Where all the cool missionaries shop

Or maybe just the ones that need a real bargain.

We needed 8 bargains. Going back to visit New Zealand in the middle of winter after not being in a winter for 2 years might not exactly be the smartest decision we’ve made. But we don't care! We’re excited about going back and freezing our butts off while catching up with family and friends and getting to share about all the awesome things God is doing here – and hopefully raising a bunch more support to continue doing it!

Anyway, I digress - back to our shopping.  At Kampalas biggest outdoor market.On a rainy day. Over 500,000 vendors covering more than 7 hectares, selling absolutely anything and everything.  We arranged to go with just the older 3 kids as we didn’t want to lose the younger ones – literally, like people are pulling and grabbing at you constantly. (Don’t read this as we were happy to lose the older ones, cos we actually quite like them and while some days I might reconsider, overall I think they can stay). 

Owino isn’t a place to wear fancy jewellery, flash clothes or take your big handbag. Muggings are common and can sometimes be violent. Hundreds of thousands of people are jostling about, pushing you out of their way, pulling on you to buy something. It’s like a rabbit warren in breeding season. Needless to say, I used super spy type methods to conceal my money - aka, hiding my purse strap under my cardigan (how genius is that?) so no-one could see it and slash it from behind, and wearing pants with impossibly tight pockets to hide my phone in. I think I could've had a career as an undercover agent or something equally as exciting.

I’d love to be able to provide stunning photos taken by myself of the experience to give you a better idea of what it’s like, but it’s really not the kind of place you can be flashing a camera around or even my phone  – though I did manage to get a few sneaky pics while pretending to be talking on my phone and holding it as tight as I could! I have however done 2 minutes of research on your behalf and found some other brave souls pics on the internet that I will borrow and give them credit for. Thankyou The Guardian.

we'd already put time aside to go, so we were going rain or shine!

The photo that I’m sure most of you would enjoy (if I had one) would be that of the contents of one of the rain filled tarpaulins that provided some shelter from the sun and rain somehow completely emptying straight onto my head. Came completely out of the blue (but in retrospect I wonder if it might’ve had some help!). Right onto my innocent little head, then shoulders, then rest of my body. I quickly became the entertainment for the morning with not only the many people surrounding me laughing and pointing hysterically at the soaking wet white girl, but people coming from all directions to see what the joke was. So after I recovered from the shock of ‘what on earth just happened?’ I did the only thing I could think of to maintain my dignity and took a deep bow then joined in the laughter and told them they needed to find me some real good bargains now.

All this to be with you – dear NZ friends.  8 jackets, 1 pair of jeans and 3 cardigans for about $100, then time ran out. Next week – sweatshirts – if it’s not raining.