A VISIT TO SEE MY KIDS IN THE US

I have the most beautiful family ever.  We haven't been together as a family since November 2010, or over 1 1/2 years!!  I didn't realize how much I missed them until I saw them all again.  And, boy, do they love me!  Never have I felt so much love.  They are all so handsome/beautiful!

I am on Galveston Island, Texas.  It is on the Coast of the Gulf of Mexico about an hour SE of Houston Texas, USA.  It's a popular tropical tourist place.  There is a seawall for miles and miles to ride bikes, jog or take walks.  It is a very beautiful place.  Jeremy and Dustin live here.  We are all staying at Jeremy's apartment; yes, all six of us as well as 4 dogs (David brought his two dogs, Kayla brought her dog, and Jeremy has a dog!).  We are having fun, and everyone is just happy to be together again! 

 When my boys aren't working, they are fishing.  Working, fishing, and loving life.

Jeremy is helping Kayla bait her pole.  We are fishing on a pier in the bay. 

I like to eat fish, but I don't like to take part in catching, killing or cleaning them.  I like to watch my boys fish and I get excited when they get excited.  Then I turn my head away when they have to kill the poor little fish.  The best part is when we eat it :)   

Jeremy and I

Jeremy got in a brawl with an alligator, or a bear, or maybe his brother David.  I'm not sure! A couple of black eyes and a busted nose. LOL!  Boys will be boys; that's all I know!   

This picture is for my friends in Africa who only know me as the bicycle riding mzungu.  Yes, I can drive a truck!  And I remember to stay on the RIGHT side of the road, too! 

All FIVE of my kids are finally together.  David's wife, Lindsey, has joined us for the WHOLE weekend!  We are at Jimmy's on the Pier, where Dustin works.

This is a long nights work for Jeremy, David and Bryanna.   

 

Kayla rides a Segway for the first time!

David and Lindsey ride the Segway too.

There's nothing like dancing with my own son!  I was SOOO happy and having SOOO much fun! 

Jeremy and Kayla are dancing

Jeremy, Bryanna and Lindsey show us a line dance. 

Jeremy with Bryanna, Dustin, Mom and Kayla on his 23rd birthday.  After a wonderful night of grilling steak and bratwurst, we went to a great Arcade and played Glow Golf and other Arcade games with some of Jeremy's friends.  It was a wonderful evening, and everyone had a great time.

Dustin at the Arcade playing his favorite shooting game. 

Kayla beat me in Air Hockey!  She's quite happy about it too!

Jeremy is serious when it comes to his Air Hockey! 

Bryanna won this monkey and gave it to Kayla.  I think that was the best part of Kayla's night.  Thank you Bry!!  You put a great smile on my little girl's face! 

Mother and Son.  Happy Birthday Jeremy! 

Mac, Jeremy's dog

I can't fail to mention our furry friends. There were up to 7 adults (Me, David, Lindsey, Jeremy, Bryanna, Dustin, and Kayla) and 4 dogs (Mac, Lucy, Lizzy, Kona) all staying together in a one bedroom apartment.  And guess what?  We were never crowded.  Everybody was so happy to be together again that nobody complained.  It was wonderful!

Lucy is Kayla's sweet dog

Lizzy is David and Lindsey's first dog. 

Kona is David and Lindsey's second dog.  In this picture he was grounded to his crate because he kept barking...one hour for every bark...LOL...not really.

Thank you my wonderful family for the laughs and good times.  It is something this family REALLY needed after a couple of hard years.  We have many more years of good times to look forward to...I love you all so much.

Rotary in Gulu

 

A few weeks ago, Aid Africa's Executive Director and Rotarian Peter Keller asked the Rotary Club of Gulu to identify one broken borehole well that Aid Africa could pay for and rehabilitate.  The Gulu Rotarians chose the broken borehole at the bus park.  The Gulu Bus Park is like Grande Central Station of Gulu.  It is where all the buses from Sudan and Kampala arrive and leave.  It is a happening place, and all those people coming and going need clean water to drink!  So it was a very good and necessary borehole to fix!  In this picture, we have the staff of Aid Africa and Gulu Rotarians coming together to the aid of the town's people. 

 

This is the staff of Aid Africa.  From left, Water Project Manager and Rotarian George Ovola, Water Engineer Opiyo, and Water Engineer Bam. 

 

The Manager of the Bus park was SO happy we were fixing his borehole.  He had been trying to get it fixed for a long time, but the funds were not there.  It is a project that costs about $100 US dollars.  Imagine, $100, can bring so much joy to an area!  That is what having clean water is all about. 

 

 

It is almost fixed and the water is running clear.

 

Another group picture with the fully functional borehole well.  Thanks to Aid Africa and Gulu Rotarians, the Gulu Bus Park has clean water for all the travelers coming and going.

