Spaghetti A La Kasambya

I've got Ronan here with me this week which is GREAT. (Aside from the fact he lugged a lot of Dolmio Sauce, Spaghetti Hoops, Pickled Onion Monster Munch and lots of Chocolate half way round the world for me, he's good company!) Having him here has given me a a different perspective on things - and it has made it very easy to see that KISS has a lot to be proud of out here at the moment!

Lovina (who is my next door neighbour and one of our older KISS members) spends a lot of time helping me out. Last night she came to cook spaghetti for Ronan and I.

"I decided to put EVERYTHING in it tonight!" She declared with a grin as she dished it up.

"Everything?!" I cautiously enquired, trying to disguise my alarm.

"Yes, all of the spices!" she replied.

Unsure whether or not it would be wise to investigate, my curiosity got the better of me and i glanced up towards the gas stove. There, in a tidy line, were the various pots of 'flavour' which i chuck into various things... Garlic powder, piri piri chicken spice, Cajun spice, Cinnamon and mixed tea herbs, black pepper and salt. There they were on the table. And here they were, in one UNIQUE blend, in my spaghetti. Hilarious. Thankfully Lovina appreciated the hilarity of the situation... Tonight's spaghetti was limited to just one flavour.

Don't Eat Me!

I was rudely awoken from a nap this afternoon (it was well deserved, honest) by a small girl screaming "No, please don't eat me! Here, have my shoes." Somewhat alarmed I lept, bleary eyed, from my bed and yanked the door open. Sure enough, the girl was stood there, handing her shoes over to her attacker. She can't have been more than around 8 years old. "RAAAAHHHH," screamed the attacker "I still want to eat you!" "No, no, please don't eat me! Here, have my dress..." She yanked her dress off and duly handed it over before running and hiding behind a tree. The audience applauded. Apparently it was a rehearsal for a play about what happens if you don't go straight home from school. The things that happen outside my room these days...

Mass was a fun experience this morning. The priests here are on a rota - an African rota - which means that you can never predict which one you're gonna get. This morning a new priest walked in. The girl next to me said "Oh, the people love this priest - he is a great preacher!" I knew that could only be a bad thing for someone who doesn't speak Luganda particularly well... good preaching was bound to mean long preaching... And sure enough, during the course of his sermon he managed to sing three excessively long hymns and a verse of Bob Dylan's "Blowin' In The Wind." It WAS lengthy - but at least it was musical.

We've had a great weekend with the kids here in Kasambya. Saturdays are our 'fun and games' days. Yesterday the young ones learnt a game which i can only liken to a kind of Ugandan crowd surfing... while the older ones learnt an array of new songs. I don't know what possessed me, but I decided to teach them "Rise and Shine." Much to my great amusement, the teenage boys who i thought would curl up and die from embarrassment, LOVED it. One of them came to me at the end of the afternoon and asked to talk to me. When this happens it usually means that they have a problem at school or they need something... I was tired and, to be very honest, not really relishing the idea of having such a conversation. But, to my great delight, he said "Kate, I have forgotten the words to the song. Can we please sing it again?" Sure enough, we were joined by six other BIG strapping teenage lads and, together, we sang another three verses and four choruses of Rise and Shine... WITH ACTIONS. I will treasure that moment for many years to come!

Have a friend coming out to visit for a week on Thursday - can't WAIT to see him - sometimes you just REALLY need someone who will understand why you find it funny that a man would try to tie a bed, a pig, three chickens and a fridge to the back of a bike.

Unapologetic Plea for Assistance!

This week a 13 year old girl came to our office in Kasambya with her two younger sisters and her grandmother. All three of the girls are orphans and they had come in the hope that we might be able to help them to pay their school fees. Two of them had been able to go to school this term, but they had failed to find the extra £1.60 to enable the third to go back to class. When I asked them how the older two had managed to find the money, the eldest explained that she goes to work on somebody's land every Saturday - earning 50p for a day's work. She does this every weekend and saves enough throughout the term for her fees and a few books and pens. Going to work on some one's land is no walk in the park - it is backbreaking work in unforgiving sunshine, often without food or drink from sun rise to sun set. She's thirteen. THIRTEEN!

The nature of KISS means that we are always going to come face to face with unimaginable hardship. But, every now and then, something hits you particularly hard, and this was one such case. She looks so young - but her strength and determination struck me like a sword to the heart. She came today for our Xaverian prayer meeting - she was jumping about and singing as though she didn't have a care in the world - which is exactly why we have such a huge emphasis on pastoral outreach - we might not be able to offer financial assistance - but we can offer a smile or two.

There will always be more financial need than KISS will ever be able to meet. And we are always going to have to say no to people. But, at the same time, there is always more that can be done - and this is my unapologetic plea to you now - please help KISS to do more! We have recently launched a new website which will tell you a lot more about what KISS does - and, once you've had a look around, please do consider helping us out in whichever way you can - financially, prayerfully, practically or all of the above! www.kiddiessupportscheme.org Thank you!!!