A Warm Thanksgiving - Thursday November 25th

Happy Thanksgiving to all back in the States! It is hard to believe that today is actually Thanksgiving - No snow on the ground here...the grass hasn't started turning the Christmas brown yet and the past few days have been rather warm. The American Staff are having a Thanksgiving meal together this evening, which should be loads of fun, but without crisp late Fall weather, it just feels strange.

I finished the New Hope Institute of Childcare and Family last Friday. The 5-month course was such a learning experience and God did a lot in my heart through the class.

One of my very good friends, Cara, is here to stay with me until I go back to the States for Christmas and my brother's wedding - We head back on Saturday the 4th and I hopefully will be back in my hometown that evening...crossing the world in 1 day is quite the journey!

Well, I thought my Uganda initiation was complete with my jigger removal, but I was very wrong. I encountered my first bout with Malaria in the middle of October - the medication worked beautifully and I had many praying for me. And 2 days ago, I had a battle with a fuzzy caterpillar that decided to jump on my sweater and leave its oh-so-itchy prickly 'fuzz' on me, of which I am still experiencing the effects. It made its way across my collarbone and then I flung it off using my hand - and now I have itchy bumps on both. These fuzzy caterpillars are so different from the ones that I used to be entranced with as a child.

Three crazy North Dakotans (Cara, Andrew, and myself) decided to head on up to Murchison Falls for a safari last weekend - we took the plunge and drove ourselves there. It was quite the adventure - We missed a very obvious turn (mainly due to being too enthralled with singing songs from "The Lion King"), we watched a group of elephants run through the place where we were staying while we ate our supper, and we got to see a new part of Uganda as we explored a new, quicker and less bumpy route back from the park.

I will be home for a little over a month and hope to see many friends and family members during that time. Please continue to pray for discernment as we close this year and prepare for the next year filled with many teams and visitors.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Wednesday October 20th - Wow, it's been a long time...

A long absence from writing almost makes it hard to come back to blogging. The past 2 months have been filled with moments of unexpected situations, days of absolute joy, times to praise the Lord for the amazing blessings He gives and trials that cause us to cling to Him amidst the pain.

I spent my birthday (September 29th) out at Musana Camp for our Manhood/Womanhood retreat with the Institute. Musana Camp is still being developed but is hosting retreats and camps for those interested. Located on Lake Victoria, this camp seeks to transform lives by the power of the Gospel. The camp is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been and having a birthday out there was a very wonderful present.

The day following my return to Kasana, one of our daughters had her introduction here and that was a joyful event. The introduction ceremony is a prelude to a wedding and involves the declaration of intent to be married. The event was beautiful and went smoothly.

A team arrived the beginning of October and was involved with water purification and medical outreaches. Another team arrived on Monday and will be serving in similar ways. This is the second-to-last team with the last team arriving to Kasana the beginning of November. I can't believe that I will be home to be with my family over Christmas in about 6 weeks.

We have now entered day 8 without power - for those of you praying, please pray for our power situation. We are blessed to have power when we do, but when we don't have it, it just makes things a little complicated.

I had my first jigger - my Ugandan initiation is complete - hopefully there aren't anymore tests to be passed.

Well, since power is very precious right now, so I better be signing off. Until next time...

Monday, August 30th - International Marketing

Wowzers! Where did the week go! It's Monday Again!

It has been a rainy week - officially in rainy season! The rain is a great way to cool off the days, but makes for a very greasy mess!

I went to Kiwoko on Saturday for the market and sported the amazing Pioneer HiBred bag - I carried all my fruit and vegetable findings in it and I'm thinking - a promotion in International Marketing? I mean if I want to be fair to the classes I took on International Marketing, I would have to say that there really isn't a market for it now, but maybe with proper research, you never know.

We just had the longest power outage since I have been here - The power went out on Saturday of last week and officially came back on Friday - With little blips on and off ever since. I don't quite trust it yet, so I will hold off on buying anything that needs absolute freezing or refrigeration.

