Greetings from Uganda!

I am sitting in the living room of "Welldone Cottage" writing this blog, hoping that the Internet connection stays on for just a few more minutes! (Doesn't look good, but we'll try.) To use the Internet in Uganda, you need three things: a computer, electricity, and a working internet connection. Today is the first day since I arrived that I have had all three!

I have been in Uganda a week now. The jet lag is gone, and the culture shock seems to be going okay. Today I walked into town ALL BY MYSELF to buy some needed supplies. I estimate that I was overcharged no more than about 5,000 Ugandan shillings - or about a dollar - so I think I'm doing good! I didn't have to walk - I could have ridden on the back of a boda, which is a bicycle with a seat on the back, for about 500 shillings, but I decided that I'm not brave enough for that yet. The boda drivers weave in and out of traffic, and, well, it makes me nervous just to watch them.

Let me tell you a little about the country: Uganda is an unbelievably beautiful country. (I would show you a photo or two, but one of my bags is still MIA, and naturally it is the bag with the software and computer cable for my camera.) Mountains, tropical bushes, palm trees of course, gorgeous flowers - my front yard looks like a park. Ugandans are also beautiful and very polite and friendly, which is amazing, as life here is very hard for most Ugandans. Sadly, that makes labor here very cheap. It also make labor necessary, as we comparatively affluent Westerners must use guards to protect our property. Even missionaries are considered rich. And we are, by Ugandan standards. More about this later.

The mission team has been wonderful. They have helped me settle in and have already begun working with me on what my responsibilities will be. Tomorrow I will walk to work and hopefully begin being a productive member of the team! I have a really great roommate. Heidi has been in Uganda before, and she is the one teaching me all the ins and outs of the culture here. She took me to market and we bought two kilos of beef from a man in a stall with sides of beef hanging all around him. I was okay with that, but when the man took our money and wrapped the beef up in banana leaves, I decided on the spot to become a vegetarian.

Hey, my Internet connection is getting shaky. Better go for now. By the way, I have changed my settings so that you can leave comments without joining anything, so please comment!

Love you all, and thank you so much for your prayers!