Hi everyone,                                                                            March 8, 2022

Time for an update on our work.  We are in Uganda right now and dying in 98 degrees and no air conditioning.  Can't wait to go back to Rwanda in two weeks.  It is 10 degrees cooler there.  Each Country and home have their advantages and disadvantages.  That is good because it gives us something to look forward to when we need to return to either country.  Tomorrow we are receiving a shipment of 10,000 PPE kits for Covid.  Aren't we about through with this Covid stuff?  Rwanda is still masking but Uganda is beginning to shed them.  We are still required to wear them as missionaries.  We hear you are back to normal in Utah church meetings.  Can't wait for that decision here.  Receiving a huge wheel chair shipment as this week.  That program has a lot of hic-ups in it.  It's taken about 4 months to get them across the border from Kenya and even though the chairs are donated by the church and are supposed to be free, they often charge the patrons for them.  Somehow that money slips into someone's pocket but no one knows who's pocket that is. 

We have at least three emails per week asking for us to support someone's NGO which usually is paying someone a wage.  Good thing we have guidelines so we can say sorry - that isn't within our guidelines.  Uganda is so full of NGOs it's become a joke among all the senior missionaries.  The white skin and tags seem to attract the requests.  We all joke that when we go shopping there are always two prices, the black man's and then the white man's.  One couple even pays a ward member to do their produce shopping for them because it is cheaper and they get quality produce.  Wish I had that option.  We are in cities.  They are VERY rural.  (Wouldn't trade jobs with them.  They are real sports.) 

Held a bid opening for a medical center last Friday.  We will build a new critical care maternity unit for mothers and a neo-natal baby unit.  Ladies were laying on the ground under a tree waiting to deliver. One delivery bed only to service about 20 babies a day.  All 6 recovery beds in one room were full.  Attending mothers, sisters, aunts, or friends bring them meals until they go home which is usually within eight hours and on a motorcycle holding the new baby. 

We are hoping to start two similar projects at other medical centers. We have several school projects adding new classrooms, squat latrines and water tanks to public schools.   Schools are the bulk of our work.  We are hoping to diversify a little by doing a hillside flooding retention project with the city and a pig farm project with the Episcopal Methodist church.  Both the latter projects are in planning stages.  Funding still needs to be approved.  I can't believe how much work it takes to get a project completed.  It has taken us until this month to even get one started.  That has been three months of identifying, planning, estimating, clearing funding and now bidding.  The construction work now begins. Hand over in four to six months if all goes as planned. 

Our biggest frustrations have been – poor or no internet service, power outages, a landlord who is awful to deal with, and no church credit card to charge office expenses and gas to.  The internet service issue we will live with because there is no fix.  We bought our own toilet seat and tools to repair a few things in this new apartment.  We learned that we pay for power ahead of time each month, not just when the meter runs out and our mission credit card finally arrived today.  We are doing fabulous!!!!! 

We had two prayers answered this week.  In fact, both within the last two days.  We arrived back in Uganda last week.  Thursday was the health center bidding with contractors.  On Friday we had a long list of things we really needed to get accomplished while in Uganda but we needed to have contacts in the government to assist in the goals.  The Area Presidency have published a non-denominational My Standards book that is much like our church Strength of Youth booklets.  They asked us to present it to the schools as we meet with them when doing projects and to also ask for permission to hold Seminary for the teen age students who are members as well as any other students who wish to attend.  We included our needs in our prayers and then moved forward patiently as we waited for Heavenly Father’s help. Within two days both needs were met.  At Christmas I baked cookies and took them to each neighbor and wished them a Merry Christmas.  The lady across the hall from us stopped us as we were returning from our morning walk.  She welcomed us back and thanked us for being so kind.  She asked about our church tags so we invited her in.  Rita visited with us for an hour asking about our beliefs.  We found out she works for the Kampala Board of Education. She knew the name of the person we needed to talk to in education and has made the appointment for us.  The very next day a member of Parliament who attended the kick off to the Health Center addition asked if he could meet with us.  He wants a project in a neighboring district to be considered because their health center needs a full maternity center.  They have nothing and the mothers are delivering in their one and only exam room. We were shocked he wasn’t asking for more in his own district area.  Good man.  And we found out he is a less active member.  He was very interested in our education project and wants to embrace it.  He asked if he could arrange a dinner meeting with 5 to 10 other members of parliament for us to present our program to.  Oh how the Lord does work in little ways to accomplish great things.  We are simply his tools. 

I have sincerely been reminded how many blessing come when we try to live the gospel.  Just try.  No one is perfect at living all the commandments or putting forth effort to be good every day, but the Lord forgives our mistakes as long as we just try our best.  The blessing just pour into our lives when we put our heart into good works.   

Have a great week.  Try to stay focused on goodness this week.  Read at least three verses of scripture every day. Find gratitude in something every day.  Pray to be a tool to do something good for someone and then watch for the miracle.  It will come.  Don’t forget to record your miracle. 

Sister Bird