Lawnmower!

~a neighbor mowing the lawn with a gas-powered lawnmower~Once in a while some sound drifts through the window and it suddenly occurs to me that I haven't heard that sound here in Uganda. Today while sitting at my living room table with fellow missionary Rev. Jacob Gillard and Ugandan Pastor Jerome Wamala, I realized I was hearing the sound of a lawnmower from the compound next door. They do sell gas lawnmowers here - I've seen them in the store. But they're very expensive. Most people hire someone to come once every week or two and cut their grass with a gas weed-wacker or their gardener mows the lawn with an old-fashioned push reel mower. I'm pretty sure I haven't heard a good ol' gas-powered lawn mower since I arrived. Believe it or not, it's actually a kind of comforting "normal" sound. Honestly, I never expected the sound of a lawnmower to make me feel at home. I guess you can't expect the unexpected. -Shauen