The vehicle situation that I mentioned last week turned out to be fine. The team made it back safe and sound, but they weren't able to go on all their scheduled safari events. But they definitely had an adventure of their own - regardless of the wild animals.

Tuesday, August 24th - Please power, please

We are going on day 3 without power - since I arrived in June, this is the longest we have been without electricity. My thoughts of getting solar power for my house are coming back.....contents in the freezer...please don't go bad!

The team is away on safari right now, but they have done some terrific work in the new Babyhouse. Hopefully they will have one more good day to work before their departure. The next team doesn't arrive until the end of September, so we are going to enjoy the month of silence before 3 teams come back to back to back.

No bats, rats, snakes or anything of the like lately - which I am grateful for. Sunday night, I did receive a lesson in Ugandan cooking. It wasn't truly traditional cooking, but it did include Royco - one of the main spices/beef stock in Uganda. It seems that you can put Royco into anything and make it into something.

As I finish this, still no power and a vehicle/team situation on my hands - If your are praying, please pray for the power and the team.

Thursday, August 19th - Dance Party!

The day has been a hot one - some may say, "well, duh!" but the past week has been so cold. "Cold" is relative, I know, but when you are sitting outside and are still shivering, then I think it is classified as cold - no matter where you are from. So, for the record, it does get very cold in Africa!

The team that is here is still working on the new Babyhouse - any little bit of progress makes such a difference. I just found out the other day that the team working on the babyhouse were the ones who did the ground breaking of the building back in 2008. 2 years later, it still is not finished, but with many factors - lack of funding, manpower, and other projects, we are so thankful to have some manpower and finances from this team and other places. Baby steps...

As I hear more of the stories of the children who are a part of my life and New Hope as a whole, I am so thankful for 1. the babyhouse, 2. family group parents, and 3. the early adulthood department, as well as so many more departments, people, and families. The stories and testimonies that I hear reveal how Awesome God's grace and mercy is toward children and how much He has been glorified through them all.

School holiday is winding down rather quickly for the secondary school students (the Primary school students continue their holiday until the 1st week in August.) At David Family tonight, one of the boys wanted to dance, and I happened to have my computer in my bag, so I tried to find a song that would be the right beat for him to dance to. I don't think I ever found "the one," but the other kids seemed to enjoy whatever I was playing - A dance party (my first one here) had erupted amongst the younger children and i brought back memories of college days - what fun it was!

Monday, August 16th

The past few days have been rather uneventful - no bats, rats, a few centipedes and spiders, but nothing too bizarre. On Saturday I bought a lawn mower - A 2 foot long metal shaft with a 7 inch blade on the bottom. I kind of resembles a short golf putter, but the arm motion is completely different. "Slashers" are what they are fondly known as and I used to be terrified of using one, with the fear of chopping a limb off - either one of my own, or someone else's - but I am slowly getting the hang of it. But a lawn mower for $1.25, I thought it was pretty good.

The power have been great for the days that it is on, and not so great the other times. We had a 2 day outage last week, which had people, including me, a tad bit stressed.

We watched a movie with David Family last night - The movie had many kinds of extreme sports in it, and it was fun to try and explain it all to them and hear the "wow! ooh!" as they were watching snowboarding, surfing and other sports that don't exist here.

The new Babyhouse is being worked on by a team that just arrived on Saturday. They have been accomplishing a lot so far and I can't wait to see how much is completed by the time they leave!

Tuesday, August 10 - "You Plow Like a Man"

I just got back from a bonfire and what fun we had! JetPuffed marshmallow, s'mores, firelight, hot chocolate, good conversation = a good evening! Having bonfires is something that I miss about not being back in North Dakota during the summer, but I had a little bit of home in Uganda tonight.

Plowing with David Family went well again - I am slowly getting the hang of it. I must have made a vast improvement since last time because as I was plowing, I received the comment, "You plow like a man." I guess I will take it as a compliment...