 

President of the Gulu Rotary Club, Dr Gerald Obai, is talking to the children of Gulu Primary School.  The Rotarians across the world are having a three day program called "Rotarians at Work".  We are at work making the world a better place through service.  They visited 3 Primary schools (Layibi, Gulu Prison, Gulu Primary) and did compound cleaning, rubbish collection, latrine cleaning and wash tank construction.  We also gave individual class lessons on brushing teeth, clipping nails, and menstruation hygiene.

 

Rotarians George, Thomas and Joyce and Aid Africa volunteer,Kyla, are marking lengths of rope as a measure of how far apart to dig the holes we are going to plant the trees in. We are at the University of Gulu.

 

Rotarian Dan Derrick is explaining how to plant the trees, although we never really planted any trees.  We just dug the holes; lots and lots of holes.  To clarify, they dug the holes; not me.  I wore slippers, so was not in proper attire to dig, and it was too hot. I cheered them on though, and supported them with water when they needed it. Kind of :)

 

We are wrapping things up, laughing and just having a good time in fellowship like we always do with the Rotary Club of Gulu.

Aid Africa Tree Distribution

 

Aid Africa does more than distribute environmentally friendly stoves.  We have a nursery where we grow fruit trees to distribute to the villages.  We grow avocado, jack fruit, orange, citrus, papaya, and others.  Aid Africa is an NGO that is not going to pull out of Northern Uganda as the war trauma ends, like so many other NGOs have already done. It will take years and years for us to install these special stoves in every village, and we will be making Northern Uganda even greener with all the fruit trees we are planting.

 

George Ovola, Aid Africa Human Resource Manager and Water Project Manager, is explaining how to plant the trees and how to take care of them as they grow bigger.  He explains how we will be handing them out.  He is a good communicator, and the people like him. We are in the village of Bobi.

 

Each person called will get two citrus trees and a jack fruit tree.  The orange is an example of what the tree will produce if they take good care of it.

 

Lilly, on the right, is giving a tree to one of the villagers.  She is Aid Africa's Tree Site Manager.

 

George was doing all the talking and explaining to these men.  The women are sitting opposite them along the hut wall.  I knew it would be the women who would plant and care for the trees, so I tried to get George to turn around and talk to the women, but he stayed facing the men.  Maybe it had something to do with respect.  I just hope the women saw his demonstration...

 

When their name is called, they will come to the van and get their trees.

 

The lady in the back ground was getting 3 trees for herself and 3 trees for another family member.  Her hands are full!  

 

This little child wanted her own tree to plant!  She kept holding out her little hands!

 

We handed out hundreds of trees today.  It was my first tree distribution in the village Bobi.  We made a lot of people happy today.  In a year, they will have fruit for their family to eat. 

I am Lanyero Rhona

 

I have been living in Gulu for quite some time now.  It is time for me to have an Acholi name.  The Sister's of St. Monica came together and gave me a wonderful name.  My new name is "Lanyero Rhona".  Lanyero means "a happy person".  The reason I got this name is I am always making them laugh. I like to eat lunch with them every Sunday afternoon.  I tell them stories about my travels and adventures (the good and the scary), stories about my children growing up (good and bad), and experiences about guys I meet (good, but mostly bad).  I have had a lot of crazy stuff happen to me, so I always have a good story.  One Sister said, "When you aren't here, we talk about the bible and how many Hail Mary's we said today.  When you come, you make us laugh!"   That is a true compliment!

 

Sister Rosemary is the leader of this group of wonderful Sisters.  She has unlimited energy (unless she takes one little benadryl :). She is always thinking of new things to make, recycle, and sell to fund the girls at St Monica. She is always involved in so many acts of service and kindness.  Most of all though, she is full of wisdom and good advice. She has been a real blessing to my life.  Through her spirit, and the love of the other sisters, I am finding that my life is filling with more Peace.  Because of them, my relationship with my Heavenly Father is growing.

No party is complete without a cake!  Sister Betty made my cake, and it was the moistest cake I have ever eaten in Gulu.  (I once wrote a blog about how sweets are not very sweet here and cakes are crumbly and dry).  Well, not this one!  I LOVED it!  And, as you can see, I cut BIG pieces.  Normally, when cake is served here, they are cut into very thin bite size pieces and you just get one!

 

Music and dancing always come together, and the Sister's are no exception!  In fact, these ladies are some of the best dancers I have come across in Northern Uganda!  They can definitely out dance me.  In this picture, there are three volunteers/medical students who are staying at St Monica's for a bit this summer.  I have really enjoyed getting to know them and their sweet spirits.

The Sister's of Saint Monica's are more than just my friends.  They are my family. Since I am far away from my own family, they play an important role in my life.  When I was not well the other day, I went to a bed at St Monica; it is not fun to be sick alone. I felt like I was "home". 

 

This is Chris, another volunteer with St Monica.  He is building an eco toilet;  a toilet where the waste can be turned into fertilizer. I saw one once in Costa Rica.  I can't wait to see it when its complete.

 

Everyone is enjoying the popcorn, cake, soda and wine; the dancing, the music, the stories and the laughs. Thank you Sister's of St. Monica.  I am honored to be "Lanyero Rhona", and your friend.