Praise the Lord!

Yay! We are celebrating that the internet works here at the White Horse! It's been a few days since we've blogged, due to spotty internet connection, so it's time to fill you in! (-:
Last night Gianna had pineapple juice...yummy! How come they don't have that in the states?!
Sunday was a looong day! But in Africa, long days are still amazing! We got up around 6AM to have breakfast in time for Joab to pick us up at 8:30 for church. Any meal at the White Horse, as we have learned, takes at least an hour. Breakfast consists of pineapple, bananas, watermelon, guava, cereal, eggs, and tea or coffee. After breakfast we were off to KTC's Sunday service. Rick was on cloud nine--this time for real! He said he had been waiting for this day for two years! As soon as we got to the school, we could see why. The students singing in praise caused the church to pulse like a speaker with the bass and volume turned all the way up. It was incredible and inspiring. The school band led us down the middle aisle of the crowded church and we took seats in the front. The school was so full that the students overflowed outside. It was a very long service, but it seemed to go by fairly fast. They did several presentations and songs, and then Gordon preached. He preached on keeping your hands open instead of gripping worldly possessions. The students then did a skit on forgiveness that was very entertaining, and then they took the offering. After the offering, they did a dance of thanksgiving, praise, and worship. The praise & worship is unlike anything we have experienced in Modesto. Their dances include a lot of stomping (a tradition in Uganda) that literally makes the floor shake. Their exuberance shines from their faces as they sing and praise the Lord! It was amazing and humbling to watch.
The service ended around 1PM and we had lunch with the KTC teachers afterward in order to "build fellowship." This was our first true African meal! It was sweet potatoes, boiled bananas, roasted bananas, pork, beef (aka goat), and fresh fruits--all served from big buckets. It wasn't bad, just bland. The only problem with the meat is that no one is very sure what part of the animal they are eating...in which case it is better not to ask! Eric & Levi did suffer from stomachaches for the rest of the day...they debated whether to just throw up and get it over with, or man it out. They ended up being men. (-: When lunch ended, we all loaded up in the van (sooner said than done) and took off for Lake Bunyonyi. The beauty of the drive & the lake itself is very hard to describe. We could say that the lake is a natural-made crater, over 6500 ft. deep, and one of the deepest lakes in Africa. But that doesn't come close to the breaktaking view we had! Once we got to the lake, looked around and took pictures, there wasn't much to do. We fantasized about owning one of the little islands that dot the lake, and boating all the time! After soaking up as much as we could, we loaded up & returned to the White Horse to clean up for dinner at Joab's. We were all a little leery of dinner, thinking it would be a repeat of lunch, but we were happy that it was delicious! Connie served chapatis, chicken, potatoes, rice, and vegetables. It was all very good. Leah and Vicki's new favorite food is chapatis! After the meal, Rick presented gifts to Joab and his family. Connie loved her new parka that Claudine gave her. Rick & Darin also presented a laptop to Mouda, who was speechless. Finally it was time to go home & catch some zzzzzz's!
Monday: It was work day at the farm. Rick wanted to leave for the farm at 7AM, but T.I.A. This is Africa! We didn't get to the farm (after a 45 min drive) until 11:30. Some of the men had to get supplies before leaving, so we girls and Levi got to sleep in! (-: At the farm, we finished laying and gluing the pipe. We had to repair multiple leaks, cracks, & breaks. We made couplings for the pipe by heating the ends over a fire and fashioning bell ends! TIA! It was a long, hard day of working, but it felt good to see the tangible results of our labor. At the end of the day, the water tanks were filling, everything was working great. Never again will Grace have to walk down that 1/2-mile hill for water! Now she and her family, that live on the farm, have a faucet at the top of the hill. We stayed at the farm all day and then came back to the White Horse to have dinner and crash. On the way home, we made all the guys tell their "stories," how they met their wives, dating, proposals, any marriage advice, etc. Loren got pretty teary, he's quite the romantic! Lucky Kristen! (-: We all want our future husbands to build us forts! We are all fortified with great advice and high expectations, so guys, watch out! You have a lot to live up to! (-; The guys are going back to the farm today to finish putting in 5 risers and repair a few leaks. Then they will be back hopefully around noon, and we will spend the afternoon in town. The girls & Rick are going to the Edirisa & (hopefully) the orphanage this morning. It should be another fun day in Uganda!
-From Cami: hello to everybody! Hi Leigh & Kali, I've been thinking about you...hope you can struggle along without me! (-; Hi Mom, Brett, Jordan, Chris, Grace, Estee, & Chloe! Hi Grandma & Grandpa & all my friends reading this blog!
-From Gianna: Miss you Mor and Pappy! Thanks for the texts! Love you guys!
-From Leah: Hi mom & Sarah. Hope you're having fun at the cabin! Hey friends, I miss you guys! We have a lot to do when we get home. Hey Chels, whoaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Miss you!
-From Vicki: Mom, I hope you had a good flight. Tell momma I said hello. Dad, I love you and I hope to talk to you soon. David, I hope you're having a good time at camp. Love on all those kids! Beefcake, your rings are still around my neck. I wear them every day. I'm still trying to figure out what to get you. Sissy, I miss you sooooooooooo much! I pray for you every day. Jake, I know you won't read this until Wednesday but I miss you and I'm praying for your trip. Sean, I'm still working on that video. (-: I miss you and I look forward to seeing you soon! I love all of you and miss you all!
-From Kayla: Mom and Sarah, I miss you and love you. Sarah, I hope you had fun this weekend and I hope you hit a home run for me! Trevor, hope you and harry are having fun! I love you and miss you. Clive & Jean, hope you're not missing me too much! Hope the house isn't too quiet without me! I love and miss you all and I can't wait to see everybody again!
All the guys say hello to everybody too! They love & miss everyone.

Random:
Levi is called Nascar, because he gets out of the back seat of the bus by climbing out the window.
Loren didn't kiss his wife until they were married (think about it). (-;
Loren and Gordon are keeping everybody in stiches. Laughter is good medicine, right?
Darin is a cradle-robber! As a matter of fact, so were Eric & Gordon!
Dave taught Gianna and Vicki how to make couplings...he is the brains behind our innovation!
On our next trip, we've decided to throw out deoderant instead of candy. Apparently that technology has not made it here yet! (-:
We told scary stories last night over dinner.
Everyone has been having bizarre dreams due to our malaria medication. Cami murdered somebody in her dreams and (in a dream) Gianna's boyfriend cheated on her!
Carbonated drinks come in glass bottles, not cans.
We have our first-day-back menu planned to the T, from breakfast to snacks to dinner (and beyond)! So watch out, friends and family! Gordon is continually bringing up Jamba Juice! We have decided he is just one big kid!

We will blog again when the internet works. In the meantime, we love you all & miss you all! We also miss American food! Keep commenting, we love it!