We found ourselves in a nationwide lockdown from 19th June – 30th July. During that period, I decided to post a picture each day of something that I was thankful for. Below are the collection of pictures, with my thoughts on each day.
You can see all these on my Facebook or Instagram pages.
The President announced last night that Uganda is going into six weeks of full lockdown. No vehicular travel anywhere, which means life is going to look a bit different for the next 42 days. I’m under no illusion that we’re probably going to have a better time of this than the majority of people here in the city. But it can also be quite hard to think about the family and friends that now feel just a bit further away than they did before.
I’m totally stealing this off a friend on Facebook, but I think that it’s a good idea to take the opportunity to share a photo of something that I’m thankful for every day. Because we have lots to be thankful for. Day 1 is the view from the place we get to spend the next number of weeks.
Day 2 – I’m thankful for my dad. Its nice to have an excuse on Father’s Day to just pause and reflect. The more and more I think about it, I’m incredibly blessed to have him as a father. Such a great example to follow and someone who makes me feel so completely loved. I’m told that I’m becoming more like him, which is alright with me! This is one of our last days in N. Ireland before we travelled back to Uganda (over seven months ago) Seeing my girls having a ball with him reminds me of how amazing it is that I get to be a father myself. I enjoyed getting spoiled today!
Day 3 – I’m thankful for these things. The triumvirate: Power, water and internet. Three things that make life so, so much easier. The running joke here is that you only ever get two out of three at any one time. Today, it’s the water that’s out.
Of course we have backups, whether it be candles and battery packs, a large water tank on the roof of our building, or phones/hotspots/mi-fis. But the backups are much less convenient.
And it really drives home how lucky we are to even have these things in the first place. When our water is out, it’s an annoyance. For others, it means longer trips up and down the hill with jerry cans.
May we not take these things for granted.
Day 4 of lockdown – I’m thankful for the weather. It’s like a good summer’s day in the UK all-year-round. It sometimes gets a bit hot, it sometimes gets a bit wet. But there’s always a wee breeze and it’s pretty much the perfect climate. I know that I’ve adapted to it, because any time the mercury drops below 20 C, I start complaining about how cold it is.
The outdoor lifestyle here has possibly helped to stave off the worst of COVID so far. In the years ahead, it will be interesting to see if studies work out just how much of an effect it has.
But, regardless, it makes this current circumstance a lot more pleasant.
38 days to go.
Day 5 of lockdown – I’m thankful that Uganda is very open to us being here. I’ve heard stories from friends, elsewhere in the world, who are made to feel less than welcome in their host countries. They either struggle with obtaining work permits, or are under the constant threat of being expelled. Of course there is the usual bureaucracy (and life would be so much less interesting without the bureaucracy!) but we have never felt unwelcome here.
On a related point, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Uganda has the third-largest number of refugees (almost 1.4 million) in the world. That’s not even adjusted by population, that’s just third-largest total.
37 days to go.
Day 6 of lockdown – I’m thankful for pasta. This is truly the greatest of all foods, and delicious in oh-so-many circumstances. As someone who has not done a lot of cooking for myself, this is my go-to meal for pretty much any time I’m left to my own devices. I will also request it any opportunity I’m given.
The classic spaghetti bolognese is, obviously, a favourite.
And why not try conchiglie, mixed with some torn ham, grated cheese (gouda, if possible, but cheddar will do the job) and a good dollop of sweet chilli sauce. As far as the flavour-effort ratio goes, this is extremely hard to beat.
Even in leftovers, it reigns supreme. Pictured here is tonight’s dinner of old spaghetti and fusilli in Laura’s signature homemade tomato sauce (left over from pizza night, last night.) Dinner of champions!
36 days to go.
Day 7 of lockdown – I’m thankful for open doors. Staying at home can look very different depending on the who you’re staying home with. We’re fortunate to live on a compound with very dear friends, keeping our support bubble size a few families beyond our mere nuclear. These relationships and variety to life are great for, amongst other things, our sanity!
We’re sharing a meal together this evening, followed by a movie night (depending on whether power returns or not – remember, 2 of 3.)
35 days to go.
Day 8 of lockdown – I’m thankful for first times. The power came back on last night, so we were able to watch the movie. I forgot, both how much I love the Princess Bride, and how much I love being with the girls when they watch a good film for the first time. It was an absolute joy!
