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!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Wednesday
Last week, when we went on our boda tour of the city, we visited Bududa Hospital. It was built by the Japanese government, which surprised me some, but I’m finding more and more that other countries come into Uganda and build hospitals, roads, etc. and then leave. They don’t send supplies or workers, just the building. So Molly and I were really impressed by this hospital and what they were doing, and they practically begged us to come back and volunteer because they were so short-staffed. We planned to go back to Bududa Hospital on Wednesday and back to Bukigai Health Center this Friday. Now, you can’t just walk in and volunteer, which was what we thought the process was. We had to send an official letter, in letter format with a FIMRC stamp and everything. We asked Rashid and Mike who to address the letter to (In-charge, Bududa Hospital) and then delivered them with Rashid. That was Friday. On Tuesday, we get our letter back from Bududa Hospital, and it needs to be re-written. Why? Instead of the in-charge (who had given us the tour and the invitation to come back) we needed to write it to the Medical Superintendent and send it back that day. But they also said that Wednesday would be a great day to come because many ‘activities’ were going on. TIA.
When we got there, it took us 30 minutes or so to find someone who knew where this nurse we were following was. We found her and she took us to the Pediatric Ward, just a pediatric clinic, where we shadowed two medical students. They were very nice, Peter and Moses, and very knowledgeable. I took lots of notes on what they were diagnosing, the process which brought them to a diagnosis, and many of the similarities and differences between Bududa and FIMRC. They spend more time talking to each patient, and they included us in every step, asking what we thought and why the prescribed certain medicines, etc. They do not, however, take any vitals, except weight when they are prescribing medicine. They don’t have a thermometer so if a parent says their child has a fever, they do. They listen to heart sounds, check their eyes (something FIMRC does not do, and either prescribe them medicine, send them to the lab for tests, or admit them to the Ward for meds and observation. It was a very enlightening morning.
They then had to go scrub in on a C-section and we tagged along. When we got there, apparently they didn’t have permission from high enough authority for us to watch, and they had already started. So we sat in a room, for an hour, ate some crackers, and read/ played Sudoku- we’re always prepared. Finally, we said 5 more minutes and we’re going back to the ward to watch more. We waited, and then Peter came and told us to go change into scrubs, we were going to watch a surgery. The scrubs there were like 20 times to big, no joke, and we have pictures. And you have to wear rain boots, or gum boots as they call them, into the OR. It was a really interesting surgery, a molar pregnancy, but the details are not G-rated, so ask me sometime if you really want to know. There are only two operation rooms in the operation theatre complex, but they were a fairly good size. They had some really nice equipment, overhead lights, anesthesia machines, heart rate monitors. Did they use it? No. One of the medical students held a flashlight for the doctor; an old oxygen tank was used for the anesthesia. It was so weird to have all the equipment but not be able to use it. And on everything there was a sticker that had a Japanese flag and “donated by the people of Japan” written on it. The surgeon seemed to be very capable, she had done the c-section before and then right into this surgery. They do ok with what they have. We didn’t actually volunteer as much as we would have liked but we got to see some really cool stuff and we are going back one day next week, no letter needed.
After work we went and picked up some skirts we had made out of some fabric we bought. Then it was back to the Guest House. Nights at home are fun; we have family dinner, lots of laughter, and usually a game of Cranium or something. Everyone has fun together.
This is probably the last post I will have till the middle of next week, because we don’t have internet on the weekends, and Sun/Mon/Tues we are going to Jinja to go white water rafting on the Nile. Please pray for safety, good decisions for everyone in our group, and for fun. Thanks for your love and prayers!
Last week, when we went on our boda tour of the city, we visited Bududa Hospital. It was built by the Japanese government, which surprised me some, but I’m finding more and more that other countries come into Uganda and build hospitals, roads, etc. and then leave. They don’t send supplies or workers, just the building. So Molly and I were really impressed by this hospital and what they were doing, and they practically begged us to come back and volunteer because they were so short-staffed. We planned to go back to Bududa Hospital on Wednesday and back to Bukigai Health Center this Friday. Now, you can’t just walk in and volunteer, which was what we thought the process was. We had to send an official letter, in letter format with a FIMRC stamp and everything. We asked Rashid and Mike who to address the letter to (In-charge, Bududa Hospital) and then delivered them with Rashid. That was Friday. On Tuesday, we get our letter back from Bududa Hospital, and it needs to be re-written. Why? Instead of the in-charge (who had given us the tour and the invitation to come back) we needed to write it to the Medical Superintendent and send it back that day. But they also said that Wednesday would be a great day to come because many ‘activities’ were going on. TIA.
When we got there, it took us 30 minutes or so to find someone who knew where this nurse we were following was. We found her and she took us to the Pediatric Ward, just a pediatric clinic, where we shadowed two medical students. They were very nice, Peter and Moses, and very knowledgeable. I took lots of notes on what they were diagnosing, the process which brought them to a diagnosis, and many of the similarities and differences between Bududa and FIMRC. They spend more time talking to each patient, and they included us in every step, asking what we thought and why the prescribed certain medicines, etc. They do not, however, take any vitals, except weight when they are prescribing medicine. They don’t have a thermometer so if a parent says their child has a fever, they do. They listen to heart sounds, check their eyes (something FIMRC does not do, and either prescribe them medicine, send them to the lab for tests, or admit them to the Ward for meds and observation. It was a very enlightening morning.
They then had to go scrub in on a C-section and we tagged along. When we got there, apparently they didn’t have permission from high enough authority for us to watch, and they had already started. So we sat in a room, for an hour, ate some crackers, and read/ played Sudoku- we’re always prepared. Finally, we said 5 more minutes and we’re going back to the ward to watch more. We waited, and then Peter came and told us to go change into scrubs, we were going to watch a surgery. The scrubs there were like 20 times to big, no joke, and we have pictures. And you have to wear rain boots, or gum boots as they call them, into the OR. It was a really interesting surgery, a molar pregnancy, but the details are not G-rated, so ask me sometime if you really want to know. There are only two operation rooms in the operation theatre complex, but they were a fairly good size. They had some really nice equipment, overhead lights, anesthesia machines, heart rate monitors. Did they use it? No. One of the medical students held a flashlight for the doctor; an old oxygen tank was used for the anesthesia. It was so weird to have all the equipment but not be able to use it. And on everything there was a sticker that had a Japanese flag and “donated by the people of Japan” written on it. The surgeon seemed to be very capable, she had done the c-section before and then right into this surgery. They do ok with what they have. We didn’t actually volunteer as much as we would have liked but we got to see some really cool stuff and we are going back one day next week, no letter needed.
After work we went and picked up some skirts we had made out of some fabric we bought. Then it was back to the Guest House. Nights at home are fun; we have family dinner, lots of laughter, and usually a game of Cranium or something. Everyone has fun together.