Friday evening, I came home to find that I had a roommate. I wasn't expecting this one, nor did I want to welcome it - A bat decided to perch itself on one of my screens and haunt me - bringing back the fear of my bat experience in 2008. I ran to my neighbors to see what I should do. Do I hit it from the outside? from the inside and risk being attacked? I had no idea. We formed a plan to hit the bat from the outside in order to stun the bat and then go in for the kill.

I hit the bat, sending it flying across my living room and then after much "You can do it Hannah" pep talk, I braved the fateful walk into my own house - where the bat (which was tiny) had taken over. I found the creature in the corner, behind a chair and had no choice but to give it a good lethal thwap. (It took me about 5 minutes to summon up enough guts to hit it) but I did and now I have another "First" to mark off my list. Rat killer - check. Bat killer - check. Snake killer - hopefully never.

Saturday morning, the children in the family group nearest to my house were wondering what was going on Friday night - We had been strategizing (rather loudly), laughing, screaming, taking pictures - all for this tiny bat.

When the new babyhouse gets finished (which is located next door to my house) I will have to keep my late-night animal hunting adventures to a minimum I guess.

Monday, August 2nd - A week of Firsts

This past week was a week of victorious firsts - I saw my first snake! I have been hearing stories about these amazing, scary, dangerous, sneaky creatures, but have never laid eyes on one here. On Wednesday, I kept hearing a 'thwap, thwap, thwap' outside and I finally went out to find one of my 4-plex neighbors hitting a snake, that was resting on the verandah, with a stick. Now, let me clue you all in on a little secret - this snake was about the size of an earthworm - but it was black and it had the potential to grow into a very large, venomous creature. So, needless to say, the snake wasn't anything to be nervous about, but I can say that I have seen one!

Another 'first' that I was able to do was oxen plowing. I joined my family group for an afternoon of ox plowing and let me tell you; it is harder and easier than it looks. Harder in keeping it straight, but easier because I need to remember that the oxen are the ones doing the plowing - not me. At least I was able to give a few people some laughs.

As I was walking to church on Sunday morning, I got to see my first "Snake Stoning." There was a green black mamba - I don't know how that works, but they said it was a black mamba - even though it was green. People were stoning it outside of the church, which was rather humorous. But the men and boys were being our protecters by getting rid of a potential threat.

My final "First" for the week started yesterday - I was going to wash dishes and I heard a rattling behind one of my jerri cans and some 'fleshy feet' ran across my own foot! I let out a nice yelp and 2 friends came to my rescue. I then recruited 2 guys from across the way to play "Rat Hunt." Since the Sunday Volleyball games were cancelled due to the rain, I figured this would be a nice activity for them to do - and I was also too freaked out to search for it. They set the traps laced with a rat's favorite - tomato. This afternoon, I caught my first rat! It was quite the sick thrill - The thing was so gross, but I did take a picture of it.

Hopefully all the startling "Firsts" are finished for at least a while. But now that I think of it - startling "Seconds" are sometimes equally as frightening...

Tuesday, July 28th

Experiencing a bit of writer's block today - As I sit at my kitchen table, I was caught staring at my 2 dozen roses that I bought in Kampala - Where else could I find 2 dozen beautiful roses for $1.50? Bargain of the week - Grandma Helen, you should be proud!

Friday, July 23rd - Glory Days

This past week feels as if it was barely here. It has come and gone and now I'm here - haven't written anything since Sunday.

Interesting story that pertains to teams -The team that just left Kasana went on safari over the weekend. On Monday, the day they were due to arrive back at Kasana, I receive a text message from a New Hope Staff member who was hosting the team on safari. The text said that the 'thing that holds the front wheels together had broken.' My immediate reaction was one that I am not too proud of - I busted out laughing! What actually had happened was that the thingy that keeps both wheels steering in the same direction (I am by no means a mechanic) had broken and a team member used his belt to hold it together until they were able to push the vehicle to a safe spot. The team made it back safely - many hours after their anticipated arrival, but they made it back. We sent up different vehicles to retrieve them and now they all have a story or two to tell everyone back home.

