...chef

Maybe there's more than one chef in the family!..Today has been a good day for rain, which is well needed, and hopefully a few more days...football tournament yesterday, our boys did really well and heart breakingly lost 1:0 in the semi final, with near enough the last kick of the game! i was proud of them as they had already played 4 games in one day to get that far and their commitment and attitude were first rate, even when in the semi, one of the opposition thought it was boxing and started to jab and move like an expert, landing a few punches as he did, my players were very controlled, it was the spectators we struggled with as a few charged on to join the fun!! Who says football doesn't matter!! it seems to wherever you are Uk or Uganda!!

..school trip

do you remember school trips? i can remember one when i was in primary school!! we went to the natural history museum, it was so cool going on a bus and then seeing the dinosaus and the blue whale....what a memory.

This week, before Joel starts year 6 and Anya year 3 ,
we did a Uganda history day, we went to the museum, the independence and commonwealth monuments and finally the kasubi tombs (burial places of the last 4 Kabaka's, kings of Buganda)...it was a fun day which of course also included ice cream!! Joel just said he's favourite bit was the museum and Anya liked the traditional houses at the museum, i liked the tombs...they even had a stuffed leopard which had a pet to one of the kings!!...one of the kings had 84 wives!!...leave you to make any comments, wise cracks!!....
What is scary is that Joel is no to his last year of primary!!

. St George

..Some American friends of ours son, who loves to wrap himself in the cross of St George...
what taste i say!!

...marshmallows,

Marshmallows...don't you love them? well i do...tonight we were going to a fire outside and toast marshmallows...but it is raining, so as we are English we won't let a little rain stop us, so decided to toast them inside over candles!!
The family first had to get used to the taste and consistency of marsmallows and then to toast them without turning them into little squashy pieces of charcoal!!
..fun had by all.....................

leon...

..one of my favourite funny films is 'Leon the pig farmer'...very funny, if you haven't seen it, go and see it, it involves a jewish man and a pig farmer!! honest it will make you chuckle...talking of pigs, we have just bought the kids a piglet each and as a family we are venturing into pig farming...what i know about pig farming....well.....lets see what happens...we now have 2 females and 1 male..so breeding is an option...i think? the kids have already given them names (Daisy,Jason, Tom)the smart ones will have noticed that there are 2 boys names!! I don't think Silas has got the idea of male/female names yet and his pig is named in honour of Thomas the tank engine.


Amasing what you can do with a pile of sand!!

..feeling grotty

Well Kathryn has been away since the 17th and is back very soon...since she has been away we have survived (just!!) think we might have watched more movies and eaten more sweets than normal!! Joel got malaria and had it really bad but is better now even though a little and even i seemed to have picked up a fever which makes me sweat a lot (how nice!!)...
Chris & Jonathan now with us(from derby) for a month and hopefully they will a great experience of Uganda...Came with KLM, via many cities on the way, they left birmingham at 5am and arrived 11.30pm in Entebbe, safe to say they were exhausted...funny how just sitting and eating can do that to you...
All looking forward to wife and mums return.......

..fun in the sun..

....It is so, so gr8 to have friend visiting, Mark, Ben, Ian and Matt have been in Uganda for the last 10 days, and with Joel K as well!
..honest it wasn't all swimming!! but when the opportunity came we took it!!
..the guys did lots of meetings, but always did a great job....We really appreciated spending time with good friends where you can just kick back and relax...and even sitting in a meeting and hearing Mark preach...and being reminded how good he is...
Joel K did so well and enjoyed the open space and being able to shoot arrows all over the place...and yes he managed to get it on the plane...
Over the last few days we laughed so much with the guys, especially around losing weight (talk to ian about how he judges whether he has lost weight!!)...
Thanks chaps for coming...it was so good to see you....

..signs of the times..

In town the other day, sitting in traffic as is often the way...and while passing the time, couldn't resist taking pictures of these signs you would never see in the UK!! Now this is a miracle drug/herb as these arn't the only signs you will see as others promise increase for all parts of the body!! and even some reductions!! The amasing thing it is the same phone number for both gain amd reduction...How does that work??

...meetings

ng
w
.....anybody who knows me, knows i'm not the biggest fan of meetings..and that could be putting it mildly!! But as in most things things are a little different in Africa!! Yes we have meetings but at least we can meet outside under a tree etc...the good thing about this is that constantly through the meeting we are always on the move to keep out the sun...so even though at the beginning of the meeting the circle is nice and big ..you soon know if its a long meeting as by the end the circle is very small and you are nearly sitting on each other laps!! The other one, which also happened yesterday afternoon was you set up outside and everything starts ok..and then out of nowhere the rain comes and its a mad
dash to the nearest shelter!! So sometimes even meetings can be entertaining!!