This is probably the last post I will have till the middle of next week, because we don’t have internet on the weekends, and Sun/Mon/Tues we are going to Jinja to go white water rafting on the Nile. Please pray for safety, good decisions for everyone in our group, and for fun. Thanks for your love and prayers!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Tuesday
Today got off to a slow start. Last night was kind of a wild night at the Guest House. Our house manager and project manager are in the city for a couple days, so getting to bed was not a priority last night. Molly and I did make it up to the clinic only 30 minutes after it opened, but we shouldn’t have worried. As expected, it was a slow day. Taking temps and heart rates and entering them in to the computer was the main task for the morning. We got to a girl who was only 3 months old, but she was skin and bones. I’ve never seen a baby this tiny. Her cry didn’t even sound like a cry really. We noticed that her chest sounded really congested when we were listening to her heart. Luckily, on Tuesdays, Dr. Abeso, who works in the hospital in Mbale, comes to see patients so she was able to take over. This baby girl was severely dehydrated. She tried for almost an hour to find a vein where she could get fluids into her, but they were so small. Dr. Abeso then gave the father some money to take the child quickly to the hospital, where they would have the necessary equipment to nourish her. She told us at lunch, however, that often the parents will go home first and to the hospital later, when it is too late. Sometimes we do what we can, but even then it is not enough.
Yesterday, my devotion book began a section on the life of Daniel. Daniel was born into nobility, but his land was invaded by Babylon and King Nebuchadnezzar. He was taken from his home and offered luxuries to persuade him to give up his commitment to God. The first day was titled “Far From Home,” apropos I think, and talks about how everything changed for Daniel, but God’s presence sustained him. That is exactly what I am experiencing right now. Everyday, whether it is something big or small, I am constantly reminded that God is right beside me and he will be with me always, wherever I am (Isaiah 41:10). I am praying that you at home are experiencing His nearness as I am here. He has gone before us and prepared a way until the very end of our days. Nothing we are going through or experiencing surprises Him, He has purposed everything in our lives. Ultimately, God honored Daniel’s commitment and granted him unusual wisdom and a long, productive, and honorable life. Wow. That my faith would be as steadfast as Daniel’s and that I would learn and grow in God’s wisdom and grace- that is my prayer. And that I may never go back to a place where I am not actively seeking God’s will for my every day and seeing His touch in every part of my life.
Today got off to a slow start. Last night was kind of a wild night at the Guest House. Our house manager and project manager are in the city for a couple days, so getting to bed was not a priority last night. Molly and I did make it up to the clinic only 30 minutes after it opened, but we shouldn’t have worried. As expected, it was a slow day. Taking temps and heart rates and entering them in to the computer was the main task for the morning. We got to a girl who was only 3 months old, but she was skin and bones. I’ve never seen a baby this tiny. Her cry didn’t even sound like a cry really. We noticed that her chest sounded really congested when we were listening to her heart. Luckily, on Tuesdays, Dr. Abeso, who works in the hospital in Mbale, comes to see patients so she was able to take over. This baby girl was severely dehydrated. She tried for almost an hour to find a vein where she could get fluids into her, but they were so small. Dr. Abeso then gave the father some money to take the child quickly to the hospital, where they would have the necessary equipment to nourish her. She told us at lunch, however, that often the parents will go home first and to the hospital later, when it is too late. Sometimes we do what we can, but even then it is not enough.
Yesterday, my devotion book began a section on the life of Daniel. Daniel was born into nobility, but his land was invaded by Babylon and King Nebuchadnezzar. He was taken from his home and offered luxuries to persuade him to give up his commitment to God. The first day was titled “Far From Home,” apropos I think, and talks about how everything changed for Daniel, but God’s presence sustained him. That is exactly what I am experiencing right now. Everyday, whether it is something big or small, I am constantly reminded that God is right beside me and he will be with me always, wherever I am (Isaiah 41:10). I am praying that you at home are experiencing His nearness as I am here. He has gone before us and prepared a way until the very end of our days. Nothing we are going through or experiencing surprises Him, He has purposed everything in our lives. Ultimately, God honored Daniel’s commitment and granted him unusual wisdom and a long, productive, and honorable life. Wow. That my faith would be as steadfast as Daniel’s and that I would learn and grow in God’s wisdom and grace- that is my prayer. And that I may never go back to a place where I am not actively seeking God’s will for my every day and seeing His touch in every part of my life.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Weekend 1
Sipi Falls
This weekend we went to Sipi Falls. An interesting time. First thing Saturday morning we got up to catch a matatu. A matatu is another form of Uganda transportation. It is a van that seats 12, but rides around 25. But it’s cheap and safer than riding a boda boda long distances. So we rode to Mbale then switched to a different matatu to ride to Sipi. Once we arrived at Sipi we checked into the Crow’s Nest. It was a nice little place; we found it in our book of Uganda under the ‘shoestring budget’ section- so we paid about 6 dollars. So it wasn’t much, all 6of us were in a small room in bunk beds. We then ordered some lunch. It was ok, I had grilled cheese with tomatoes, don’t know exactly what kind of cheese it was but it suppressed my appetite. Several in our group ordered coffee, which they said tasted like real brewed coffee.
After lunch we got our guide, Patrick, and set out on our hike to the falls. It was so beautiful there, we took tons of pictures. We hiked to the very farthest and highest waterfall first, then hiked down past the rest of them. At one point we ran into a school group there on a field trip and all they wanted to do was take pictures with white people. It was kind of funny, we felt like celebrities. We continued down past the second falls onto the third. At this point some people in our group were feeling really sick so they went back a little early and we continued the short way back. By the time we got back more people were feeling sick, so they went to rest and me and Amy just sat outside and looked at the scenery. It was all the people who drank the coffee so we’re thinking that maybe the water was bad? We don’t know for sure but we just took it easy for the night. We did get to take a hot shower with running water. AMAZING- worth every scent of the six dollars.
Some of us went to grab some dinner, which we paid 35 cents for, and then hung out with some of the other guests at the lodge. We met two Israelis who had just finished their required term in the army and were traveling around Africa for 4 ½ months. It was really neat to be at a random camp/lodge in the middle of Africa meeting people from all around the world. Everyone at FIMRC is so well traveled and it really makes me want to do more traveling when I can. They have great stories about different cultures and places. Being able to travel on a college student’s budget has been a blessing they say because they stay at cheaper places and become completely immersed in the culture, rather than staying at nice resort places and watching the culture from the outside. Which is definitely true of my experience thus far. Sunday morning we got up, checked out, went to a nicer resort for breakfast- which was so good. On our matatu ride back to the Guest House, a mother and daughter were crammed in the front. The girl winced every time we went over a bump, but I didn’t think anything of it, matatus aren’t comfortable rides. But then we came to their stop. Beduda Hospital. There was no car to comfortably take her to the hospital, no ambulance, only a hot, sweaty 3 hour matatu ride. A reminder of how blessed we are at home.
I’ve talked a lot about how different Africa is from America, but there are so many similarities as well. Mainly the people. Today we saw 3 little boys swimming in the river, just playing and having fun like kids in the states. They may not have brand new toys from the store, but they have toys they make. They jump off high things and are scolded by their moms. They run around and get dirty. Sometimes when we say ‘How are you?’ to a child, we see their mother nudging them and whispering to them the polite response. And of course there are the people at the clinic. They kids that you can tell just don’t feel good at all, the mothers that hold them in their laps and worry until the doctor can see them. Realizing how similar we all are helps in the daily work at the clinic, when a piece of candy, a smile, or holding their hand can make it less scary.
