Mary introduces Moses! {The important people and things}

The Aunties and Bridesmaids walked out ...

 

... with 'the one we came for'...

...Teacher Mary!

They knelt down...

and Ssenga (in red - she was like the lead auntie) said she knew us.

So she came looking through the crowd & found Moses (groom) and brought him to the front of our side

 And went back to the other side and brought Teacher Mary to sit with him.

{I just liked this picture of the basket he gave her ... that's the only reason I put it here.}

 Then, Teacher Mary went back with everyone who had come out with her so they could change while her family negotiated and said she could come with us.  Then, Teacher Mary, her brides-maids and 'sisters' came bak out.

This is one of my favorite pictures!

They danced and then the groom's side made a line from the car to where they were standing and passed the gifts down.  Of course, I just found a good spot and stood and took pictures.

 Here are some of the gifts.

Passing the Chicken

The chicken was SO happy to be someone's present - NOT!

Handing off the chicken (sorry - I was behind people)

Then, Moses gave Mary an engagement ring.

 Then, it was time for cake.  For lack of a good spot I do not have a picture of the whole cake.

And last, it was time for dinner - which I do not have any pictures of.  And then, it was time to leave.  I love Africa - they serve the cake before the meal - ha!
Well, that is all for this post.  It may be a while until I right the next post so don't be surprised if there is nothing new here for a while.

Mary Introduces Moses! {Travel, Why we've come & Greetings}

Saturday was a lot of fun because we went to an introduction!  From what I have heard and seen, all introductions are different.  So, I will just tell you about this one.  But ... before I tell you, I should tell you what an introduction is.  It is where the bride is handed over to the groom and all the introductions are made.  In an attempt to not make this take you an hour to read I will break it up into 2 parts.  This time I will just put some pictures of the amazing scenery on the way there and the beginning of the introduction where we (those of us on the groom's side) told the woman's side why we had come.  It is about 5-6 hours from GSF so; we drove 3 hours to Mbale and stayed there Friday then went the other 2(ish) hours on Saturday with everyone else on the groom's side.  Here are some pictures from our travels.

I think that tree looks cool.

In the middle of a big market.

One of the Sipi waterfalls on the way to the intro.

It was a very beautiful drive - I just couldn't capture the beauty.

Here are some pictures of everyone in their introduction clothes.

Fixing the Gomez (Traditional dress)

All the men in their Kanzus - the traditional wear

I love the colors!

Titus and Megan

My family with Wilson and Uncle Sam

The dresses that us girls are wearing is a Mushananna - another traditional dress

Then, we arrived and waited outside a little arch they had made right next to the tents they had set up.  We set up a men's line and a women's line while our MC and their MC talked together.  Then, we went inside one of the tents, said hello and sat down.  Their MC asked why we had come and ours said we had come for someone and we wanted to go back with her.  She was often referred to as the 'one we have come for'. 

Next ... it was time for everyone to greet us and let us know we were welcome.  The LC (like a mayor) came out and told us we were welcome.  Then, there were several groups of women who were family members (or acting as them) or bridesmaids who came dancing out, greeted us and danced back out again.

Bridesmaids

'Aunties'

'Sisters' - they have all taught at GSF school and are not really her sisters

Teacher Alice <3

Teacher Oliva

Teacher Deborah

Then, the MC for the woman's side asked us how we knew where to go.  Our MC told him that the 'one we came for' told us how to come.  He then began telling the directions step by step as the other MC told him that we must have gone the wrong way.  They went back and forth and finally the MC for the woman's side agreed ... but we would have to ask Ssenga (Auntie) first.  So, Ssenga and 'the one we came for' along with others would come out and we would see what they would say .... 

{To be continued}

Life is short

I know .... my last 4 posts have been current happenings and not catch up posts but I was a bit tired of catch up posts.  They were taking a bit too much work for me to remember what happened way back then.  Don't worry though, I'm not finished with catching up.  All though there may be a few things I won't be able to write about.  I'm ready now to write about this one.  Simeon.  Sorry it's so long.

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Little Simeon was born in September of 2009 … the same time we were on furlough.  As one of the teen girls (who was very close to Simeon) said when I first met him, ‘When you left Simeon was not born, but now … he is born!’  As he grew up it became obvious he was not on track.  By the time he was a year old other boys his age were walking … or at least standing up while holding onto things.  Not Simeon.

  He was just barely crawling.  It concerned some nurses and missionaries, but his parents didn’t seem to notice much.  By the time he was about 1 ½ we knew something was wrong.  By that time he was walking but not very well or very far.  He was also really small for his age.  He hadn’t grown very much.  A woman who is a SPED teacher and comes to GSF a lot developed a relationship with the family.  She realized that something was not right and arranged for him to go to a doctor in Mbale (3 hours away).  When they took him there it became clear that it was probably some kind of heart issue.  They said they couldn’t do anything about it and referred him to a different doctor.  The parents were a bit hesitant about sending him.  Finally, they made an appointment for him.  Simeon didn’t make it to the appointment.  As I am writing this I am seeing a whole new different light to it.  I see that Simeon had fulfilled God’s plan for him on earth.  Jesus wanted Simeon home.  It was his time.

