Last Full Day

Yesterday was Saturday which means it was my last full day here in Uganda. It makes me more than just a little sad that I will be leaving here shortly. Every other trip I have been hopeful that I will be returning in a year but this time I am fairly certain I won't be returning until April 2014.....that feels like forever and I don't like the thought of it, but at least there is a chance that I will return so I shouldn't be devastated. Still, I think about leaving my second home with my "other" family and my sister that I love dearly and it breaks my heart just a little. Thank God for the internet, Skype, and even the ability to text across the ocean. I don't know what I would do if I had to go a year in between real conversations and seeing Angella's face! We have worked hard to keep in touch with each other over the years and it has paid off - I have one of the most wonderful friends a girl could ask for and we truly to act like sisters - down to picking on each other and getting scolded by our mom!

The day itself went fairly smoothly. We started a little earlier - around 8 to go to Catherine's house to pick up paper necklaces and some beach dresses. She is the woman who runs Agape, if you didn't remember - or I forgot to say. Her house is actually extremely close to Angella's so it was an easy stop. She really is a sweet lady and it was great to see her outside of Agape. She does everything she can to keep the place running and care for the boys there and the girls that they keep in Gulu. I was also able to talk with her more about some of the boys and the way that they have come to the home. It was great to have time to sit down and talk to her about their stories. We also got to meet two of her three children. It's always nice to see people's homes and meet their families. You get a much better picture of who they are and what they are really like - not just how the act when they are working! We were supposed to make it a quick stop and then go home for breakfast. Instead, Catherine insisted on giving us tea - which then turned into breakfast! Two hours later, we were full of fried cassava (the best I have had in this place), eggs, and toast. 

Next we had to stop at Mulago. It turns out that we accidentally had left a spreadsheet with all of the measurements of the kids from Mubende at the house where the boys were staying. We were supposed to get it from somebody but they were unable to find it. I just couldn't stand the thought that it was possibly lost for good and we would have to either be missing all that data or we would have to give Angella the horrible task of returning on the long journey and doing it all herself! I was not hopeful, but I thought I would give it a try. I had to talk to the house manager who was super nice and let me in to the house. I didn't find any papers where I expected them to be so I started frantically searching the entire bookshelf that had a ton of loose papers. After about 10 minutes I had a glorious moment of success when I spotted an excel printout! I am so thankful that we were able to find it!

Next, we decided to go shopping for chests to bring to Watoto. We had promised to help them out with them since they didn't have any shelves at the house and organizing things was always difficult. We ended up shopping at a craft store - hopefully our last time because I am sure Angella couldn't handle any more! Then we walked up to where they make a bunch of the chests. We split up from Angella to see if we could get a good price. We were hoping for 35,000 per case. The initial price that every seller offered was 75,000. Both Angella and I were able to get separate sellers down to 35,000 and since neither had enough cases, they both got to sell us some. It's amazing how quickly you get pounced on when they know you are buying. At one point we had at least 5 different people running up to us trying to get us to buy their cases. People work really hard to make a living and they know that have to be persistent to make a sale!

Getting the cases to Watoto was our next challenge. We thought for sure we would have to rent a truck or something. We walked back to get the car - and picked up some delicious fresh mangoes along the way. The car we were driving is a CR-V and it fit exactly 10 cases! We were so glad we didn't have to rent a car or deal with following a delivery guy all the way to the Watoto village!

Visiting the kids was great as usual, but a lot of the kids were at a camp so the older ones really weren't around much. We got to spend some quality time with the moms and the kids that weren't at camp. We were only there for a couple of hours but it was nice to at least get to see them one last time. We eventually got to see all the kids for just a little bit as they came back while they were on a break. I was sad to leave them, but I am excited that I will be able to write to Arthur, the one that I sponsor, and keep in touch with all of them!

The rest of the day was pretty low-key. We stopped by a DJ's place to get some local and African cd's made. For 24,000 ($12) I got three MP3 cd's with over 100 songs each. I don't understand the words in most of them, but they are fun to listen to! I hope they are good. I haven't had time to listen to them all yet. 

