I am home! Actually I have been home since Sunday night, sorry it took me so long to post. I'm catching up on sleep, visiting with grandparents who are here, unpacking, trying to process all that went on in the past 5 weeks. I can't believe it came and went so quickly. As much as I'm glad to be home, I miss Africa- the land, the people, the other volunteers. I want to share one last post, from Saturday July 25. I spent the day in Nairobi visiting William, the 9-year-old I sponsor through Compassion International. It was by far the best way to end this trip I could ever imagine.
A Compassion staff member, Jim, picked me up from the airport that morning. Jim was a great guy. He was very friendly and easy to talk to. The first question about my family was “Are they all Christians?” He told me how he started working with Compassion too. He was applying with Navigators to be a discipleship training leader, but when he didn’t get that job, they referred him to Compassion. And his words “They gave me this chance to serve.” Not just a job, but a place to serve.
We stopped by the market to buy foodstuffs for William's family. Because it was Saturday, the kids were at the project. I first met Mike, who is the project director. He took me to his office and told me a little about the project itself. The kids come on Saturdays and are trained in four areas- social, spiritual, physical, financial. Twice a year they have doctors come in and give all the kids a physical to check for major issues. They tutor them in subjects they are struggling with in school. They also teach them different crafts/skills that will be source of income for those who do not go to secondary school or university. The area is surrounded by coffee farms. He said that most of the parents work on the farms for about $1.50 a day, but usually there was not enough work for everybody so they only work 2-4 days a week.
Then they went and got William. I could see him walking up from the window and I just started smiling and I don’t think I stopped all afternoon. It was a pretty surreal moment. He was super nervous though. He wouldn’t really look at me and kept fidgeting with the chair. He did welcome me and when he said my name it was the cutest thing I have ever heard. They told him he could go get his best friend, Joseph, to hang out with us for the rest of the afternoon, and that put him more at ease.
Afterwards, Susan, their social worker, showed me William’s file. It had all the paper work from his recruitment, when he was being considered for the project. It had pictures of him when he was little. It had all the reports from their visits to his school, to his home, and notes from his doctor check-ups. I read over them and it looks like he is in pretty good health and doing well in school. He switched schools this year and on the question about his friends, it showed that Joseph was on both lists, from the old school and new. He’s written to me about Joseph several times so it was awesome to meet him too. They were so cute together, walking with their arms around each other. I pray that friendship lasts and grows.
The last page was a checklist of goals per age. It showed which bible verses he has memorized, which bible stories he can tell from memory, and what goals he is working towards now. These people are very commited and passionate these kids and their spiritual growth.
Next I got a tour of the project. We went to see some girls who were doing what they call weaving. It’s what we call latch hook. They were doing a cool pattern that was the name of their school. Mike was saying that when they continue and get really good they will be able to sell them at the market for income. Next we saw a classroom where they were learning to cut hair. A little boy was getting his haircut by another little girl there. Finally we went and saw where the music we had been hearing all afternoon was coming from. They had an electric keyboard and this kid was really good. He could start the bass and backbeat rhythm then play an awesome song. I was really impressed. I then signed the guestbook as we do everywhere we go and we headed to his house.
They don’t accept kids farther than 5K from the project so that they will be able to walk there. I don’t know exactly how far he lives from the project but it would have been a good walk. His ‘village’ was in the middle of the coffee fields. This was more of what I expected when I came to Africa. This is the slums. They were much poorer than the people in the village in Uganda. Houses were made of mud and tin, attached to each other, kids running around, trash everywhere. It looks exactly like Compassion commercials. On the ride over, I had given William and Joseph each a pack of Skittles. They were so excited. William had eaten about half of his by the time we got to his house. When we got out of the car, all the other kids that live near him ran up to us. He introduced us to his older sister, Margret, and then I saw him hand his pack of Skittles to one of the younger kids. How happy that made my heart.
His mother came out to meet us. I knew his father wasn’t in the picture, but I was not expecting his mom to look only a little older than me. But she was gracious and excited to have us in her home. We walked through this alley type walkway, and ducked into their house. One room, divided by a curtain, but with a nice seating area set up. We sat and did introductions and welcoming. His mother said that she recognized me from the photo I sent years ago, but that she had kept. She went and got a box that had all of the letters and pictures I had ever sent him. I gave him the other pictures I had brought and told him that I would be sending pictures from today- Jim was so nice and took pictures of us while we were doing different things.
Then I got to give him the things I had brought. For his mom, I had saved my airline blanket, which she loved. I gave William, Joseph, and Margret each a coloring book and crayons. I had combs, hairclips, headbands, and some animals for Margret. Her face lit up. Then I pulled out the toothbrushes and toothpaste for each of them. They got really excited about the Cars Frisbee as well. I gave him a Tennessee tshirt, which he immediately put on. Everyone looks good in orange. He had told me in his letters that he like playing with cars and playing football. He was so excited about all the matchbox cars too. I saved the best for last. A new soccer ball and pump. He helped me pump it up and then he just held it. He didn’t let go of that thing the rest of the time.
His mom had prepared tea and a snack for us. It ended up being milk with sugar and cocoa powder in it that was quite good. She also had bought some kind of muffins, bananas, and oranges. Gestures like this mean so much more when you know how extremely little they have. Throughout the whole time, every kid in the village it seemed was sitting outside the door staring at me. They really never see white people here. I would wave and then they would get super excited then run away, but always come back. I then presented the foodstuffs to his mom and she said she had a gift for me. She brought out this beautiful red, black, and gold scarf. She wrapped it on me then we took more pictures. When it was time to leave, Jim gave a little speech. He talked about how this visit would ‘go down in history’ not just for William, but for his family and their village and their project as well. Only two other sponsors had ever visited kids from this project. He talked about how they all prayed that I would get to see William grow, physically and spiritually, see him graduate, get married. If they only knew how I prayed for that as well and how honored I was to be there. How humbled, overwhelmed. William was so cute, he was still being pretty shy, but I could tell he was excited about is presents because he thanked me several times. I prayed for the house and their family, then we went outside to take more pictures. It was sad to leave, but it was neat to see how well Compassion is being a responsible steward of sponsors' money and really making a difference in the lives of these people. Not just the kids, but their families too.
Driving back through the countryside to Nairobi, I got to see how different Kenya was than Uganda. Kenya has a different smell than Uganda. It sounds funny, and I didn’t think about it when I was in Uganda, but it has a unique smell. I don’t know how to describe the smells because they are not always pleasant, but they were different. It was more of what I imagined Africa to be, more brown than green, flat, Acacia trees growing everywhere. I miss the lushness and mountains of Uganda already. I did like the city of Nairobi more than Kampala. Maybe it was because I was there during the day. Or maybe it was because the roads were much better.
Thank you all for your love, prayers, and support. This was a life-changing trip.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Tuesday- July 21
Today was probably one of the most eventful and emotional days thus far in Uganda. The morning started off with Mike and Lisa leaving early, and then everyone just hung out for a little while. During my quiet time this morning, God continued to reveal to me more about being in my comfort zone versus being in His will. The two are not always mutually exclusive and being comfortable is not always a bad thing. It’s when being content in your circumstances gets in the way of seeking Christ at every moment of every day that is the issue. As quickly as I was pulled out of my comfort zone and made to rely solely on God, I find myself in a comfortable place, where my actions reflect confidence in me. When I finally really understood what was being asked of me, my response was immediate and real. “I want to live a transformed life, Lord. I don’t want to be comfortable anymore.” Thinking back to those couple weeks when I was fully out of my comfort zone and realizing that I just asked for that again, a little scary. But it was real and it was Christ, and that is what I long for.
At the clinic this morning, my computer was being used again, so I sat in with Justine. She likes to have company, I learn a lot, and it because I’m sitting at the computer she sits by the patient and actually touches/examines the patient. That’s a huge step forward from the no touch method which they normally use. And Justine is hilarious, so I enjoy it.
