely gave it a little something extra.  There were many speeches of the chairman of the youth group, a local government official, and from the guest of honor.  In between the speeches we were wowed by the new sound system.   By about 4 most of the program was completed and Juliet invited volunteers to come up to sing.  Then she announced that the missionaries would do something to entertain everyone that was not lip-sinking, but then added that we could do music if we had nothing else to do.  Ann quickly thought a few camp skits that she thought would translate between culture and we picked one and recruited a few helpers.  It was a bit hit, definitely providing a lot "entertainment"  though this was not a tough crowd to please.

What's a Christmas party with out a little miming.  AKA lip sinking to some popular American tunes. 

"Mr. and Mrs. Party" cut the cake next to guest of honor, Bible translator and pastor Charles Musingusi

After we enjoyed a feast of rice, matooke (like mashed potatoes, but mashed bananas), potatoes, noodles with various meat sauces and beans, the dance began.  It was opened by Mr. and Miss. Party (a bit like a prom king and queen I guess).  Then everyone rushed onto the floor to join in the fun from sweet white haired, toothless Aliganyira to the little tots with no shoes or shirts.  Definitely a day of celebration that I was glad to be a part of.

Jess making Aliganyira's day with a dance... not to mention everyone else's.  Everyone was cheering and clapping!

A busy weekend... week... term!

It is hard to believe that the first term at RVA has come to completion.  There are so many things to share so many wonderful memories.  Here is a little bit of the last weekend at RVA.

I had been telling my 6th grade girls that I wanted to do something special for their birthdays.  I decided on a term sleepover in which every girl who had their Birthday that term could come to my house for a sleepover celebration.  This term there were 5 girls.  A wonderful little group of girls from Northern Ireland, US, Kenya and Korea!  I hung streamers and balloons and made cupcakes... the first batch decided not to rise.  (Still working out the kinks of baking at high altitude with a finicky oven.)  The girls came over after the school movie night.  I whipped up some yummy buttercream frosting... which I have to say is better than even Betty Crocker.  The girls picked colors and we even had some strawberries that I blended up and added to some of the frosting.  Then we set to work.  Frosting and sprinkling and EATING.  It is pretty incredible how many cupcakes we put away.


Some time during the frosting a knock came a the door.  I forgot I had ordered fresh made donuts from the seniors.  Before the night was over the girls put away all 20 donut dots (like donut holes) too!  By this point we were full of sugar, though no one was tired we all agreed it was a good time to put on our PJs and out came the stuffed animals.  We played a few board games and a few of the girls made up games, then painted out nails and had another cupcake or 2.  We were starting to slow down,  at least I was.  They asked for a bedtime story, since I am not good at making them up myself I looked up one of my favorites online, The Gift of the Magi.  I think Oh Henry's big words put us all to sleep.

We all did a lot of this :)

So creative, my students.

 The next morning we were all up bright and early for Pinewood Derby day!  It was also senior store weekend so I took the girls to breakfast.  Then on to the Derby.  I couldn't believe my eyes when I walked into the gym.  There was this crazy track, with all kinds or electronics to project each cars speed, super high tech with photo finish and everything thing!  All the way out here in Kijabe!  I knew this was a big deal, but I was blown away. I had the job of carrying cars up on trays to be placed on the track and directing the competing students.  The cars the kids had made were amazing too!  What a fun day/ weekend/ term to remember!

Out for breakfast! Asante Senior Store!

Some of my 6th graders- ready to race

More 6th graders and the awesome cars they made!

Cars waiting to race

Ndege Dorm

What do hair whipping, conversations about snake houses and your favorite internal organ to eat, and eating cake face first have in common?  My seventh grade dorm girls!Every Thursday night I do dorm cover from at Ndege dorm with 10 wonderful 7th graders to give their dorm parents a night off. We do homework together in study hour, we are enjoying a biography about Amy Carmichael in devotions, I get to hear about 7th grade drama at RVA and life in the bush that is their home.  These girls have homes of origin range from the UK and Germany to Brazil and Korea.  Their parents are in place like Malawi, Tanzania, and Kenya.  They are such a diverse group of girls. 