My mom made dinner for us. It started out as tacos, but ended up with taco-seasoned meat over rice with some cheese. We didn't find tortillas, the lettuce that she bought didn't look great, and we totally gave up on trying to describe sour cream at the grocery store! It was still a great meal, though! Patt, Flavia, and Patricia joined us and we got worked up talking about Little Angels, but other than that the mood was light and relaxed! I am going to miss all these people so much! They are just wonderful! This morning I am going on one last run and its going to be with Patt! It will be fun to just go for a relaxing jog. We are almost packed because we wanted to have mostly everything done before we go to church so we aren't stressed about making it home to pack before leaving for the airport. I am still a little bit in denial that we are leaving. There were so many times yesterday that I started thinking about leaving while we were driving or just sitting around. Every time I think about it, I start to tear up so instead Angella and I start making jokes and pretend it's not happening! Tonight we will face reality and be sad but for now, we are enjoying our last hours!!

Mix of Emotions

Yesterday was such a full day that it felt like it was a week! In addition, I am pretty sure I experienced every emotion possible - and some of them more than once!! Our goal was to make it back to all four of the orphanages within Kampala - Little Angels, Agape, Nantale's and JaJa's. We also had to make stops along the way to get the things we were bringing which adds to the challenge. At home, it would be easy because you get in your car and everything is relatively close and there are straight lines to follow to get to the places you need to go. Here it is all a challenge and there were many times we got stuck in jam. Thankfully, Joseph was our driver today since Hope's care wasn't available. Although we had to pay more to use his driving service, I think it was totally worth it in so many ways. Joseph knows a ton more shortcuts than JB, he was friends with the people at the food market so our prices were better, and I think Joseph genuinely has fun when he is with us! I kept finding him following us in to places and playing with all the kids!!

So I think it's easiest to break the day down into the things that we did:

KAMOCHA MARKET:

So for some reason the shoes that we bought for Little Angels didn't quite work out as far as the sizes go. We had 5 pair that didn't really work so we had to go back to the market and hope that the woman would be fine with exchanging them. I have never tried to exchange anything at a store here, let alone a flea market, but I was under the impression that it was more or less an "all sales are final" sort of deal. Joseph picked us up around 9:30 and we headed over to the market. Unfortunately, things were still just barely getting started and only about half of the vendors were set up. Our lady with the shoes was one that hadn't yet arrived! The guy that sold us the backpacks was already there and he recognized us and pulled out his phone to call the shoe lady, which was super convenient for us! In the meantime, we wanted to buy more pencils, some schoolbooks, and silverware. Those venders were also there. I had sent a text to our friend Godfrey about meeting later in the day and he decided he was free and join us as well. I was happy to have an extra hand for today - and one that speaks Luganda! Yay! The best part about Godfrey's arrival was that I saw him before he saw us! That's right, in a sea of black Ugandans, I picked him out from clear on the other side and he didn't see the two pasty white Mzungus standing out in the crowd. It was a proud moment for my Where's Waldo skills! The guy that we bought math sets from also remembered us and asked how the orphanages were. It was great that he was genuinely interested in what we were doing and wanted to help out. We ended up buying a bunch of the stuff from him and then headed out. The shoe lady still hadn't arrived and we didn't want to waste what could be hours waiting for her to arrive.

Joseph informed us that his wife, Eva was staying right behind the market because her step-mother had passed away and she needed to go for the burial. We decided to stop over and visit her. I also found the batteries that I brought to replenish the ones in the headlamps that we brought for Joseph and Eva last year. They had been hiding in my bag for at least a week! Joseph was SO EXCITED! He said these batteries are so much stronger than the ones they got here. I always wonder about batteries. The packages always look really similar, but there is something just off about them. I keep meaning to compare them side by side, but I am never around a place where I an see them both. I'm just glad that Joseph was so excited about it!