Sipi Falls
This weekend we went to Sipi Falls. An interesting time. First thing Saturday morning we got up to catch a matatu. A matatu is another form of Uganda transportation. It is a van that seats 12, but rides around 25. But it’s cheap and safer than riding a boda boda long distances. So we rode to Mbale then switched to a different matatu to ride to Sipi. Once we arrived at Sipi we checked into the Crow’s Nest. It was a nice little place; we found it in our book of Uganda under the ‘shoestring budget’ section- so we paid about 6 dollars. So it wasn’t much, all 6of us were in a small room in bunk beds. We then ordered some lunch. It was ok, I had grilled cheese with tomatoes, don’t know exactly what kind of cheese it was but it suppressed my appetite. Several in our group ordered coffee, which they said tasted like real brewed coffee.
After lunch we got our guide, Patrick, and set out on our hike to the falls. It was so beautiful there, we took tons of pictures. We hiked to the very farthest and highest waterfall first, then hiked down past the rest of them. At one point we ran into a school group there on a field trip and all they wanted to do was take pictures with white people. It was kind of funny, we felt like celebrities. We continued down past the second falls onto the third. At this point some people in our group were feeling really sick so they went back a little early and we continued the short way back. By the time we got back more people were feeling sick, so they went to rest and me and Amy just sat outside and looked at the scenery. It was all the people who drank the coffee so we’re thinking that maybe the water was bad? We don’t know for sure but we just took it easy for the night. We did get to take a hot shower with running water. AMAZING- worth every scent of the six dollars.
Some of us went to grab some dinner, which we paid 35 cents for, and then hung out with some of the other guests at the lodge. We met two Israelis who had just finished their required term in the army and were traveling around Africa for 4 ½ months. It was really neat to be at a random camp/lodge in the middle of Africa meeting people from all around the world. Everyone at FIMRC is so well traveled and it really makes me want to do more traveling when I can. They have great stories about different cultures and places. Being able to travel on a college student’s budget has been a blessing they say because they stay at cheaper places and become completely immersed in the culture, rather than staying at nice resort places and watching the culture from the outside. Which is definitely true of my experience thus far. Sunday morning we got up, checked out, went to a nicer resort for breakfast- which was so good. On our matatu ride back to the Guest House, a mother and daughter were crammed in the front. The girl winced every time we went over a bump, but I didn’t think anything of it, matatus aren’t comfortable rides. But then we came to their stop. Beduda Hospital. There was no car to comfortably take her to the hospital, no ambulance, only a hot, sweaty 3 hour matatu ride. A reminder of how blessed we are at home.
I’ve talked a lot about how different Africa is from America, but there are so many similarities as well. Mainly the people. Today we saw 3 little boys swimming in the river, just playing and having fun like kids in the states. They may not have brand new toys from the store, but they have toys they make. They jump off high things and are scolded by their moms. They run around and get dirty. Sometimes when we say ‘How are you?’ to a child, we see their mother nudging them and whispering to them the polite response. And of course there are the people at the clinic. They kids that you can tell just don’t feel good at all, the mothers that hold them in their laps and worry until the doctor can see them. Realizing how similar we all are helps in the daily work at the clinic, when a piece of candy, a smile, or holding their hand can make it less scary.
Friday, June 26, 2009
Thursday
Today was a pretty normal day at the clinic. I got to watch Rogers, the lab technician, test children’s blood for malaria. It was similar to the gram staining process in microbiology. He showed me a slide with malaria and a slide of blood without malaria. Very cool. Also our burn kid came back today to have is burn redressed. And another girl from school came in with a burn on her leg from a motorcycle. Other than that it has been a fairly uneventful day. We also worked on inputting patient record into their computer system. Every other patient has malaria. No joke. As I said, it is fairly easy to treat if you have access to treatment. We also saw a lot of Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, anyone who complains of abdominal pain or back aches probably has it. It’s just a whole different world. Everyone is prescribed ibuprofen, even if they have no diagnosable illness. Healthcare in Uganda is such a rare thing, it’s not something everyone is responsible for themselves. If you feel the least bit sick, go to the clinic to get drugs. FIMRC has many outreach programs and patient education programs to work on changing this. Their goal is to teach them to value the doctor’s advice, not just medications.
I experienced my first African thunder storm today. This one wasn’t that big they say. It’s just rain and thunder, no wind, but the rain comes down in sheets for a solid 20-30 minutes. The thunder claps are loud and long, they seem as if they are right on top of you. Probably because they are.
Tonight after work was great. A few of us took a soccer ball and walked through the woods to this random field where a bunch of kids were hanging around. And cows, they just tie a rope to their foot and then stake a stick into the ground. Ugandan soccer is nuts. There were six Mzungus and 6 Ugandan kids. We tried to organize them into teams, but then more children just kept joining us. Out of 30 kids none of them spoke English. Finally some referees came, they knew how to play soccer and spoke English. And carried machetes. (Think- out of bounds= lose an arm; red card= off with your feet…) It was so crazy. We had picked up our goal keeper when we were walking to the field; he was very, very drunk. But a really good goal keeper, so funny. Every time the ball came to him he fell all over it, sacrificing his body in a very dramatic way, but usually keeping the ball out of the goal. The Ugandan kids were good. The Mzungus, not so good. Since it had rained today it was also pretty muddy, which added to our gracefulness. By the end we were exhausted from running and laughing. But overall it was a great day.
Today was a pretty normal day at the clinic. I got to watch Rogers, the lab technician, test children’s blood for malaria. It was similar to the gram staining process in microbiology. He showed me a slide with malaria and a slide of blood without malaria. Very cool. Also our burn kid came back today to have is burn redressed. And another girl from school came in with a burn on her leg from a motorcycle. Other than that it has been a fairly uneventful day. We also worked on inputting patient record into their computer system. Every other patient has malaria. No joke. As I said, it is fairly easy to treat if you have access to treatment. We also saw a lot of Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, anyone who complains of abdominal pain or back aches probably has it. It’s just a whole different world. Everyone is prescribed ibuprofen, even if they have no diagnosable illness. Healthcare in Uganda is such a rare thing, it’s not something everyone is responsible for themselves. If you feel the least bit sick, go to the clinic to get drugs. FIMRC has many outreach programs and patient education programs to work on changing this. Their goal is to teach them to value the doctor’s advice, not just medications.
I experienced my first African thunder storm today. This one wasn’t that big they say. It’s just rain and thunder, no wind, but the rain comes down in sheets for a solid 20-30 minutes. The thunder claps are loud and long, they seem as if they are right on top of you. Probably because they are.
