Allow me to catch you up...

It has been a couple weeks since I last updated about my life here in Uganda. Everyday here is better than the last. I learn new things everyday and have really stopped being surprised by anything, things are no longer different but normal. We have been pretty busy here at the compound. We have had many different orders, and many deadlines. We had some friends going to the states so we were determined to get all the shirts for our summer line photo-shoot done and put on a plane with them. 

Our first financial training class. 

The week following my last blog was a crazy one. It must be that time of the year here because all of our ladies were getting sick. We literally had one lady Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The best part was that it was somehow always the pregnant lady that came, and she can’t even do a lot of screen printing. This is Africa though, people get sick, and all we can do is love on them, pray for them and do what we can without a full healthy body. The week started off slow but Thursday and Friday were phenomenal. Most of our ladies were back, and even though they weren’t at full strength they put what they had into their work. In two days we finished and order for a really cool organization called The Recreation Project (TRP).  Read Remnant Uganda’s blog post about the amazing work of TRP. We were so proud of the ladies and they were so determined to get the order done. Their attitudes were amazing, we sang and danced and just worked together joyfully. Looking back at those two days, I could really see the growth in the ladies. It was a great end of the work week for a very fun weekend.

Friday was another successful Mexican Night. Sarah had a team in town so it was packed. I got to meet the new Krochet Kids interns, talk with friends and meet new people. 

Joel, Anna's baby

Saturday in the states Remnant’s Summer line had its debut at Fish fest. Yvette and her friends ended up selling a lot of product, so it was very very good! Saturday on my side of the world was fun. Exploring the market, walking the streets, and hanging out at the Bits house. As the night grew darker we ate Sankofa (local pizza place) and got into our overalls and flannels. One of our friends was hosting a white trash bash, I know it is a pretty great theme to have in Africa. It was a really fun night, there was a photo booth, a bon fire, and music blasting out of a couple huge speakers. Everyone dressed up and there were trucker hats for everyone. Let me tell you, the Ugandan market can be a gold mine for the best stuff! Picture a huge garage sale, with all the stuff that no one wants. The overalls were a gem. 

The weekend ended with a lazy Sunday consisting of a podcast, pad thai, baking, and chick flicks starring Rachel McAdams and a really attractive man. Sometimes you just need days like that, and weekends where you don’t do a ounce of work. It felt really good to just relax.

The following week was filled with outings everyday of the week. Goodbye dinners, birthday parties, hanging out with friends, and finally it was Friday again. The work week wasn’t as...well... it was definitely interesting. Early in the week one of the ladies was emitted into the hospital for her baby boy. Joel had pneumonia but he lit up and got so excited when he saw Stef and I and his good friend Jamesey. It was a really sweet time, Brenda, Miriam and Jane were there as well, we just sat with Anna and Joel and prayed for them. Prayer was probably the best thing we could do for them, prayers are a lot more powerful then anything else we could have brought, given, or did, We met a Doctor that spoke Kiswahili and made him see Anna right away. Stef gets really intense when it comes to the health of the ladies, but it is worth pulling the white card to make sure that our family members get treated. The rest of the week felt like it was all meetings. Meetings with landlords, brokers, and many meetings with the ladies. 

Posho & beans at my desk. We finally got the chance to organize our office, and I now have my own desk!

Development is a game filled with mystery but when it comes to the business of transformation there really aren’t step by step instructions. I have learned a lot this past week that when it comes to lives changing a lot of rules on the business side are broken, and the most important thing is and always is the lives of our beneficiaries. 

Thursday we had a meeting about a policy change. Change is never easy, there will always be a fight against change, even if the change will be beneficial. We turned to our friends and Remnant Uganda board members, Ron & Joy, for advice. These two speak so much wisdom and inspire me every time I speak with them. Through much prayer and more meetings with these two we came up with a solution that will be the most beneficial for life transformation in the lives our ladies. It is really something we are trusting in the Lord in and really allowing him to take control and show us what he has in store.

Saturday was a goodbye party for one of the IC girls. All I can say is, Ugandans really know how to dance. Some of the Invisible Children guys were there and were teaching us some sweet moves. We danced ALL night, we even danced on some tables. It was just a really fun night with friends and new friends.

Fourth of July was this past Wednesday. Such a fun night! Everyone was in their red white and blue, BBQing was happening and we had a a great feast of everything American. American holidays abroad are always so much fun, there is a huge community out here so it is always a great excuse to get together. We even had some sparklers and a huge party popper!

Stef got Maleria this week so she was in bed trying to get better. The tablets worked and she is now almost 100% back to health. The rest of our week was a lot of work and more meeting with landlords and the ladies. Sorry this post is all over the place and not very in depth. There truly has just been so much going on. I will try to break things down better, just know that I love it here and I am learning so much. 

Its a new week tomorrow and I am simply excited about what I will experience. Look forward to an exciting blog post coming up! I have some big news to share!