2020 Family Update

 

Hello Family and Friends,

Since we stopped sending out Christmas cards a few years ago, I try to post a little family update on my personal blog (when I remember).  I know that 2020 was a stressful, unforeseen, dumpster fire of a year for many people.  We were very fortunate to be able to continue a somewhat "normal" lifestyle amidst all the chaos this past year.  Living in a semi-rural area means that social distancing was already the norm, and that we are not exposed to large groups of people on a regular basis.  As an essential worker, Jeff continued to work his normal schedule without interruption.  And with our children being too young for school, we did not have to make any difficult decisions regarding their education.  Most importantly, we stayed (mostly) healthy this year.  But we know that many of our friends and family suffered through drastic lifestyle changes, career adjustments, difficult schooling decisions, and exposure or fear of exposure to COVID.  We pray sincerely for hope, health, and change in this new year, especially for our friends and family who are suffering as a result of the current pandemic. 

 

We tried to continue life as normally as possible this year.  Our kids have flourished and (thankfully) been mostly oblivious to everything going on in the world.  Valor is now 20 months old.  She keeps us on our toes and constantly brings a smile to our faces.  She loves to run, jump, and climb to keep up with her big brother.  Riding any possible riding toy is one of her other interests and she has already been getting on the balance bike trying to ride when we are not looking!  She also loves to look at books and carry around her "dollies".  She has daddy wrapped around her finger and always seems to convince him to share his snacks with her (even when mommy says "no").  Valor is a perceptive, caring little girl who is always quick to give someone a hug or gentle pats on the back when she senses that they are upset.  She is certainly a constant ray of sunshine in our lives.

 

Gideon turned four in September.  He is a very smart, particular little boy who almost loves arranging and organizing his toys more than playing with them.  (Almost!)  His newest interest has been football.  He enjoys watching football games on TV, setting up football games using his toys as players, and of course tackling people at home... especially his little sister... which has led to a lot of time outs.  😆Matchbox cars, trucks, dinosaurs, and building toys are still some of his favorite ways to pass time, as well as riding his bike and playing with our dog, Scout.  But looking at books is still probably his dominant interest. He spends a couple hours each day "reading" his books (especially at his quiet time/nap time) and has numerous books memorized at this point.  His fondness for his sister has blossomed lately, leading to sweet moments between between brother and sister as best friends and playmates.

 

Holly has kept busy with the kids and keeping the household from imploding.  Ha.  Her hobbies include not getting enough sleep, changing diapers, doing laundry, making healthy meals, trying to get her husband to wear bandaids, cleaning (who am I kidding?  Not really.), dreaming of organizing the house, enjoying time outside with the kids, and cherishing all those family moments together.  She also likes to read, craft, volunteer, write, and exercise in her free time... Nah, just kidding..there is no free time.  But in all seriousness, she is grateful for the privilege of being a stay-at-home mom and to be able to mold and teach her kids every day.

 

Jeff is halfway through his tenth year with the U.S. Border Patrol.  The year started out fairly "normal" but his workload became extremely busy the last few months of the year - the busiest in all of his years on this job. He worked a significant amount of overtime during some the the busier work weeks.  He also served as a field training officer, providing on-the-job training to new agents just out of the Border Patrol academy, and went through a "riot training" in the event that Border Patrol Agents were needed to supplement local police.  It has been a difficult year for law enforcement in general given the unrest and hostility that erupted throughout the year.  The stress level is high for officers everywhere, and trying to balance the desire to serve and protect with the knowledge that you are a hated target to some is a draining experience.  Needless to say, Jeff enjoys his days off with the family... which he spends doing house chores/projects, playing with the kids, and grilling.  He is our hero and I (Holly) appreciate his desire to put his whole self and best effort into whatever he is doing, whether at work or at home.

So there it is.  Our 2020 update, written as quickly as possible before someone starts crying, bleeding, or needing to go to the bathroom.  Sending you all love from Southern Arizona and praying that 2021 brings hope, truth, and sanity.