Meaghan came in at one point and said that there was a kid outside with fungus all over there body- from their head to stomach, on the right side. It’s not uncommon kids here to have skin diseases; poor hygiene, nutrition, and dirty water all contribute to it. When Justine examined kid, she found that it was not fungus, but burns that covered this kid. I was working somewhere else so I didn’t see him, but they dressed it as well as they could and gave medicine for pain management. He was burned when a pot of boiling water spilled over him, but was not brought immediately to the clinic. Something that is so common, like the boy with the machete.
Right before lunch, I was in with Justine and a mother brought in a baby girl. She was about 6 months old and beautiful. Justine asked what was wrong and the mother uncovered the girl’s arm. Heads up- next part semi-graphic/gross if you don’t like blood and medical stuff. Her arm was completely burned, shoulder to hand. Burn patient #2. Somehow in the course of the next 5 minutes I found myself and Bryant treating/dressing this baby’s 3rd degree burns on her arm. Parts of the arm were pretty open tissue, but there was lots of burned/dead skin that needed to be removed. We laid her on the table with her mom on one side, Bryant in the middle to hold her, and me on the other. To clean this burn, I had gauze soaked in iodine and I had to clean it until it all bled. Talk about a heartbreaking sound, this poor girl cried and cried, with good reason of course. Any of the dead skin that was loose needed to be removed; we had to use tweezers and peel it off. We rinsed it all with saline, applied burn cream, non-stick dressing, and wrapped it in bright green athletic wrap. By the time we had finished, she had cried herself to exhaustion and she just looked up at me with tear filled eyes. I held her for a moment, and then we gave the mother antibiotics, pain meds, and instructions to bring her back in 2 days for it to be redressed. Bryant won’t be there on Thursday so I’ll be doing it on my own. Out of my comfort zone? Check.
The mother said that one of her sibling’s had spilled boiling water on her arm. It’s so frustrating when I hear things like this, but I have to withhold judgment and think about the culture. In my eyes, this is so easily preventable and treatable. When you have to boil all of the water you use so that it will be clean, it’s bound to happen sometime. They have no ambulances or emergency rooms to take their children to. If this happened Saturday afternoon after the clinic was closed, they would have had to wait at least until Monday to come to the FIMRC clinic. I don’t know the family’s story; I don’t know how far they had to walk just to get to our clinic, much less if it would have been possible for them to get to Bududa Hospital (at least an hour walk from our clinic). But when we see the extremes, people who come when they cough and then people who don’t come when their children have gaping wounds and 3* burns, it’s hard.
After dressing the burn, we went and grabbed lunch before our machete wound came to be dressed again. Every day it looks a little better. Today after we rinsed it, we let it air-dry a little before we covered it up. I had Michael, the boy, to hold a piece of gauze in his hand. It was encouraging to see that he could bend his finger a little, more than we expected. So that was an exciting moment!
Then Emily came down from AAH. I posted yesterday about Penninah, the albino girl; please continue to pray for her. As the evening went on I learned more about what was going on from Emily and some of the teachers at the school. When I posted yesterday, they thought she was going to stay at the headmaster’s house.
Unfortunately when her father came down to the clinic, the decision was made for her to go home with him. She had been heavily sedated after her second ‘attack’ so when her father came he was very uncomfortable being around her. He had never seen her unresponsive, unable to walk or talk. They decided to get a boda to take her home. The teachers said that the family was extremely poor; the father worked several jobs and the mother stayed at home with the young kids. She is the oldest and extremely bright. She has been the top student in her class since P2 and is incredibly sweet. She has a P4 brother who is black, an even younger brother who is albino and also having these attacks, and then the youngest is black. What an incredibly hard situation to be in as a parent, especially in this culture. To be doing all you can to provide for your family, to want to protect your children with all that you are, but not knowing what is going on with your children either. As convinced as I am that it is not a work of witchcraft or demons, to someone in this culture who has never seen this before and does not understand it’s easy to see how they believe this. Dr. Abeso was saying that what she really needs is medical testing, but more than that she needs a confined place where she feels safe where she can get counseling. I don’t think any of us can begin to imagine the stress, fear, probably depression that this girl is experiencing. To try to sleep at night knowing that someone wants to kill you? I cannot even wrap my mind around this situation; all I can do is pray.
When we got home, Meaghan, Vicki, and I went on a walk. We passed one of my favorite spots in the whole area. It would be the perfect picnic place (why didn’t we think of this earlier?). It overlooks the lush valley of banana trees that surrounds the clinic. The clinic and AAH sit directly across from us. It is amazing. I’m going to miss the natural beauty of this place. On our way home, we stopped at the chapatti stand. Good decision- chapatti made rice and beans much like a burrito :) For our last night, we helped Bryant stuff CHE gift baskets, laughed, and enjoyed each other’s company.
This is my last post before I leave- I cannot even believe how fast the time has flown here. I cannot even tell you how thankful and blessed I am because of your prayers and your support. I can't wait to see you and share with you!
Prayer Requests
- continued prayer for the people of Uganda that I have come to know and love
- for FIMRC and the other volunteer's that are still here and that are coming to continue impacting this community
- safe travel on my way home
- that God would continue to teach me and use this trip to impact my life long after I am home
In Him,
Becky
Today was probably one of the most eventful and emotional days thus far in Uganda. The morning started off with Mike and Lisa leaving early, and then everyone just hung out for a little while. During my quiet time this morning, God continued to reveal to me more about being in my comfort zone versus being in His will. The two are not always mutually exclusive and being comfortable is not always a bad thing. It’s when being content in your circumstances gets in the way of seeking Christ at every moment of every day that is the issue. As quickly as I was pulled out of my comfort zone and made to rely solely on God, I find myself in a comfortable place, where my actions reflect confidence in me. When I finally really understood what was being asked of me, my response was immediate and real. “I want to live a transformed life, Lord. I don’t want to be comfortable anymore.” Thinking back to those couple weeks when I was fully out of my comfort zone and realizing that I just asked for that again, a little scary. But it was real and it was Christ, and that is what I long for.
At the clinic this morning, my computer was being used again, so I sat in with Justine. She likes to have company, I learn a lot, and it because I’m sitting at the computer she sits by the patient and actually touches/examines the patient. That’s a huge step forward from the no touch method which they normally use. And Justine is hilarious, so I enjoy it.
Meaghan came in at one point and said that there was a kid outside with fungus all over there body- from their head to stomach, on the right side. It’s not uncommon kids here to have skin diseases; poor hygiene, nutrition, and dirty water all contribute to it. When Justine examined kid, she found that it was not fungus, but burns that covered this kid. I was working somewhere else so I didn’t see him, but they dressed it as well as they could and gave medicine for pain management. He was burned when a pot of boiling water spilled over him, but was not brought immediately to the clinic. Something that is so common, like the boy with the machete.
Right before lunch, I was in with Justine and a mother brought in a baby girl. She was about 6 months old and beautiful. Justine asked what was wrong and the mother uncovered the girl’s arm. Heads up- next part semi-graphic/gross if you don’t like blood and medical stuff. Her arm was completely burned, shoulder to hand. Burn patient #2. Somehow in the course of the next 5 minutes I found myself and Bryant treating/dressing this baby’s 3rd degree burns on her arm. Parts of the arm were pretty open tissue, but there was lots of burned/dead skin that needed to be removed. We laid her on the table with her mom on one side, Bryant in the middle to hold her, and me on the other. To clean this burn, I had gauze soaked in iodine and I had to clean it until it all bled. Talk about a heartbreaking sound, this poor girl cried and cried, with good reason of course. Any of the dead skin that was loose needed to be removed; we had to use tweezers and peel it off. We rinsed it all with saline, applied burn cream, non-stick dressing, and wrapped it in bright green athletic wrap. By the time we had finished, she had cried herself to exhaustion and she just looked up at me with tear filled eyes. I held her for a moment, and then we gave the mother antibiotics, pain meds, and instructions to bring her back in 2 days for it to be redressed. Bryant won’t be there on Thursday so I’ll be doing it on my own. Out of my comfort zone? Check.