It is never a dull moment with them.  A few weeks ago we were talking about life in Ella’s family’s village and she said something about a snake house.  I asked, slightly horrified, “What is a snake house?”  2 other girls looked at me like I must have been living in a cave to not know what a snake house was.  Ella simply said, “Its a house where snakes go”... “Oh... of course”.... I needed more clarification.  Specifically one is put up when an area is cleared to give all the homeless snakes a house that is not your house.  “OK.”

The birthday girl with her sister

 This past weekend I got to spend some extended time with the girls as their dorm parents were spending time with visiting family.  It was kind of like a sleepover.  On Sunday it was Sarah’s birthday.  I had previously found out that vanilla and strawberry were her favorite cake flavors.  Wonderful Kijabe HAS strawberries!  So I made a vanilla cake that was very sticky and a pain to get out of the pan, but with the help of Maggie and her ingenious idea to cut the cake into 2 pieces I was able to get it out.  And icing covers a multitude of mistakes.  And some extra strawberries help support a sinking center.  I also found out that Sarah’s favorite color is pink, so the strawberry icing was perfect.  (guess I should have expected this from the girl who told me, as she painted my nails, that the 3 things she always has with her are her nail polish, makeup, and jewelry.  Not all girls from the bush of Africa are tomboys :)  I didn’t have any birthday candles but they all seemed pretty pleased with the red tea light in the center.  After this, per their birthday tradition, everyone dug in face first and left not a crumb or a speck of icing on the plate.  I love my 6th graders, but 7th graders are pretty fun too.  I am blessed to be a part of their unique, wonderful lives.  And I am glad they can be one of the many parts of my life at RVA.

Strawberry delight!

Dorm tradition!

Titchie Field Day-Western Style

This has been a busy weekend.  Friday was open house where parents could visit and sit in on classes.  The seniors had "senior store" a food fundraiser for their senior trip.  As a result I have consumed half a dozen donuts and 2 cheese burgers in the last 48 hours!  And on Saturday in the elementary school (aka Titchie Swot) had field day.  I was out bright and early and met my 2 high school helpers to set up barrels for a horse race/ chase game that we came up with.

There were about 10 different "booths" set up around the field.  I put on my southern accent and introduced each group of students to my two best stick horses: Freeman and Molasses.  Just in case you were wondering Molasses is not slow, she just has a beautiful brown mane.  Our first group had only 3 kids, so the three of us leaders played with the kids.  Let me tell you, at this altitude I was plum tuckered out in about 5 minutes, and sweating for perhaps the first time since I arrived at RVA.  Fun was had by all and some of the kids even tried out their country accents too.  Here are a few snaps of my students enjoying the day.

Freeman can really fly with the right rider :)

My co-teacher Hanna!

happy girls

The Staff Hunt

To be student at RVA is kind of like being at camp all year long. I sit here on Friday night tired from the second week at school, but happy. I am still wearing my long sleeve shirt, wool sweater, scarf and fleece, not to mention my double layer leggings and yoga pants, and wool socks. Tonight we played a game called “staff hunt”. All the staff goes to hide in hedges, trees, ditches, one even in a trash can. Then 5 minutes later, about 100 children, kindergarten to 6th grade, are let loose to try and find us. Not being totally familiar with all the elementary grounds, I had staked out a somewhat comfortable looking flower bed that was away from a lot of the traffic. I made a b-line for it and wriggled around to get a comfortable position on the bumpy ground under the long leaves of the lilli like flowers. Did I mention I also had brought a hot water bottle? (another great idea) and I stuffed that under my fleece. I was feeling almost comfortable.


I soon heard screams of children hot on the search. In a little while I heard the foot steps of kids, and the beams of flashlights cutting through the dark night. (kids second grade and under got to have this advantage.) But no one bothered to inspect the flower bed very carefully. As it got quiet again, I began to wonder if I was sharing this spot with any other creatures, there was a loud russell on the other side of the bed. There was something dark sticking up and moving, fear struck in my heart for an instant as I considered if this could be my greatest fear... a snake? But as the moon light caught it I could tell it was the tail of a cat and I shooed it away. However at this point I was getting a little lonely and even hoping that someone would find me. Part of the game is that when kids find you, you give them a piece of candy. I still had my pretty big bag, so I decided to have a piece. Mmm, lemon. Then whenever kids would come near I would russell my candy wrapper in hopes they might get clue. Finally one of my students Joshua was passing by, a bright young guy. I was sure he would see me, he starred for a while. Finally I made a move and he saw me and then came with 3 others in his group to claim their piece of candy. Finally a little excitement! I waited and waited, I recognized the voice of another of my students saying that we still had 45 minutes! My hot water bottle was loosing warmth rapidly and my initially comfortable position was not so comfortable any more.... I ate another piece of candy.


