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Although it's hard to say farewell to Anna, we couldn't be more impressed with Rift Valley Academy.  Anna's dorm parents have been missionaries in Tanzania & Kenya for nearly 3 decades and understand very well our lives & how to look after teenagers!  Lisa & Doug Orner are kind, generous, loving & Godly people & we are so thankful for them & the staff & students at RVA.  We spent the weekend there for New Parent Orientation, where we learned about lots of different aspects of the experience of boarding school - for instance, how people deal with leaving their child yet staying in good communication with them.  Of course these days with the internet & cell phones,we've already been in touch with Anna every day.

Anna's roommate, interesting enough, is a Kenyan who spent most of her growing-up years in the U.S.!  Eunice's father is a professor at a college outside Nairobi, but she & her family lived near Chicago for many years.  Anna's other dorm-mates are from different parts of Africa, some American background, some African, including Tanzania, Kenya, South Africa, the Commorros Islands, Uganda, & Rwanda.

We had a great time video-chatting with Rachel, who is at the Interconnect Program at Houghton College this week.  It's a special orientation Houghton offers to international students.  Amazingly enough, one of Rachel's classmates was in school last year in Nairobi with, of all people, Anna's roommate Eunice!  Another of Rachel's classmates came from a family Rachel had known in India when she was on her gap-year there.  We are very thankful not only to these schools  for taking care of our daughters, but also for the many helpful people along the way, such as Marian Stevenson, who drove our Rachel up to Houghton (NY) from the Boardwalk Chapel in Wildwood - thanks, Marian! 


Drs. Paul & Virginia Friesen, who have been doing seminars this week in Mbale have some books available: http://www.himweb.org/Bookstore/BookOfferings.html. They are the parents of one of our best friends here in Mbale - Julie Johnson, the wife of Cure Hospital Director Derek Johnson - and do family & marriage counseling, seminars, etc.  It was fascinating to hear them interact with Ugandan pastors & their wives about marriage problems in Uganda and the Biblical solutions.  In many ways, the cultures here are radically different from ours, but at the same time there are the same difficulties the world over.   Letters to My Daughters and Before You Save the Date are two of their excellentbooks.


Today we're waiting to hear back from our dear teacher, Erika Bulthuis, who wasn't able to get the standby flight to London she had hoped for - her father is a pilot for American Airlines, so she usually does fine with standby.  Just not this time.  In the meantime, Jon Rosenbaum & ministerial intern David Landow are on their way to Entebbe Airport with Pastor Dave Okken.  The lads will be flying out tomorrow morning, when our other dear teacher, Emily Pihl, should be arriving from London.  We're waiting to hear what Erika is able to sort out from California.  We were originally going to head back up to Karamoja Saturday - the two vehicles together to help pull each other if we get stuck in the mud! - but we may take a little more time in Mbale.

Here in Mbale, we've been taking advantage of a couple of days not driving anywhere to do a few things we'd been meaning to get to - for instance, to get bloodwork done at Cure Hospital.  Bob was recently diagnosed with brucellosis, and Mary & Kipsy had had some intermittent symptoms too, such as achiness, fatigue, occasional fevers, which are also typical of malaria.  They also tested positive for brucellosis & will be on antibiotics for about a month.  We may get the rest of us tested too, just to be sure.  We got to spend much of yesterday with our new Mission family, the Tuiningas, who just came to Mbale this past July.  You can check out their blog too  http://tuiningasinuganda.blogspot.com.  We had a big dinner with them & the lads on their way to Entebbe last night.  Most of them were still covered with mud from the trip down!

Bob has been recovering from brucellosis but is still feeling some of the symptoms.  It will take him probably another 4-6 weeks of treatment to be clear of it.  So today, before the rain began to pour, he was working on some of the Mission vehicles, all of which have problems because of the very rough road conditions here.  It's good to at least get a good idea - from an honest mechanic, Bob! - what they need to have done & which should be sold.  This is just one of the many things he has to look after for the Mission...

Thanks, everyone, for their prayers & encouragement.  
Please feel free to write!Alakara nooi (thanks much)!
In Christ,Martha


And Anna's correct address:
Anna Wright
PO Box 80
Rift Valley Academy
Kijabe, Kenya  00220
East Africa