..sound of music

...yesterday was a very exciting day for us all...New Hope have released our first cd (wonderous love)..it's been along time coming but it has certainly been well worth the wait....Grace and our children have done a fantastic job and i may be biased but it is very good...To launch we had singers from Kampala, one of them being particularly famous (well i was told he was!!)...he was very good and got us all dancing and tapping our feet.....it is available on cd and tape!! and you never know it may be on download very soon!! keep your eye on I tunes...
the internet has improved slightly even though i am typing this 100 metres from my house sitting outside the school trynig to be perfectly still so as to stay online....

..computers..

...Computers don't you love them?.....they can be the best but when they won't do what they are told they can soon become very frustrating..2 weeks ago a team came to make the wireless internet system here better, unfortunately it seemd to suddenly become a whole lot worse and i have not been able to get anywhere near connected for 2 weeks...i am now sitting under the wireless tower and still struggling for it to get connected!!
but i really shouldn't compain as a few years ago you had to go at least 12 miles to make/receive phone calls...so the frustration is all relative..

----------------
Now playing: Madness - One Step Beyond (live)
via FoxyTunes

Waiter, Waiter.....

...you know how it goes, Waiter, Waiter there's a fly in my soup........(feel free to fill in the punchline!). Well the other day one of our girls bought me a whole plate of flying ants and no sign of soup!! The family (Calvary) had got up at 2am and spent the next few hours collecting buckets of these things....you can eat them raw but they are so much better cooked!! I was very appreciative of the gift and can honestly say i didn't eat the whole plate, had a few!!
...enjoy your dinner!!

..life

March 2009


This week we heard the best excuse ever for being late for school, one you will never hear in the UK….”sorry I was late but we think we heard a leopard and we didn’t want to disturb it so we ran home…… quietly, and waited until we were sure it was gone.” How cool is that excuse! Who cares if it is true or not - it was a beauty!!

For the last year Kathryn has taken over the running of the 6-12 year olds children church. This often consists of a group of about 80, outside on the grass, seeking shelter under the nearest trees. It is very enjoyable as well as a challenge due to big numbers, limited (or no) resources, and the language barrier - our Luganda is not great unless you want to keep greeting or else buy tomatoes and onions!! She has built a good team of helpers from our secondary aged children who live here at New Hope. She has also started to visit some of the families of children from the village every other Sunday afternoon.

Chelsea fans get everywhere!

We were introduced to Silas at the new Hope baby House and since then we have always felt a strong connection to the place and the babies there. Silas has too - he will always manage to pray for the baby house even when saying grace. The coordinator of the baby house left recently and until a new one is found, Kathryn is helping to cover some of the roles that need to be covered. This involves spending time up at the baby house with Hope and Blessed (the two ladies who run Hope House on a daily basis), giving some level of spiritual and moral support, making sure that they have the supplies they need and generally trying to be friendly! We appreciate these two ladies and think very highly of them – they constantly serve, and sacrifice for the little babies who are there.

In the early adulthood section which Steve coordinates, the beginning of the year has been a whirlwind and it seems like 5 minutes since the year began! At the beginning of February we always run a youth week for our P7 who have a big exam year. Our theme this year was “Seeking the face of God”. The goal of the week is to experience God as father, set priorities, have fun, get wet and eat food …and to build good relationships with the children. What a week! Exhausting but great fun, impacting for the children and we pray it makes a difference for their year ahead.






Investment year also kicks off at the same time. This year we have 16 young people aged between 17 and 21. Our goal is to invest in them in many ways - for their future, as well as now. The investment year is such a privilege to be involved in as we see the young people change, and gain new skills and confidence.

Throughout the year the young people get the opportunity to learn computer skills, have some driving lessons, handle money wisely, read the bible consistently, and run a small business. At the moment they are all working in different parts of New Hope, teaching, nursing, accountancy, secretarial jobs, receptionists and surveying. Later in the year they will have the opportunity to work in places in other parts of the Country …. and even other East African Countries, in a variety of jobs.
I got my hair braided – it took Aunty Gertrude a whole day and a bit. It really hurt. When we went swimming last w/e I learnt to dive without holding my nose. Every Friday morning we go up to the baby house and I am learning how to get them dressed and bath them….there is a baby called Jeremiah who is really cute. There are 6 babies there at the moment who have been orphaned.