The mother said that one of her sibling’s had spilled boiling water on her arm. It’s so frustrating when I hear things like this, but I have to withhold judgment and think about the culture. In my eyes, this is so easily preventable and treatable. When you have to boil all of the water you use so that it will be clean, it’s bound to happen sometime. They have no ambulances or emergency rooms to take their children to. If this happened Saturday afternoon after the clinic was closed, they would have had to wait at least until Monday to come to the FIMRC clinic. I don’t know the family’s story; I don’t know how far they had to walk just to get to our clinic, much less if it would have been possible for them to get to Bududa Hospital (at least an hour walk from our clinic). But when we see the extremes, people who come when they cough and then people who don’t come when their children have gaping wounds and 3* burns, it’s hard.
After dressing the burn, we went and grabbed lunch before our machete wound came to be dressed again. Every day it looks a little better. Today after we rinsed it, we let it air-dry a little before we covered it up. I had Michael, the boy, to hold a piece of gauze in his hand. It was encouraging to see that he could bend his finger a little, more than we expected. So that was an exciting moment!
Then Emily came down from AAH. I posted yesterday about Penninah, the albino girl; please continue to pray for her. As the evening went on I learned more about what was going on from Emily and some of the teachers at the school. When I posted yesterday, they thought she was going to stay at the headmaster’s house.
Unfortunately when her father came down to the clinic, the decision was made for her to go home with him. She had been heavily sedated after her second ‘attack’ so when her father came he was very uncomfortable being around her. He had never seen her unresponsive, unable to walk or talk. They decided to get a boda to take her home. The teachers said that the family was extremely poor; the father worked several jobs and the mother stayed at home with the young kids. She is the oldest and extremely bright. She has been the top student in her class since P2 and is incredibly sweet. She has a P4 brother who is black, an even younger brother who is albino and also having these attacks, and then the youngest is black. What an incredibly hard situation to be in as a parent, especially in this culture. To be doing all you can to provide for your family, to want to protect your children with all that you are, but not knowing what is going on with your children either. As convinced as I am that it is not a work of witchcraft or demons, to someone in this culture who has never seen this before and does not understand it’s easy to see how they believe this. Dr. Abeso was saying that what she really needs is medical testing, but more than that she needs a confined place where she feels safe where she can get counseling. I don’t think any of us can begin to imagine the stress, fear, probably depression that this girl is experiencing. To try to sleep at night knowing that someone wants to kill you? I cannot even wrap my mind around this situation; all I can do is pray.
When we got home, Meaghan, Vicki, and I went on a walk. We passed one of my favorite spots in the whole area. It would be the perfect picnic place (why didn’t we think of this earlier?). It overlooks the lush valley of banana trees that surrounds the clinic. The clinic and AAH sit directly across from us. It is amazing. I’m going to miss the natural beauty of this place. On our way home, we stopped at the chapatti stand. Good decision- chapatti made rice and beans much like a burrito :) For our last night, we helped Bryant stuff CHE gift baskets, laughed, and enjoyed each other’s company.
This is my last post before I leave- I cannot even believe how fast the time has flown here. I cannot even tell you how thankful and blessed I am because of your prayers and your support. I can't wait to see you and share with you!
Prayer Requests
- continued prayer for the people of Uganda that I have come to know and love
- for FIMRC and the other volunteer's that are still here and that are coming to continue impacting this community
- safe travel on my way home
- that God would continue to teach me and use this trip to impact my life long after I am home
In Him,
Becky
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
I know I already posted today, but I have a big prayer request- this may be a little disturbing but this girl really needs prayer.
There is a P6 student at AAH who is an albino. Albinism isn't any more common here than it is in the US, but quite a bit more obvious here. We saw her at the 4th of July program, she had an amazing voice, and she is a great student. However, albinism is greatly misunderstood here. It is believed to have something to do with witchcraft.
Today, Emily (who works at AAH) came down and said she was having convulsions and really just freaking out at school. The teachers, though, were convinced that it was the work of spirits and that she needed no medical help. After much debate and talking, they were able to bring her down to the clinic. Dr. Abeso from Mbale was here and was able to give her a shot to calm her and then evaluate her.
As all of this was happening, Emily gave me a background story on this girl that left me speechless. Because of the stigmas about albinism in this society, someone has put a price on her head. They are willing to pay 20 million shillings for her neighbor to behead her. That's the equivalent of 10 million dollars. So far there have been 2 attempts. Dr. Abeso thinks that she has a convulsion disorder that is brought on because of the emotional, physical, psychological fear and stress in her life at this moment.
But the teachers, Ugandan community, and even her family believe that this person who is trying to kill her has sent the evil spirits into her to drive her mad so that she will run away and then they can capture her. As unbelievable as that sounds to me, they strongly believe this. Some of the teachers came down to the clinic to try to explain this to the doctor. One of her brothers came down to tell us when this started happening and family history. She has one normal brother and one albino brother who is also having these convulsions. I asked Emily if they had a spiritual cure for her, since they believe this is work of spirits. She said they can only pray for her.
She rested here this afternoon, I was able to check on her often and give her a granola bar and water when she was hungry. She was precious. Right before closing time, she started screaming and yelling again. It was heartbreaking. I don't know how to describe it other than she was freaking out. She was convulsing, lost control of her bladder, and was just sobbing and sobbing. All I wanted to do was hold her hand. They are moving her into the headmaster of the school's house where she is with people who know her and where she feels she is safe.
All I know to do is pray for this girl. Please pray for her physical safety and for her family. Pray for all the teachers and doctors involved that they will work together and figure out what is best for this girl. Pray that she has less attacks, that she begins to feel safe, and for her emotional/psychological state. Pray that she has peace and no fear.
There is a P6 student at AAH who is an albino. Albinism isn't any more common here than it is in the US, but quite a bit more obvious here. We saw her at the 4th of July program, she had an amazing voice, and she is a great student. However, albinism is greatly misunderstood here. It is believed to have something to do with witchcraft.
Today, Emily (who works at AAH) came down and said she was having convulsions and really just freaking out at school. The teachers, though, were convinced that it was the work of spirits and that she needed no medical help. After much debate and talking, they were able to bring her down to the clinic. Dr. Abeso from Mbale was here and was able to give her a shot to calm her and then evaluate her.
As all of this was happening, Emily gave me a background story on this girl that left me speechless. Because of the stigmas about albinism in this society, someone has put a price on her head. They are willing to pay 20 million shillings for her neighbor to behead her. That's the equivalent of 10 million dollars. So far there have been 2 attempts. Dr. Abeso thinks that she has a convulsion disorder that is brought on because of the emotional, physical, psychological fear and stress in her life at this moment.
But the teachers, Ugandan community, and even her family believe that this person who is trying to kill her has sent the evil spirits into her to drive her mad so that she will run away and then they can capture her. As unbelievable as that sounds to me, they strongly believe this. Some of the teachers came down to the clinic to try to explain this to the doctor. One of her brothers came down to tell us when this started happening and family history. She has one normal brother and one albino brother who is also having these convulsions. I asked Emily if they had a spiritual cure for her, since they believe this is work of spirits. She said they can only pray for her.
She rested here this afternoon, I was able to check on her often and give her a granola bar and water when she was hungry. She was precious. Right before closing time, she started screaming and yelling again. It was heartbreaking. I don't know how to describe it other than she was freaking out. She was convulsing, lost control of her bladder, and was just sobbing and sobbing. All I wanted to do was hold her hand. They are moving her into the headmaster of the school's house where she is with people who know her and where she feels she is safe.