So far, in the past couple of years, we’ve been able to watch all the Star Wars together and we’re currently building up the the Lord of the Rings. The rule in this family is that you read the book before you watch the film, so I’m reading it to Sophie. (Beth is trying to do it solo.) I’ve just finished chapter 3 of book 1, so there’s a while to go yet…
34 days to go.
Day 9 of lockdown – I’m thankful for date nights. Of course we can’t go out, so we have to have our special meals at Chez Gordon. We didn’t do the cooking – it was an incredible meal from a nearby Indian restaurant. We had to order in the middle of the afternoon, and microwave it in the evening, because the delivery boda bodas (motorbikes) have to stop for curfew at 5pm. It was Laura’s idea to go full candlelight.
It’s lovely to do something a bit special with the woman who’s a bit special.
33 days to go.
Day 10 of lockdown – I’m thankful for working from home. Not the act of working from home, of course. It’s looking through a glass darkly compared to actually being in an office. But I’m thankful that I have the ability to do some measure of work during this time. I’m not forced to down tools completely, but I can still serve through EMI. I mean, that’s our main purpose for being here, so it would be a bit of a shame to have to park that for six weeks.
We spent time last week clearing out our dumping room, so I now have my own space to work. Coffee, bit of a breeze, back-up internet ready to go – it could be worse.
32 days to go.
Day 11 of lockdown – I’m thankful for live music. There are definite advantages to marrying a talented woman. One of those is the pleasure of enjoying a bit of Bach while relaxing in the living room. She says she’s rusty, but it’s still incredible!
A note on the photo: Laura has a very “angry concentrating face” when she’s playing, so I don’t imagine she’d thank me for sharing one of those pictures.
31 days to go.
Day 12 of lockdown – I’m thankful for clean drinking water. We can’t guarantee that the tap water is drinkable, so we run ours through a ceramic filter. It means there’s an added step of something to remember, “Did I fill the filter?” “Did I top-up the clean bottles?” “When did I last scrub the filter?” You can’t afford to drop the ball on that.
It certainly makes me appreciate the blessing in the UK of clean water, straight from the tap. (We hose it onto our gardens, for crying out loud!) But it also reminds me of the folks here who don’t have a filter, or have to boil it, or don’t have much capacity to store water when they get it. And I try not to take our situation for granted.
30 days to go.
Day 13 of lockdown – I’m thankful for running. I never thought I’d type that sentence! I used to get so bored of running. I would only do it if it was directly related to chasing a hockey ball around a pitch. I started doing it here out of necessity, and now I can’t stop!
Running here certainly has its challenges. Our area is extremely hilly, and almost 1.3km above sea level. It takes a while to get used to that!
But I’m definitely thankful that I’ve got my health, and knees that are still up to this.
29 days to go.
Day 14 of lockdown – I’m thankful for the EMI Uganda Engineering Team. We’re made up of structural and civil engineers, and our land surveyor – a mixture of interns, fellows, local and expat staff. As Engineering Manager, I’m responsible for these guys and how we best serve the mission of EMI here in Uganda. They’re a great team to work with and each of them bring something unique and valuable to the table. “…the body is not made up of one part but of many.” 1 Cor. 12v15
The photo is from today, during our weekly prayer meeting. This gathering is a chance to chat about what we’re working on, how we’re doing outside of work, and how we can support each other in prayer.
28 days to go.
Day 15 of lockdown – I’m thankful for projects. When you’re confined to your compound, it’s nice to have a focus of something to work on. I’m not usually much of a “project” guy. Certainly not proper man projects that involve concrete and steel. I’m more the designer that sits in a cushy office. But this is a nice focus to have on the weekends.
The plan is to build a pizza oven using a Swiss ball as a mould. I’m getting some help from Jesse on the compound (he’s much more of a man than me). And I may even learn how to weld. Plus, at the end of it all, wood-fired pizza. Bosch!
27 days to go.
Day 16 of lockdown – I’m thankful for celebrations. Today we gathered with American friends to mark the 4th July. There was a BBQ, tonnes of food, s’mores (pictured) and lots of very patriotic American music. It’s quite the choice for the N. Irish: do you go as British and ham it up as the villain, or do you go as Irish and play the solidarity card? Both have their merits…
And yeah, politics gets complicated, and history has lots of things that can be quite hard to explain to the kids; but this was, above all, an excuse to get together with friends and have a good time. Sure, who could argue with that?!