Tonight after work was great. A few of us took a soccer ball and walked through the woods to this random field where a bunch of kids were hanging around. And cows, they just tie a rope to their foot and then stake a stick into the ground. Ugandan soccer is nuts. There were six Mzungus and 6 Ugandan kids. We tried to organize them into teams, but then more children just kept joining us. Out of 30 kids none of them spoke English. Finally some referees came, they knew how to play soccer and spoke English. And carried machetes. (Think- out of bounds= lose an arm; red card= off with your feet…) It was so crazy. We had picked up our goal keeper when we were walking to the field; he was very, very drunk. But a really good goal keeper, so funny. Every time the ball came to him he fell all over it, sacrificing his body in a very dramatic way, but usually keeping the ball out of the goal. The Ugandan kids were good. The Mzungus, not so good. Since it had rained today it was also pretty muddy, which added to our gracefulness. By the end we were exhausted from running and laughing. But overall it was a great day.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Wednesday
It’s 9:30 in the morning here and already I have had an absolutely amazing morning. We woke up early to go to Arlington Academy of Hope where the students were putting on an assembly. They do this every Monday and Friday, but since there were visitors they decided to do it on a Wednesday. Because there were visitors it was a special program today. AAH is primary school, grades P1-P7. School starts at 8am every morning but the assembly begins at 7:30. School ends at 4:40 for P1-P5, but at 6 for P6-P7. They go three terms each year, getting the month of in January, May, mid-August to mid-September, and December. However, P6 and P7 only have one week of at each of these breaks because they are preparing for their exit exams which determine if they get a scholarship to secondary school and/or get to graduate. So when we got to school this morning all 325 children were out on the lawn of the school. We were given seats, in the shade, to watch from. The children just giggled every time they looked at us or saw us taking pictures. To begin, they were marching and doing drills. They are so well disciplined. They all marched together and sometimes the teacher would call out a number and a class and they would have to say the times tables up to 12 for that number. Even the P1’s and P2’s knew most of their time tables. It was very impressive. They also had fun with them, like making them squat down then try to march. It was hilarious and the kids were just on the ground laughing. I took tons of pictures. Then they raised the flag and sang the national anthem and opened the morning in prayer. Oh to hear this 3rd grader pray and thank Jesus for his school and his teachers and the visitors, so overwhelming. The whole P3 class then came and stood in front of us and led in the morning praise songs. These kids all know English so they were singing “Hallelujah, praise Jesus” over and over. Having 325 elementary students sing praise songs was such a beautiful way to start my morning, and again a reminder that God is working in this place. The joy on these children’s faces was amazing. We were then introduced to the students. Over and over the teachers emphasized that we have come a very far way to see them and it is because we love them that we are here to see them. What a morning.
We then went back to the house to meet up with Brea and Carly to go on home visits. This is where we walk around the village to random houses and the people invite us in and then we give them health education lessons. The people are so warm and inviting and always so glad to see us. We walk up these mountains and tucked into patches of trees are these homes and fields. All the way up the mountains you can see houses and gardens. I have taken tons of pictures that will hopefully be able to show you the scenery. Today we were teaching lessons on family planning again. It was again amazing to us that these people had never heard of these family planning methods we were teaching, but they were so interested because they know the poverty and problems that come with over population. Molly and I got to teach two of the lessons so that we will know what to do when Carly and Brea leave. It was…well an experience haha. Our final home visit was that of Richard’s (our translator) aunt. They invited us inside and they had so many questions about this lesson. At the end, the man said that he was very old and past having children but that he will take what he knows and teach his children so they can learn from him. He doesn’t want them to worry about how to provide for their children as he worries about providing for his family. PS. He had two wives who we met, one who had 2 children, the other 11; 13 in all. But that is what it is all about. Giving them knowledge to use and pass on so that it will have an impact on future generations. An incredible morning.
This afternoon we went back to AAH to help teach computer lessons. These kids were so excited to even just learn how to use a mouse or open a word document. It’s so strange because in America kids in kindergarten can use the computer, but here they are so eager to learn the simplest things. And its so worth it when one turns to you and says “Thank you for teaching me the computer.” Africa is great.
The catch phrase around here is “TIA”- This Is Africa. It gets said so much, i.e. if someone says something about not having power for the past seven days, well TIA. Cold water bucket baths, TIA. No one around here ever being on time, TIA. This is Africa.
In Him,
Becky
It’s 9:30 in the morning here and already I have had an absolutely amazing morning. We woke up early to go to Arlington Academy of Hope where the students were putting on an assembly. They do this every Monday and Friday, but since there were visitors they decided to do it on a Wednesday. Because there were visitors it was a special program today. AAH is primary school, grades P1-P7. School starts at 8am every morning but the assembly begins at 7:30. School ends at 4:40 for P1-P5, but at 6 for P6-P7. They go three terms each year, getting the month of in January, May, mid-August to mid-September, and December. However, P6 and P7 only have one week of at each of these breaks because they are preparing for their exit exams which determine if they get a scholarship to secondary school and/or get to graduate. So when we got to school this morning all 325 children were out on the lawn of the school. We were given seats, in the shade, to watch from. The children just giggled every time they looked at us or saw us taking pictures. To begin, they were marching and doing drills. They are so well disciplined. They all marched together and sometimes the teacher would call out a number and a class and they would have to say the times tables up to 12 for that number. Even the P1’s and P2’s knew most of their time tables. It was very impressive. They also had fun with them, like making them squat down then try to march. It was hilarious and the kids were just on the ground laughing. I took tons of pictures. Then they raised the flag and sang the national anthem and opened the morning in prayer. Oh to hear this 3rd grader pray and thank Jesus for his school and his teachers and the visitors, so overwhelming. The whole P3 class then came and stood in front of us and led in the morning praise songs. These kids all know English so they were singing “Hallelujah, praise Jesus” over and over. Having 325 elementary students sing praise songs was such a beautiful way to start my morning, and again a reminder that God is working in this place. The joy on these children’s faces was amazing. We were then introduced to the students. Over and over the teachers emphasized that we have come a very far way to see them and it is because we love them that we are here to see them. What a morning.
We then went back to the house to meet up with Brea and Carly to go on home visits. This is where we walk around the village to random houses and the people invite us in and then we give them health education lessons. The people are so warm and inviting and always so glad to see us. We walk up these mountains and tucked into patches of trees are these homes and fields. All the way up the mountains you can see houses and gardens. I have taken tons of pictures that will hopefully be able to show you the scenery. Today we were teaching lessons on family planning again. It was again amazing to us that these people had never heard of these family planning methods we were teaching, but they were so interested because they know the poverty and problems that come with over population. Molly and I got to teach two of the lessons so that we will know what to do when Carly and Brea leave. It was…well an experience haha. Our final home visit was that of Richard’s (our translator) aunt. They invited us inside and they had so many questions about this lesson. At the end, the man said that he was very old and past having children but that he will take what he knows and teach his children so they can learn from him. He doesn’t want them to worry about how to provide for their children as he worries about providing for his family. PS. He had two wives who we met, one who had 2 children, the other 11; 13 in all. But that is what it is all about. Giving them knowledge to use and pass on so that it will have an impact on future generations. An incredible morning.
This afternoon we went back to AAH to help teach computer lessons. These kids were so excited to even just learn how to use a mouse or open a word document. It’s so strange because in America kids in kindergarten can use the computer, but here they are so eager to learn the simplest things. And its so worth it when one turns to you and says “Thank you for teaching me the computer.” Africa is great.
The catch phrase around here is “TIA”- This Is Africa. It gets said so much, i.e. if someone says something about not having power for the past seven days, well TIA. Cold water bucket baths, TIA. No one around here ever being on time, TIA. This is Africa.
In Him,
Becky
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Sunday and Monday
Sunday
At this point it is Sunday night here, so I’ll just reflect on last night and this morning real quickly. I’ve still got some jet lag going on, so everything is very overwhelming. The people at the guest house are nice, all very different. There are a few that are my age, and the others are older. Everyone has very different backgrounds- political science to medical school. Everyone seems to get along very well and on Thursday another volunteer comes, so Molly and I will not be the new girls anymore. Today we went hiking through a mountain. No kidding, as I was trying to explain earlier, the mountains here are jagged and steep. As high as we got, we still encountered people and their homes. It was crazy how high up they lived and how far they would have to walk to get to the village. But when you turned around and looked out, the view was incredible. One of the girls I room with, Amy, and I sat for a while in the shade and just looked out. Again, I was just very overwhelmed- I was sitting on the side of a mountain in Africa looking over the villages and land of Uganda. Its going to take some time to really process all this and get in a routine.