AGAPE

I was extremely nervous and tense to go to Agape. It has been the most emotionally draining and time consuming orphanage of the entire trip and it is the one that fits our medicine study the least and has the worst follow through on data collection. In addition, one of the older boys has been asking for money to help him get home to his sick mom. I don't remember how it started, but once it did, there were constantly messages and calls about it. I was just exhausted answering all of the calls and questions and I was getting annoyed with all the pressure. I totally understand that kids are in need and are looking for anything they can get, but he is the only one out of 6 different orphanages that the kids and caregivers are asking for things for themselves. It's completely inappropriate and the head of the orphanage had told us that he often does this with visitors. Although I didn't truly believe the whole story, I still couldn't shake from my mind that if his mom really was sick and I didn't want to give him 30,000 (I mean, seriously - it's only $13) and I don't give him the money, I'm going to feel really horrible. Maybe it's because I had a similar situation in the past where we didn't give a kid something and didn't trust him and then found out that bad things happened to him. I just hate repeating the past. I reluctantly gave the money and did it in front of one of the adult caregivers, telling him he needs to go with and buy the ticket. I don't trust the boy I gave the money to. It is against everything I stand for, and I am not happy about the whole situation. I think I just got to the point where I needed to be done with the entire situation and the easiest way was to give some money, not all, and say my peace. I later got a phone call thanking me and saying he was on his way home. Only God knows if he was telling the truth. If I am right and he was playing me, at least I didn't give him much. If I am wrong, then at least I don't have it on my conscious that I could have done something and I didn't do it.

As frustrating as it was, I was glad we went back. The toilet is still looking great and is getting a lot of use. The kitchen was nearly finished, but they were short a couple of bags of cement and some mixing sand. I had no problem giving the extra 60,000 to finish the project because I wanted to follow it through to completion. Catherine told us to come to her house today to pick up some clothes and jewelry that people in the north have made because she wanted to gift us something so we will see her again and get the gifts that she wants to share

CRAFT MARKET

Our next stop was near Agape. It's crazy - we always see this sign for a craft market on the road leading up to Agape but it looks totally deserted. All the shops are closed except for one or two, but there is a signpost on the main road and on the smaller road to mark it. When we drove by this time, it was full of colorful crafts and a ton of tents! It turns out it is only on Fridays. Honestly, we have looked for this craft market every year we have come because we heard it is cheaper than all the others and there it was, right in front of us the whole time - we just never came on a Friday! Catherine said it was God's way of giving us a little bonus reward for doing good work. Whatever the reason, I was happy because my mom got the few last minute things she was looking for and I found myself a really great wool hat knitted by a woman named Margaret who came from Kenya. It was super hot, but I wore it back to the car because I liked it so much! Finally something I bought in Uganda that I can wear for winter!!

DOWNTOWN

Godfrey had a stop that he needed to make in town and since he decided to stay with us the whole day, it was not a problem to just swing by. Also, my mom realized we hadn't gotten my dad any stamps yet! (but not to worry because the day I was "lost on purpose" with the boys downtown, I picked up a bunch) It worked out perfectly except for the jam! It is ridiculous how the traffic can change your mood! I always remind myself when I am stuck and home to be thankful that at least vehicles are moving and there is some sort of order to the way things work! Godfrey was amazing and ran to where he needed to go and was back before we finished getting stamps! We didn't lose any time AND we got stamps!

JAJA

We promised we would bring food to JaJa at her house, even though they have a source of funding for all of their food at this point. JaJa is still in the mentality that you need to ask for things because that is how she survived for so long. We knew she would appreciate matoke, so we picked up a couple of bunches along with some rice and beans. Joseph was friends with the guys selling everything we needed so we got great prices and it was a really quick stop. Then my mom had a brilliant idea that we should make tacos so Godfrey and I went walking around to get random vegetables. With a mere 10,000 we got all the vegetables and a couple of pineapples to feed at least 10 people. I am going to miss fresh foods at really cheap prices. (and having somebody to help negotiate the best price!) JaJa was really happy when we brought all of the food. The kids remembered us and were excited to see all the food. I wish we could have stayed longer, but we just had too many stops to make. I took pictures of the files that had the history of each kid. It was nice to finally have their stories laid out in front of us because the history of JaJa's place has always been kind of a mystery. Later on, I was reading them in the car. It was so sad to read about how parents had dropped their kids off and promised to pick them up and didn't return - many of them for more than a decade. I can't imagine how hard life must be to have the only option to give up your child to somebody else's care. I am not a mom - although some day I hope I am blessed to be - but even I can't imagine the bond that is broken when you give up your own flesh and blood! I am thankful that both of my parents loved me, they kept me, and they were able to provide everything I needed and more.