Seidel Family 2018 Update

We are not sending out an “official” Christmas card this year, so I thought I would us this blog site to post an end-of-year update.  (Plus, I’ve been meaning to resurrect this random personal blog anyway, so maybe this will be the start.)  Here’s what has been going on with us:

We are still living in a semi-rural area of Southern Arizona where we can enjoy the beauty of the desert and the smell of horse manure drifting across our property.  Ha!  Actually, we love having some pretty wonderful neighbors around us with so many animals.  It gives Gideon (and all of us) the opportunity to see and pet goats, chickens, turkeys, cows, pigs, horses, etc, all the time.  Not to mention the fact that he loves the tractors, trucks, and other machinery that you would find on a farm.  We love the “country” life as well as still having the city just an hour’s drive away.

           

Gideon has been growing in both wisdom and stature this year.  He turned two in September.  This kid loves his cars, trucks, trains, construction vehicles, farm animals, and dinosaurs.  He also loves to “read” and is always practicing his letters and numbers (with no prompting from mom and dad).  He can identify the numbers, the letters, and already knows most of the letter sounds.  His favorite things are playing with Scout (our dog), digging in the dirt with his construction vehicles, taking long walks in the desert, reading books with mommy, and wrestling with daddy.  

       

Holly has been embroiled in the role of mom and LEO wife this year… and is now working on growing baby #2!  Baby girl Seidel is due in April 2019, so it seems we will have to figure out by then how to be “girl” parents.  Aside from the stay-at-home mom gig, Holly still assists on occasion with trainings and presentations for Tucson Refugee Ministry and explores volunteer opportunities within the local community.  

     

Jeff is in his 8^th year of working for the U.S. Border Patrol.  This past spring, he was selected to join a specialty unit at his station.  He is currently on a year-long rotation with the Highway Interdiction Team (HIT) or “Station Highway Interdiction Team”, if you prefer (You can figure out that acronym yourself).  He absolutely loves the opportunities this new assignment has given him to grow his professional skills and expand his knowledge.  Most notably, it has given him a more comprehensive understanding of the criminal element that operates in Southern Arizona and has provided more effective opportunities for apprehending “bigger players” through intelligence-gathering and strategic operations.  Aside from work, he loves being home with the family and takes every opportunity to wrestle and play with Gideon… while Holly runs damage control in the background to make sure the house is not completely destroyed.  

       

We are grateful for all the challenges and blessings that 2018 has brought our way.  What a privilege to walk through life following a God who provides hope, love, and life fulfilled.  And to walk it alongside such great friends and family.  Cheers to 2019!

     

The Northern Tour (Part 3) - Adjumani

I last visited Adjumani in 2008.  At that time, the Hope Alive sponsored students in Adjumani were all refugees from Sudan.  Many of the Sudanese refugees living in Uganda were given the opportunity to voluntarily repatriate between 2007 and 2011.   A majority of the students being sponsored by HA also returned to South Sudan with their families, leading HA to close the Adjumani site following South Sudan’s independence in 2011.   For years, I have been wanting to return to the town.  With recent violence in South Sudan, a number of South Sudanese have returned to Northern Uganda as refugees.  I was hoping to also visit some of these refugee camps to see the situation firsthand.  We had brought a number of small children’s toys and balls to pass out at the camps.

We found Adjumani town much as I had remembered it.  The central town area is rather small, consisting of only a few main roads lined with shops, guest houses, and eating joints.   The refugee settlements were all located around 10-20 km away from the main town.  The camp system, however, seemed more organized than it was previously, although this could simply be my perception due to fading memory of what it was like before.  There were numerous signposts that clearly marked the locations of the camps.  In addition, there was a clear system in place for administering bureaucratic protocols and some level of security at the camps. 

We first tried to visit Nyumazi reception center, where refugees first go for processing and camp assignment when they arrive in Adjumani district.  I was surprised to find that it was fenced and gated.  In the past, I remembered freely visiting and walking through the numerous camps spread around Adjumani district.  (Yet, now I am realizing that Hope Alive had probably gone through some sort of registration process to be allowed to work in the camps at that time.)  We were refused entry into the reception center due to a lack of the proper documents.  We were politely encouraged to drive about 10 kilometers back towards Adjumani town in order to obtain the proper permissions from the Office of the Prime Minister.  Although it was frustrating, I was glad to see that there were some security measures in place, as there should be.

