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The Nsimiire Family: part 2

Remember Gift and her awesome story? Well this is her family and her mom, Vennie. Our afternoon together ended with a family Ugandan rendition of high school musical's we're all in this together -- priceless.

The Nsimiire Family

I read somewhere that joy runs deeper than despair. Over and over again, families like the Nsimiires keep reminding me of that here. The suffering that they experience is deep -- you can see that in their eyes. But behind that there hope --twinkling and shining in the darkness.

 

thai peanut wrap: wake the neighbors

this afternoon we accidentally created the best meal i've ever eaten. it takes a bit of prep--but holy cow--SO worth it. 

if you dont like flavor explosions, then don't make this. keep eating your cheerios and chicken nuggets--by all means. but, if you are among the refined eaters of this world, then you'll want to nosh on this thai peanut wrap every day for the rest of your life. 

here are the makings:

wheat tortilla, peanut sauce, brown rice, sliced cucumbers, sliced mango, grated carrot, chopped green onions, fresh basil leaves, fresh chopped cilantro.*

the scoop on the peanut sauce: use 1 part peanut butter, 1 part coconut milk and 1/2 part soy sauce. I'm exactly not sure about this though. play around. we started with half peanut butter, half soy sauce but it was gross so we added coconut milk and peanut butter until it got better. trader joes probably has some kind of tasty peanut sauce that would be even better and way less work--if you're among the fortunate few in its vicinity. 

time to get down to business. 

and one more thing. remember, THIS IS A FLAVOR EXPLOSION, people! don't skimp on the ingredients just because you "don't like cilantro" or something.* every flavor counts.

including srirachi, obviously. 

*if you're a boy--or a meat-loving girl--you could definitely beef it up with some chicken or shrimp...or beef. 

**which i have a hard time believing in the first place. don't get me started about people who "don't like red sauce/maple syrup/tomatoes/etc." it's mental--get over it and expand your palate.

sunday book club

it wouldn't be an african gathering if it didn't end in a dance party!

about a month ago we started a children of grace book club with this bunch and it has definitely become the highlight of our weekends. we're plowing through the boxcar children and it's so interesting to hear their responses to the issues that come up in a story about orphaned children. 

it has also been so encouraging to see their excitement for reading and learning. some of the things we've seen in uganda seem so irreversible, so confusing and so complicated, but sunday afternoons have become a reminder that there is hope here. something as simple as an afternoon under the trees with these five strong, intelligent, and high-spirited students is so meaningful--not for them (well, maybe for them), but for me. i'll never forget this time that i get to spend with the students who will one day change this country.

Bogere Limon

Last month, Holly and I worked on creating this video for a sponsored boy named Bogere Limon (ugandans go by their last name, btw). After Holly's awesome video editing skillz were put into place, we came out with this short story. This was one of our first few videos we created and we're so excited to share it with ya'll!

Also, I've been working for the past week to get a Children of Grace blog up and running and I'm excited to announce it's arrival. Today we're spotlighting Limon's story over on the COG blog as well. Update your google readers and rss feeds!

canon school