This morning we went over to the CLIDE office and debriefed about the Timothy Retreats. Julius from the CLIDE staff recorded for us our likes. There were several! We told CLIDE that we felt they took very good care of us and were always there to meet our needs. Their love for the children was very evident. We also appreciated having people available to translate for us during the primary retreat. And we really liked breakfast! The CLIDE staff (mostly Moses and Christine) told us that our team was very unified and very mature. Our love was evident in our interactions with the children and they appreciated our smiles. They love .jpg)
us very much! We also were told that we were dressed very appropriately. : ) We discussed our "suggestions" which will only make for even more amazing Timothy Retreats as we continue to send out teams to serve alongside the CLIDE staff. Maybe some of us will get to go again! : )For lunch we enjoyed a special dish of pork and potatoes. Usually they all eat from the same tray, but they didn't make us do that. We also went bead shopping behind the CLIDE office. These are the rolled paper beads that the HIV women make. Judith from the CLIDE staff works with these women. And many were purchased to be used as Christmas gifts.
After lunch five of us were able to join Moses to visit his village where he grew up. He said it would take 20 minutes to get there. Really, he meant 20 minutes x 3. The road to his village was more like a hiking path and about as wide. Very bumpy, dusty, and dirty. Moses' mother greeted us with great enthusiasm! We met his mother, father, and other family. Outside there was cassava, sorghum and
maize drying on the ground in the sun. The livestock enjoyed snacking on it, including the big fat rooster that Moses says they are going to have for Christmas dinner. Moses showed us around, including the hut he built as a young man and the grainery which was composed of three smaller huts. He pointed out the cashew, tangerine, mango, passion fruit, and orange trees. Passion fruit was dropping from the tree on our heads, and we were eating them. It looked like a Garden of Eden out there; it was so beautiful! We were informed that it was time to go eat, and his niece brought the basin of water for us to wash our hands. They brought sweet potatoes, millet bread, two kinds of chicken, boiled eggs, and borehole water. It was a feast! The family sat outside our hut while we ate. Moses told us more about his family and the many ways God has been instrumental in his life. While we ate we had 
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ner guests-- the pig, the cat, and the chicks. The niece came in and cleaned up. His mother told us we didn't eat enough. : ) They gave big bags of charcoal and mangos for Moses to bring back to Soroti. We took pictures with his family and said goodbye. : ( The visit was very special for us! On the way out of the village he stopped many times to greet his extended family. There were many handshakes.
Earlier in our stay we met Pastor James (pronounced Ja-mez) and we discovered that he didn't know the day or month of his birth. His parents were both illiterate and were peasants. He said he had never had a birthday celebration before and has just made up a birthday date for himself. Arlene and Katherine decided he needed a birthday party! Earlier today Moses took us to buy a birthday cake and candles. We blew up balloons and decorated the CLIDE office. After dinner we tried to put candles in the concrete frosting cake. Moses had to use a knife to bore holes in the frosting. So we only used eight candles. We came out singing "Happy Birthday!" to James, and he blew out the candles. He had been feeling sick and wondered why he needed to be there at the dinner, but 
was overwhelmed and speechless. He thanked us all and Moses cut the cake with concrete frosting. We really needed a chainsaw! The cake inside was "soft and fresh." We also enjoyed yogurt and flavored milks like banana, strawberry, 
coffee, and chocolate. We passed on the bubble gum flavored milk. Arlene gave him the game of Jacks and showed him how to play. What fun to watch him learn! What a delight for us and blessing for James! It has been such a privilege to meet James and get to know him and hear his story!
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