26 days to go.
Day 17 of lockdown – I’m thankful for this coffee grinder. We just discovered this attachment for our blender, and grinding can now be a motorised process! Our cupboard has quite the stockpile of beans (people might give us a bag, or we mistakenly buy the wrong packet, and it all adds up!) but we previously only had a hand grinder.
Ugandan coffee is just delicious, so it’s joyous seeing a process that used to take for-ev-er now blitzed in a matter of seconds.
25 days to go.
Day 18 of lockdown – I’m thankful for childhood joys. I need the occasional reminder that it’s ok for life to be a bit messy. As someone who loves order and things to be “just so”, it’s helpful to remember that a bit of chaos also has its place.
It’s ok to have sticky marshmallow in your hair and on your glasses and across multiple fingers. Because s’mores are delicious and, frankly, it’s ok to sacrifice a bit of decorum for the sheer enjoyment of it. That’s where the fun happens.
24 days to go.
Day 19 of lockdown – I’m thankful for communication technology. That’s a bit broad, but I’m mainly thinking about how it’s a miracle we can all stay somewhat connected through all this! Take tonight. We were able to Zoom our pastor and his wife, back in England, from Uganda, in the middle of a power cut (2 of 3 – of course). Later on, I’ll be watching 22 men kick a ball around a field in London, with some other friends in England.
It’s part of everyday life, so it’s not such a big deal. But it’s a bloomin’ marvel when you stop to think about it.
23 days to go.
Day 20 of lockdown – I’m thankful for light. The power was off for most of the past 24 hours, and it was a gloomy, rainy day. The lights came back on just before tea, as I was prepping candles for another evening. It’s amazing what a relief and lightness (sorry not sorry) it brings to one’s spirit! I hadn’t realised quite how oppressive the darkness was.
I’ve recently been mulling over that part in John, when he says that in Jesus was “life, and that life was the light of all mankind.” There’s so much to find in that description but, in one way, I thought of my relief at the arrival of the light this evening. That’s the sort of life I want.
22 days to go.
Day 21 of lockdown – I’m thankful for shared interests. I’ve loved space stuff since I was a kid, and I’ve enjoyed exploring it with the girls. They were both studying space at school last term, so we had lots of fun spotting Venus, Mars, the ISS and other things. We used some binoculars to take this photo of the Moon with my phone.
I’ll not be as into horses or nail polish as they currently are, but we’re enjoying this!
And hey, we’re now halfway through lockdown!
21 days to go.
Day 22 of lockdown – I’m thankful for science. I’m thankful that we’ve been able to discover a way out of this pandemic with fewer people dying. What I’m not thankful for is the disparity in administered vaccines across the world. It’s lovely to hear talk of “freedom day” and “life getting back to normal” in the UK, but it’s a also hard, given the large proportion of the world who aren’t so fortunate.
Africa, particularly, is really getting left behind here. There are comparatively few vaccines being distributed. This look like it’s turning into an endemic disease that will, in the future, just be Africa’s problem.
Are we ok with that?
20 days to go.
Day 23 of lockdown – I’m thankful for remote church. I’d much rather church was in person, and I’ll be so happy when we can meet together properly. However, something is better than nothing, and I’m very grateful for all the people who made these online services possible.
We’ve had the joy of joining a few different churches over the past 18 months. Today, we were with One Life Church, Kampala, our home church here. But we’ve also recently been able to join one of our supporting churches, Holy Trinity Church, and Newark Evangelical Church, our sending church.
Community and fellowship have taken some of the biggest hits in this crisis. I’m surprised by how much this introvert would miss people!
19 days to go.
Day 24 of lockdown – I’m thankful for Northern Ireland. Such a small country and such a beautiful contradiction. It’s not fully Irish and not fully British, living somewhere in a grey zone that only international treaties can deal with. A reminder that nothing in life is black and white. It’s so often overlooked or ignored because it doesn’t fit into nice categories. It has played host to some truly awful atrocities through the years, but the people are the friendliest you’ll meet, with the best sense of humour. It’s so insular, and yet so outward-looking. A culture that can plumb some of the deepest truths and some of the pettiest squabbles. A political omnishambles, but somewhere that demonstrates to the world what true, gut-wrenching, sacrificial peacemaking looks like. Seas and mountains, and pastoral countryside that, placed on the global stage, seem tiny. Our wee country.