I didn't want to believe that something was actually wrong.  Maybe it was because at the end of 2010 and the beginning of 2011 my heart had suffered so much pain from losing three people who  I loved so much ... people who didn't live long enough ... who I thought there was more for.  But, there wasn't ... they fulfilled the maker's purpose ... Simeon fulfilled the maker's purpose.  I wasn't that close to Simeon since he wasn't exactly a GSF kid.  But, I felt myself growing closer since he lived on the compound.  I didn't want to think that we could lose him.  I remember on Thanksgiving (Thursday) I thought we were having choir practice so, I went down to the Chapel after a really busy day (50 visitors at GSF).  It turned out we didn't have practice for choir until late in the evening.  Until then the bridesmaids for Isaiah's wedding were having practice.  I stayed and watched. Big David (Simeon's dad) had come with his boys.  I watched him as he toddled around the church.  I watched him as he ran walked a fast as he could away from most people.  I tried to carry him, but he was scared of me.  He let me hold his hand and play with him while he was on his daddy's lap.  I remember thinking that night 'He's gonna make it.'  I then caught myself and thought, 'Of course he's gonna make it he's perfectly normal.  Just delayed.  Why would he not make it?'  What I didn't want to think the whole time had obviously buried itself deep down in my heart.  Now, it was coming out and contradicting itself.  (Did that make sense?  I am having a hard time wording this.)  As I sat there in the church surrounded by others who had come thinking there was practice, with rain pounding on the tin roof, no ceiling to reduce the noise, I thought, 'why am I thinking all of this?'  Maybe it was the spirit preparing my little heart for what was about to happen.

The next day was the Introduction for Isaiah and Norah (it's kind of like a wedding party - bigger than the wedding itself).  I went to the gate with everyone to see the bus off.  I walked back, surprised to see that Big David was still at GSF.  He had been so behind this whole thing.  Yet, they had had a hard time raising all the money so, only few people were invited to the introduction.  Big David wasn’t at all disappointed though.  He didn’t mind about the introduction part, as long as he could go to the wedding.  And we all thought he would be going.
…. But God had different plans …

 The next day I woke up very excited.  I won’t tell you all that happened that day because that will be in a totally separate post.  Around 8:30 (I really have no clue what time it was and honestly the schedule is all mixed up in my brain) my dad got a call from Big David saying that Simeon was having a hard time breathing.  I couldn’t fathom this – he had been doing wonderful just a few days before.  They piled into a car with a driver who had just been going to the hospital.  I think what happened next was we walked with the girls who were going to be bridesmaids to find earrings because I remember talking about Simeon being sick.  When we got back home Auntie Betsy called … Simeon was gone.  Wrapping my head around this fact was extremely hard.  No one really gathered the kids together to find out … the word just spread.  I walked down to the chapel where all the teens were.  I knew this would hit them hard.  I’m pretty sure it was the woman who cleans the church who told them.  They obviously couldn’t comprehend it either.  Big David and Stella (his wife) came back from the hospital with Simeon.  The next part was a bit too much for me to bear.  I couldn’t make sense of any of it.  I walked down to Big David’s house and people were crying everywhere.  I walked over to where I could see into the door, but there were way too many people in the tiny house and doorway for me to fit in.  All the burials I've been to here have been in the village and have been Ugandan style, but I've never been there when it all happens like this.  It's so weird and just doesn't make much sense.  I could hear Safina (church cleaner) crying and saying something that sounded a bit like a chant that was making absolutely no sense.  Little Josiah, the four year old brother, was sitting on the couch staring at the now lifeless figure of his brother who had been laid on a couch cushion on the floor.  I couldn’t take it.  It was too much.  Death is so raw here.  I talked with those around and heard this many times ‘He looked dead when I saw him this morning BEFORE they went to the hospital.  When Big David told the story it became even clearer … Simeon was dead before they went to the hospital.  They had hoped the hospital could do something for him, but nothing was to be done.  His life was over.  Jesus called him home.  It was time for him to see his creator.  The one, who created him perfect in his eyes, even though he was never the same as the other boys his age, was ready for him to go home.  God called Simeon home … we had to stand back in awe of him and His works.  God had a reason to call Simeon home … we only have to see if maybe it could be to save a life here on earth … could we be a part of that?
Note: Simeon died in November 2011.  Sorry if that was not clear.
Here are more Simeon pictures.

With Aidah

With Amelia

With Lily

With Kasifa

I LOVE this picture of Jennie with him (credit Nurse Sarah)

I tried playing with it a little bit - what do you think of it?