Tonight we go to bed tired but full, not only of food but also of the
blessing of community. From the dramatic sacrifice of the turkey this
morning (spouting blood, wings firmly held down by the scalpel-
wielding Scott) to the last hour of the late night, sitting out on our
brick patio by candlelight guffawing over Heidi's acting and Nathan's
chagrin as we played "basket of nouns", it was a day to remember.
Hospital rounds were as quick as I could make them (this is after all
NOT a Ugandan holiday) and then the rest of the day was devoted to
cooking and cleaning. The clan gathered at 4, all 29 of us, team and
visitors reciting a Psalm of Thanksgiving responsively (136) and then
delving into the feast. It is truly amazing what creative and
motivated people can come up with in the way of American traditional
cooking in Africa: apple pies to mashed potatoes and gravy, we had it
all. Barb decided to inject some Texas culture into our mix, and with
barely an hour of digestion we were out in the yard as the sun sank
into pink, for sack races, an egg toss, tug of war, even a game to
capture the flag of a bandana tied to a real live goat. A couple of
Ugandan friends stopped in and got drawn into the fun, and dozens
others were quite entertained from the path I'm sure. Then dessert,
the first official Christmas movie of the season (Charlie Brown
Christmas), a short goodbye and thanks to the Ryans, some washing up
and at last the game. I am thankful for our team today.
Tonight we go to bed tired but full, not only of food but also of the
blessing of community. From the dramatic sacrifice of the turkey this
morning (spouting blood, wings firmly held down by the scalpel-
wielding Scott) to the last hour of the late night, sitting out on our
brick patio by candlelight guffawing over Heidi's acting and Nathan's
chagrin as we played "basket of nouns", it was a day to remember.
Hospital rounds were as quick as I could make them (this is after all
NOT a Ugandan holiday) and then the rest of the day was devoted to
cooking and cleaning. The clan gathered at 4, all 29 of us, team and
visitors reciting a Psalm of Thanksgiving responsively (136) and then
delving into the feast. It is truly amazing what creative and
motivated people can come up with in the way of American traditional
cooking in Africa: apple pies to mashed potatoes and gravy, we had it
all. Barb decided to inject some Texas culture into our mix, and with
barely an hour of digestion we were out in the yard as the sun sank
into pink, for sack races, an egg toss, tug of war, even a game to
capture the flag of a bandana tied to a real live goat. A couple of
Ugandan friends stopped in and got drawn into the fun, and dozens
others were quite entertained from the path I'm sure. Then dessert,
the first official Christmas movie of the season (Charlie Brown
Christmas), a short goodbye and thanks to the Ryans, some washing up
and at last the game. I am thankful for our team today.
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