A few weeks ago everyone at New Hope harvested maize…as you can see I was crucial to the whole operation. I am now potty trained and still like beans and rice.
In school I am learning about World War 2…..it is really interesting. Some of my friends and I are making a film on their video camera…..it is called ‘Last of the Ninjas.’ I am counting the days until Joel K comes.........it is going to be so exciting. Two weeks ago I cut my fringe and it is still trying to grow!





Remember – Uganda is a very nice place to visit! You are all welcome…though maybe not all at the same time!

Steve, Kathryn, Joel, Anya and Silas

..sorry i'm late...

..i was often late for school and had a whole book of excuses, sorry the bus was late, alarm clock broke, my brother took my tie, got locked in the house etc...
well an excuse you wouldn't hear is one i heard today at our school here....2 girls arrived late for school and when asked why were they so late, they replied.."on our way to school, we think we stumbled upon a leopard!! we didn't know what to do so we crept back home as quiet as we could so as not to disturb it!! we waited at home until we thought it had gone!!
What an excuse....was it true? who knows, but i hope so because it is such a good one...

(there is a leopard in the picture!!)

...oo aar down at the farm...

...at a farming seminar the other, day....i know..don't ask, farming gods way...all the way from south africa, even though i think started in Zimbabwe...well the plan was to take our investment year to pass on to them new skills and also see what we can take in to the local community and also here at new hope...Uganda is so fruitful or has the potential to be, we have 2 harvests a year!! but generally the yield is not so good...its all about involving God in farming and treating the earth/soil with respect! also doing things with the highest standard, and no ploughing or burning....well we are trying a little 6 x 6 attempt amd we will let you know...maybe it is the start of a whole new career!!

...whew.

..this last week, has been our annual P7 week...this is a week of youth activities for our top end of primary school (yr 7 in UK)..Their year is huge as they have big exams at the end of the yeat (PLE) which they have to pass to go to secondary school and therefore lots of pressure, and so a week of building relationships, having fun, seeing what God thinks about them seems like a good idea....and so armed with lots of games involving water, string, food and team work we set off on the week...during the week we also repaired someones house, dug in a garden and constructed a temporary shelter as well as some line dancing, footy, wide games and movies (raid on entebbe), gr8 fun and pretty exhausting...but we survived...

Christmas

..21st today and as we sit in shorts and teeshirts, feeling a little warm, we have christmas carols on, with many singing of snow, chestnuts, donkeys etc....still a little difficult to feel that it is christmas with the weather being so good, but we try and keep our traditions up, advent calenders, christmas pudding, carols, mince pies...no turkey but i think it might be pork...which is roasted over an open fire! similar to the chestnuts?
on tuesday i am taking some of the young people to Luwero prison, we'll take some food, clothes etc and takes some time to display what christmas is all about, songs, skits etc...there will be lots of people about 180+ prisoners and there are normally overloaded , 35+ to a cell!!..
From the last Blog, Tony is now back in Luwero as we did not have enough money to continue the treatment, he is doing ok, and i will see him again this week.
.Happy Christmas and New Year

Uganda: Christmas 2008. After a fantastic time in England : friends, good food, hot baths, 24/7 electric, seeing family, smooth roads, and a family wedding….we are getting used to being back in our Ugandan home….boy it’s hot and so dusty…the heat is proving to be entertaining in our car as the windows don’t work… we can’t open them and so when sitting in traffic (which you do a lot in Kampala) we are drenched in sweat, or Steve is at least….how pleasant!? Kathryn loves school so much that she doesn’t just do it in the week, she leads the team which does Sunday school for the 6-13 year olds(about 80 of them!!).. Sitting under trees, doing everything in 2 languages, very little resources but the children are fun and it is lively!
It is so hot here but I like the feeling of being back and seeing my friends again, (Jensen, Ibra, Jeremiah, Sebufu). It was hard to come back and say bye to my friends in England. With Calvary family us as boys celebrated setting a new “bop it” team score……we danced in celebration. Banda School has started again, we made a circuit. I am getting used to school being just Anya and me with some interruptions from Silas. Joel

I am happy to be back seeing my Ugandan friends, but I do miss my English friends. I so loved going to school in Derby and wearing school uniform. I had a gr8 time in England seeing family and going to the beach. I like being back on my pink princess bike in shorts and tee-shirt….it is so hot but very nice…..Anya
Before we left for England, we had a young man, Tony, staying with us….Tony had been part of new Hope some years ago….He had been abusing drugs for a few years and was staying with us for help and support him but unfortunately this couldn’t work out long term .…the first week we were back Steve picked him up from prison in Luwero - he had been there for 2 months. We took him to a drug rehabilitation centre…this is proving to be very expensive and it looks like we will have to find another place, there are not that many options in Uganda….Tony is a young man crying out for help but going to the wrong places to find it, we pray and hope that he will find the peace and support he needs. We are involved in mentoring another young man, Moses, who was abandoned very young by his father and then over the following years by different father figures in his life. He is really struggling to relate to any father or authority figures and it is affecting every other area of his life…friendships, school, and family. Steve is meeting regularly with Moses to demonstrate positive Fatherhood and work through some of his difficulties.

