Luan and I headed out to Bwera on Wednesday to teach cake baking, frostings, and Bible lessons on Friday and Saturday. We took Link bus and it was a bumpy 2.5 hour ride. George, Luan and I headed into Fort Portal at 8:45am on Wednesday as the Link men had said the bus would leave at 10am but we needed to be there at 9am, after asking several times and double checking. The bus wasn’t there yet and so upon inquiring, discovered it wasn’t due for at least an hour. So we decided to go get a coffee and sit down somewhere. As 10 am rolled around, we headed back to the bus park and waited in the car until the bus came…around 11am. Haha…yes this is African time. We hit the road around 11:20, and the only seats open were right above the back wheels, so it was a very fun ride with all the pot holes and speed bumps, but we got there without harm or bus break downs!
While on the bus, which seat 60 people and standing room if needed, a Link ticket guy tried to get set me up with his other friend on the bus. Kept asking me if I would be his friend’s girlfriend and when Luan finally chimed in that in already having a boyfriend I wasn’t interested but was taken, he finally went back up to the front of the bus. He freaked me out though as I wasn’t really sure how to make him leave and surprised that he started asking. Luan and I laughed about it but for real, the men are super creepy here and always try to talk to us. As a “mzungu” you attract attention and therefore comments and questions—that usually don’t get answered.
We arrived at Bwera Wednesday afternoon and were greeted by Pastor Joahakim, the pastor of Calvary Chapel Bwera and good friend of Luan’s. We stayed at the nicest hotel in town, which thankfully had a bed, mosquito net, toilet, power, and running water in the sink. The ceiling had stains from leaks, bugs and spiders, filthy, and we heard rats one night on the roof. But it worked and we didn’t have our room broken into. J It made for some interesting memories though, and for sure glad we had candles for the nights when power was out!
Thursday morning was spent at Pastor’s with his family and counseling a young couple. Then we went around town collecting supplies for baking on Friday and Saturday and going to the church.
Friday and Saturday we walked to the church at 8:30am and the program started at 10am. We began with music, a drum and clapping and almost all the songs were in the native tongue for the area. We had two interpreters, and so everything took a longer amount of time as some understood English and some did not. After music were formalities and then Luan started with a Bible lesson from Psalm 139 on Friday and Psalm 103 on Saturday. Then we taught the women the basics of cooking with measuring cups and how to read a recipe. We made an Avocado Banana Cake, and we had 6 women come up to mix up two cakes.
We taught the women how to bake in pots over a fire. We used a big pot with sand in the bottom and then the cakes on top of the sand, covered by an upside down pot. The sand allows heat, but keeps the cake from burning on the bottom. While it was baking we had lunch and by the time lunch was over, the cakes were done! I taught them how to make Butter Icing and Royal Icing, and introduced them to decorating tips and showed them how to use small bags for frosting when they didn’t have tips or afford them. I’d mix up frostings and pass them around so they could try them. It was cool to work with an interpreter but also frustrating because I had to speak slower than Luan as my dialect is different to their ears or they didn’t understand what I meant. So often rephrasing or coming up with other words were necessary before the teaching could continue. Plus, I’m not skilled at talking to large groups. But God is definitely stretching me and it was a good experience, even if I don’t like speaking! Haha.
After the icings, cake was passed out and the Luan taught another Bible lesson. Friday, she focused on Romans 8:28 and Saturday Hebrews 12:1-4. Her whole focus this weekend was on persevering in hard times and trusting God has a plan for everything. After the Bible lessons, we sang some more and then ended around 4:30pm. Friday there were 104 men and women and on Saturday 70. There were always more women than men as the program was directed towards the women. And there were Christians, Muslims, Catholics (distinguished from Christians here), and unbelievers in the group. 2 women accepted Christ on Saturday which was really cool! We had a prayer time during the singing where women could come forward and we would pray with them or the pastor would, during this time 2 women came to Lord. :D
It was a great experience and such a blessing to teach skills to these women that have no idea that baking a cake this way is so simple. To bake a cake, a really nice cake, the people think you have to go to school and have years of practice. Most women couldn’t believe it was so easy! Our intent with teaching them was to give them more skills, to provide something special for their family and friends, and if they so desire, to sell them. A good, moist cake is normally not found in Uganda even at weddings.
One woman baked two cakes on Sunday the way we had taught. She presented one to her family and the other she sold at church! She paid 4,500 shillings for the supplies for the cake and sold it for 5,000 shillings. Super cool that at least one woman has already tried her hand at it on her own and succeeded!
It was a wonderful experience, different than any I’ve ever had, but it was a blessing to be in Bwera and spend time with Pastor Joahakim. Uganda is a very dark place, but there is light and God is at work.
I should have been there for Luan's Bible study.
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