All I know to do is pray for this girl. Please pray for her physical safety and for her family. Pray for all the teachers and doctors involved that they will work together and figure out what is best for this girl. Pray that she has less attacks, that she begins to feel safe, and for her emotional/psychological state. Pray that she has peace and no fear.
Sunday- July 19
This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.
The newest volunteers are in Jinja this weekend, so it’s just Bryant, Amy, Vicki, Meaghan, and I this weekend. I wish Molly had gotten to stay for the rest of this weekend when it was just us. We got up early as usual, I took a bucket bath (hadn’t had one in a couple days haha) then got to have a quiet time.
I am so thankful for the friendships I have made here and these great people I have gotten to know. There is mutual respect between all the volunteers here and for all the work that everyone is doing. During the first couple weeks, though I was struggling to find my place here, it was so easy for me to see God’s provision in every moment of every day and to find my strength solely in Him. Now that I feel more comfortable here, I find myself having confidence in myself and my abilities. I know that God’s presence in my day to day here, his plans, and his daily provisions have not changed at all and that He is still working here with a purpose. My prayer is that I will see His hand in every moment as I did in those first couple weeks. Please be praying that in my last week here, God will use my comfort and my relationships here to aid in making a difference, while seeing that everything I do is for His glory and not mine.
Meaghan, Bryant, and Amy made breakfast- chapatti light, scrambled eggs with green peppers, and fruit. Our plan was to go to church with Jenipher this morning. As we were walking up the hill, Jenipher was coming down, so we went ahead without her. 5 Mzungus walking into an all black church. Of course everyone turned to stare. But the kids’ faces lit up though! There was ton of singing and dancing, it was one of the best experiences. These people were so full of joy. They were worshipping in a mud church with a tin roof full of holes, but they had joy. They sang one song in English for us, it was simple but truth. “There is happy today in the House of the Lord, there is happy today in the House of the Lord, there is Happy today in the House of the Lord, Hallelujah, Hallelujah. There is clapping today in the House of the Lord…There is jumping today in the House of the Lord….There is waving today in the House of the Lord…There is happy today in the House of the Lord, Hallelujah, Amen.” All the kids were running and jumping up the aisles. There was the cutest old woman across the aisle from us just singing and dancing with her hands raised. Again I was so overwhelmed, these people have nothing but they still worship with all they are. They welcomed us and provided translators for us during the sermon. It was on Mark 9: 14-32. Though I didn’t catch all of it, what I did hear seemed to be a great sermon. It wasn’t as long as we expected. We sang/clapped some more then it was time for the offering. We each gave a few hundred shillings (less than a quarter) but they were appreciative. Other people began bringing up bags of beans, passion fruits, and avocados. As they were praying over the offering, I was marveling at how they gave all they had but also wondering what they did with these food offerings. When the prayer was over, a man began holding up each item, speaking really fast, and then saying “I’m selling, I’m selling.” It was a church auction. Each of the offerings was sold (at a higher price than in the market) and the money used for the offering. It was so neat, people who grew beans and brought them as their offering were able to buy avocados or fruits and vice versa. But all the money was used as an offering. Then they said the announcements and church was dismissed. We shook hands with every person at the church afterwards.
We walked down to the clinic to use the internet and change clothes before we went on a hike. While I was waiting, a little boy came by the clinic with his mom, a CHE. Dr. Lisa had seen him yesterday and he needed his wound redressed. This little boy was three years old and he had cut his pointer finger with a machete. Dr. Lisa and Mike were on their way to the Kenyan border to renew Mike’s visa… so Bryant and I got to dress it. In the one day since it had last been dressed, the dressings had gotten filthy. We tried to ask the mother what happened but she didn’t tell us. I carefully unwrapped his hand and was shocked at how bad of a cut it was. Dr. Lisa had told me it was deep, but the mother didn’t bring him in as soon as it happened so it couldn’t be sutured at this point. It was just sad/ frustrating that it could have so easily been fixed if they had just come to the clinic. So now we were just treating what we could. We cleaned it well with soap and water and redressed it. He was really tough, no crying. We let him pick out a color of gauze, he chose green, and then I gave him some candies I had in my backpack for being so brave.
After that excitement, we changed and set out on our hike. Vicki is the super athletic outdoorsy one so she led the way. She had explored the area before and we went down toward the river that runs through the hills and the village. We decided to hike up the river, on the rocks, up the little waterfalls and stuff. The water was cold but it felt good after walking for a while. I love this group, I love learning from them all the time. Today Amy was talking about how pets in the United States have more rights than people in third world countries. It is illegal to deprive your pet of shelter, food, and water. The UN, however, has not declared water a human right. In their constitution, if they declare something a human right, they are obligated to help provide funding for it. They have named shelter and food human rights, and they provide a certain amount of funding for these needs, but not water. If water were declared a human right, they would be obligated to see that every person had access to an adequate amount of clean water. A huge undertaking. But that our pets have more rights, hard to swallow.
After hiking, Amy, Vicki, and I went back down to the village. We had been invited to dinner again at another AAH cook’s house but we also hadn’t eaten all afternoon. Amy and I got corn and Vicki got chapatti on our way down to the Guest House. Turns out Jenipher had made lunch also. We eat really well around here, anyone worried about us losing weight or starving- doesn’t happen.
We are, rested, I watched more episodes of 24, and then we changed back into our church clothes and headed up towards the school. The cook lived just up, straight up, the hill from the school. We got there right on time, according to Africa time. They welcomed us, prayed over us, and sang welcome songs to us. They passed around their photo albums for all of us to look at. The cook and his wife had gotten married in October of 2007. It’s a huge deal if people around here actually get married. Many times they have many children and many “wives” but are never actually married. This happens because bride prices are so high and husbands can’t afford to pay them. The family was so proud of these photos and this event in their life. It was precious.
Then they served the food. As with all meals that the villagers have made us, it was amazing. Full of flavor, just enough spices, and some awesome chapatti.
We walked back to the Guest House in the dark, because we hadn’t thought to bring flashlights and the power in the village is out again. But we made it. It was an overall great day. Only 4 more left…
This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it.
The newest volunteers are in Jinja this weekend, so it’s just Bryant, Amy, Vicki, Meaghan, and I this weekend. I wish Molly had gotten to stay for the rest of this weekend when it was just us. We got up early as usual, I took a bucket bath (hadn’t had one in a couple days haha) then got to have a quiet time.
I am so thankful for the friendships I have made here and these great people I have gotten to know. There is mutual respect between all the volunteers here and for all the work that everyone is doing. During the first couple weeks, though I was struggling to find my place here, it was so easy for me to see God’s provision in every moment of every day and to find my strength solely in Him. Now that I feel more comfortable here, I find myself having confidence in myself and my abilities. I know that God’s presence in my day to day here, his plans, and his daily provisions have not changed at all and that He is still working here with a purpose. My prayer is that I will see His hand in every moment as I did in those first couple weeks. Please be praying that in my last week here, God will use my comfort and my relationships here to aid in making a difference, while seeing that everything I do is for His glory and not mine.
