Karamoja Okkens

A bit delayed but the mudding progress on Caleb's banda.

Greetings from Karamoja! Is it hot and dry or cold and wet? We are never sure anymore. Back in September I announced the arrival of the dry season. That announcement proved premature as very heavy rains quickly returned. (Had history taught me nothing?!) Soon after, Al Tricarico and Jesse Van Gorkom even had to spend one night in their vehicle having failed to reach home due to the muddy roads. We thank God for protecting them through the night. And alas, those days seemed to be behind us until next year (we thought?!). Until two days ago, we had experienced so many days of tremendous dryness, heat and dust. It felt like we would never see rain again. Then suddenly a day of multiple downpours quickly caused such road problems that Jim Knox had to cancel a trip to Mbale. When it is dry, we are thankful for easier travel. But that also means the return of other dangers. As water sources dry up, thirsty snakes come searching for a drink. A very large cobra was recently killed on Miss...

November marks our birthday boys... Today we celebrated our baby Jacob, turning 7 and last week our first born Caleb, turned 12! Another reminder at how fast time flies!

Our Megan turned 9 today! What a blessing she is and quite the helper! Happy Birthday, Megan. We love you!

Dear Friends, Warm greetings from Karamoja! Just a few weeks ago the rains were so great that we had to cancel a trip to Mbale because of severely muddy roads. A couple of weeks of mostly hot sunny days and the roads have dried up. Seasons change but the Lord remains the same faithful God. Karamoja continues to be a land with many souls lost in sin. Just yesterday the talk of the day surrounded the news of a man who had been killed while stealing maize. Apparently, the owner was fed up and desperate after consecutive seasons of losing his crop to theft. He was spending nights hiding in his garden ready to defend his property at any cost. The unsuspecting intruder came for maize but instead found a spear hurled at him. The report was that in the morning a trail of blood led to his dead body. If stealing and killing are commonplace in Karamoja, false reporting is even more so. Today we heard that the man was not actually killed. Instead, the blood was from his hand which was...

Latest on Caleb's Banda. School starts tomorrow so progress will likely slow down for now. Still can be played in!