Nearing the End

So we are nearing the end of our stay here in Uganda. The last few days we were in the village were great. Our women students were able to finish a fully working refrigerator pot set and we put it to the test for a few days. It works perfectly! We placed tomatoes in their regular pots, as they usually do, to compare the difference and the tomatoes in our refrigerator pots were significantly colder. It was incredible. They seemed so happy to have this method work for them and to know they can recreate it to be fully sustainable even after we leave! People from the surrounding village were stopping by all day in amazement and wondering if they could put meat, eggs, and other foods in these pots as well. Jason and Kari are creating a list of people who would like to purchase pots from Mary and Irene in the weeks to come. I (Jesse) went around to several Chappati (fried flat bread) stands who use eggs on a regular basis and let them know about the ladies in the village selling the pots. Most of the vendors could not even fathom this concept and could not believe that this method was possible without electricity, but we told them where they can get them and we think most of them will go buy one. With our calculations, if the women sell just one a day, they will be earning 3 to 4 times as much income to feed their families. One of our students pulled us aside and asked if Sarah and I could pray for her family. She told us of how her husband is an alcoholic and spends all of the money that he earns on alcohol and the little that she earns on her pots goes towards feeding all of her children. She told us that this simply is not enough and asked Sarah and I to sponser her from America (which we will probably continue to do). Our last day we brought Mercy (Irene's daughter) some badly needed sandals that she loved so much. At the beginning of our trip, Mercy feared Mono's (white people) and if we even made eye contact with her she would cry and run away. By the end of the month we (Sarah especially) worked with her so much, she would give us Bongas (five), and smile towards us. It was great. For the first time, she even said bye to us as we left the village for the last time. We gave three of our students (Mary, Irene, and Samuel) necklaces to remember us by and the girls made us promise that we would one day return to see how much they had accomplished because of us. It was amazing to see how greatful a tiny village in Gulu, Uganda could be. Inspite of being the poorest of the poor, having practically nothing to their names but a small thatched roof over their heads at night and around one meal a day, they always spoke of how much God had blessed them and how thankful they were every day to be there in their village. They said that they thanked God for friends, such as Jason and Kari, and now Sarah and I as well and said they could never forget us.

Now that our trip is coming to an end we can not wait to come home to see our friends and family. I think Sarah and I have learned so much from being here. We cannot wait to come home and share pictures and stories. We will see you soon.

Love,
Jesse and Sarah