LITTLE ANGELS

Now here is where my anger escalated to a boiling point. I started yelling a little bit in the car after we left the orphanage, which I try not to do, but I was legitimately ticked off. We stopped by the market to switch out the shoes. Luckily, the lady was there and after talking to Godfrey she was perfectly fine switching the sizes for us. Unfortunately, we lost a shoe somewhere.....I have no idea. Even now, we checked at home and it is gone. Maybe it got left at Little Angels or something, but somewhere that size 33 girls shoe is missing its mate and we have it! We had to buy a new pair (she tried to charge 18,000 even though we paid 15,000 for all the others!) but it was totally worth it!

The kids at Little Angels were excited to see us as usual. I have grown to really love all these children a lot. I know their personalities and am able to talk with a lot of them. The older boys love playing Jetpack Joyride on my iPad which is unfortunate because I would have rather played soccer or something with them, but at least they were excited and they are really great at sharing and taking turns. We wrote down what we bought for the orphanage and my mom talked with Judith while Godfrey, Joseph, and I hung out with the kids. Saying goodbye was one of many times I had to hold back tears and I'm sure before tomorrow at 11:00 there will be more! I know that some day I will be back but I know that it will be longer than a year since I won't have the money and likely won't have the time to be back next year. I had the idea that my heart lives in two countries that are so far away. I feel like I have two families and two lives that don't often cross over. I am always torn between regret leaving one and excitement of returning to the other.

The worst part of the day was when I got in the car. I had been so sad that when I got bad news I was extremely angry. My mom had talked to Judith about Max. He apparently had come to the house later in the night after we left. He took some of the sugar for himself. Then he locked up the rest of the food that we brought and will hopefully distribute it all in time. Then he tried to TAKE shoes from one of the younger girls to bring to his daughter at home!!!!! Can you imagine? Who does that? The poor things wouldn't stop crying when he tried to take them so eventually he gave up on the idea. Then he tried to take the two blankets that were specifically for Judith's two sons. He said she didn't deserve them and he should take them to his kids. Luckily, his wife put her foot down and yelled at him. She said he is not allowed to take them from the boys. Thank God somebody rational lives with Max! I am fuming even now as I think about it. Oh yeah, he also took three of the rolls of toilet paper and give them newspaper to use instead. I don't remember if I said this before but since Max doesn't want to pay for sewage and running water in the house, the kids use the bathtub as their toilet. I have no idea how that works or is allowed! He said that they didn't need real toilet paper since they didn't have real toilets! AHHH!!! I just want to scream! I need to move on to the rest of the day or I am going to put myself in a bad mood again.

NANTALE'S

Our last stop of the night was at Nantale's orphanage. We had bought shoes for the cook that works there because we didn't realize she needed them on our first trip. We also only bought school books for primary school students so we had to get some for the girls in secondary school. It was fitting that Godfrey got to come with us because this was the original reason that we met him a few years ago. 

The day went surprisingly well, but I realized towards the end that all I ate all day was a piece of bread with nutella and jam. I was probably getting a little cranky because of it. I guess that I got a little taste of being hungry. I still can't stop thinking about the boy, Ivan, at Kayunga, being surprised that we had never gone two days without food. I was mad about not eating for something like 10 hours - clearly I am spoiled!

We got home to find a house full of Hope's family! Normally I would have been ecstatic to have new people to talk to but I think the emotions of the day just got to me and I needed a quite night. Luckily, our friend Susan offered to cook for us! It was bonus because we missed dinner with her last week and wanted to see her and her daughter Jasmine. It ended up being kind of a late night, but we we excited that we had gotten it all done! Thanks Godfrey and Joseph for being awesome at helping these two crazy Muzugu's to get it all done!
                                              

Answering prayers

Today was just a beautiful day all around. As we are getting ready to finish up all of our projects and arrange for all of our final plans, we are trying to make the most of every situation. What we did to today was perfect. It's always hard to be here representing Medicine for Sick Children and being responsible for deciding how to spend the money that people have given us in the right way. I am always praying about where the money should be used and how the best way to be good stewards of what we have is. It's complicated to figure out where to buy food to get the best price or if we should be new shoes for a few kids or used shoes for a lot of kids. I think we have done a great job so far about spending it in the right place and today was a confirmation of truly doing the right thing at the right time!

