Hand to the Plow

So, guess what I'm doing this week? Taking responsibility for 3 kids... Scary, I know. The Jackson family (who I love and volunteer at Nsambya Babies Home with) trusts me to watch their kids. (Good decision on their part? I'm still not sure.) Jenny and Darren are going to be in Burundi this week for an EMI project trip- and so I'm going to be staying over with Brie (12), Maddy (10), and Lachie (8)! I am beyond excited because they are awesome! But, I think I will be exhausted by next Monday...

There's Brie and Lachie at Nsambya. Maddy and Jenny's faces are both hiding in the corners.

So... I know I told you all that I was coming here to do some engineering and construction management... but pretty much all I've blogged about is the precious children at Nsambya Babies Home, what God is teaching me, and some awesome African adventures.

But, from 8:30 AM to 5 PM every Monday through Friday, I am at work! If you're already bored, you should probably stop reading now. (Except to check out links to the ministries we're serving- because they are really amazing!) I have primarily worked on projects for two different ministry partners:

1. African Children's Choir- Music For Life LINK!

I have shared a bit about this ministry in a previous blog post. They are an amazing group that has taken many children from impoverished situations to give them education, music, and eternal hope for the future.

Since my time here, I have assisted with:
-a campus-wide rainwater catchment system estimating and purchasing
-site master planning
-architectural and some mechanical design, drafting, and 3D modeling for a new facility

Quantity take-offs, woo hoo!

Rainwater storage tanks...so exciting!

A 3D model ; whoopie!

Gutters!

Beautiful view!

2. Cherish Uganda LINK!

We visited this ministry in my first week here- and I immediately fell in love with how passionate the group is and the work they do! Last term (and finishing through this term) EMI has been master planning and designing a Health Clinic for the community.

The last few weeks, I have:
-helped create and maintain the construction project schedule
-refined a detailed estimate based on the permit drawings
-gone around town to do some landscape pricing

Rachael ,of Cherish Uganda, proudly standing in front of the EMI plans

The site for the Health Clinic!

Praises:
-Project work this week has been a blast! Cherish is a really cool project
-The community around me has been so helpful while I've been processing lots of lessons from the Lord!
-I have accepted a job! It has been a long and very challenging decision process- but I will be coming back to KC to start work in August!

Prayer Requests:
-That I would keep my focus on the present- not focusing much on August
-For the Jackson's this week! Pray that I don't break their kids!

You May Be in Kampala If:
-You are basically immune to people asking for your phone number. Or maybe are still really annoyed by it because it happens so often...
-Almost everything you eat is fresh and unprocessed (it's too expensive to add all those chemicals or something?)
-Monkeys live a few doors down from you in the empty lot. Seriously they do.
-You iron your clothes, not because you want them unwrinkled, but because you DON'T want mango flies to bury into your skin...(no worries; this hasn't happened to me yet!)

Thanks for everything!
SForbes

A concert at African Children's Choir that we went to. It was fun and very African :)

These are the 3 coolest EMI staff you'll probably ever see. Janet, Edith, and Stella (left to right)

Belinda and Oliver. More EMI love