Parenting-Stretch

On the rebound from across-two-country parenting, and back to the almost-parenting we lamely offer our sponsored boys. We got a call this week about the youngest, Ivan, who is finishing his final year of primary school in Bundibugyo Town and about to sit for the all- important Primary Leaving Exam (PLE), a two-day four-subject test that will qualify him to enter secondary school. The teacher said "Ivan has fractured his leg". What??? I was imagining Ivan lying shattered, bleeding. When they put him on the phone (his English skills are excellent, so it is easier to understand him than the teachers . . ) it sounded like a sprained ankle. He had been accidentally pushed over in the dark two days prior by two boys running from each other out a door . . and twisted his ankle as he tripped over a stone. We sent our oldest "boy" Ndyezika anyway to take Ivan for an xray. The ankle was fine, just lots of swelling. Just to be sure, when Scott was in town Friday, he stopped by the boarding school to examine Ivan. To his concern he found that in addition to the sprained ankle there was point tenderness further up his leg. He came back and looked at the films, and sure enough, there is a small fracture visible in the tibia, hard to see because the xray tech had written over that part of the film! So we brought Ivan down for a plaster cast and crutches yesterday, and a good lunch and encouragement from his friends and prayer. He sits for exams Nov 3rd and 4th, and his preliminary results on practice tests have been encouraging. Pray for his healing and for scores that will allow him to join the others at CSB. It seems that our injury and illness cloud these past months is extending from our biological children to encompass our school boys. So now we have Basiime on chronic glaucoma therapy, Luke beginning to return to soccer, Julia healing her stitches, Jack still impaired, and Ivan on crutches. A family of the wounded.

The last Sunday of every month CSB gates are opened to parents who wish to visit. This morning we attended the early chapel and then invited our five boys to have a "tailgate" brunch. It was a good time to hear about the ins and outs of exams and school life, to bring them some news of their neighborhood, to fill their stomachs with a hot meal and sweet banana muffins. Mutegheki (far left) is about to finish O level exams as he completes S4, and Birungi (far right) will soon enter the month of A level exams which mark completion of S6. Kadima and John are in Caleb's S3 class, and Richard continues S5 after graduating with Luke from S4 last year. Through various circumstances God has placed these 8 boys in our lives, from Ivan up to Ndyezika. Four have no father and so we function as the responsible fee-paying parent. Four do have a living father, but we have embarked upon sponsorship over the years either out of friendship or awareness of the students' potential or taken pity on boys whose fathers are alcohol-impaired and unable to provide for them. All have been in our lives for a most of our time in Uganda, which accounts for most of their young lives as well. I'm thankful for them but painfully aware of how stretched we are, and how little we provide of the real love and guidance and support a child needs to thrive. Still we pray that our belief in them is a seed watered by the celestial calculus of grace so that an unexpected family tree blossoms.