Hotel Roma -- and we don't mean Italy

While we are in Gulu, we are staying at Hotel Roma. I believe it is a very nice hotel by local standards. Mary says she feels right at home -- it's just like Kids Camp with mesquito nets. We each have our own room, complete with a bathroom/shower -- no seperation there. Mary is the only one with a shower curtain. Half of us have hot water, although it comes and goes. Two of us have no hot water. I have adjusted to that quite well -- I just view it as my air conditioning.

We have heard from the land. The men are doing well. And Joshua has a posse already. Dave says that whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger. The boys chased down their lunch today and I mean that literally. They chased a chicken and then had it for lunch! Yum yum!

Each night before we leave for dinner, we must drop down the mesquito net and tuck it in under our bed. Mary's net is a lot shorter than ours and she has had a couple of confrontations with it, emerging trapped as a bug in a spider web. But we are all adjusting to the proceedure as well.

Have we talked about time? I was familiar with Central Time, Mountain Time, Pacific Time, and of course, Eastern Time, but have you heard of Africa time? Well, I'd love to explain it to you but I don't quite have it down yet. We meet in the lobby for breakfast and then wait for the van to come get us. 9:00 can mean 8:50 or 10:30 am. And 11:00 can really mean noon. But there is no stress about time either. They are very patient people.

And I know I will not be able to tell you enough about these wonderful, loving people. They greet you so politely. And they sing and dance with such joy. I have been able to see poverty and contain my emotions but to sit and listen to these women worship completely undid me. It is pure, honest, unrestrained adoration and praise.

Yesterday, we had our first time with the girls. There were 37 girls ranging from 12 to 25. Carmelita spoke about Jesus washing the feet of the disciples. That he did it to modle servanthood. And then we began to wash the feet of these girls.

As we began, we saw feet that had been broken and tortured when they had been abducted. These feet have walked in paths that we can not imagine. One young girl was forced to walk on hot coals and broken glass. We saw scars on their legs that we dare not ask about. And most of us prayed silently to ourselves for these girls. And yet they sing.