I am finally finished with my parasite medication - at times, the medication's side effects were worse than the parasite. But for now, I'm fine.

Yesterday was the Institute's turn to help maize harvest. It was fun to be out and working alongside my classmates and the students from the secondary school. Picking maize brought back the glory days of selling sweet corn as a child. Oh, how I thought it was the worst job ever! Especially when my grandma made me wear a sign advertising our sweet corn!

Today is Parent's Day at the Primary School. We are playing games, laughing and enjoying one another's company. Supposedly I am one of the judges, but I will have to wait and see. Whatever I end up doing, I'm sure it will be a blast. The kids in David Family are sure excited to participate in it!

Sunday, July 18 - Beauty

Well, I am back - I apologize for my silence. The past few days have been rather rough, but thankfully I am on the mend. My first encounter with a parasite has proven to be one that I hope to never experience again, but sadly may come in contact with in the future.

One of the current teams at New Hope is leaving today for another ministry in Uganda and it is going to be sad to see them go. They were such a help in the Primary school and their enthusiasm and joy for what they are doing is something that can only be brought on by the Father. What a blessing they have been.

Family Group last night was something absolutely beautiful - it is hard to explain though. The power was out, so the moon and stars were the only lights in the sky. The whole family sat outside the main banda, and with guitar and djembes in hand, we all sang and sang and sang. It felt like something out of a movie - so peaceful, amongst all the potential chaos around us - singing praises to their Father and doing so without reservation. Beautiful.

Wednesday, July 14

Now that the country has settled down a bit and the power is back on, I can write. Thank you again to everyone who has prayed for our safety here and for the country of Uganda as a whole. Please continue to pray for peace.

My cousin, Becca, left for the states today - she came and stayed with me when I first arrived and it so strange to not have her presence here now. I am excited to see what God has in store for her life and hopefully she will come back to visit. There are a number of people here that already miss her (not just me).

Maize harvest is coming up next week and all of New Hope is encouraged to participate. It is very much a community affair - all staff, students, families, etc. become involved and it is fun to see some of the staff and children in a new environment and enjoying one another's company as we labor together.

The Institute continues to challenge me daily. We are starting to dig even deeper into the root of how our "World Lenses" have been formed and what are their foundations. I am only in week 2 and have already learned so much!

It is technically the dry season now, since we are nearing harvest, but I get the privilege of listening to the soft rain on the tin roof and appreciate the coolness that it brings to the night. Ah, the relief rain brings.

Everything OK (relayed message)

Hannah asked me to post that everything is ok. She hasn't been able to post recently because of a power outage and she is trying to use her computer sparingly. She'll begin posting again once power gets restored.

Reporting live from South Canada on Uganda,

Will Kusler

Hannah's Brother

Monday, July 12 - All is Well

I wanted to send out a quick note letting everyone know that I am safe and well. The bombings that happened in Kampala did not affect us here - One of the many advantages of living in the bush!

But I will be completely honest with you all - it definitely snapped me back into the reality of where I am and has caused me to be even more in prayer as the upcoming elections are to be held sometime in the first few months of next year.

I will hopefully post more later on this evening.

Thanksgiving!

Yesterday morning I was able to join David Family in the gardens. It was ground-nut harvesting time and we were digging away. Ground-nuts are similar to small peanuts and are used to make sauces and can be roasted to eat plain. They said that the harvest has had a good yield so far, but will wait and see after we let them dry. I now have a nice wound on my hand, but it was definitely worth it.

Today is Thanksgiving at Kasana - 2 Thanksgivings in one year! Last night we were busy making our banner for David Family and it looks great! It truly was a family affair - there were disagreements, helpers, hinderers, but overall a good time was had by all. I'm hoping to get some pictures of Thanksgiving up tonight.