Meaghan, Bryant, and Amy made breakfast- chapatti light, scrambled eggs with green peppers, and fruit. Our plan was to go to church with Jenipher this morning. As we were walking up the hill, Jenipher was coming down, so we went ahead without her. 5 Mzungus walking into an all black church. Of course everyone turned to stare. But the kids’ faces lit up though! There was ton of singing and dancing, it was one of the best experiences. These people were so full of joy. They were worshipping in a mud church with a tin roof full of holes, but they had joy. They sang one song in English for us, it was simple but truth. “There is happy today in the House of the Lord, there is happy today in the House of the Lord, there is Happy today in the House of the Lord, Hallelujah, Hallelujah. There is clapping today in the House of the Lord…There is jumping today in the House of the Lord….There is waving today in the House of the Lord…There is happy today in the House of the Lord, Hallelujah, Amen.” All the kids were running and jumping up the aisles. There was the cutest old woman across the aisle from us just singing and dancing with her hands raised. Again I was so overwhelmed, these people have nothing but they still worship with all they are. They welcomed us and provided translators for us during the sermon. It was on Mark 9: 14-32. Though I didn’t catch all of it, what I did hear seemed to be a great sermon. It wasn’t as long as we expected. We sang/clapped some more then it was time for the offering. We each gave a few hundred shillings (less than a quarter) but they were appreciative. Other people began bringing up bags of beans, passion fruits, and avocados. As they were praying over the offering, I was marveling at how they gave all they had but also wondering what they did with these food offerings. When the prayer was over, a man began holding up each item, speaking really fast, and then saying “I’m selling, I’m selling.” It was a church auction. Each of the offerings was sold (at a higher price than in the market) and the money used for the offering. It was so neat, people who grew beans and brought them as their offering were able to buy avocados or fruits and vice versa. But all the money was used as an offering. Then they said the announcements and church was dismissed. We shook hands with every person at the church afterwards.
We walked down to the clinic to use the internet and change clothes before we went on a hike. While I was waiting, a little boy came by the clinic with his mom, a CHE. Dr. Lisa had seen him yesterday and he needed his wound redressed. This little boy was three years old and he had cut his pointer finger with a machete. Dr. Lisa and Mike were on their way to the Kenyan border to renew Mike’s visa… so Bryant and I got to dress it. In the one day since it had last been dressed, the dressings had gotten filthy. We tried to ask the mother what happened but she didn’t tell us. I carefully unwrapped his hand and was shocked at how bad of a cut it was. Dr. Lisa had told me it was deep, but the mother didn’t bring him in as soon as it happened so it couldn’t be sutured at this point. It was just sad/ frustrating that it could have so easily been fixed if they had just come to the clinic. So now we were just treating what we could. We cleaned it well with soap and water and redressed it. He was really tough, no crying. We let him pick out a color of gauze, he chose green, and then I gave him some candies I had in my backpack for being so brave.
After that excitement, we changed and set out on our hike. Vicki is the super athletic outdoorsy one so she led the way. She had explored the area before and we went down toward the river that runs through the hills and the village. We decided to hike up the river, on the rocks, up the little waterfalls and stuff. The water was cold but it felt good after walking for a while. I love this group, I love learning from them all the time. Today Amy was talking about how pets in the United States have more rights than people in third world countries. It is illegal to deprive your pet of shelter, food, and water. The UN, however, has not declared water a human right. In their constitution, if they declare something a human right, they are obligated to help provide funding for it. They have named shelter and food human rights, and they provide a certain amount of funding for these needs, but not water. If water were declared a human right, they would be obligated to see that every person had access to an adequate amount of clean water. A huge undertaking. But that our pets have more rights, hard to swallow.
After hiking, Amy, Vicki, and I went back down to the village. We had been invited to dinner again at another AAH cook’s house but we also hadn’t eaten all afternoon. Amy and I got corn and Vicki got chapatti on our way down to the Guest House. Turns out Jenipher had made lunch also. We eat really well around here, anyone worried about us losing weight or starving- doesn’t happen.
We are, rested, I watched more episodes of 24, and then we changed back into our church clothes and headed up towards the school. The cook lived just up, straight up, the hill from the school. We got there right on time, according to Africa time. They welcomed us, prayed over us, and sang welcome songs to us. They passed around their photo albums for all of us to look at. The cook and his wife had gotten married in October of 2007. It’s a huge deal if people around here actually get married. Many times they have many children and many “wives” but are never actually married. This happens because bride prices are so high and husbands can’t afford to pay them. The family was so proud of these photos and this event in their life. It was precious.
Then they served the food. As with all meals that the villagers have made us, it was amazing. Full of flavor, just enough spices, and some awesome chapatti.
We walked back to the Guest House in the dark, because we hadn’t thought to bring flashlights and the power in the village is out again. But we made it. It was an overall great day. Only 4 more left…
Thursday, July 16, 2009
July 11- July 15
I have a quiet moment here, kind of. It’s been really hard these past couple days to really sit down and write anything more than just ‘this is what I did today.’ I feel like I have written so much, yet there is so much more going on here that I haven't written down. I’m realizing how little time I actually have left here and I want to spend time with the other volunteers here. But so much is going on to reflect on! Today on the way up to the clinic Molly and I got to talk about what we are learning here. Both of us really feel that this has been an incredibly humbling experience. I have been learning how incredibly faithful God is in every situation, even when I can’t see His entire purpose or plan.
Quick recap of the past couple days and some highlights.
We spent the night in Mbale Friday night after at bar-b-q at Dr. Rafi's and then headed to Orphan Camp back in the village. Orphan Camp is run by a Canadian named Barbara. She runs a vocational school during the week for kids and adults who aren’t in school and teaches them things like sewing, brick making, and computer work. On Saturdays her orphans, called the Children of Peace, come and have classes. Not all of them are truly orphans; some just have really bad home lives and don’t go to school. For $100 a year, sponsored by people in Canada and the States, they come and learn on Saturdays, get a meal, and feel a part of something.
First thing when we got there, we see a child with a huge infected abscess on the back of his ankle/calf. Apparently it was from a piece of glass which got infected and wasn’t properly cared for so it grew and got very infected. George, the little boy, was so tough as they were cleaning it and dressing it again.
Next we went and learned how they made paper beads. It was so cool. They cut up magazine-type paper into small strips and then rolled it into beads. They add a drop of glue then let them dry. The other half of the group was stringing beads onto fishing line. After they do that, they dip the string into a gloss of some sort. They sell these beads at the market to raise money for the orphans. We all have bought some, because they sell them for $3 here, but $15 at small craft stores in the states. I tried my hand at making them, they laughed at the first couple we tried to make, but then we got better and ours look just like theirs.
There is a Canadian family volunteering there for the past couple weeks. The parents said they had always wanted to take their kids to a third world country to have that experience and show them how blessed they are. Their son is a senior in high school, and they have two daughters, 15 and 13. They were such a sweet family. They had also brought lots of toothbrushes, toothpastes, and raised lots of money to buy all the kids soap and Vaseline. So we got to help them pass them out. I have never seen kids so happy. To each get their own toothbrush, their own toothpaste, their own bar of soap (which is like four of ours), and their own jar of Vaseline. You would have thought it was Christmas. Amazing moment of the day.
Sunday consisted of a hike to one of the local cooks house for lunch. He used to be a caterer in Nairobi, so the food was awesome.
Monday started with hiking Mt. Nusu. We set off around 8am. They told us it would probably take 5 hours total, in there. Let me try to describe this mountain to you. First of all, the locals call it a hill. Let me assure you, it is no hill. It looks just like Grinch mountain. It has a pointy peak and it is very steep. It’s not an easy hike, it’s sort of the marathon accomplishment that volunteers aim for while they are here. You’ll have to see pictures because I don’t think words can accurately describe this mountain. Words can’t accurately describe a lot of things here. But we made it and it was completely worth it.
We met Richard, Tina, and Marion up at the clinic and set out to do family planning home visits. When I envisioned my work in Africa, I definitely pictured working in the clinic, taking vitals, clinical stuff every day. Recently, though, Molly and I have really figured out that we can make the most impact through education. We have been working on a health prevention lesson plan, teaching people how to prevent getting sick, prevent spreading illness, and when symptoms are serious enough to see a doctor.
