Thanksgiving

Afoyo!

Well this week I am going to tell you some more about the culture
since I haven't said much about it yet. Here goes: The people here are
in the Acholi tribe. They all speak Luo and I have learned how to say
quite a bit. Mostly greetings and such but it is a pretty simple
language. Here in Uganda there are over 40 different languages. Some
sound similar, but most are completely different (Talk about tower of
Babbel). The people here are extremely friendly, especially to guests.
If you are a guest to their home they will bend over backward to make
you feel at home and welcome.. well a majority of them. They will give
you their seat, their food(which they don't have very much of), and
anything else you can think of. Most people only eat one meal a day
around 6 or 7. Practically no homes have running water, and all the
water that comes from the tap is unsafe for drinking. So they either
boil it or they go get water from a well. They carry water in big jugs
called jarry cans. Quite often for service we carry them and they are
super heavy. Almost every road here is made of dirt, and they aren't
smooth either. There is no major store, we just go to small shops to
buy food. I cook almost every meal. When the people cook they usually
do it on very small charcoal stoves. They eat a lot of cassava,
greens, beans, and white sweet potato. A lot of men here after they
get home from work they go out drinking. When they drink though its
not your usual alcohol, its alcohol that looks like mud. They usually
share and drink out of a pot with really long straws. It's disgusting.
The women are very powerful and independent since the men are almost
always away at work. They tie their babies to their back with a
blanket or sheet and usually have something balancing on their head.
Well... I can't think of much else.. so that Gulu! It's a very small
town so this isn't typical Uganda.

On to this week. We met so many people this week! I can truly see the
Lord's hand in the work here in Bar-Dege. We find at least one new
family a day. We are trying to change the dynamic in the Branch to
families so that way it has a solid foundation. This last week was the
best week of church yet. It was so powerful! We had more families
there than I had ever seen. One investigator that sticks out to me
this week is Michael. He is the man! He is 75 and is super smart! He
understands what we teach him and is always willing to keep the
commitments we give him. I always feel the spirit so strong when we go
and I always leave happy. We have only taught him twice but I can tell
he will be a very good addition to the church. We haven't gotten tot
teach his wife yet because she has been sick, but I am sure he can
help us to teach her since he already has a powerful testimony. Well
not much else to say. I will try to talk more about the culture and
the people from now on because those are the things I'm sure you want
to hear. I love you all and hope all is well back in the states.
Remember who you are and love everyone you come into contact with,
because you never know what kind of positive impact you can have on
someones life.

Love, Elder Hawk


You know you're in Africa when almost everyone you meet has a family
member with Malaria.