African Rain

The team arrived yesterday and they are all trying to adjust to the time change. Hopefully they were able to sleep through the night.

The electricity still continues to be great. Since I've been here, there have only been a few days without power and the thought of getting solar is being pushed to the back of my list of "Things to Do." I wonder if the World Cup has anything to do with the power being so good... After Sunday night; we shall see.

It is hard to believe that I have almost been here an entire month! As I was attempting to fall asleep last night, I remember thinking, "Things feel 'normal.' I really feel at home now."

This morning I am enjoying listening to the sounds of the African rain. Now all I can think of is this acapella group that sings "The Rains down in Africa." The only way they could have made the song more realistic is by adding in some cricket and bird noises - now we're talking.

Dream update: The dreams have been non-existent (well at least of what I can remember). I think I am feeling more rested because of it.

His Story

Today was the start of the Institute, and it was a very good one. We started by sharing about ourselves - our stories, testimonies, how He brought us here - and it has been a great way to get to know people so that we can learn even more from one another. It has been amazing to see how God reveals Himself through situations - weaving in and out to create a story that truly is His.

Another team arrives to New Hope tomorrow and I am excited to welcome them here. They will be helping out with some maintenance projects and lending a hand with the baby house and primary schools. The amount of work that teams are able to accomplish in a short time here is such a blessing. Even if they are not directly working with the children, the work that is done is serving the children. And ultimately glorifying the One we serve.

The stomach flu has been going around New Hope for the past few weeks. I'm praying I don't come down with it. I thought I was getting it this morning, but thankfully the feeling passed. That would not be a pleasant experience, especially with a pit latrine.

Fireworks!

Last evening was filled with fun, food and fireworks. I didn't know if I was going to see any fireworks, but a few Roman Candles and sparklers did the trick. They were just enough to get us all in the mood to be thankful American citizens.

I found out today that it is rather difficult to dive for a volleyball while wearing a skirt. I don't know why I thought it would be easy, but I tried anyway.

Tonight was the first official night of the New Hope Institute of Childcare and Families. It is a 5-month course that equips us to better serve fatherless children. It breaks down worldview and exposes a Biblical worldview - which I am very excited about. And so much more. This is the 14th class to have gone through the course and I believe it is the smallest yet, which I think is going to be a good thing. I am looking forward to getting to know my classmates better (which are all New Hope staff members) and learn from them as we learn together.

Update on the dreams - nothing that I remember last night, but I just took my malaria medication, so we will see what transpires tonight - could be epic!

Tight Spaces

Yesterday was a Kampala day - we left early in the morning, arrived, did the necessary shopping, came home and crashed. I was so excited to head to Kampala I could hardly stand it! Usually, I'm a bit 'eh' about going to Kampala, but yesterday, I had an unusual yearning to be in the big city. It turned out to be a wonderful and productive trip there and we arrived back safely to Kasana before dark.

While in Kampala, we journeyed down a road that kept me on my toes. The man driving the van should be given an award for the amazing way that he was able to maneuver the vehicle in tight spaces, deep washouts and basically impassable pathways. Sometimes I think that nothing can surprise me any more, but then I am reminded yes, things can.

This is the first time that I have been out of my home country to celebrate my country's Independence Day. I still haven't figured out how I feel about it, but today should be a fun celebration with fellow Americans. Hamburgers, potato salad, chips - Oh for American cuisine!

Mefloquine Dreams

This week has been somewhat successful in the realm of accomplishing tasks. I have acquired an office space which has been great! I never knew how much more productive I become when I'm not as distracted by other things that dwell in and around my house.