For family planning home visits we go into the community and visit people at their homes and give our family planning presentation. People love to invite us into their homes and listen to what we have to say. They always have great questions for us too. Part of the education is dispelling myths that they have heard about different methods of family planning. All family planning is available for free at our clinic and local hospitals, but they haven’t had the education on proper use. Richard is so good at answering their questions and taking what we say and making it applicable to them. He has actually become quite the comedian/storyteller when doing presentations. He always acts out being a really old pregnant woman when talking about the importance of family planning. For family planning methods that can be stopped when you decide you want to have more children, he always tells a story of the miracle plane that drops money from the sky into your field so you can afford more children. He always makes them laugh because sometimes they feel a little awkward talking about it. When we got to our last house of the day, Richard did the normal introductions and asked if we could do our family planning presentation. This couple asked us to come back another day, though. When he saw how confused we looked, Richard explained that they had lots of neighbors who also needed to hear, but they were working that day. So we scheduled to come back Thursday morning. It was great to see how they wanted to learn, but that they also wanted their neighbors to learn as well.
I didn’t play soccer tonight, I played with some kids and we took pictures. It was hilarious. The first couple times they are confused at what this thing flashing at them is, but then when you show them the pictures they go nuts. They have never seen themselves or a camera before and they love it. By the end they were making funny faces and showing off for the camera. Its those moments and those pictures that remind me why I’m here.
I don't think this post adequately describes everything that has been going on here, but I'll be home in a little over a week and can't wait to share more stories with you! Thank you for the continued prayers and support!
I have a quiet moment here, kind of. It’s been really hard these past couple days to really sit down and write anything more than just ‘this is what I did today.’ I feel like I have written so much, yet there is so much more going on here that I haven't written down. I’m realizing how little time I actually have left here and I want to spend time with the other volunteers here. But so much is going on to reflect on! Today on the way up to the clinic Molly and I got to talk about what we are learning here. Both of us really feel that this has been an incredibly humbling experience. I have been learning how incredibly faithful God is in every situation, even when I can’t see His entire purpose or plan.
Quick recap of the past couple days and some highlights.
We spent the night in Mbale Friday night after at bar-b-q at Dr. Rafi's and then headed to Orphan Camp back in the village. Orphan Camp is run by a Canadian named Barbara. She runs a vocational school during the week for kids and adults who aren’t in school and teaches them things like sewing, brick making, and computer work. On Saturdays her orphans, called the Children of Peace, come and have classes. Not all of them are truly orphans; some just have really bad home lives and don’t go to school. For $100 a year, sponsored by people in Canada and the States, they come and learn on Saturdays, get a meal, and feel a part of something.
First thing when we got there, we see a child with a huge infected abscess on the back of his ankle/calf. Apparently it was from a piece of glass which got infected and wasn’t properly cared for so it grew and got very infected. George, the little boy, was so tough as they were cleaning it and dressing it again.
Next we went and learned how they made paper beads. It was so cool. They cut up magazine-type paper into small strips and then rolled it into beads. They add a drop of glue then let them dry. The other half of the group was stringing beads onto fishing line. After they do that, they dip the string into a gloss of some sort. They sell these beads at the market to raise money for the orphans. We all have bought some, because they sell them for $3 here, but $15 at small craft stores in the states. I tried my hand at making them, they laughed at the first couple we tried to make, but then we got better and ours look just like theirs.
There is a Canadian family volunteering there for the past couple weeks. The parents said they had always wanted to take their kids to a third world country to have that experience and show them how blessed they are. Their son is a senior in high school, and they have two daughters, 15 and 13. They were such a sweet family. They had also brought lots of toothbrushes, toothpastes, and raised lots of money to buy all the kids soap and Vaseline. So we got to help them pass them out. I have never seen kids so happy. To each get their own toothbrush, their own toothpaste, their own bar of soap (which is like four of ours), and their own jar of Vaseline. You would have thought it was Christmas. Amazing moment of the day.
Sunday consisted of a hike to one of the local cooks house for lunch. He used to be a caterer in Nairobi, so the food was awesome.
Monday started with hiking Mt. Nusu. We set off around 8am. They told us it would probably take 5 hours total, in there. Let me try to describe this mountain to you. First of all, the locals call it a hill. Let me assure you, it is no hill. It looks just like Grinch mountain. It has a pointy peak and it is very steep. It’s not an easy hike, it’s sort of the marathon accomplishment that volunteers aim for while they are here. You’ll have to see pictures because I don’t think words can accurately describe this mountain. Words can’t accurately describe a lot of things here. But we made it and it was completely worth it.
We met Richard, Tina, and Marion up at the clinic and set out to do family planning home visits. When I envisioned my work in Africa, I definitely pictured working in the clinic, taking vitals, clinical stuff every day. Recently, though, Molly and I have really figured out that we can make the most impact through education. We have been working on a health prevention lesson plan, teaching people how to prevent getting sick, prevent spreading illness, and when symptoms are serious enough to see a doctor.
For family planning home visits we go into the community and visit people at their homes and give our family planning presentation. People love to invite us into their homes and listen to what we have to say. They always have great questions for us too. Part of the education is dispelling myths that they have heard about different methods of family planning. All family planning is available for free at our clinic and local hospitals, but they haven’t had the education on proper use. Richard is so good at answering their questions and taking what we say and making it applicable to them. He has actually become quite the comedian/storyteller when doing presentations. He always acts out being a really old pregnant woman when talking about the importance of family planning. For family planning methods that can be stopped when you decide you want to have more children, he always tells a story of the miracle plane that drops money from the sky into your field so you can afford more children. He always makes them laugh because sometimes they feel a little awkward talking about it. When we got to our last house of the day, Richard did the normal introductions and asked if we could do our family planning presentation. This couple asked us to come back another day, though. When he saw how confused we looked, Richard explained that they had lots of neighbors who also needed to hear, but they were working that day. So we scheduled to come back Thursday morning. It was great to see how they wanted to learn, but that they also wanted their neighbors to learn as well.
I didn’t play soccer tonight, I played with some kids and we took pictures. It was hilarious. The first couple times they are confused at what this thing flashing at them is, but then when you show them the pictures they go nuts. They have never seen themselves or a camera before and they love it. By the end they were making funny faces and showing off for the camera. Its those moments and those pictures that remind me why I’m here.
I don't think this post adequately describes everything that has been going on here, but I'll be home in a little over a week and can't wait to share more stories with you! Thank you for the continued prayers and support!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Friday, July 10- Faces
I woke up this morning to the sound of an African rain storm. I love listening to the rain at home, but I have never heard it rain so hard. It was amazing to just lie there, listen, and think about where I am and what I am witnessing and learning every day.
I saw patients again with Marion and Mike, another one of the Community Health Educators. The days here can get a little repetitive seeing so many patients. I don’t know how many we see each day, but you remember the faces. The morning started off with an adorable baby, he was so happy and smiley, he was not fearing us at all. He had the most beautiful, big eyes you have ever seen. Every day I think I have seen the cutest kid ever, but then another one comes in. And to make it even better, this was a perfectly healthy baby.
Another was a 3-year-old little boy, who was very shy, but not scared. Of course, he was cute too. Its kids like him who get me. They have big bellies poking out, but it is because they are malnourished, not full. His hair was patchy, his skin scaly and dry. He had mild bronchitis so we were going to give him a breathing treatment. Basically, a mask on his face and we squeeze an inhaler into it so he breathes the medicine. That did scare him and he cried, but that was good because he was taking deeper breaths and getting the medicine in. When we were done, I just sat on the table beside him and held his hand until the tears stopped running down his face.
Later a 10-year-old boy came in with his grandmother. He was skin and bones. With these kids, it’s hard to diagnose them with something specific because most of their problems stem from their malnourishment. As Marion was talking to his grandmother about his problems, she said “He needs to eat more food.” The grandmother looked away and replied “I have no food to give him.” We were both speechless for a minute as Mike explained to us how hard it is for some to find food. My heart went out to them both. It’s so easy for us if we come across that in the states, we can direct them to a food pantry or shelter or church to get help. But here, there is no one to help. Food is scarce for most everyone. I am humbled here on a daily basis.