I took my first cold bucket bath today. It was kind of refreshing, but definitely something I will have to get used to. There’s a lot I will have to get used to, but I’m sure once I get well rested and into a routine with my work, it will be no problem. I got to talk to my parents today also which was good. I know this is where I am supposed to be this summer, for sure, now that I am here I must be open to what God is trying to teach me. It is all extremely eye opening. Please continue to pray that I will have peace with everything that is going on here. Pray for good rest and for good friendships to develop. But most of all for an open heart and mind, because I don’t want to miss out on anything.
Monday
After a much needed good night’s sleep, I was ready to get started with work here. We went to the clinic in the morning, toured and met the doctors and clinic staff, then worked taking vitals for a little while. In the morning from 9-2 we see only children, but then in the afternoon adults can come. The clinic is small but they do so well with what they have. By our standards, they are lacking, but by their standards they are far advanced. All of their patient records are becoming computerized, they have a lab which they can test blood and look at it under a microscope to see if they have malaria. I think I am really going to enjoy working there, it reminds me a lot of our work in Jamaica.
Molly and I then had to go on a tour of the loop of Beduda that all new volunteers are required to go on. I don’t really understand the structure of the towns and cities here, but I think Beduda is probably like a county cause there are several villages within Beduda. On this tour we were going to see the different types of medical facilities here. They wanted us to see both ends of the spectrum and some of the shortcomings of the other clinics. FIMRC is the only non-government facility here, and in their words, they see what the government is doing and they want to do it better.
First we stopped at the market. Every Monday and Thursday there is a market here. People sell everything from fabrics, clothes, and shoes to goats and chickens. It was crazy. I think we got about 3 marriage proposals, but we are supposed to say that we are already taken haha. Plus our driver Rashid is with us at all times. He has worked for FIMRC for a couple years, driving volunteers places on his Boda (motorbike). He told us yesterday that he is saving to go to the university in the city to study to be an accountant. The land is so beautiful here and we got to see so much just riding from place to place yesterday. The next place we went was a government clinic. It was very small and less equipped than ours, but for many that is all the healthcare they had ever gotten.
The next place we visited was Beduda Hospital. It was built by the Japanese government. It was very large and very nice. Like marble floors and modern xray machine nice. But they were so poorly understaffed and lacking in the basics such as gloves and supplies. Mike (our FIMRC manager) said this is because the Japanese know if they build something nice that no one will come in and mess it up, but they will not give staff or supplies. At this hospital, a nurse sat down with us and explained how everything works and gave us a very thorough tour. They have many wards, pediatric-male-female-maternity-surgery-inpatient. It was very impressive. She also emphasized that if we wanted to come volunteer there that they would love to have us. She said the best way to learn is to do, if we came we could work with the doctors and watch surgeries and such. It was definitely a place that I would like to spend more time.
The final place we visited was another government clinic. It was bigger than the first, but the people there were amazing. A nurse showed us around to begin with and then we got to meet with Wilson, the clinic director. He asked us all about our school and where we were from, then explained how the clinic worked. He specialized in mental health so many of the mental health cases go to this clinic. His wife was also there helping him “get organized” but she was also very impressive. She is head teacher at a local school and works with special needs children. Great people. He also emphasized how lucky we are in the states to have ambulances standing by in case of emergencies. If something goes wrong at their clinic, they must carry the person to the local hospital, sometimes they may have a car, but many times that is when things go very wrong. It was all a very eye opening experience. We finished the day by going back to the clinic and doing vitals. After the school next door let out we went and played soccer with some of the children.
We went back to the house, hung out together, had dinner, and then played board games before we went to bed. Not much to do with not electricity so we all go to bed pretty early. I don’t hate that. God continues to show me that He is right here with me. Yesterday my devotion was on not planning too far in the future. “God has too much in store for you today for you to waste one minute on worrying about tomorrow. If you are living in His will for you today, then that will be plenty to prepare you for tomorrow.” And then my parents devotion was “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” Just what I need. So much is going on here, all I can do is look one day at a time. And all I need to know is that He brought me here, so He will be with me all the time. Pray that I am reminded of that daily. Please continue to pray for the relationships being built between volunteers. Also that we will have electricity and internet, it helps so much to hear from home. I love the work I’m doing here, but there are moments when I miss home. They say the time will fly by here but right now 5 weeks seems like a pretty long time. Pray that I will have strength to serve and remember the reason that I am here. Love and miss you all!
In Him,
Becky
At this point it is Sunday night here, so I’ll just reflect on last night and this morning real quickly. I’ve still got some jet lag going on, so everything is very overwhelming. The people at the guest house are nice, all very different. There are a few that are my age, and the others are older. Everyone has very different backgrounds- political science to medical school. Everyone seems to get along very well and on Thursday another volunteer comes, so Molly and I will not be the new girls anymore. Today we went hiking through a mountain. No kidding, as I was trying to explain earlier, the mountains here are jagged and steep. As high as we got, we still encountered people and their homes. It was crazy how high up they lived and how far they would have to walk to get to the village. But when you turned around and looked out, the view was incredible. One of the girls I room with, Amy, and I sat for a while in the shade and just looked out. Again, I was just very overwhelmed- I was sitting on the side of a mountain in Africa looking over the villages and land of Uganda. Its going to take some time to really process all this and get in a routine.
I took my first cold bucket bath today. It was kind of refreshing, but definitely something I will have to get used to. There’s a lot I will have to get used to, but I’m sure once I get well rested and into a routine with my work, it will be no problem. I got to talk to my parents today also which was good. I know this is where I am supposed to be this summer, for sure, now that I am here I must be open to what God is trying to teach me. It is all extremely eye opening. Please continue to pray that I will have peace with everything that is going on here. Pray for good rest and for good friendships to develop. But most of all for an open heart and mind, because I don’t want to miss out on anything.
Monday
After a much needed good night’s sleep, I was ready to get started with work here. We went to the clinic in the morning, toured and met the doctors and clinic staff, then worked taking vitals for a little while. In the morning from 9-2 we see only children, but then in the afternoon adults can come. The clinic is small but they do so well with what they have. By our standards, they are lacking, but by their standards they are far advanced. All of their patient records are becoming computerized, they have a lab which they can test blood and look at it under a microscope to see if they have malaria. I think I am really going to enjoy working there, it reminds me a lot of our work in Jamaica.
Molly and I then had to go on a tour of the loop of Beduda that all new volunteers are required to go on. I don’t really understand the structure of the towns and cities here, but I think Beduda is probably like a county cause there are several villages within Beduda. On this tour we were going to see the different types of medical facilities here. They wanted us to see both ends of the spectrum and some of the shortcomings of the other clinics. FIMRC is the only non-government facility here, and in their words, they see what the government is doing and they want to do it better.