Earlier this week, I was searching for a blog online and instead found a blog named "Mefloquine Dreams." I thought, "That is a very clever and rather odd blog name, but to each his own." Mefloquine, the malaria prophylaxis that I am taking, has the tendency to give the user some very strange dreams. I have taken the medication while in Uganda in the past and haven't really experienced anything "earth shattering." Well, the past few nights, I wake up having the most bizarre and graphic dreams I have ever had! I wish I could share with you all what they were about, but the content is much too, let me say, 'not for all ears to hear.' Now I know why that blog was named Mefloquine Dreams and now I need to start keeping a journal beside my bed so that I can write down the oddities of my REM sleep. You never know - maybe I have the next "Alice in Wonderland" hiding in my cranium somewhere - minus the drugs.

No sighting of the 9 foot + python yet - maybe it will end up in my dreams - goodie!

What day is it anyway?

I have been here for almost two weeks, and I'm already losing track of the days. And I do apologize for not posting really much of anything. I will try to be better and the power has been great lately, so I won't have that excuse to stop me.

This week has been one of much traveling, in all forms. I went to Kampala and Entebbe on Monday to pick up my luggage, fix a phone and pick up a few things on my enormous list of items I forgot to pick up when I first arrived. I have been making various trips to Kiwoko to gather things and drop off people - I'm even learning how to drive on the 'wrong' side of the car and the 'wrong' side of the road. The hardest part of driving here is learning how close I can get to the ditch before falling in, in order to allow enough room for oncoming vehicles. But I can remember the words of my grandfather - "Stay between the ditches," and that is what I am hoping for.

I went to David Family on Tuesday and it was so good to see them again! And thank you to Gladys, my Luganda teacher, who helped me blow them all away when I answered a question that they asked in Luganda. They were convinced that I had no idea what they were asking, but ah ha, I did! Victory at last!

As I approach the weekend, I have a new creature to keep an eye out for - the kids found a 9 foot long Python skin shed -- yes I guess I am in Africa!

I am Here!

After 3 plane rides, two sleepless nights and an amazing shopping trip in Kampala, I made it back to Kasana safe and sound. Thank you to all of you who have been praying for me and for my safety. It has been great to be back at Kasana and with the new experience of living on my own here, it has been a stretching experience as well.

Becca has been such a blessing to have with me as she calmly helped me shop when I was hardly functioning and as her encouraging words have brought me through days when I didn't think I had anything left.

David family, the family group that I have been a part of in the past, brought by a loaf of freshly baked bread today to bless me and what a blessing it was! I can't explain how much I have missed them and how wonderful it has been to see the family again.

Speaking of David Family, I am going to go visit them, so I must be going. So long for now!

And I'm Off!

I just touched down in London and I'm trying to figure out ways to occupy the large time-slot ahead of me. Turning on my computer turned out to be the smartest thing I've done all day, as London Heathrow now has free wi-fi!

So, now I'm off! After many tearful good-byes, I'm off to be "Gone to Uganda" once again. It has been almost a year since I've been back, and with the new challenges that lie before me have set my nerves racing, adrenaline pumping from sheer excitement and activated an overwhelming fear of failure.

For those of you who ever have watched "The Simpsons", I am feeling like the old Mr. Burns, who at one time has so many diseases surging throughout his body, in fact he should be dying, but all of the diseases are counteracting one another, saving his life and creating him into a medical miracle. I have so many things going on inside that I 'should' be falling apart, but since He is holding me together, I am, as the Ugandans say, 'fine.' The One who has called me back to Uganda is above every fear, pain, and triumph.

My role this time will be a bit different that my previous role in 2008. I will be managing the Guesthouse (the 'Inn' where teams and visitors stay while serving at New Hope Uganda) and coordinating the teams and visitors that serve at New Hope. I have big shoes to fill, but thankfully my feet are rather large.

When I reach Uganda tomorrow morning, I will be greeted by a great friend, Nancy and my 3rd cousin, Becca. Becca will be staying with me for a month as she will serve as my assistant and I am so grateful for following His call to come. I am very much looking forward to seeing familiar faces tomorrow!

I will try and post as often as I can and as always, I REALLY enjoy hearing from you!