One last face for the day, not sad, he just brought a smile to my face. This was the cutest little old man ever. He said he was 70, but he looked a lot older. He had a wrinkled, weathered face, and a gentle smile. He walked in with his cane, wide-brimmed hat, suit jacket, and pants rolled up like he was going to the beach. He was so cute, so appreciative for everything we were doing for him.
Please continue to pray for these patients we see, that they will see beyond just the medicine and treatment we are giving them. Pray that we will truly be able to make a difference in the lives of these people
I woke up this morning to the sound of an African rain storm. I love listening to the rain at home, but I have never heard it rain so hard. It was amazing to just lie there, listen, and think about where I am and what I am witnessing and learning every day.
I saw patients again with Marion and Mike, another one of the Community Health Educators. The days here can get a little repetitive seeing so many patients. I don’t know how many we see each day, but you remember the faces. The morning started off with an adorable baby, he was so happy and smiley, he was not fearing us at all. He had the most beautiful, big eyes you have ever seen. Every day I think I have seen the cutest kid ever, but then another one comes in. And to make it even better, this was a perfectly healthy baby.
Another was a 3-year-old little boy, who was very shy, but not scared. Of course, he was cute too. Its kids like him who get me. They have big bellies poking out, but it is because they are malnourished, not full. His hair was patchy, his skin scaly and dry. He had mild bronchitis so we were going to give him a breathing treatment. Basically, a mask on his face and we squeeze an inhaler into it so he breathes the medicine. That did scare him and he cried, but that was good because he was taking deeper breaths and getting the medicine in. When we were done, I just sat on the table beside him and held his hand until the tears stopped running down his face.
Later a 10-year-old boy came in with his grandmother. He was skin and bones. With these kids, it’s hard to diagnose them with something specific because most of their problems stem from their malnourishment. As Marion was talking to his grandmother about his problems, she said “He needs to eat more food.” The grandmother looked away and replied “I have no food to give him.” We were both speechless for a minute as Mike explained to us how hard it is for some to find food. My heart went out to them both. It’s so easy for us if we come across that in the states, we can direct them to a food pantry or shelter or church to get help. But here, there is no one to help. Food is scarce for most everyone. I am humbled here on a daily basis.
One last face for the day, not sad, he just brought a smile to my face. This was the cutest little old man ever. He said he was 70, but he looked a lot older. He had a wrinkled, weathered face, and a gentle smile. He walked in with his cane, wide-brimmed hat, suit jacket, and pants rolled up like he was going to the beach. He was so cute, so appreciative for everything we were doing for him.
Please continue to pray for these patients we see, that they will see beyond just the medicine and treatment we are giving them. Pray that we will truly be able to make a difference in the lives of these people
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Weekend Two- 4th/ Jinga- July 4-7
This is the short version because the weekend stretched from Saturday to Tuesday and lots of things happened. But it still might be kind of long haha.
AAH was throwing a 4th of July/ 5th anniversary of the school celebration for us on the 4th. The celebration was supposed to start at 10:00 but this is Africa time, so 12:30 was when it started. Lunch was supposed to be at 2 but that didn’t happen. Parts of the celebration were great. The kids had some great songs and dances. And they did a skit, which was hilarious even though we had no idea what they were saying. But then the speeches started. They talked for so long and we didn’t really know what they were saying. Finally, the Mzungus were given an escape plan and taken to eat our special lunch. Rice and beans, of course.
During lunch we all reminisced on our favorite 4th of July traditions. Most of the conversation revolved around food, fireworks, and family. We all agreed that today has made us the most homesick so far. Not even really homesick, we would just really like to be in America for today. Its such a patriotic holiday, full of tradition and celebration, and its hard not to think about what everyone in America is doing today. But this is an experience I will never forget. How selfish is it of me to be thinking of all that I am missing out on when these people are trying to make this day special for us? Humbled again in Africa.
That night the school teachers threw a party for all the AAH and FIMRC staff and volunteers. It actually turned out to be pretty fun. The food actually was quite a feast. Tons of rice, beans, chipati (fried dough = amazing), pork, beef, and chicken. After going to the market and seeing how meat is cut and sold, I’m a vegetarian for this trip. And tons of beer. Our newest volunteer here is Tommy, a British med student, which made the 4th very entertaining.
Sunday
Two of the volunteers, Karli and Brea, were leaving this week, so we were going to their favorite place, Jinja, for the weekend. Jinja is a pretty big tourist city, because it is where the source of the Nile River is. We were staying at Bukigali camp site, again cheap dorm style rooms, but amazing views. The porch overlooks the Nile and some of the rapids. We arrived after a wild matatu ride, Molly and I decided to go bungee jumping, while the rest of the group went on a sunset gin and tonic kayak cruise. Yes that’s right, we went bungee jumping. Over the source of the Nile. It was amazing. 44 meters up, they sat us in a chair, tied our feet up (very securely, no worries), then made us hop over toward the edge. They told us not to look down and tiptoe over to the edge. That was the only scary part, inching toward the edge and trusting they would tell when to stop. Then it was “look toward that field, jump as far out as possible and do a swan dive. 3, 2, 1.” The first drop was shocking, I couldn’t even scream. I got to the bottom and then was yanked back up on the other side. Then down and up again. I never actually touched the water. When you stopped, you hung there, upside down for a minute, until the people in the raft hold out an oar to you and pull you into the boat. It lasted all of one minute, but so fun.
Monday
Monday was a day that I really wanted my thoughts to automatically just be written down because there was so much to take in. We got up and caught the rafting truck to the Nile River Explorers’ office where we checked in, semi-signed a waiver, then to eat breakfast. Perry- it was a continental breakfast Africa-style: toast, boiled eggs, chapatti, mango, pineapple, baby bananas, coffee, tea, jam. We met the rafting guide in charge of our trip and he told us how the day was going to work, what to take, what to leave, etc. It was a very organized operation, apparently during the summer they take a group out every day. Our group had 30 people and on weekends it’s usually 2 or 3 times that many. We got fitted for life jackets and helmets, then loaded onto the rafting truck for the trip to the put-in point. Once there, we were divided into groups and put with a guide.
The 5 of us (me, Molly, Amy, Vicky, Tommy) had a guide named Charles aka Prince Charles of the Nile. He was a local Ugandan who had been guiding rafting trips for 13 years, so he knew the river very well. He had actually worked for the competing rafting company, then didn’t agree with some of their policies so he came to Nile River Explorers. Very cool guy. We got in and went over all the safety issues; what to do if we flipped, what to do if you fell out, then he made us practice falling out. Along with the six rafts that went, there were two safety rafts (big rafts with safety people in case there was an emergency, we never needed them), and 10 or so safety kayakers that would come get you if you fell out and drifted too far from your boat. Quote from the guide “They are the crazy ones in the lunchboxes that look like Jesus when they come get you.” And away we went. There were a total of 12 rapids- 8 before lunch, 4 after, 4 class V rapids. It was so much fun. At several points during the day we were just paddling on flat water. It was amazing to look around at the scenery, at this huge river and just think about how big it actually is. It begins at Lake Victoria and flows north to Egypt. It’s the only river in the world which flows north. And this river has been here for thousands of years, nestled between the mountains of Uganda, flowing easily in some places and raging rapids in others. We saw tons of birds alongside the river- King Fisher, storks, little white birds which are called ‘Mzungu birds.’ Our guide also liked to tell us stories while we were just paddling along. The favorite was of the Nile Perch. Apparently these fish are bigger than people, and they eat people. When you go over waterfalls, which we did, they sit at the bottom with their mouths open to catch Mzungus who fall out. We ate lunch on the river, the safety rafts were converted into makeshift tables where they prepared the food. Really it was a packet of glucose biscuits- a staple around here, a mix between a cookie and cracker- and the greatest pineapple in the world. They cut the pineapple into fourths, ran a knife through it to cut pieces, and then handed you half a pineapple. So good. After lunch we had the final four rapids, one that was an actual waterfall, one which we did with our eyes closed, and one that we did with all the girls in the back and Tommy in the front, therefore vertical. An amazing day.
