Tuesday, February 21, 2012

The huts explained!

Many of our readers/followers/supporters have asked some good questions concerning our little tribe moving into local Ugandan huts.  The day is fast approaching and the finishing touches are nearly complete.  By the end of next week we should be moving onto our homestead--neighbors to goats, chickens, guinea fowl and  Emma {the farm manager} and his family.  Without further ado, I will do my best to explain just how this is going to work.

The hard working crew taking their lunch break.

Zane inside the doorway of a hut.

Cute little bamboo shutters.

Mom and Dad's hut with attached bathroom.

A view from the backside.

Goat/chicken house.

Goat.

Composting toilet.

The neighbors daughter.

Our family huts are made up of four individual huts facing one another.  The boys and the girls huts are just 1 foot apart.  The sitting room/school room hut as well as mom and dad's hut are across the courtyard. Each hut is 18 feet in diameter, enough room for bunk-beds and a little playing room.  Zane and I's hut has a neat bed made from bricks and bamboo as well as an attached bathroom/shower, which will be used by the children as well.  

Mom and Dad's hut

Inside one of the huts

Basic amenities?  Kind of.  

We had a well dug last year which is now functional thanks to a solar pump.  And although the water level has dropped due to 115 degree days and no rain in two months, the Lord keeps the water flowing.  This water is pumped into two tanks which sit above our bathroom/shower room.  This same room also has a urinal.  However, for now "long calls" will have to be done either in a composting bucket {available on demand} or at the composting latrine a short walk past the goat house.

Bathroom

Shower

Urinal

How about a kitchen?  We have a propane tank with a burner which we will sit out in the courtyard every morning.  A lady also comes every day to prepare lunch under one of the many tamarind trees.  In due time we hope to get a proper kitchen built, complete with a clay oven.  

Power?  We have a solar panel as well as a generator.  It is our prayer that the Lord will provide new batteries to work with our solar panel as well as another panel.  But in the meantime, we will make due with what we have.

Safety?  We will have our staff patrol the farm 24 hours a day.  There is a barbed wire fence going up as I type and plans to put a bamboo wall around our huts for extra privacy.


If you have any other questions or are curious about our life, feel free to leave a comment and I will do my best to answer.  You can also pray for us as we resettle into a new way of living.  The kids are so excited to finally live on the farm!


8 comments:

Anonymous said...

You people are crazy, and we love you for it! Once you have a guest suite hut we will have to visit......well that would mean convincing Surj and not sure if I can do that. They look great though, I bet yall are totally excited.
Danyne

Mama in Uganda said...

We love you too, Danyne!

These are temporary huts...wait until you see our luxury huts! We will pencil you in for the guest suite as soon as its complete.

Blessings,
Summer

P.S. I really want to give towards the Amani building fund...is that possible via paypal?

Anonymous said...

It will be soon. Not sure why they are having problems setting it up but should be worked out in the next week.

spokenandsaved said...

Here we come!!! Can't wait :)

Unknown said...

Wow, Summer they are looking good! ;)

"Are These Kids All Yours?" said...

Looks like you have a great ensuite hut ;) Thank you for all the pics. It is great to see it in pictures and explained. Helps me pray for you "where you are" and be able to picture it all in my mind!

PRAYING as God continues to move!!!!

Anonymous said...

Wow Mer! I haven't checked out your blog in a while but this is all so amazing! I would love to visit someday and meet all of your kiddos. It's been such a long time....wouldn't it be fun to have a girls' reunion? Miss you!!

Amanda said...

LOVE the explaination:) And of course the pictures!! I'm sure your kiddos are very excited about living on a farm.... I see great luxury in your farm! I see a future you and Zane are carving for your family and it is truly something to behold! I am so grateful to have found you (or I think perhaps you found me first?lol)!! Thanks for the neat blog!