Karamoja Okkens

Most days temperatures exceed 100 degrees this time of year in Karamoja. Even so, the many wonderful cards we have received from many of you have enabled us to say – ‘It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas’. It doesn’t hurt that the kids are super excited about opening gifts. We plan to just stay around Nakaale and celebrate with the rest of our Mission station here. The Nakaale church will gather for a service in the afternoon on Christmas Eve. We wish you all much joy as we remember the birth of the Savior. Merry Christmas!

Just after dinner, Caleb looked out the window and noticed that two of our Mission’s night watchmen were pursuing something with their bows and arrows. When I ran out they told me that an ‘ebokoli’ (the Karimojong word for King Cobra) had been on our compound but that they had chased it to where it was hiding in a pile of wood. Caleb and Megan were both interested enough to want to watch the hunt but fearful enough to insist on being in dad’s arms. We stood back at a safe distance and watched the men carefully pull away pieces of wood until the big black and yellow snake could no longer hide. It finally put its head up and flared its neck as cobras do. Loumo Peter (pictured in the blue shirt) reacted quickly with his bow and, to my amazement, sunk the very first arrow he shot right in the throat. With several more arrows followed by many blows to the head, they finished off the beast. The body was still quivering for quite some time but only slightly at the time that Caleb had finally ...