Ugandan Baby Shower

Yesterday at church it was announced that we would be going to visit Betty who gave birth on Wednesday.  I was instructed to bring firewood to give as a gift to the new again mother.  I had to run to town between church and the visit, so I just stopped a man on the road who was taking firewood into town to sell and bought all that he had.  When I got back to the village I found Rose and Deborah collecting their share of wood.  When I stopped they were very surprised to see the truck bed loaded with wood already!  I told them we could load all the wood up in the truck and take it to Betty's, that way we didn't have to carry it on our heads. (There is no way I would have made it to her house if I had to carry one of the bundles of wood I bought!)

So we loaded up the wood and three jerry cans full of water and set out for Betty's.   We even added a few ladies and their wood along the way.

Betty gave birth to a healthy baby boy (which I never thought to get a picture of!) on Wednesday.  She went to a hospital near by when she knew the baby was close.  We asked her if she walked, took a bike, a motorcycle, or a car.  She told us that she took a motorcycle...while in labor!  I mean, really, I am a whimp compared to these ladies.  She came home either the next day or two days after the same way, bouncing on the back of a motorcycle.

But this is the way a "baby shower" goes here.  You wait until after the baby is born, then you bring gifts.  Gifts like firewood, salt, sugar, soap, tea, jerry cans full of water, and some baby clothes if you have any.  Betty knew we were coming so she had prepared food for all of us.  So we all sat on mats in a nice cool hut that had just been smeared (That is where they use fresh cow dung and smear it on the floor and let it dry.  It keeps the dust down but can smell very strong the first day or so.) and held the little baby boy and ate posho, atapa, and pork.  We then sang a few songs and then they asked me to pray for Betty and the baby.  It is always such a fun time when all these ladies get together.  I am so thankful that I get to be a part of their lives out here.  It is a wonderful blessing.

Betty is in the pink flower dress.  This was after we ate our meal.

You can kind of see the pile of wood that we brought.  And all the jerry cans are full of water that some of the other ladies brought.

Just some of the ladies that were there.  More where coming as we left, carrying water on their heads, or firewood.

It won't be long until we are going to two more "baby showers"!  Penna (in the blue) is pregnant with twins and has two months left to go.  These will be her 8th and 9th babies.  You can be praying for her.