Deckers Diary

Dear Friends and Family,

on the Mission Field

Barb Decker

December 2012

Thank you so much for your continuing support. While I was home I was able to make a trip to Ohio and experience, once again, The Wayne County Fair. Just about the whole county attends and I was able to see lots of people in one place that would have taken quite a number of days if I were to visit them all. I was also able to make a trip to Manhattan, Kansas and two trips to Colorado to make connections with friends and supporters there. I saw parts of Colorado that I had not visited before and took several big breaths of high mountain air and pine trees. I also found an Alma in Colorado and thought about starting up a collection of the towns called Alma in the U.S. When I was young, I collected various things: bottle caps, rocks, and stamps, which all went by the wayside. This collection might, too, if I get photos of all the places; but I will remember the quest, which will make it worth it. Of the three Almas I know now, all have a claim to fame. My Alma, in Missouri, famed for Alma Meats, is the Cleanest Little City. Alma, Kansas, is famed for Alma Cheeses and is the Home of Native Stone. Now adding to the collection, Alma, Colorado, with an elevation of 10,578 feet, is North Americas Highest Incorporated Town. Also, while Stateside; I had a recurring problem with a hip. Perhaps its just a barometric joint that tells me of weather changes, but it almost deterred me from coming back to Abba House, in Entebbe, Uganda. The changing of the seasons, I suppose, get a few joints complaining. After a long flight and lots of prayer, I am back with the kids and feeling fine. The seasons are changing here also and I still seem to know when a big rain is coming. It was a little unsettling to come back to Abba House and find that not a lot has advanced to what was purposed for them last time I was here. A few changes: Aunt Rose, called Senga was dismissed and another, Aunt Dorcas, has taken her place. Dorcas is a hard worker and keeps busy, but she doesnt cook as well and I miss Sengas beans. Also, Mama Robinah got fed up and left. My thought went back to the Banks family in Mary Poppins, or The Sound of Music, where in both families, the children did various things to get the nanny to leave. Here, I am sure all will be better when we can position the director of the home to stay AT Abba House. Then permission would be requested directly from the top and the house would

Its grasshopper season! Actually they are katydids, but what a treat for everyone. If you ask anyone if he would rather have a snack of fried ants or fried grasshoppers, most choose grasshoppers. Someone at Abba House bought some and many sat around removing the wings and the legs, getting them ready to fry. If Im going to eat them, I would rather eat those that they fry here, at the Home. On the street, the treat still looks like insect fuselages. Crispy, salty, and tasting slightly like shrimp I ate enough. This was more than last time when I only ate a little. Some legs got caught in my throat. Then I found out that I should inspect the bug, even fried, and remove remaining legs and the long tail thing. As it gets easier to eat these things, I will remember to do that next time.

Uganda Treats

I will support Barbara Deckers work on the mission field with House of Friends in the following way. ___ Barbara Decker Mission Support (Monthly) $_________(One Time Gift) $________ ___ Abba House Project ( ) Multi-purpose dining/kitchen $___________ ( ) Missionary Quarters $_________ ___ Mission Trip Expenses to Uganda $_________ ___ Please send information on sponsorship of __child, __worker, __ Abba House Director.
All donations are tax deductible. Please write checks payable to: House of Friends and send to P O Box 228, Alma, MO 64001 Thank you for caring!

be run more preciselyespecially when I am not here. I arrived on the 29th of November, Robinahs last official day was November 30th and KidsCamp started on December 3rd. Robinah stayed for that, as she was one of the directors. I was very glad for her presence to keep things running smoothly because there were more than 400 attending Kids Camp and more than 200 at Youth Camp. The week was very full. Kids Camp Kids Camp, went from Sunday to Wednesday. The children were divided into the Abraham group, the Moses group, the Samuel group, and the Naaman group. The theme was obedience and each group came up with a song, a poem, and a skit, according to their character, about obedience. A competition on the last evening put the Naaman group as the winning team. They were the littlest kids and as one of the judges, I thought they were just too cute. Out of the mouths of babes; they really did a good job. Its so important that at an early age, they learn to obey their parents. Youth Camp went from Wednesday afternoon to Saturday morning. They had many speakers come in from Kampala and other parts of Uganda to speak to them. Friday night was like the finale and at the altar call, eight youths went to claim Jesus as Lord of their lives. Two of them are from Abba House, Scovia Nangendo and Faridah Nanyonga. I am happy to pass that along to you. I really hope to get a few things done or furthered while I am here. I would appreciate your prayers for not only the projects, but also for my health. I have had a few other days that my hip has made it difficult to function to the fullest. I understand the hip pain of others now and remember them in my prayers. I so appreciate and I say again, thank you for your support of me and these ongoing projects at Abba House. I am doing a short term of only three months this time and will be back in the U.S. for March, April and May. I am planning an east-bound trip to visit friends and churches

from Rhode Island to North Carolina during one of those months. I will contact that side when plans solidify. As Christmas season is upon us, Abba House is down to the few that have nowhere to go for Christmas. This also makes it nice when planning for gifts and the meal. We can do a little bit more because we have less kids. I gave the older kids some money to go and buy their own Christmas presentsthat way they get what they want and I dont have that to worry about. They seemed to be very satisfied with that deal. I am, too. A special Christmas meal with a Jesus birthday cake, as well as cup cakes donated by a local hotel, were enjoyed by

all on Christmas Day at the home of the director of Abba House. Gifts and a movie were also part of the festivities. I brought a Christmas pageant program called, Christmas County Spelling Bee, from the US given to me by a teenager friend, Ruby Fagel. I worked with several of the children and we used five of the songs in the pageant and presented it on Christmas Day at the church. We plan to present it one more time when all of the children have returned from visiting their closest relatives. From us at Abba House, to you, wherever you are: Have a very Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year!

Love to all, Barb Decker

Visit our website at www.houseoffriends.org

Barbara Decker, Missionary House of Friends P O Box 228 Alma, MO 64001