July 28 – Last Day w/ Abayudaya
We started our last day in Mbale with a wonderful breakfast from Rachael, Halima and crew. I must say that I really enjoy the food here, especially the vegetables, beans and the chicken. I am looking forward to more food on the street in Gulu, Deb says it is really good there. Noah is excited about the bbq on the street as well. He has enjoyed the chicken the few times he has had it. After breakfast we headed to Shabbat services at the temple. I haven’t been to temple this much ever, but it was a different experience for some reason. I might actually go to temple if I lived here since it is the center of the community.
The children had a wonderful day playing with the other kids here. Drew met a niece of the Rabbi named Dinah and they became fast friends. Noah was also extremely welcomed by Dinah and they all played from the moment they met. As we are preparing to leave Dinah just wrote a note to Drew telling her how much she will miss her and how beautiful she is. She even stated that she loved Noah as well. Ilise also got a note from one of the small children that we gave some clothing to. Ilise seemed like she was ready to cry just looking at the note.
During the day Deb and I worked with everyone involved in the U-TOUCH Center to get budgets for each component. We discussed the furniture, the network, the electrical and we put together a complete budget. The budget for the entire installation is going to be less than $2,300 to establish a lab for 20 computers. This project will be one filled with love and passion that can change the landscape of this community. The ongoing costs to maintain the center will be less than $600/month, of which the community will pay $225/month for one trainer. U-TOUCH will fund the internet and our family has committed to supporting a second trainer. This will be great for everyone and will allow our kids to stay connected to this community moving forward. Drew is especially excited about finding ways to help here by sending shoes and clothing. According to the Rabbi it is better to send money and let them use it in the community than sending goods. The goods are taxed upon entry to the country so sending goods is not the best option.
Tomorrow we are planning to leave around 8 AM for a 6 hour drive to Gulu on some crazy roads. Should be an interesting trip.
‘Til next time …..
Larry Kesslin 