Insert name there

This is a letter I found somewhere online.  I will tell Sarah's story after this one. This letter is kinda like how Sarah tells stories.

Dear Mom and Dad,

Our scoutmaster told us all to write to our parents in case you saw the flood on TV and worried.  We are OK. Only 1 of our tents and 2 sleeping bags got washed away.  Luckily, none of us got drowned because we were all up on the mountain looking for Chad when it happened.  Oh yes, please call Chad's mother and tell her he is OK.  He can't write because of the cast.  I got to ride in one of the search & rescue jeeps, it was neat!  We never would have found him in the dark if it hadn't been for the lightning.  Scoutmaster Webb got mad at Chad for going on a hike alone without telling anyone.  Chad said that he did tell him, but it was during the fire so Mr. Webb probably didn't hear him.  Did you know that if you put gas on a fire, the gas can will blow up?  The wet wood still didn't burn, but one of our tents did.  Also some of our clothes. John is going to look weird until his hair grows back.  We will be home on Saturday if Scoutmaster Webb gets his car fixed.  It wasn't his fault about the wreck.  The brakes worked OK when we left.  Scoutmaster Webb said that a vehicle that old you have to expect something to break down; that's probably why he can't get insurance on it.  We think it's a neat car.  He doesn't care if we get it dirty, and if it's hot, sometimes he lets us ride on the tailgate.  It gets pretty hot with 10 people in a car. He let us take turns riding in the trailer until the highway patrolman stopped and talked to us.  Scoutmaster Webb is a neat guy.  Don't worry, he is a good driver. In fact, he is teaching Terry how to drive.  But he only lets him drive on the mountain roads where there isn't any traffic.  All we ever see up there are logging trucks.  He has to spend a lot of time working on the car so we are trying not to cause him any trouble.  This morning all of us were diving off the rocks and swimming out in the lake.  Scoutmaster Webb wouldn't let me because I can't swim, and Chad was afraid he would sink because of his cast, so he let us take the canoe across the lake.  It was great.  You can still see some of the trees under the water from the flood.  Scoutmaster Webb isn't crabby like some scoutmasters.  He didn't even get mad about the life jackets.  Guess what? We have all passed our first aid merit badges.  When Dave dove in the lake and cut his arm, we got to see how a tourniquet works.  Also, Wade and I threw up.  Scoutmaster Webb said it probably was just food poisoning from the leftover chicken.  He said he got sick that way with the food he ate in prison.  I'm so glad he got out and became our scoutmaster.  He said he sure figured out how to get things done better while he was doing his time.  I have to go now.  We are going into town to mail our letters and buy some more bullets.  Don't worry about anything.  We are fine.

Love, ___________

So, Sarah was talking to her parents about their trip here to Uganda in July.  She was reviewing some itinerary items and what we will do here in Uganda with them.  This is how the conversation went, and yes, it was all Sarah talking.

So, one of the other things we could do is go to the prison that we have been visiting.

We were thinking about having a party with them before we go since they don't get good food there.

So, we would get a few goats, but we wouldn't have to slaughter them, the prisoners would.

Well, ya, they could because there are even machetes in the prison.

(Stuart slaps forehead)

No, no, like, it is REAAALY low security.

(Stuart stares at Sarah in disbelief)

No, its not like they are murderers and rapist.

Or we could do a Stampede breakfast with our neighbours.

(Stuart nods his head vigorously)

Sarah's Dad: Ya, the pancake breakfast sounds like a good idea..... we could help with that......

So, what are we doing at the prison???  and what is it like???  Well, it is a minimum security prison.  Most of the guys there are in for getting in a drunken bar fight, or small time B&E.  (for those of you who are not friends with "prison Mike" AKA Micheal Scott, B&E is what those in the Clink call breaking and entering)  These guys are not hardened criminals, they are good guys who made bad choices when a policeman was near by.  The first day I went there one of the inmates translated for me because he was a school teacher.  So do they have machetes? Um, yes they do, to chop the fire wood to cook their food.  But actually, that is not really the alarming part.  The more concerning part is the "wall" and the "gate" that "prevent" the inmates from escaping.  The wall is a barbwire fence with a hedge growing in it.  It is about 6 feet tall, except for the one place where it is about 4 feet tall.  Yes, this is where 4 of them escaped from last week.  But they caught them right away, with the other inmates help.  Thats right, at this prison, when there is a prison break, they get the non escaping inmates to catch the ones that are escaping.  Now on to the gate.  Picture the lock that you put on your luggage.  Now picture a slightly larger one.  Now imagine it locking a wooden gate, kinda like the one to your backyard.  Now imagine the gate is 30 years old.  Bingo.  The funny thing is, they actually keep it locked unless someone needs in or out.  Ok, so there are 2 main factors that keep these guys in control.  First, they are all there for a short time, and attempting to escape would likely double their sentence.  Second, there are guards that stand outside the fence with big shiny fully loaded AK-47's.  To say the least, we feel very safe, no really, we do.

So, what are we doing there??  Every Friday I give a little bible talk, and try to encourage them.  Most of the inmates are Christians, but obviously have a little ways to go in their faith.  I'm trying to give "manly" talks and still incorporate love and forgiveness.  I talked about "David's Mighty Men" last week.  Is good to talk about a warrior who killed 800 men, single handedly, in one battle, and was praised for it?  I ended it with a less violent point on how to have victory over our personal struggles.  They are all really receptive, generally listen well, and seem to appreciate me coming.  It could also be that they are happy to get some fresh air in the yard, rather than being in the one small room where all 90 of them are, but I like to think that they are happy to listen as well.

Sarah spends her time chattin with the ladies.  Thats right, there are about 6 ladies there.  The are in for similar reasons minus the B&E.  Actually, one of the women is in for pouring boiling water on her husband and lover.  Hmmm, ouch.  I am guessing it is now her ex husband and his ex lover.  So, Sarah brought in some nail polish, soap, and hand cream.  The ladies totally love it, and always have beaming smiles when they see her.  They also smile when they see me, but perhaps for other reasons.  One of the ladies asked us if somehow she could be artificially inseminated by me.  We laughed, and she settled with touching my arm hair instead.  It was a little awkward, but not as awkward as a little black Stu running around Uganda.