First we stopped at the market. Every Monday and Thursday there is a market here. People sell everything from fabrics, clothes, and shoes to goats and chickens. It was crazy. I think we got about 3 marriage proposals, but we are supposed to say that we are already taken haha. Plus our driver Rashid is with us at all times. He has worked for FIMRC for a couple years, driving volunteers places on his Boda (motorbike). He told us yesterday that he is saving to go to the university in the city to study to be an accountant. The land is so beautiful here and we got to see so much just riding from place to place yesterday. The next place we went was a government clinic. It was very small and less equipped than ours, but for many that is all the healthcare they had ever gotten.
The next place we visited was Beduda Hospital. It was built by the Japanese government. It was very large and very nice. Like marble floors and modern xray machine nice. But they were so poorly understaffed and lacking in the basics such as gloves and supplies. Mike (our FIMRC manager) said this is because the Japanese know if they build something nice that no one will come in and mess it up, but they will not give staff or supplies. At this hospital, a nurse sat down with us and explained how everything works and gave us a very thorough tour. They have many wards, pediatric-male-female-maternity-surgery-inpatient. It was very impressive. She also emphasized that if we wanted to come volunteer there that they would love to have us. She said the best way to learn is to do, if we came we could work with the doctors and watch surgeries and such. It was definitely a place that I would like to spend more time.
The final place we visited was another government clinic. It was bigger than the first, but the people there were amazing. A nurse showed us around to begin with and then we got to meet with Wilson, the clinic director. He asked us all about our school and where we were from, then explained how the clinic worked. He specialized in mental health so many of the mental health cases go to this clinic. His wife was also there helping him “get organized” but she was also very impressive. She is head teacher at a local school and works with special needs children. Great people. He also emphasized how lucky we are in the states to have ambulances standing by in case of emergencies. If something goes wrong at their clinic, they must carry the person to the local hospital, sometimes they may have a car, but many times that is when things go very wrong. It was all a very eye opening experience. We finished the day by going back to the clinic and doing vitals. After the school next door let out we went and played soccer with some of the children.
We went back to the house, hung out together, had dinner, and then played board games before we went to bed. Not much to do with not electricity so we all go to bed pretty early. I don’t hate that. God continues to show me that He is right here with me. Yesterday my devotion was on not planning too far in the future. “God has too much in store for you today for you to waste one minute on worrying about tomorrow. If you are living in His will for you today, then that will be plenty to prepare you for tomorrow.” And then my parents devotion was “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” Just what I need. So much is going on here, all I can do is look one day at a time. And all I need to know is that He brought me here, so He will be with me all the time. Pray that I am reminded of that daily. Please continue to pray for the relationships being built between volunteers. Also that we will have electricity and internet, it helps so much to hear from home. I love the work I’m doing here, but there are moments when I miss home. They say the time will fly by here but right now 5 weeks seems like a pretty long time. Pray that I will have strength to serve and remember the reason that I am here. Love and miss you all!
In Him,
Becky
Finally! Travel Days
I am safely in Uganda at this point. There is very little internet connection and very little power so whenever it is that I post this it will be several days worth. This is all just the highlights, there is so much more I wish I could share, little details, thoughts, observances.
Thursday
My favorite people in airports are the ones running with their luggage. My family (minus Kevin who’s at World Changers) drove to Atlanta, and we had lunch at my favorite restaurant, The Cheesecake Factory. It was great. I got checked in then said good-bye to the family and went to my gate. Second favorite part of the day was getting to ride the train-thing to my concourse. Simple things.
As I said before, God has been doing some crazy things leading up to this trip. Let me clarify that this is a good kind of crazy. I talked to a good friend of mine the other day, and just listening to him talk about all God was doing in his life was awesome and so encouraging to me. It has been so clear to me all God is doing to pull this trip together, but to hear how much He is doing in other people’s lives at the same time is such a great reminder of how big our God is. I knew this was going to be a life changing trip, but I expected it to be while I was in Africa. But this past week, in the midst of running errands, packing, and seeing friends, the huge difference in the life I am leaving and the life I am going to has been constantly on my mind. I’ve had to answer a lot of questions about why I am going and, though its not been fun or easy, I know God is bringing my heart to the place where He can have complete control and teach me the things I need to learn while I am gone. Apart from me, I know 8 people who are in, going to, or have gone to Africa this summer! We’re going to different places for different reasons, but I am so excited for how God is going to use us all this summer.
To finish day one, I boarded my plane and made it safely to London!
Fun Fact: I have brushed my teeth in the airport and gotten to see lots of flight attendant hand motions…
Friday
I’m sitting next to Molly in the London airport writing this. I probably won’t get it posted until tomorrow or Sunday because internet cost money in airports. But here’s how today happened. They woke us up real early (like 3am your time) and fed us breakfast before we landed. We landed at 10 this time (5 your time) and went through customs and all that. The London airport is HUGE and when you get off the plane you are driven on a bus to the arrivals gate. I had planned to meet up with Molly at her gate, but since there was none, I went ahead and went through customs and hoped Molly would do the same. Good news- she did. We met up at baggage claims and we rode a bus to our terminal. More good news, they have Starbucks in London, so we hit that up and made a game plan for our day. Kenya airways wouldn’t let us check in til that afternoon, so we stored our bags while we went out to explore. We bought train tickets (not really a train, more like a subway, but that’s what they call it). We only had three hours before we had to be back at the airport, and the train took an hour to get into town. But according to the London locals we talked to, that was the quickest and the cheapest way. It was fun and we got to see some of the city and talk a lot while riding the train too. We got off at Green Park station and walked through the park. We saw some kids that looked like they went to Hogwarts, they had uniforms on that reminded us of the Gryffindor seal. Yes, Molly is a Harry Potter fan, a Starbucks fan, and, Perry, a Twilight fan. We’re going to get along fine. We walked to Buckingham palace, took touristy pictures, and then walked some more. There weren’t really any other notable sites within walking distance, though we could see the London Eye from where we were. But we saw tons of cute houses, and lots of embassies and some double-decker buses. And a big church. We came back to the airport, got our bags, got in another line to check our bags with the airline, went through security, and now here we are. And you guys probably just finished lunch. Tonight we’re going to Kenya, then tomorrow we’ll finally get to Uganda. Hopefully then we will have internet access! I’ll end again with some prayer requests but thanks so much for all your prayers thus far. Everything is going great!
Saturday
Last night was an ok flight. We got more sleep than we did the night before. Right now we are sitting in the Nairobi, Kenya airport waiting on our final flight to Entebbe. This morning, they woke us up at 4 am to serve us breakfast, but it was awesome because we got to watch the sun rise. It was so incredible, before we even saw the sun there was a rainbow of colors creeping up the horizon. Then as we were flying through the clouds we saw the tops of mountains peeking through. They were all sharp, jagged mountains, different from how ours look. On our descent, we came through the layer of clouds and got our first glimpse of Africa. It was amazing. I can’t believe we are here!
In Entebbe, we cleared customs, got our luggage and met the driver from the FIMRC. He took us to Kampala, where we met up with the Mike and Megan, FIMRC staff. We went and changed our money, walked through a Ugandan grocery store, then got back in the car to continue our drive to the village.
Our next stop was Jinja, where we ate lunch at a very nice Ugandan restaurant. We also walked around some of the shops where local artists have their crafts. We didn’t have a whole lot of time there but hopefully at some point we will be able to go back and buy some things. We then finished our drive to the village.
Finally here! More posts to follow!
