Not Prepared for Potato Picking...July 1, 2010

I came to Iganga with a lot of thoughts and ideas of what we might do and what might be expected. But nowhere in my wildest dreams did I think I might become a potato picker. And I am here to tell you, that if I had a day job, I wouldn't be giving it up any time soon! We went out this morning to see the farm. The first thing I want to explain is that the farm is NOT next to the orphanage, or the school as I thought it would be. It is a good distance away by truck. And then once you get there is is a good hike before you get to our land and our crops. I was under the assumption this was to be a quick trip (you'd think I'd be smarter than that by now) so I left our humble abode with no water. Instead we hiked to the crops and started to dig for potatoes. For those of you who have never done this before (which I'm guessing is just about everyone reading this blog) it is no easy task. Susan did it first and she made it look like no big deal. It reminded me of our cruise when Cody climbed the rock wall in about 5 seconds and I thought to myself smugly, "I can do that" and then got about three feet off the ground and thought I was going to die! So there we were. The women in our skirts (a visualization) pulling the plants back (with very strong roots) and digging away. Most of us had small short sticks to help with the digging. Unbeknownst to us Nicole was digging with her hands. When she finally got a stick her comment was, "Holy cow, it's much easier with a stick!". At that time roasting in the hot sun it was good comical relief. We squatted in the hot, hot sun for probably 1-1/2 to 2 hours digging for potatoes. The motivation... they were going to be fed to the kids. Then we loaded up all the potatoes and I threw about 50 into one bag only to lift it up and watch them all fall out of the big hole in the bottom. Now, keep in mind we then (the guys that is) then had to lug them down the hill back to the truck so they could be transported. I will never again look at a potato the same way in a grocery store. But then even though I hate to cook I will never look at my oven, refrigerator or dishwasher the same way either!

We then ate in the village, served by the local villagers in their courtyard so to speak. The interesting thing is they are so honored to feed their guests but they do not sit and eat with you. They put the food down and leave while we eat. They first brought out a big plastic container with water and a bar of soap so we could wash our hands. After digging in the dirt for so long it took many a washing to get partially clean. And again, the children there were just so excited to get their picture taken and I was only too happy to comply. Once we got home, many hours and very thirsty from when we started, we guzzled our water (yes, Steve and Kari I did say water) and headed out to the boys house for VBS. I have found a little boy named Daniel who has become my right hand man with the picture department. Today I finally handed over my camera and told him to go for broke. He has learned to take pictures from just below the chest up (including the head) and to center the subject. He is a great pupil and if he had the chance he would become a great photographer one day. The VBS team today taught a lesson which included the kids making a bracelet and it went incredibly well. I was particularly surprised by how well everyone did for themselves. Even the youngest kids (I'm talking 4-5 year olds) could string these little beads onto a piece of yarn for their necklace. I kept thinking about our kids and how at that age we would automatically do it for them. I mean these were little beads. It just blew me away.

I guess you can all figure that by now we were all pretty stinky. We should have come home and showered and called it a day but there is a mission team here from Boerne (the town right next door to us) so we decided to meet them at their hotel for dinner and get a chance to meet one another. It was an interesting restaurant - one lonely lightbulb lit the place. And guess what we had for dinner! Talapia and chips. Kari and Sam you two would not survive here. But Cody and John you'd be loving it! I had a chance to go up to the second floor (pretty much the tallest building here) and get some pictures of the skyline. By 8:45 had there been soup we would have fallen asleep in it, so we pretty much said goodbye and came home. I had the chance to ride alone with Susan and her daughter Faith and that was great. I had a chance to talk with her one on one and she is such an amazing woman. I cannot believe how much she is able to pack into a single day and she does NOT get weekends off. She has such a heart for these children and believe me when she talks they listen. Her daughter, who is seven, will be joining us at Sipi Falls tomorrow.

I love each of you and cannot believe our time with the children is almost over. They have touched my heart in ways I did not think was possible. This is a country like none I've ever seen and I will be taking a huge piece of it home with me. Again, I want to thank you for your contributions to this trip. They have made such a difference and the things we have brought were all the right things. Without you it wouldn't have been possible. Until later....