House of Peace is an orphanage in a very poor village that's over 2 hours away from Kampala - without jam. We went there one time earlier in the trip, but we weren't planning on going back because the trip is really long and it's pretty much committing to an entire day of activity. The place really is peaceful. It's well organized because the orphanage has so much land. Paster Kawooya, who runs the orphanage, is a beautiful man who is planning to do good things for not only the orphans, but the whole village. He has been truly grateful to every little thing that we bring him and he never asks for more that what we bring. He trusts that God will provide for everything that they need, no matter how small it is.

As we left the first time, I told them that we might try to come back with my mom because something told me that this would be a good place for her to go. In addition, there were many of the kids and some of the caregivers who were not around the first time and I was really hoping we could get all of the data we needed for the study to be better. I left Patrick, one of the older boys in charge of that task. I did the same thing at Agape and it usually doesn't work out so well, so my expectations were actually quite low.

When I told my mom the plans for the day and talked about going there, she wasn't so excited because she knew it would be a long day and she wanted to get back to meet this guy, Felix, who she had met while on her detour through Kigali. I was honestly more worried about going to Kayunga and didn't care if I met Felix or not, but it was important to her so I wanted to make sure it happened.

We were trying to decide what to buy for House of Peace the day before and my mom suggested that we just ask Pastor Kawooya what he needed. I was expecting clothes or matresses or lights or something we wouldn't have the budget for. Instead he came back with - Rice, Beans, Posho, Sugar, and Soap! That's such an easy order! Since there are at least 50 people, we tried to buy as much as possible. We ended up with:

50 kg of rice for 165,000 ($80)
57 kg of beans for 150,000 ($70)
75 kg of posho - it's a porridge made of corn used as a staple in many meals for 150,000 ($70)
25 kg of sugar for 70,000 ($30)
20 kg of soap plus 10 huge bar soaps for 150,000 ($70)


We filled the car with all of this stuff and headed out. Since JB was driving there for the first time, we weren't sure if we were going the right way. I kept thinking it was coming soon or would be the next town, but it was always a little further. Luckily, Pastor K called and assured me we were close! When we met him at the petrol station in town, he and Patrick greeted us with huge smiles. They joined us in our full car and we drove to the village. In order to get there, you have to take a pretty good dirt road for 10 minutes or so and then turn off onto the village road for another 15. The last 15 is always a challenge. We have to go through some cornfields and random swampy areas that are barely passable. I am always amazed that we don't get stuck!

When we arrived, the kids were so excited to see that we brought them food. They kept thanking us for bringing it. The greatest thing was the boys who came up and thanked me just for coming back. They said, you told us you would try to come back with your mom and you did. You kept your word and that shows that you LOVE US! AH!!! Since when does my showing up show such a great love? I was just floored by the thought of how important it was for us to follow through. How many times in life do we forget about returning a phone call or a text or skip out on an engagement with people? It means a lot to follow through on plans and when we do, people feel like we care about them. So even when it feels like a burden to keep plans because we are too busy, too tired, or we need to study (that's often my excuse!!), the burden is worth it when it does something for somebody to show you care. I am so glad that we made it back to see them again even though it added to our long list of things to do.

Patrick and the boys followed through on their deal too! They got the heights and weights of all of the kids. Patrick even went to the kids' schools to get the ones that were missing! I was SO IMPRESSED! These boys really keep their word and they work hard to be faithful with the things they are blessed with, no matter how small they are! A few of them also got together to tell me about a boy they treated who had a huge wound that was infected with maggots! Yuck! The boy couldn't even walk and nobody was treating his wound. One of the boys cleared out the maggots, used hydrogen peroxide and some other medicines to treat the wound and keep it clean and wrapped! Now the boy is working on walking again and he is doing really well! These are boys that now want to be doctors (I call them my future doctors). Unfortunately, it is really difficult for them to get to medical school, let alone university. They would have to have really high marks on their secondary exams - which is difficult if you had to miss a lot of school and don't have time or money to buy and read all of the materials. If they don't get high marks, they have to pay for university fees themselves, which is not an option for any of the kids that stay here.....it really depresses me to think that they won't really have a chance, but maybe by the time they are ready I will be able to help them out.