Another one of my students found me with his group. Then little boy searching on his own whilst singing “Jesus loves me”, pronounced, “I found you” with no help from me at all. Then he said sweetly that I could keep his piece of candy for myself, he must have been pretty good and was already sick of candy! I told him thank you and that I had already been helping myself. Finally the finish bell rang and I climbed out of my hiding place covered with grass and dirt and made my way back the meeting hall. I met a few students on the way, and shared more of my left over candy. They had had a ton of fun, which was the point after all :) While lying on the cold ground wasn’t maybe my ideal way to spend a Friday night, I am thrilled to be here teaching these kids, a part of their lives and contributing to a fun Friday night! And I have to admit it wasn’t all that bad :)

I love Lucy and 6th graders

Last night was my second night eating alone in my house.  I have been overwhelmed with a wonderful welcome in my first 2 weeks here at RVA, having dinners with many of the RVA staff and their families.  I have been able to spend some great time being reunited with the Myhres.  This weekend I spent time in Nairobi with World Harvest Missionaries, and have been totally blessed by a visit from Josh.  But Josh had returned to Uganda, the Myhres are out of the country and I was left in my little house alone.  

I cooked up some veggies from Nairobi (the veggie selection here is wonderful!), warmed a leftover hamburger from one of the other few nights I have actually had to cook something, and sat in my little arm chair under a blanket watching a pre saved TV show on my laptop.  I finished eating and the episode ended.  I thought to myself, I really need to work on some lesson planning.  But I was warm under my blanket (we are not out of the cold rainy season in Kijabe yet and at 7,000 ft it can get pretty chilly)  I didn’t want to leave my warm haven.  I was feeling lonely and like I needed to indulge myself, so I started to watch another episode.  A few minutes in to the episode there was a knock at my door!  I jumped up and found my neighbor Lauren  (soon to be 6th grader and future student).  She greeted me in her peppy, smiley way and asked if I wanted to watch “I love Lucy”.  We had previously discovered that we shared this interest.  I couldn’t have been more excited!

Lauren ran down to her house to pick up the show and change into her PJs and I put on my pajama pants too.  Our viewing was frequently interrupted by restoking my little wood stove with Lauren’s help, the wood was green and had trouble staying lit.  Not long after we started watching, there was another knock at the door.  Three more of my future students playing “bigger or better” in attempts to trade their item for something in my house that was either bigger or better than their CD.  I found a bulky old suitcase that had been left in my care by a previous RVA staff person, definitely fitting in the “bigger” category,  and in my opinion “better” too.  They continued on to another house but Lauren and I invited them back, and sure enough in about 15 minutes they seemed to have gotten as big as they wanted to go, or they were tired of the cold.  So I now had 4 kiddos in my house, their chatter and company and Lucille Ball in the background made it anything but lonely.  At some point in our time the power went out and I stumbled around in pitch dark for a while trying to remember where the matches were.  Just as I had them lit, poof, power was back on.  The kids stayed a little longer before braving the Kijabe winds back to their homes, but it was a great night the first of many more to come I'm sure!

The past 3 years...

Bundibugyo can be a hard place to describe.  Pictures don't do it justice either, but hopefully this little slide show will help.  THANK YOU, THANK YOU to all of you who have faithfully prayed and given generously taking part in what God has done in Bundibugyo, Uganda and in my heart.  Blessings to you! And Glory to HIM!

Life in Bundibugyo from Anna Linhart on Vimeo.

Rejoicing in Remembering Him

You never realize exactly how much you miss something until it is in front of you again.  I have experienced this over and over when first seeing family and friends, when I eat a bowl of ice cream, while sitting on the Carolina coast... the list goes on.   In the 2.5 years I have been in Uganda I have taken communion maybe 2 times.  And man have I missed it!  This summer I have been blessed to attend churches who take communion often.  God knew how much I needed to literally eat and be satisfied by what he offers.  

