Oh guys, I can’t even begin to write this blog without
cracking up … Mishana and I are sitting in the living room of our hut IN TEARS
from laughter in remembrance of manly Manuel! Or at least we think that is what
his name was.
Well, it all started one day ago on our way back from Moyo.
We stopped in Admujani (I think) to eat lunch with Sister Mary. And somehow
Manuel ended up riding home with us. So Mishana and I volunteered to sit in the
back of the van and let our guest have the middle seat since he was friends
with our driver, James. Little did we know that he was going to be more
interested in Mishana than anyone else in the car …
Manuel was very proud of his camera phone. So he was showing
it off to Mishana and asked to take her picture. Mishana was like “Umm … No, no
thanks.” But apparently no means yes in Uganda because he snapped her picture
anyway. He then took a picture of me, but it was obvious that he didn’t like it
as much. [Which I am totally okay with!] So he turned back around and we
thought that maybe now he would leave us alone … NOPE! He turned around after
finding a Brazilian model in his photos on his phone and showed it to Mishana
and told her, “You look just like her!” Of course, Mishana was trying to be
polite and culturally respectful and it was HILARIOUS!
The best part of the entire 3 hour car ride with this man
was when he turned around and asked Mishana for her American phone number. At
this point, I had to look out the window because I didn’t want to laugh in
front of him. But he kept persisting for a number so Mishana turns to me and
asks, “Do I give him my number?” I was
like, ABSOLUTELY NOT! [I cannot believe she even asked me!] So I saved her and
made some comment about how expensive it is to call America. And he said, “I
would sell all my land for you!” AT THIS POINT, I LOST IT! I completely had to turn
around to get under control. And by now, it was just so funny that I decided to
sit back and watch it all unfold … Mishana was on her own and I was free to
enjoy the show.
Mishana thoughts at this exact moment were: “Oh Lord, help
me come up with something to say. PLANE RIDE! PLANE RIDE! Kendall … How long
was our plane ride?” It was obvious that she too mortified to even come up with
a subject that made sense to change the topic … But I was having too much fun
watching to save her again. So I just pretended to listen to my music for a
little while longer. But he finally did turn around, probably because she
wasn’t making much sense. And who wants a wife that doesn’t make any sense?
And then you should have seen the look I got. It said, “I
cannot believe you didn’t say anything to help me out there!” But I was
laughing too hard to care that she hated me in that moment. I then taught her
the trick of pretending to be asleep … so we laid there [I slept; she
pretended] for about an hour. And then after being awake for a few minutes, I
decided that I might as well go back to sleep since there was nothing else to
do. But she wouldn’t have it! She was practically on hands and knees BEGGING me
to stay awake just in case he were to turn around again.
But she was lucky and he fell asleep and didn’t bother her
anymore. I wish I could have gotten it all on tape to share with ya’ll today!
We haven’t laughed so hard about anything EVER!
… I’m not sure that she has forgiven me yet.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!
- - - -
But on a more serious note, today has been one of our best
days in reference to serving. We began our day in Mass here on the campus’s
chapel. The young ladies that we are surrounded by have some of the most
beautiful voices in the world! Our priest here discussed Matthew 5:13-16,
explaining how we are to be the salt and light here on Earth; a good challenge
for both of us as we began our day.
Instead of giving a summary of the details of our day, I am
going to briefly discuss each of our favorite memories of today:
Mishana’s favorite part of today was speaking to her father
on Skype. In reflection over the past few days at the orphanage, Mishana has
just been expressing to me how thankful she is to have a mother and father how
love her so much. It totally puts our relationship with family into perspective
when you see 75+ children without. Michelle and Shane Ellison, you are loved!
My favorite part of today was learning how to make a
bracelet out of pop tabs with Sister Rosemary and teaching Sister Asunta some
basic computer skills. It wasn’t the bracelet or the teaching; it was the
one-on-one time I got to spend with both of these incredible women. I am
learning so much about encouragement, joy, and love!
Current
Prayer Requests:
-I think we
are on the final stages of the respiratory virus, but prayers and more prayers
are appreciated!
-That the
relationships we are making will continue to blossom with ease.
-Volunteer
medical team arrives in the next few days; pray that we can enjoy their
presence but also remember that we are here to serve the Sisters and young
women of Gulu.
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