The best thing is that the food we brought was exactly what they needed! When we asked Pastor K yesterday, he had just gotten a call from Patrick saying all the food was gone and the maize they had was not yet dry enough to make into Posho. When they showed me the storeroom it was totally true - there was literally NO FOOD. The only thing in the room were two sacks of the scrap from the last time they ground maize into posho and it is not edible by people - it is used to feed the goats! We truly brought them what they needed at the right time. They had been praying that God would provide and he totally did through our willingness to step out and do something! I am so glad that I have a big God who connects people emotionally, spiritually, and physically in our times of need!

Pastor K also showed us the location that they want to build a school. The land they have is huge because it belonged to Pastor K's family. His parents and about a dozen siblings have all died from HIV/AIDS. He now decided to take in all the orphans of the village and use his family's land to do it. There are even some buildings that are half started because his brother passed away before they were finished. The school would be a huge addition for them because now the kids walk 1-2 hours one way to get to school in town. If there was a school in the village area, the orphanage kids and the other village kids would have a much easier time learning and it would improve their chances for a better future. Pastor K's plans are well thought, he just needs some money and support to get it off the ground. He is patient and is praying for plans to come together. In the meantime he is being obedient in planning and doing his part. They have cleared the land by hand. The boys are starting to make bricks. Patrick told me that they are building the bricks because if they build the bricks and get things ready, when God comes through, they will be ready. It reminds me of David, who was told he would be a great king some day but he didn't know when. He went out and wrote Psalms and prayed and prepared himself for what was to come. I know God has a plan for this village and these kids and they are ready to follow. They do everything in prayer and know that their God loves them and wants to do good things. I am so excited that I have met them and I will continue to pray for them and help out in any way that I am able!! (So if anybody knows somebody with some extra money that wants a school named after them, I clearly have the perfect place. They would even welcome visitors with their own place to stay. You just have to be okay with no electricity and drop toilets for a little while - or you could stay in town, but the village is more fun!)

                                  Pastor K and my mom

                               The site for the new school. We even prayed over their plans!

                                  The team of boys who are taking care of the medicine

                                     With a bunch of the kids after we arrived

                                      Maize that is drying.....it is picked, cleaned, and worked on BY HAND!

                                    Patrick with the food that we brought

                                  The leftover food that is for the goats only!

It was such a wonderful experience even though it was only a few hours. At night, we met Felix and I have to say even though I was skeptical and not really excited about meeting him, I am so glad I did! He is an awesome guy who loves his family, loves his country, and is working hard for the UN on AIDS projects all over the world. He had a lot of great insight on our project and is super helpful. He was just as nice as my mom said and he really enjoys laughing with my mom, too! It was a perfect way to spend the night! Today is going to be really busy and I am just praying we can get everything we need to do finished in a fairly short amount of time so we can enjoy Watoto one last time tomorrow and have some time to relax on Sunday as we are packing to leave!

4 Days Left!

Ahhh! Yesterday when I went to take my Malorone in the morning, I realized that I only had 4 pills remaining from my daily doses. (I keep the extra 7 that I need to take at home separately so I can easily check a pill count to see if I forgot a pill or not) That's insane! My total trip is 40 days long and I can't believe it is nearly over! In addition, we have a LOT to do in the next few days!

The entire day yesterday was devoted to Little Angels. We decided to throw them a bit of a party to have a fun day. In the late morning, JB again took my mom and I to the supermarket to get things like soap, toothpaste, schoolbooks and a few other random things. Then we returned to the Kalarway food market to fill the rest of the car. I realized I forgot to take a picture of how full it was! We had 18 blankets, 18 sheets, 18 backpacks, 36 pairs of shoes and all kinds of other things we had purchased at the market. Then we added a bunch of matoke, potatoes, tomatoes, cabbage, 10 kilos each of rice, beans, and sugar, mangoes, and cooking oil. It was awesome to be able to give it all away. I am very grateful that my mom was blessed with this extra money over the past year that she has been saving to do these sorts of things with.

The kids here really are great. They were so excited to help carry in all of the things. We helped them pick out shoes and put on their new bedsheets and blankets. Our only problem was with the school shoes. I have no idea why it was a problem, but for some reason, none of the younger kids could find shoes that fit. I guess the method of marking feet on a piece of paper isn't all that accurate after all! In the past it has worked out great and it worked for the plastic house shoes so maybe it was just the lady at the other place that didn't do it right. We are hoping that we can take a short trip to the market again on Friday to exchange them! In addition, we need to buy a few things for Nantale's orphanage.