We drove back to the Office of the Prime Minister, the governmental entity which is tasked with Refugee Issues.  What follows is typical of the Ugandan system.  We entered the office and asked to speak with the man in charge.  The secretary proceeded to tell us to sit down and she would let him know that we were there.  (This is Ugandan code for “you are not important and I will tell the boss when I feel like it”.)  After about 15 minutes of waiting, I still had not seen the secretary go in to inform the “boss” that we were there to see him.  I approached her again and asked how long we were going to be waiting.  She informed me that he was “very busy”.  As luck would have it, the “boss” emerged from his office at the very moment I was speaking with the secretary.  He looked at me and I took the opportunity to greet him and ask for a few minutes of his time.  And that is how we finally got invited into his office.  (Otherwise, it is likely we would have waiting for at least an hour or more.)

I explained why we were there and that we needed permission to enter the camps.  He unempithetically informed me that we needed a letter from a Kampala office in order for him to give us permission.  I explained again that we were not with any specific organization, and thus had no reason to obtain a letter.  But he kept insisting that he could not give us permission without this letter from Kampala.  He asked me, “What can we do [about this]?”  This questions is the Ugandan way of indirectly asking for a monetary bribe.  I played stupid, though I knew what he meant.  There was NO way I was giving this guy money in exchange for permission to hand out soccer balls to refugee kids.  We continued to “discuss” the matter while I fed him a mix of ego-enticing flattery that acknowledged his power while also administering a heavy dose of guilt for his obstruction of our aid efforts in the camps.  Ultimately, our persistence won out and the big man gave us a pass to enter the camps… but not without taking a few of the small toys to “show his boss”.  Call it a Ugandan tax.

We drove back to Nyumazi II refugee settlement.  The camp itself seemed fairly well organized with noticeable square-shaped plots for each family.  The plots typically contained a hut and a very small garden surrounded by a crude fence made of scrap wood.  The Ugandan government does graciously allow these refugees to obtain small plots and to grow their own food.  Refugees in other countries often do not have this “luxury”.  However, the plots within the settlements are incredibly small.  There is not nearly enough land within a single plot to cultivate all the food needed to feed a typical family.  The refugee settlements are still supplemented with food from the UN, USAID, and UK AID.  In fact, there was a food distribution the very day that we visited.

We were able to hand out some small toys to the children.  We found a quieter area near a church to greet and play with the children, but of course word spread like wildfire that we were handing out “gifts” and before long we were surrounded by a hoard of children.  We eventually moved to a nearly deserted soccer field at the other end of the camp where our presence had not yet attracted a crowd.   Jeff decided to give a soccer ball to the few children playing there.  Within five minutes, there were at least 50 children on that field.  The area was open enough that we felt no one was in danger of being stampeded.  So we stayed and played for a while.  What followed was some impromptu songs (hokey pokey, head shoulders knees and toes, etc) and games (follow the leader, ring around the rosie, frisbee toss, etc).  But by far the highlight for most of the children seemed to be touching Jeff’s skin!  Because he was sunburned, they were amazed by the sight of pressing his skin and seeing it turn from red to white and back to red again.  Smiles and laughter abounded.

In honesty, this is not usually the way I like to operate in these situations.  I much prefer the type of “aid” that requires relationship-building, builds up the community, and brings long-lasting change.  Showing up at a camp, throwing out toys, and leaving is generally a method of operation that I despise.  However, there is also something to be said for creating hope and showing love through simple actions.  Oftentimes, the children in these camps have suffered so much in the wake of war: being uprooted from their homes, witnessing violence, and living in a constant state of limbo.  A brand new soccer ball or a jump rope can bring a moment of pure joy to a child who might have little else to celebrate.  Jeff and I are just random white people meandering into the camp, but our presence in the camp might bring hope that the world has not forgotten them.  We cannot fix their situation, but we can hold little hands and show loving concern.  These short, singular visits are not ideal, but they can still carry great purpose.  I pray that our short presence somehow planted hope in the little hearts surrounding us. 

The Northern Tour (Part 2) - Gulu

The bulk of our northern tour was spent in the town of Gulu. 