I wasn’t even born there, but it helped shape me into the person I am today. I miss it. I also miss not having to repeat myself because no one abroad understands my accent.
18 days to go.
Disclaimer: Please don’t read anything deeper into the fact that I posted this on the 12th, nor the fact that the map from the 1860s doesn’t show the country of Northern Ireland.
Day 25 of lockdown – I’m thankful for rain. There’s nothing quite like a good rain to bring joy to the soul! The climate here is pretty close to perfect. Hot, but not too hot. Wet, but not too wet. Summer all year round. Interestingly enough, Kampala has a true rainforest climate – Af on the Köppen classification. We get plenty of rain, but not a mizzle like Ireland. When it rains, it rains.
It’s great for the plants, but not so great for the folks in the slums down the hills. I have to remind myself that what’s a joyous time for me is not an experience that’s universally shared. Another example of the cognitive dissonance that we live with every day.
17 days to go.
Day 26 of lockdown – I’m thankful for the films of Steven Spielberg. When he’s good, he’s very good. When he’s bad, he’s still better than most directors out there. He’s directed a truly astonishing number of great films. The classics: Jaws, ET, Jurassic Park, Saving Private Ryan and others that just casually redefine a genre. The newer ones: Catch Me If You Can, War of the Worlds (gets better with every rewatch), Lincoln, The Terminal, Tintin, Minority Report. Munich exploring the corrosive effect of revenge. Raiders of the Lost Ark is just a rollicking good adventure. Last Crusade with Sean. It just keeps going! The opening 20 minutes of Saving Private Ryan is one of the most impacting sequences ever committed to celluloid. Jurassic Park is up there with Die Hard as one of those films that barely puts a foot wrong. And he put it out the same year as Schindler’s List!
He’s great at visual cinema, his characters are people that you actually care about and, most incredibly, he can make films that are loved by the whole family. For instance, my kids were recently rating Hook as one of their favourite films. And it’s waaay down the list of good Spielberg.
The man is a legend.
Which is your favourite? Which one is an underrated classic?
16 days to go.
Day 27 of lockdown – I’m thankful for the R&D Department here at EMI Uganda. They’re great at pushing us to improve everything we do. To give a few examples, through their research on solar heating and rain noise on steel roofs, we can provide the most cost-effective solution to make classrooms much more comfortable to be in. That’s really important in an equatorial rainforest climate! They also designed a super energy-efficient stove for the Amazima Primary School.
EMI, through its Growing Globally campaign, is fundraising to redevelop our old workshop space into a dedicated R&D facility. This will allow them to push us even further, with data-driven solutions that really improve the things we build. We’re going to begin detailed design on the facility in September. Check out this video to hear more about it.
#designinghope
15 days to go.
Day 28 of lockdown – I’m thankful for rollicking good action. Although, this feels like a bit of cheat, given that it’s a combination of Day 8 and Day 26. We told the kids that we’d choose the film tonight, so we showed them Raiders of the Lost Ark for the first time. They were skeptical at first, but were really enjoying themselves by this part.
We’re yet to get to the “close your eyes” part. Some thing they’re still a bit young for!
14 days to go.
Day 29 of lockdown – I’m thankful for ridiculous ideas. We can’t go out camping, so we’ll just have to camp in the compound. One of our neighbours suggested it, and the grumpy old man in me was quite resistant. However, the kids have had a ball, and it’s actually been great to do something a little different. I’m now planning for a somewhat disturbed night’s sleep in a semi-uncomfortable bed. You know, for the full experience.
Now I just have to try and not think about my own bed a few hundred yards away.
13 days to go.
Day 30 of lockdown – I’m thankful that I’ve been set free. It’s hard to overstate how incredible that is. We’re tuning in to a dear friend’s installation at Holy Trinity, Cambridge – my old student church and now one of our supporting churches. It’s a great occasion, and I’m so happy to (virtually) be with Stuart as this all takes place.
It strikes me that in the midst of all the tradition and Church of England-ese, this, being set free, is still the heart of why we do what we do.