The big deal for us was buying some beef to eat with matoke! My mom went to the butcher with Judith to go and pick it out and I am so glad that I wasn't there! I have forever said I won't get meat from the butcher shops with meat hanging from them all day because they are always surrounded by black flies and they are so smelly. Unfortunately, I found out that the meat that comes from them is delicious! It turns out that the cow was probably butchered in the morning and the meat is super fresh. In addition, the boys at Little Angels cut up vegetables and added seasoning to make it amazing. I am not fully convinced that I will continue to buy meat this way, but I am less grossed out by the idea of it!

My mom also went and got a huge bag of charcoal. JB went with her and he said the woman had not sold any charcoal all day, let alone the entire bag. Usually people just buy enough for a day or two at a time. What we bought will last the orphanage over a month! The bag is seriously at least a couple feet taller than me. Again, just like yesterday, it was delivered on a bicycle and my mom was really impressed. Well, actually, I am always impressed by bicycle deliveries, too!

All in all it was a great day with these kids. They were really excited about all the new things that we brought them and they enjoyed their good dinner. All of them are well behaved and we are starting to really know all of their personalities. I do love these children very much and I am going to be super sad to leave them again for another year. The thing is, we never know what can happen. Martin, one of the kids from Little Angels died from a lightening strike. One year, one of the kids we knew died from malaria or a bacterial infection (nobody really knows). The original woolies had to be taken from their home to go to Watoto. We just really don't know what will happen in a year. In this case, it will be greater than a year because I won't have the money (and likely not the time) to go back at all in 2013, which breaks my heart a little. I just pray that God will keep them safe, well fed, and loved by the people that are able to see them every day.

Today we are headed back out to Kayunga at House of Peace. We asked what they needed and Pastor told us that food was their biggest concern so it is back to the market for us! We are praying for good prices and easy access to the food we need. It's only about an hour to Kayunga town, but it is an hour or two to get the rest of the way to the village! It's going to be a long travel day but I'm totally looking forward to introducing my mom to this place!

Nantale's Place

Yesterday was just simply a great day. I forgot how much fun it is to just hang out and be with kids. I really do love being around kids and playing games and laughing and having a good time. I usually don't get to do much of that because we are always so busy and my job is usually the moms. Since my mom is here and we have a lot of time to be back at most of the orphanages, the past week and a half have been all about getting to know the people we are helping. 

This morning we gathered a bunch of things together such as coloring books, games, and some shoes that one of the moms wanted. Then we stopped at a copy place to get copies of coloring pages and activity books so the kids would have things to do during the holiday. Ana said that they get bored and they need things to keep them busy. We met up with our friend Godfrey, who is the one that introduced us to the orphanage in the first place. He helped us pick out some balls and writing notebooks which the kids would normally use. Then we went to a big market to get food. Thanks to JB and Godfrey, we were able to get everything we needed really quickly. We filled the trunk with Matoke, potatoes, sweet potatoes, pineapple, and mangoes. For just about $40 we were able to get more food than we could carry! It's awesome to be able to buy so much for so little and know that it will be appreciated!

When we got to Nantale's, the kids were super excited. They came running out to help us carry all the food in. We stayed for a few hours playing soccer, basketball, and learning how to throw an American football. Ana, the house mom, insisted on feeding us. She was going to give us food from the things that we bought her, but we insisted on her giving us whatever they were already cooking for the kids. That was, Posho and beans. It really is tasty and quite healthy, but the kids probably eat this three times a day, so I'm guessing it isn't that delicious after so many times of eating it! In addition, the servings are huge! I almost always get to a point where I can't possibly eat anymore. Thankfully we had pineapple to balance out the meal. In addition we had boiled water.....it is safe to drink, but tastes like the charcoal used to boil it! 

There were also a few things that we needed to get that we hadn't gotten from the market. They use charcoal to cook everything and they were out so we helped by buying a bag. For 55,000 shillings, we got this huge bag (oh, yeah, it was 1,000 to have it delivered using the bike). The bag will probably last about a month, so we hope that it will be a good purchase!

At night, we met up with my mom's new friends that she met during her stopover in Kigali. They are really great. They are researching deforestation effects on the people. It was really interesting to hear about the work they are doing and the projects they have created. The next few days we are going to do some of the same stuff. We are going to start with Little Angels, and provide a good dinner for them and have a bit of a party! I'm hoping it works out well!