In Him,
Becky
Thursday
My favorite people in airports are the ones running with their luggage. My family (minus Kevin who’s at World Changers) drove to Atlanta, and we had lunch at my favorite restaurant, The Cheesecake Factory. It was great. I got checked in then said good-bye to the family and went to my gate. Second favorite part of the day was getting to ride the train-thing to my concourse. Simple things.
As I said before, God has been doing some crazy things leading up to this trip. Let me clarify that this is a good kind of crazy. I talked to a good friend of mine the other day, and just listening to him talk about all God was doing in his life was awesome and so encouraging to me. It has been so clear to me all God is doing to pull this trip together, but to hear how much He is doing in other people’s lives at the same time is such a great reminder of how big our God is. I knew this was going to be a life changing trip, but I expected it to be while I was in Africa. But this past week, in the midst of running errands, packing, and seeing friends, the huge difference in the life I am leaving and the life I am going to has been constantly on my mind. I’ve had to answer a lot of questions about why I am going and, though its not been fun or easy, I know God is bringing my heart to the place where He can have complete control and teach me the things I need to learn while I am gone. Apart from me, I know 8 people who are in, going to, or have gone to Africa this summer! We’re going to different places for different reasons, but I am so excited for how God is going to use us all this summer.
To finish day one, I boarded my plane and made it safely to London!
Fun Fact: I have brushed my teeth in the airport and gotten to see lots of flight attendant hand motions…
Friday
I’m sitting next to Molly in the London airport writing this. I probably won’t get it posted until tomorrow or Sunday because internet cost money in airports. But here’s how today happened. They woke us up real early (like 3am your time) and fed us breakfast before we landed. We landed at 10 this time (5 your time) and went through customs and all that. The London airport is HUGE and when you get off the plane you are driven on a bus to the arrivals gate. I had planned to meet up with Molly at her gate, but since there was none, I went ahead and went through customs and hoped Molly would do the same. Good news- she did. We met up at baggage claims and we rode a bus to our terminal. More good news, they have Starbucks in London, so we hit that up and made a game plan for our day. Kenya airways wouldn’t let us check in til that afternoon, so we stored our bags while we went out to explore. We bought train tickets (not really a train, more like a subway, but that’s what they call it). We only had three hours before we had to be back at the airport, and the train took an hour to get into town. But according to the London locals we talked to, that was the quickest and the cheapest way. It was fun and we got to see some of the city and talk a lot while riding the train too. We got off at Green Park station and walked through the park. We saw some kids that looked like they went to Hogwarts, they had uniforms on that reminded us of the Gryffindor seal. Yes, Molly is a Harry Potter fan, a Starbucks fan, and, Perry, a Twilight fan. We’re going to get along fine. We walked to Buckingham palace, took touristy pictures, and then walked some more. There weren’t really any other notable sites within walking distance, though we could see the London Eye from where we were. But we saw tons of cute houses, and lots of embassies and some double-decker buses. And a big church. We came back to the airport, got our bags, got in another line to check our bags with the airline, went through security, and now here we are. And you guys probably just finished lunch. Tonight we’re going to Kenya, then tomorrow we’ll finally get to Uganda. Hopefully then we will have internet access! I’ll end again with some prayer requests but thanks so much for all your prayers thus far. Everything is going great!
Saturday
Last night was an ok flight. We got more sleep than we did the night before. Right now we are sitting in the Nairobi, Kenya airport waiting on our final flight to Entebbe. This morning, they woke us up at 4 am to serve us breakfast, but it was awesome because we got to watch the sun rise. It was so incredible, before we even saw the sun there was a rainbow of colors creeping up the horizon. Then as we were flying through the clouds we saw the tops of mountains peeking through. They were all sharp, jagged mountains, different from how ours look. On our descent, we came through the layer of clouds and got our first glimpse of Africa. It was amazing. I can’t believe we are here!
In Entebbe, we cleared customs, got our luggage and met the driver from the FIMRC. He took us to Kampala, where we met up with the Mike and Megan, FIMRC staff. We went and changed our money, walked through a Ugandan grocery store, then got back in the car to continue our drive to the village.
Our next stop was Jinja, where we ate lunch at a very nice Ugandan restaurant. We also walked around some of the shops where local artists have their crafts. We didn’t have a whole lot of time there but hopefully at some point we will be able to go back and buy some things. We then finished our drive to the village.
Finally here! More posts to follow!
In Him,
Becky
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
This is just a really quick post because I want to share with you a prayer calendar my parents made for my trip while I'm gone!
Follow this link: http://docs.google.com/ViewDoc?docid=dd8stv9g_0fkrrmmhm
I'm planning on posting again tomorrow while I have some down time in the airport, because God has been doing some crazy things during the past couple weeks before my trip. Today I'm just doing some last minute things, like packing, and just hanging out with my fam before I leave! Thank you so much for all your prayers as I get ready to leave!!
In Him,
Becky
Macie Elizabeth, Cady, Lynsey, Kat, Rachel, Kristen Victoria- this is your shoutout. I tried to think of something funny to say, but I just couldn't. Surprising I know. You guys are awesome and I'm gonna miss you, but I'll be praying for you! Have a great summer :)
Follow this link: http://docs.google.com/ViewDoc?docid=dd8stv9g_0fkrrmmhm
I'm planning on posting again tomorrow while I have some down time in the airport, because God has been doing some crazy things during the past couple weeks before my trip. Today I'm just doing some last minute things, like packing, and just hanging out with my fam before I leave! Thank you so much for all your prayers as I get ready to leave!!
In Him,
Becky
Macie Elizabeth, Cady, Lynsey, Kat, Rachel, Kristen Victoria- this is your shoutout. I tried to think of something funny to say, but I just couldn't. Surprising I know. You guys are awesome and I'm gonna miss you, but I'll be praying for you! Have a great summer :)
Saturday, June 6, 2009
I’m back from Crossings with my middle school girls and it was an incredible week! I really expected it to be a great week for the students and just something fun for me to do, but it was incredible how much God hit me with during the week as well. The message was incredible, all about going “Beyond” your own ability and it was applicable to the middle school students, the high schoolers, and the adults. It was a great catalyst for my summer and my trip!
Everything seems to be coming together well for my trip. I leave for the beach tomorrow with my family, so then when I get back it will really be crunch time. But I wanted to go ahead and post about email while I have a few minutes. I don’t know what the internet access is like over there (my friend Kelly seems to be able to update her blog from Mozambique fairly often…) but they have given me some tips that should help. First and foremost, I have a new email address for the trip- bjohns723@gmail.com Internet access is charged by the minute, so I will be getting on, downloading my emails onto a flash drive, and then reading/replying to them later. So anything that will allow for a faster download is what we are going for here.
- Please set e-mail format to “plain text” rather than HTML or RTF format if possible or just make sure to use a standard font, no color, underlining, etc.
- Don’t hit reply to my emails, just start a new message; same goes for forwarding
- If the email is larger than 40 kilobytes (I have no idea how big that is, it’s just what they tell me)- please break it into two pieces and send
- Make sure antivirus software is up-to-date
I think that’s it, pretty easy stuff. Please, please don’t let those keep you from sending me emails. You have no idea how much it will encourage me to hear from home!
