Coming up for air. That is what it feels like for us this past week or so. We are coming up on 4 months here in Uganda. This past month has been especially difficult as we dealt with a lot of sickness in our family, anxiety, loneliness and just the general fatigue that comes with learning to live in a new culture.
I am SO happy to report that we are healthy again! (Fingers crossed…) We still don’t know exactly what was going on but between several teeth finally breaking through for the littlest of us and treatment for more than one type of parasite for most of us, it seems to have run its course. Good riddance!
The newest addition to our compound is of the furry variety with a fierce bark! After an attempted break-in during the night, Cadet, a one-year old German Shepard came to live with us. She is a very energetic but mostly well-trained dog and has a bad habit of chewing up everything and anything left outside. She’s teaching us to pick up after ourselves if nothing else! And as more than one unexpected visitor has made note, she is very good at her job! Our brave baby girl is her biggest fan so far, she would climb all over her if we let her and the dog would likely just lick her to death while the older two are a little warier and don’t like her rough play so much. We praise God for His protection of our family during a frightening situation (and for a crying baby that woke us up at just the right time) and that the older two kids slept through everything!
Rainy season has brought with it some cooler days and evenings. A welcome relief from the heat to which our Michigan bodies are still adjusting! It rains almost every day either in the night or an occasional shower during the day. Enough to bring a nice breeze to cool things down and then the sun comes back out to heat things up again! I’m not sure we’ve had a day yet where the sun wasn’t shining down brightly for some portion of the day. And with all this rain comes a lot of mud! Our experience driving on icy Michigan roads has actually been very useful here as we slide around through the slick African mud that boils up around our tires and threatens to pull us into the trenches. And that’s just the road to get to our house! Rainy season seems to have brought out some unwelcome house guests as well. Namely a rat and (I don’t even want to think how many) cockroaches. Thankfully the day the rat was discovered an amazing Ugandan woman, Dominica, was working and “took care of” the rat around the house after catching it—alive—on a glue trap. Meanwhile I was proving just how squeamish and apparently incompetent I am by screaming and running the opposite direction! She was gracious enough to only laugh at me for a moment.
It seems that we are finding a healthy rhythm in life here once again and we praise God for sustaining us through some weeks that seemed nearly unbearable at times. The Lord is challenging us in ways we have never experienced before but we find comfort in the promises of His Word.
“Yet you are near, Lord, and all your commands are true.” Psalm 19:151
“Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring to you today.” Exodus 14:13.
I am learning that even in the hard, lonely days here there is beauty. On those days I need to lean a little deeper into my Lord’s embrace and open my eyes to see and acknowledge the beauty around me. Even if it’s in the laughter that follows the squeals of another cockroach sighting…
-Patrice
And of course some photo updates :
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| Meet Cadet. Our one-year old German Shepard |
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| Watermelon seed-spitting contest. The littlest made sure she wasn't left out! |
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| A race to help Daddy with the gate! |
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| She thinks she's big stuff standing up in the middle of the room! |
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| Happy Easter from the Zimmermans |
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| Water Fight! |
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| Family Hike around our neighborhood |
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| Handsome boys |
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| Celebrated her 1st Birthday in April! |
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| Party's over! Proof that she really does have quite the temper. |
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| Building millipede houses! |
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Building millipede houses....unfortunately this little guy's friend was
"still sleeping" when we checked on him the next day... |
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Proof that we've come a long way since moving here! Very excited to show
off their millipede friends! |
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| Showing off the helmets! |
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| Sometimes their is just too much love around here! |
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| Future boda driver dropping his big sister off at the store. |
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Kids can cross all cultural barriers. Making friends with our neighbors.
Play is the universal language. |
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| Sunset view from our home. God is so good. |