Last Sunday I sat in the pew, hand in hand with my grandma, Mimi.  Tears seeped out my closed eyelids as I was struck to the heart again with what Jesus has done for me.  I’ve been taking communion most of my life.  As a kid I remember it being kind of fun to eat in church. As I got older it took on more meaning and became more serious as I understood that we were remembering a broken body and poured out blood. Communion was not necessarily something I always looked forward to.  Admitting again that I don’t have what it takes, no amount of rule following, no amount of doing good or even confessing is enough.  He had to do it, he had to suffer, he had to die.  When I take communion I remember this.  But when Jesus told the disciples to “Do this in remembrance of me”  I think there was more too it than solemn remembrance.  

When I took communion 2 weeks ago at my home church the one serving, looked me right in the eye and said, “Do you believe he loves you?”  I heard myself say the obvious “yes” but he responded, “Well he does!”  Just in case I had forgotten.  And the truth is while I automatically know the answer is yes, I don’t always believe it in my heart.  I worry over all the details that have to come together before I go to Kenya.  I feel overwhelmed by another transition.  I miss my friends in Uganda.  Sometimes I feel like a real mess.  The truth is I am.  Yet, He comes to me, he invites me, to come and commune with him. To sit at his feet and feel the love coming from his eyes, to rest in his arms, to be satisfied by his provision and to get full on Him.  To eat and drink and to remember that Yes! He loves me!  This He proves over and over each time I remember what he did. And that is something to rejoice over!

Hanging out next door

As the end of my time in Bundibugyo is in sight I am trying to savor every moment.  The warmth of the sun... lately a little too warm.  Walking up the dusty road, kids calling my name and jumping excitedly at a white person sighting (you would think this would loose some of its thrill over time).  Dinner with my neighbor Naume was full of moments to savor.

Naume stirring the g-nut sauce

 I went a little early to help with the cooking.  We were having one of my favorites... ground nut sauce.  With heavy pestle in hand I set to pounding.  I still have not gotten the arm muscles to do this very effectively and Naume had to come to my aid a few time.  Kids from the neighborhood started to gather and kicked a beach ball around.  We sat in the shade of a jack fruit tree as the sun began to sink and the pot bubbled on the charcoal fire.

Chrissy and Richard under the jackfruit tree

I will say that the smell of a charcoal fire is not one that I savor.  Since that combine with the dust of dry season has a way of making my air way constrict.  But probably every time I smell charcoal in the future it will bring me back to nights like this one and meals shared with my Ugandan friends.

front door

always lots of kids around

always chickens around

Neighbor girls

Good to the last drop...

... and then it is just bad.  Such was my boda riding experience this morning.  It even started out a bit interesting as my goal was to transport an empty trunk to another part of Kampala.  So there I was holding firmly to the bar at the back of the seat with a huge trunk wedged between myself and the driver, a bir comical perhaps to those around me, but nothing compared to some of the things that I have seen on the back of motorcycles.  Just yesterday I saw a vanity dresser with a mirror attached (a good 6 feet tall.)  So the trunk was a little cumbersome, but everything was going well until the motor stopped.

The driver had me get off.  Fortunately, the road wasn't a busy one since there wasn't much of a shoulder, just a steep grassy bank that I kind of leaned the trunk against.  The driver laid the motorcycle on its side then lifted it up again shaking it from side to side... out of petrol.  This actually was not a huge surprise to me since most drivers ride around on almost empty making frequent stops to put in a few squirts.  The driver proceeded to blow into the gas tank (not sure what this was supposed to do) and do a little more engine rattling, to my great surprise the engine actually puttered on and he was off almost before I was actually seated.  We road about 100 meters till the engine was bone dry and died a second time.

I got off again.  The driver informed me, "We walk, then slope down."  Which means we walk till the road starts going down again and then can coast to a gas station.  He kindly offered to try to balance the trunk on the boda while he pushed.  This was not working very well, so I just carried it to the "sloping" point.  At the bottom of the hill was a petrol station... a good location as slopers can reach it from 2 directions.  The driver put in a whopping 8,000 shillings (about 3 dollars).  I guess he wanted to make sure that he got me the rest of the way there.  And he did... with just a little more excitement then the average boda ride.  After all... TIA.