Finally, I have a little more info to answer the most common question "Is it safe there?!" Many are worried about travelers being attacked or the killings when Idi Amin was in power in the 70’s, but I have assured by the FIMRC staff and previous volunteers that the project site is very safe. The current government is much more democratic and civil than the previous, and the country has been relatively stable with little war during the past couple decades. The conflict that has occurred has been in the north along the Sudanese border, but over the past 3 years this has been mostly resolved with little trouble. Plus, I’m going to be in the south the whole time. FIMRC has given us many precautionary measures and as far as disease goes, I have had more shots and pills than I can count. Of course, prayers for safety during my travel and stay are still needed, but hopefully this will set some of your minds at ease. Again, I’ll end with some prayer requests. Let me know if there is something I have left out that you want to know! I’m working on getting this to update to Facebook as well…
Prayer Requests
-That the middle school students will carry what they learned this week into their everyday lives and continue to dig deeper
- My friend, Kelly, in Mozambique working with Iris Ministries for 11 weeks!
- Molly, another volunteer, as she packs and prepares
- My parents
-Travel and preparation- and those from the earlier post!
In Him, Becky
Everything seems to be coming together well for my trip. I leave for the beach tomorrow with my family, so then when I get back it will really be crunch time. But I wanted to go ahead and post about email while I have a few minutes. I don’t know what the internet access is like over there (my friend Kelly seems to be able to update her blog from Mozambique fairly often…) but they have given me some tips that should help. First and foremost, I have a new email address for the trip- bjohns723@gmail.com Internet access is charged by the minute, so I will be getting on, downloading my emails onto a flash drive, and then reading/replying to them later. So anything that will allow for a faster download is what we are going for here.
- Please set e-mail format to “plain text” rather than HTML or RTF format if possible or just make sure to use a standard font, no color, underlining, etc.
- Don’t hit reply to my emails, just start a new message; same goes for forwarding
- If the email is larger than 40 kilobytes (I have no idea how big that is, it’s just what they tell me)- please break it into two pieces and send
- Make sure antivirus software is up-to-date
I think that’s it, pretty easy stuff. Please, please don’t let those keep you from sending me emails. You have no idea how much it will encourage me to hear from home!
Finally, I have a little more info to answer the most common question "Is it safe there?!" Many are worried about travelers being attacked or the killings when Idi Amin was in power in the 70’s, but I have assured by the FIMRC staff and previous volunteers that the project site is very safe. The current government is much more democratic and civil than the previous, and the country has been relatively stable with little war during the past couple decades. The conflict that has occurred has been in the north along the Sudanese border, but over the past 3 years this has been mostly resolved with little trouble. Plus, I’m going to be in the south the whole time. FIMRC has given us many precautionary measures and as far as disease goes, I have had more shots and pills than I can count. Of course, prayers for safety during my travel and stay are still needed, but hopefully this will set some of your minds at ease. Again, I’ll end with some prayer requests. Let me know if there is something I have left out that you want to know! I’m working on getting this to update to Facebook as well…
Prayer Requests
-That the middle school students will carry what they learned this week into their everyday lives and continue to dig deeper
- My friend, Kelly, in Mozambique working with Iris Ministries for 11 weeks!
- Molly, another volunteer, as she packs and prepares
- My parents
-Travel and preparation- and those from the earlier post!
In Him, Becky
Monday, May 18, 2009
I’ve been putting off starting this for a while cause I don’t know how to start it, or what to say, or what people want to know. So I’m just going to start by telling you what I know…
I’m spending five weeks this summer in Uganda at Project Bumwalukani (hence the blog name). I’m going with the Foundation for the International Medical Relief of Children aka FIMRC. This is their website for my project http://fimrc.org/projects/project-bumwalukani-uganda you can navigate from there to look at their whole site and all the different projects.
I am leaving June 18 and flying through London and Kenya before I arrive in Uganda on Saturday, June 20. Don’t worry- I found out this week that I am meeting up with another volunteer, Molly, in London and then flying with her to Uganda. Once there, we will be met by the FIMRC staff and take an 8ish hour taxi ride to the village at the base of Mt. Elgon.
At this project, FIMRC is partnered with Arlington Academy of Hope, a non-profit organization that provides education to the village community. FIMRC is able to provide basic healthcare to the 300 students and teacher which attend the school, as well as the needs of the surrounding community. While I’m there I will be helping the Ugandan medical staff treat patients, take patient histories, collect data and statistics of illnesses/symptoms to help better serve the needs of the people, and give health education lessons at Arlington Academy and the other five primary schools in the area.
I am confident that this is where God has called me this summer and that His work does not begin when I get there, but has already begun. This is not a Christian or church-affiliated organization, but people who desire to create an easier and better quality of life for the people of Uganda. Recently I have come to realize that my mission field and the people I am ministering to are not just the Ugandan people, but the FIMRC staff and other volunteers that are there as well.
To close this I’ll list a few prayer requests. I don’t know when I’ll update this again, maybe not until I’m on my way- or maybe sooner if there are updates or things I have forgotten!
Prayer Requests
- Travel
- Molly, a nursing student from Wisconsin who will be spending 4 weeks in Uganda
- The people of Uganda, specifically those in Bumwalukani associated with this project
- The other volunteers and FIMRC staff in Bumwalukani
- Preparation- spiritual, packing, collecting supplies
- Middle school camp where I will be with girls from my church the first week of June
Thank you for your prayers and support!
In Him,
Becky
I’m spending five weeks this summer in Uganda at Project Bumwalukani (hence the blog name). I’m going with the Foundation for the International Medical Relief of Children aka FIMRC. This is their website for my project http://fimrc.org/projects/project-bumwalukani-uganda you can navigate from there to look at their whole site and all the different projects.
I am leaving June 18 and flying through London and Kenya before I arrive in Uganda on Saturday, June 20. Don’t worry- I found out this week that I am meeting up with another volunteer, Molly, in London and then flying with her to Uganda. Once there, we will be met by the FIMRC staff and take an 8ish hour taxi ride to the village at the base of Mt. Elgon.
At this project, FIMRC is partnered with Arlington Academy of Hope, a non-profit organization that provides education to the village community. FIMRC is able to provide basic healthcare to the 300 students and teacher which attend the school, as well as the needs of the surrounding community. While I’m there I will be helping the Ugandan medical staff treat patients, take patient histories, collect data and statistics of illnesses/symptoms to help better serve the needs of the people, and give health education lessons at Arlington Academy and the other five primary schools in the area.
I am confident that this is where God has called me this summer and that His work does not begin when I get there, but has already begun. This is not a Christian or church-affiliated organization, but people who desire to create an easier and better quality of life for the people of Uganda. Recently I have come to realize that my mission field and the people I am ministering to are not just the Ugandan people, but the FIMRC staff and other volunteers that are there as well.
To close this I’ll list a few prayer requests. I don’t know when I’ll update this again, maybe not until I’m on my way- or maybe sooner if there are updates or things I have forgotten!
Prayer Requests
- Travel
- Molly, a nursing student from Wisconsin who will be spending 4 weeks in Uganda
- The people of Uganda, specifically those in Bumwalukani associated with this project
- The other volunteers and FIMRC staff in Bumwalukani
- Preparation- spiritual, packing, collecting supplies
- Middle school camp where I will be with girls from my church the first week of June
Thank you for your prayers and support!
In Him,
Becky
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