Ministry Blog
Hope for the Children of Southern Sudan
Elephant Land - Blog 5
February 9, 2010
Greetings again! The subject of this blog is: Christmas in East Africa. We just returned from 9 days in Kampala, most of it at our annual conference. All five countries were represented, and the Humble School, Congolese Refugee and Kenyan choirs led wonderful, spiritual times of worship. We went to four shopping stores: an Indian cookware store, Game/Shoprite (Kampala’s version of a small super Wal-Mart), Uchuumi and Nakumaat, and we saw greater and lesser evidence of Christmas celebration. The Game/Shoprite had a large display of artificial trees, lights, decorations, etc. We wanted to buy a small (about 18” high) tree that plugged in, and the needles were glowing, fiber optic colors. It was 70,000 shillings (about $45). We called the manager and offered a little less than half that, because the plastic base of the tree was cracked most of the way around. (Also, they didn’t have any more of that model.) But he wouldn’t take it. We bought a gold, plastic star for the top of some other tree and a package of small, red bells. At the next 2 places, we didn’t see as much Christmas stuff.
Some of the shops there had Christmas trees or some kind of decoration, but many did not. When we returned to Yei, Sandra and I went to the ‘clothes market’ (so called because the market here comprises about 4 square blocks! And that is where we buy our American, used baby clothes—also where we bought curtains for the house.) We found a very small, artificial tree (about 14” high), with little red balls on it. The whole thing sits down inside a round, wooden stand, which is not very stable. Anyway, we paid only 15 pounds for it—about $6! (If there’s one thing I enjoy, it’s saving money!) At another little booth, the guy swore he’d bring a bigger one on Sunday; however, we’ve learned that people don’t always follow through on their promises; and, if we waited until Sunday, it might not be there, and the little one might be gone. I also bought a kind of streamer, about 6’ long, made of very light-weight plastic film, in flower shapes, in six colors: green, red, silver, blue, purple and gold. Last night we Skyped with our grandchildren, John and Ariel, Rachel’s two. I decorated the tree in front of the camera so we could “be together” to decorate it.
Here in Yei, things really start winding down around the first week of December: most people go out of town or to their home villages for the holiday. Our UMCOR director, Tom, has already gone. The one big activity we see is lots of people making bricks. They have a wooden form about 15” long in which they put very wet mud. In no time, the African sun bakes them and they remove the form. Some people also burn them in a kiln. We saw some folks doing that along the road back home. People are generally eager to do any kind of work, to earn some extra Christmas money.
This coming Saturday, with Sandra’s help, I am going to teach a cooking class to the UMCOR ladies: Flora (2nd in command), Salma (educationist), and Selena and Rose (office clerks, cleaners, cooks and general gofers). They all are very excited about learning to cook American food. Our menu: corned beef and cabbage, salad with homemade dressing, rice cooked in coconut milk, banana bread, juice and candied orange peel.
Boo got some tools he needs and I will get a 3 day vacation in Arua to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. We’ll attend a worship service at the church. And we’ll Skype with the children and grandchildren on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning. And that is our Christmas in East Africa.