This Christmas spare a thought for these 2 young men…

I am Loving the freedom of being outside, in just a nappy and sometimes not even that!! It’s Gr8 seeing Ava again. (They arrived at baby house same time and shared a cot together for the first 6 months) silas … ..We used to have 1 mop but after being back for only for a few days Steve used it as a defensive weapon, against a HUGE (6inch!!) snake, the snake and the mop are now both dead!! …As a family we love Christmas with all its trappings… especially as it reminds us how much God loves us all, may you experience that this Christmas…..have a great one and a Happy New Year. Thanks for all your love and support. Lots of love, Steve, Kathryn, Joel Anya, Silas.

browns@emcf.net blodsblog.blogspot.com +256774131671 (Steve) +256775669429 (Kathryn)
P.O. Box 16, Luwero, Uganda

..back..

..well after 12 weeks of lots of food, friends, excitement, good roads, etc we are back in sunny and hot Uganda...the last 3 months has been a ball, and thanks to all who fed and watered us, it was so cool to catch up with so many people. Joel and Anya loved being back at Emmanuel school, thanks to all the team there..

we all have lots of great memories from our time in UK, freezing cold water at the beach, fish and chips, weddings (brother), real ale, REM, ccd youth, FRIENDS, lots and lots of gr8 food and company, westfield centre in Derby, driving a volvo!school assemblies/lessons, silas loving baked beans and sausage and beans in a tin, McDonalds, etc....

Now we are back in some ways its like we have never been away...since we were away our wing mirrors were stolen, so driving once again in Kampala has been fun especially with the extra challenge of no mirrors!! Also all our wires in the drivers door were cut!! and that means we can't open the windows.....(the A/C doesn't work as well!) so lots of sweating in traffic !!(i still think that is preferable to being cold....just!).

Back to New Hope tomorrow, think we are ready...are they??

..house building

Orphans build houses for widows
Publication date: Sunday, 7th September, 2008



Orphans construct a house in Aweru Village, Amuria district
By Rehema Aanyu and Harriette Onyalla ORPHANS under the New Hope Uganda, a Luweero-based Christian non-governmental organisation, have built houses for widows in Amuria district. Jennifer Adit, a mother of six and a resident of Aweru village, was among the beneficiaries of the project. The youth use funds collected from bazaars, selling chapattis, soda, auctions and donations to fund the programme. Adit, 30, said her husband, Charles Ogwal, was killed by the LRA rebels in 2003. Since then, she has been living in Ojenit Internally Displaced People’s Camp with her children. “Even though we lack many things, I am grateful that we now have a house. I am very proud of it,” she said. For a week, a total of 45 orphans camped at Ojenit and donated stationery, clothes, shoes and sports gear to children orphaned by the LRA conflict and HIV/AIDS. James Kavuma, one of their leaders, said they were showing God’s love and mercy to the beneficiaries by sharing with them the little they have. “Because I am an orphan, I know what they are going through. We came together to encourage them to continue living, believing in God and not despair,” he said. Jonnes Twebaze, the coordinator New Hope Uganda, said apart from living and sharing with orphans and widows, they were also spreading God’s love. “At the end of it all, we are bringing hope to the hopeless and love and courage to those in despair,” he explained. The youth will also build homes for widows and orphans in Rakai and Gulu districts.

This was so exciting to read, this was in one of the national newspapers of Uganda (New Vision) about some of our children in New Hope, Very proud of them.

...UK

..hi there, well we've been back a month, during the summer!!! and we have only had 2 days of sunshine, but we made the most of it and swam in the sea and an outside pool!! it was sooo cold. had a great time with family and some friends who saw us (bowens, coopers, and lorna and ken) my brother got married which was excellent and particularly good for joel as they played MC Hammer at the disco!!..Now in Derby and it is great to see lots of friends and eat lots of food and spend lots of time talking and catching up, funny how you jsut slip into the old routine....hot water, very nice, good phone network and no popt holes all a joy......