Driving and Weekly Update

I cannot explain how excited I get each day I successfully drive in Bukoba.  I’m hopeful the good luck will continue for a long time!  I have little celebrations in the car with my passengers each time we arrive at our destination with no complications.  Driving in Bukoba is not as difficult as I originally anticipated, but I still find it necessary to really concentrate.  The traffic and pedestrian ‘rules’ are different than the U.S., but I’ve been adjusting well so far.  The major difference is I am driving on the left side of the road.  So far, I haven’t made any mistakes other than turning on my windshield wipers instead of my blinker signal (even those are on opposite sides!).

This past Sunday, I visited a church in a village named Buzi about 30 kilometers away.  I went with Justina’s choir who were going for the first time to sing at this particular church.  It was “Family Sunday” and the congregation was filled with children.  It was neat to see such a vibrant group.  Most of the children sat in front on mats as good as can be for several hours.  I was fortunate to have a choir member willing to translate parts of the service to English for me.  It was a neat experience to be able to understand what was being said and sung, especially when they were talking about the specific needs of their community and how they will meet those needs.  It was really cool.  The choir groups were wonderful to hear and watch.  Including Justina’s choir, there were three choirs in attendance.  After service, the members that cannot give a monetary offering to their church often bring crops from their harvest to be auctioned off.  The money they raise they give to the church.  Since I didn’t understand what was being said, I was too bashful to join in the auction, but it was really neat to watch.  The church's Treasurer ended up buying me a pineapple at the auction, though I didn’t know it at the time!  All of a sudden a pineapple was awarded to me.. it took a little investigating to figure out what had just happened.  I am continually overwhelmed by the hospitality and generosity I’ve been shown by the people here.

On Monday, I went to Justina’s school, Kiteyagwa, to speak with the sport teachers about starting soccer with the kids.  More updates to come regarding that!

Some choir members arriving at the church after a long walk; one vehicle could not handle the muddy roads.

Goodies bought at the church auction.

Playing 'football' after church with the girls.. no time to change when it's time to play!

Kiteyagwa school kids on a break.

At COSAD's Kiteyagwa School office.