We once were slaves to sin and to death but, now, we have been set free. Now to follow God’s purpose for our lives. Life and life to the full!
12 days to go.
Day 31 of lockdown – I’m thankful for “Freedom Day” for all my family and friends in the UK. It’s nice to see them get a bit more opportunity to have a “normal” life. But I haven’t seen it put as starkly as these charts before – how cases and deaths are so inextricably linked. Except for those countries that can afford to vaccinate their way out of this, you can see how their later waves don’t follow that symmetrical trend.
But for those countries with little to no vaccine rollout, it’s the same old cycle. The same old lockdown and deaths and lockdown and deaths. Here in Uganda, we need vaccines, they’re our only way to break out of that, to cut the link. But we can’t get them.
Yes, the end in in sight – for the usual suspects. And the others get shoved to the back of the line, as they always do. This crisis was supposed to be a demonstration of our common humanity. Please, we need help here. It’s nowhere near over yet.
2+ years to go.
Day 32 of lockdown – I’m thankful for the EMI Uganda office. Of course, I’m not there yet, but hopefully it’s only a few more weeks. This picture is from Nicole, our civil engineering intern, and she’s taken over the EMI Global social media this week. She’ll be focusing on the work of EMI in Uganda, profiling some of the staff, and generally giving you an idea of what it’s like to be part of EMI Uganda.
I encourage you to head over to your favourite Faustian platform, either find us at Engineering Ministries International on Facebook or @emidesignhope on Instagram.
#designinghope
10 days to go.
Day 33 of lockdown – I’m thankful for this nearby oasis. There’s a club within a mile or so of the house, and it’s the perfect place to go for a bit of a break. We had a public holiday yesterday for Eid al-Adha, so I took the opportunity to join the family on their biweekly swimming trip. It’s a 20-30 minute walk (depending on how many animals you stop to observe), but was nonetheless the longest distance I’ve travelled from the compound since the lockdown started. I felt a bit like Samwise Gamgee, “This is it, Mr Frodo. If I take one more step, it’ll be the farthest away from home I’ve ever been.”
In a city where green space is lacking, and open play spaces even more so, this place is a real haven for the kids. And, given that we don’t have to throw them in the car and drive to the countryside, it’s not too much effort for their parents either.
9 days to go.
Day 34 of lockdown – I’m thankful for air travel. With the current patchwork of restrictions, it’s a lot harder, but that’s made me really appreciate what we had. These days, the life of a missionary is a far cry from catching a ship to the Gold Coast with an expectation that you wouldn’t be returning anytime soon. Nowadays, the ability to be with my family at short notice – say, for a funeral, is a welcome improvement on the old ways.
I know that one has to be a grown-up and consider the impact of increased emissions. But, for when it’s needed, it’s so incredibly handy. And the little kid in me still gets a kick out of the whole magical experience.
8 days to go.
Day 35 of lockdown – I’m thankful for these guys – the interns and some of our young staff members. They are all a key part of the diversity of EMI, coming from different cultures, backgrounds, denominations and worldviews. Despite all that, they’re great at living the unity that we have in the body of Christ. And sure, life would be boring if we were all the same!
The interns are getting ready to head back home next week. We’ll miss them, but are so glad that they’re heading back to their home cultures, fresh with the knowledge of their experiences here.
7 days to go.
Day 36 of lockdown – I’m thankful for these eejits. They make life even more fun. This could very easily descend into a sappy post, so I’m going to leave it there.
I’m very, very thankful for the girls.
6 days to go.
Day 37 of lockdown – I’m thankful for clouds. I mean, come on, clouds?! You’re really scraping the barrel there. However, they add beauty to the sky. And it’s a beauty that changes through the days and weeks and months. Before storms, early in the morning or even when they’re up there just hanging out. If there’s one thing that’s been driven home during this lockdown, it’s that sometimes it’s not so good if things are the same all the time.
But not clouds, they bring a flourish to an otherwise empty sky. Good design is the thing that’s not necessarily in-your-face, but something that you’d miss if it was gone. Clouds tick that box.
5 days to go.
Day 38 of lockdown – I’m thankful for brooms. Or brushes, or any other sweeping-equipped implement. What you see before you is the result of, maybe, two days of dirt from our kitchen. It’s not a big kitchen – there’s no way there should be this much mess! But we’re in a bit of a hot season here, so that means DUST. No matter how much you clean, you’re back to square one before you know it.