We rode back to the campsite for another free meal, which was awesome. Real food. No rice or beans. Pasta, salad, chapatti, green beans, steak tips, rolls. Then another hot shower and hanging out with the rest of the group. We were exhausted from a full day of rafting so we went back to the room to read. But then we ended up just talking. After the long weekend, my trip is at the halfway point and Molly has only a week and a half left. The weekend was the perfect relaxation/rejuvenation/get pumped about what we are doing for the rest of our time here. We are at a point where we know what is going here and what we want to accomplish in our time we have left. Sometimes it’s hard to see how I are making a difference and what exactly I am accomplishing, but with a list of specific goals we are excited for the next 2 weeks. It’s weird because I am pumped for the next 2 weeks and what we are going to accomplish, but I also can’t wait to get home and share with you more what God is doing over here.
Thank you so much for your prayers for the weekend. It was fun, safe, and some people used good judgement….but overall it was awesome. Prayer requests for the week: safe travel for those coming and going; relationships among the volunteers; continued enthusiasm and ambition for my remaining time here!
This is the short version because the weekend stretched from Saturday to Tuesday and lots of things happened. But it still might be kind of long haha.
AAH was throwing a 4th of July/ 5th anniversary of the school celebration for us on the 4th. The celebration was supposed to start at 10:00 but this is Africa time, so 12:30 was when it started. Lunch was supposed to be at 2 but that didn’t happen. Parts of the celebration were great. The kids had some great songs and dances. And they did a skit, which was hilarious even though we had no idea what they were saying. But then the speeches started. They talked for so long and we didn’t really know what they were saying. Finally, the Mzungus were given an escape plan and taken to eat our special lunch. Rice and beans, of course.
During lunch we all reminisced on our favorite 4th of July traditions. Most of the conversation revolved around food, fireworks, and family. We all agreed that today has made us the most homesick so far. Not even really homesick, we would just really like to be in America for today. Its such a patriotic holiday, full of tradition and celebration, and its hard not to think about what everyone in America is doing today. But this is an experience I will never forget. How selfish is it of me to be thinking of all that I am missing out on when these people are trying to make this day special for us? Humbled again in Africa.
That night the school teachers threw a party for all the AAH and FIMRC staff and volunteers. It actually turned out to be pretty fun. The food actually was quite a feast. Tons of rice, beans, chipati (fried dough = amazing), pork, beef, and chicken. After going to the market and seeing how meat is cut and sold, I’m a vegetarian for this trip. And tons of beer. Our newest volunteer here is Tommy, a British med student, which made the 4th very entertaining.
Sunday
Two of the volunteers, Karli and Brea, were leaving this week, so we were going to their favorite place, Jinja, for the weekend. Jinja is a pretty big tourist city, because it is where the source of the Nile River is. We were staying at Bukigali camp site, again cheap dorm style rooms, but amazing views. The porch overlooks the Nile and some of the rapids. We arrived after a wild matatu ride, Molly and I decided to go bungee jumping, while the rest of the group went on a sunset gin and tonic kayak cruise. Yes that’s right, we went bungee jumping. Over the source of the Nile. It was amazing. 44 meters up, they sat us in a chair, tied our feet up (very securely, no worries), then made us hop over toward the edge. They told us not to look down and tiptoe over to the edge. That was the only scary part, inching toward the edge and trusting they would tell when to stop. Then it was “look toward that field, jump as far out as possible and do a swan dive. 3, 2, 1.” The first drop was shocking, I couldn’t even scream. I got to the bottom and then was yanked back up on the other side. Then down and up again. I never actually touched the water. When you stopped, you hung there, upside down for a minute, until the people in the raft hold out an oar to you and pull you into the boat. It lasted all of one minute, but so fun.
Monday
Monday was a day that I really wanted my thoughts to automatically just be written down because there was so much to take in. We got up and caught the rafting truck to the Nile River Explorers’ office where we checked in, semi-signed a waiver, then to eat breakfast. Perry- it was a continental breakfast Africa-style: toast, boiled eggs, chapatti, mango, pineapple, baby bananas, coffee, tea, jam. We met the rafting guide in charge of our trip and he told us how the day was going to work, what to take, what to leave, etc. It was a very organized operation, apparently during the summer they take a group out every day. Our group had 30 people and on weekends it’s usually 2 or 3 times that many. We got fitted for life jackets and helmets, then loaded onto the rafting truck for the trip to the put-in point. Once there, we were divided into groups and put with a guide.
The 5 of us (me, Molly, Amy, Vicky, Tommy) had a guide named Charles aka Prince Charles of the Nile. He was a local Ugandan who had been guiding rafting trips for 13 years, so he knew the river very well. He had actually worked for the competing rafting company, then didn’t agree with some of their policies so he came to Nile River Explorers. Very cool guy. We got in and went over all the safety issues; what to do if we flipped, what to do if you fell out, then he made us practice falling out. Along with the six rafts that went, there were two safety rafts (big rafts with safety people in case there was an emergency, we never needed them), and 10 or so safety kayakers that would come get you if you fell out and drifted too far from your boat. Quote from the guide “They are the crazy ones in the lunchboxes that look like Jesus when they come get you.” And away we went. There were a total of 12 rapids- 8 before lunch, 4 after, 4 class V rapids. It was so much fun. At several points during the day we were just paddling on flat water. It was amazing to look around at the scenery, at this huge river and just think about how big it actually is. It begins at Lake Victoria and flows north to Egypt. It’s the only river in the world which flows north. And this river has been here for thousands of years, nestled between the mountains of Uganda, flowing easily in some places and raging rapids in others. We saw tons of birds alongside the river- King Fisher, storks, little white birds which are called ‘Mzungu birds.’ Our guide also liked to tell us stories while we were just paddling along. The favorite was of the Nile Perch. Apparently these fish are bigger than people, and they eat people. When you go over waterfalls, which we did, they sit at the bottom with their mouths open to catch Mzungus who fall out. We ate lunch on the river, the safety rafts were converted into makeshift tables where they prepared the food. Really it was a packet of glucose biscuits- a staple around here, a mix between a cookie and cracker- and the greatest pineapple in the world. They cut the pineapple into fourths, ran a knife through it to cut pieces, and then handed you half a pineapple. So good. After lunch we had the final four rapids, one that was an actual waterfall, one which we did with our eyes closed, and one that we did with all the girls in the back and Tommy in the front, therefore vertical. An amazing day.
We rode back to the campsite for another free meal, which was awesome. Real food. No rice or beans. Pasta, salad, chapatti, green beans, steak tips, rolls. Then another hot shower and hanging out with the rest of the group. We were exhausted from a full day of rafting so we went back to the room to read. But then we ended up just talking. After the long weekend, my trip is at the halfway point and Molly has only a week and a half left. The weekend was the perfect relaxation/rejuvenation/get pumped about what we are doing for the rest of our time here. We are at a point where we know what is going here and what we want to accomplish in our time we have left. Sometimes it’s hard to see how I are making a difference and what exactly I am accomplishing, but with a list of specific goals we are excited for the next 2 weeks. It’s weird because I am pumped for the next 2 weeks and what we are going to accomplish, but I also can’t wait to get home and share with you more what God is doing over here.
Thank you so much for your prayers for the weekend. It was fun, safe, and some people used good judgement….but overall it was awesome. Prayer requests for the week: safe travel for those coming and going; relationships among the volunteers; continued enthusiasm and ambition for my remaining time here!
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