For anyone who has ever seen the popular documentary “Invisible Children”, you will recognize Gulu as a town that suffered much during the civil war that ravaged Northern Uganda from the late 1980’s to 2006.  During the 1990s and early to mid-2000s, the majority of the population of Northern Uganda lived in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps.  A rebel group known as the Lord’s Resistance Army terrorized the local population, enforcing illogical and random rules that would result in maiming or death for those who did not follow them.  This group was also infamous for abducting children to use as soldiers and forcing them to commit atrocities.  When the LRA finally left the area for good in 2006, it took the local population several years to even leave the camps and return to their homes.  The entire region had been decimated, and it would take years to rebuild homes and would take lifetimes to recover from emotional scars that had been inflicted.

Today, people are again thriving in the villages, on their own land.  Memories from the war are still strong, but people can now put those horrors behind them and continue looking to the future for hope and healing.  Homes have been rebuilt.  Crops are planted again in regular season.  Life has returned to “normal”… for those who can even remember what “normal” used to be before the war.

Jeff loved the plethora of animals...

Tea and "g-nuts" (peanuts)

Students practicing traditional dances

A village church

Cooking over a local "burner"

Pumping water

Just chillin' in the village

Helping with the meal

We spent the majority of our time visiting the homes of Hope Alive! students and mentors.  It is a special treat and an authentic look into local life to be able to visit friends in “the village”.  We’re talking a hike, boda ride, or drive through several kilometers of tall elephant grass with only a small worn path to follow.  The path eventually opens into a beautiful space where you typically will find a cluster of huts, a field of crops, and numerous animals ranging from chickens to cows.  This is “the village”.  And every home we visited extended us the most gracious hospitality imaginable.  These people live off the land, off of their own hard work.  They do not always have much, but they always shared the best they had with us.  This typically included a traditional meal, as well as “gifts” to take with us.  Ugandans do not always eat meat or other expensive foods (such as greens and fruit) with every meal.  But we were always fed the “best” foods everywhere we went.  We were given gifts of clothing, cassava, peanuts, bananas… all from people who understand that the richness of life is not found in monetary things, but rather in friendship and generosity.  For many of them, these gifts were given at a significant level of sacrifice on their part.

Assistant Gulu Site Manager (and good friend) Samuel with his three boys

Hope Alive student (and now mentor) Juliet and family

Inside Juliet's village home

Typical meal served in the village.  

This one included rice, chicken, bo (greens) in g-nut sauce, and bananas.

Part of the cassava we received.

I personally cherish every single one of these visits.  I feel incredibly at peace being in these villages where life is pure and simple (for the most part).  And where the people live in a natural state of community.  It is something we simply cannot experience in the ever-present culture of individuality and consumerism United States. 

We also visited the Hope Alive! feeding center in Koro Abili.  This center was originally constructed to feed sponsored students who lived in the adjacent IDP camp.  The camp has been dismantled for over six years and all the students have returned to outlying villages or to schools in town.  But the center still remains as a place of gathering for Hope Alive functions and the location of the main office for the HA Gulu site. 

At the feeding center with Samuel.

Hope Alive’s new vision for Gulu site is to build a school.  The majority of schools in these outlying villages provide a poor level of education.  Hope Alive has a vision of starting a school that will provide quality education to the surrounding communities.  The land has already been purchased and plans are currently being drawn up for the school(s).  The plan is to start small, with a primary school, and to eventually add a secondary school and vocational school in the future.  The existence of this school could potentially revolutionize the local community by providing better opportunities for the younger generation through education.

Hope Alive's Land

We were only in Gulu for about four days – certainly not long enough.  I was sad to find that Gulu site was not having “Saturday Club” on the weekend that we were there.  Usually, I can see most of the children at one time when they gather together for Saturday Club.  But this time I was only able to “catch up” with a small group of students.  This was a big disappointment after waiting for four years to be reunited with everyone, but I was still extremely grateful for the opportunities to make visits to individual families and students.  I cherish the opportunity to continue building these relationships and to be able to witness the "growth" I have seen in these families over the past eight years.

Former Hope Alive student, Alice, who is now a teacher in Gulu.

Former Hope Alive students, Joyce and Nancy.  Joyce now supports her entire family with the tailoring skills she learned in vocational school.

Hope Alive student Andrew (in red shirt) with his grandmother and cousins.