But brushes help us hold on to some measure of sanity in all this. It’s therapeutic to gather up all that crud and tip it in the bin. And sure, you know you’ll be there again a few days, rolling that boulder back up the hill. But, for now, we can enjoy clean floors.
4 days to go.
Day 39 of lockdown – I’m thankful for Laura. It’s her birthday today (just a smidge over 21). Where to begin, eh? She’s loving, kind, funny, caring, smart, selfless, an amazing mother, a forbearing wife, great fun to be with, someone who gives huge amounts of her time and energy for others, someone who challenges me to be better and then helps me accomplish that.
I love living life with her. I love watching her raise and love our girls. I love seeing how others respond to her care and concern for them. I love her more than I did yesterday, and the day before that.
She’s just great.
I know this isn’t the “best” photo of any of us, but it’s illustrative of a magical day out, as a family, in a beautiful part of Western Uganda. That’s the kind of thing I want to celebrate her for.
Continued on the next picture…
Day 39 (contd.) And, as a special treat today, I’ve included a bonus picture: a photo from our first public appearance as “boyfriend and girlfriend”
3 days to go.
Day 40 of lockdown – I’m thankful for our Intern Processing day. And not just because it got me a trip to the Intern Compound! We do this with each group of interns when they reach the end of their term. Some are getting on a plane to fly back across the ocean, some are just driving to another part of the country. But they’re all drawing a line under this particularly unique chapter of their lives.
This day is an opportunity to share together and look back on how they’ve changed over the course of their internship. (In particular, how God has been working in them.) It’s also an opportunity to look forward to the new situation in which they’ll find themselves. All with the aim of getting them thinking and processing it all in their minds.
It was a great day, full of food, laughter and real emotions. I’ll miss them.
#designinghope
2 days to go.
Day 41 of lockdown – I’m thankful for our supporters. We wouldn’t even be here without them! We’ve got an incredible team of people who pray for us, encourage us, and some who give financially so we can be in Uganda. It’s incredibly humbling to be partnering with people who care about the work that God is doing here. They’re a vital part of our “backroom staff” – as I said, we literally wouldn’t be here without them!
These are the names of everyone who gets our monthly(ish) email of news, photos, and prayer requests. (The word size depends on the number of people with that name – so apparently we know a lot of Davids!) Please let us know if you’re interested in being added to that list. Your name may even make it onto a future word cloud!
1 day to go!
Day 42 of lockdown – I’m thankful for God, and what He’s done for me. Really, this is, by far and away, the most important of any of these things from the past 41 days. I shared this at our Engineering Team prayer meeting today, but I’ve been encouraged being reminded of the story of Peter walking on the water. It was this completely miraculous, incredible thing that he did, walking through the storm and into madness like that, but he began to sink when he took his eyes off Jesus. He got too distracted by all the chaos around him, got scared, lost the real focus that he needed, and began to sink because of it.
And I can find myself falling into that failure. Being overwhelmed by all this nonsense around (that I haven’t a hope of controlling!) and finding myself in trouble, because I forget who actually controls the wind and the waves.
I was reading Psalm 103 this week. And boy, what a Psalm to meditate on! This is how you keep your eyes on God. Remembering all that He’s done. Giving Him the praise that he deserves.
“Let all that I am praise the Lord ; may I never forget the good things he does for me.” Psalms 103:2
Because, whatever happens, He’s still God.
The President is speaking tonight. Let’s see what he says, but we potentially have…
0 days to go.
Day 1 of freedom – the President lifted most of the measures last night. Schools are still closed, and there are limits on the number of people in a car, but we can travel again! I’ve really enjoyed doing this “thankfulness” exercise over the past few weeks. There were some days where it felt like a chore, but if I forced myself to think about it, there were so many things to be thankful for! That’s a great mindset that I’d like to stay in.
I didn’t go anywhere today. It reminded me of what Morgan Freeman’s character, Red, says in the Shawshank Redemption, “These walls are kind of funny. First you hate ’em, then you get used to ’em. Enough time passes, gets so you depend on them. That’s institutionalised.”
Maybe I’ll leave the compound tomorrow…
