Someone was certainly on my side today when I woke up to greet Christmas morning at St James as I thought I would ‘sleep for England’! I was EXTREMELY tired last night as I had not slept the night previously (the night when I sent you a newsletter or two!), I had had a busy day, my lift home from Innocent’s was in the front of a builders truck along with my friends Godfrey, his 13 year old daughter Abi and loads of luggage and Abi was then left with me while her dad went to Kamuli in the truck to collect his car and return to pick Abi up to take her back to her home in Jinja for Christmas.

I was very happy to spend time with Abi, I have known her since she was five BUT her dad’s hour turned into four! Abi was quite happy here and shared our meal, which by the way was cooked again by James, Grace and Livee as Fatuma had failed to return from a short visit to her family!

Godfrey did not contact us at all to say what was going on and neither James nor I had any credit left on our mobiles. Darkness fell, James said I should go to bed and leave Abi with Fatuma who had eventually returned but I didn’t want to do that. Abi said she would like to stay the night as we have shared a bed many times over the years but tomorrow was Christmas and I knew her mum and brother Amasa would be waiting for her.

We passed the time playing dominoes, talking about my daughter Sara’s wedding and laughing together. Abi is still hoping that Sara and Owen will come out to Uganda soon and get ‘married’ again as she so wanted to coming to their wedding this May and so she can be their bridesmaid! What about it Sara and Owen?

2016 is to be a very special year for St James as we are planning to have the official opening of the school and James would love it if more of his friends could make the journey to Uganda!

To all FAMILY AND FRIENDS of ST JAMES, please consider having a very different holiday, making me and James very happy and attending this VERY IMPORTANT OCCASION! But in the mean time back to the present day…..

Earlier Abi had replied to a text from Sara giving her a big surprise. Sara replied asking Abi to give me a big hug. Abi giggled and threw herself on me, smothering me for a minute then relaxing into a gently hug which lasted a long, long time. She was on her knees, arms around my waist and she fell asleep like that.

I was rather uncomfortable but somehow joined her and when we woke it was to the sound of James calling “Ladies wake up, time to go!” Godfrey had decided to go and see his grandmother ‘in the village’ which is way outside Kamuli without informing us! He did apologise but didn’t seem that concerned but that is Ugandans for you.

I love them for their simplicity and their trust that their children would be looked after regardless!

Read on…..