My Mom - the Amazing Teacher!

Today was a day for my mom and I to be on our own. Angella went back to work at the clinic from 9-5 every day so we are doing all of the work we need to do on our own. Well, let's be honest, we can't to much completely alone. We have Joseph, our cab driver who helps us out all the time. JB can drive us everywhere and Hope and Angella have cars for us to use around town. Not to mention that there are so many times that having somebody that speaks Luganda is the most valuable asset we have. I have tried to learn parts of the language every time I come but it is nearly impossible!

We had an early start this morning because the man we were supposed to meet set a time of 8 am. We had to leave at 7 to get there on time. We arrived on time, but got a call from Charles saying he stayed in the village and would be there at 9! We went out and got a snack of Chapati and then came back. Joseph was showing us an avocado tree. Then he went out and talked to the guy the guards the gate and came back with three avocados! He had told the guy I like them and he went out and picked them for me! He is so much more than a driver! Charles is a guy who my mom's cousin supports financially but has never been to Uganda. My mom visited two years ago to see his school and wanted to do something again with them. Unfortunately because the kids are on holiday there isn't much work for her. Instead, she brought materials over to help the teachers enhance their skills and encourage them in their work. It was so great to see her working in her own element. So many times on this trip, she is doing things that are out of her comfort zone. When it comes to teaching, she is an expert. She has been doing it for over thirty years! She brought a bunch of teaching materials and activities that can be done with very little resources such as tracing letters in the sand outside and using recycled items for games. She had great music, too, that she was teaching to the teachers (and Joseph the cab driver!). We spent the entire morning there. Charles really wants my mom to come back for an extended visit where she can work with lots of kids while they are in school. I think if we can convince my dad to come for month, the two of them could do some really great things at that school!!!

On the way back, Joseph was telling us a story in true Ugandan fashion. "You see that swamp over there. There are many pythons that live there. There was a man who was walking with what?....his dog. He turned around and saw the python had gotten his dog but when chased the python away. So then he decided to catch what?...the python. So he went and got a what?...a rope. He tied the rope to what?...a tree. Then he tied the other end to what? the dead dog. He waited for a long time and then the python came back. The python started to eat swallow the dog, but then he got stuck because why?...the rope. It was tied to what?....the tree. So the man killed the what?...the python." - okay, so it is not completely accurate in retelling the story, but it's very common for people to tell stories with all of these questions. For a long time I used to answer the questions when people would say things like, "We are going where?". I finally realized they are part of the language and I stopped answering a lot of questions. Now I wait to see if people will tell me the answer or if I need to give my own. Apparently, the way that questions are in Luganda is a bit different, so when it is translated to English it comes with questions and answers.


We stopped by Capital Shoppers to see the damage from the fire. It really isn't relatively too bad. Only a few stores actually burned completely, including the shoe store where it started. That store is a huge chain so I don't feel quite so bad, but the smaller ones are owned by some local people who lost a lot. In addition, a ton of stores have smoke damage. However, most of the stores in the complex were open and there were crews working hard to clean up the mess. I put up a couple of pictures so you can see what we saw.


We spent the rest of the day shopping at the craft markets and then having dinner with Angella and another friend at Javas. I always get made fun of for ordering the same thing....a avocado, cheese, and tomato sandwich. I don't care. I love it and I never eat them at home! I will eat them as long as I am here.

What a Day!

So this post will probably be lengthy because it has been such a crazy but awesome day. I guess yesterday was really sweet, too, but I haven't posted about it either. Yesterday we spent nearly the entire day at Watoto village visiting the original Wooly kids. Since we now are official sponsors of the kids, we have to have a "guide" take us to see them. I think our guide, Moses, was expecting us to be like every other group who just shows up for a tour, but he didn't realize we knew so much about the country and about the kids stories! We ended up having a great afternoon playing with soccer balls outside, coloring pictures, eating lunch, and my mom even had music to play and dance with the kids. It was supposed to be a couple hours but it turned into something like 5. Luckily, we had taken our favorite, and most trustworthy cabdriver, Joseph. He is awesome and is super fair about prices. He charged us 90,000 for the entire trip, including the wait. Of course, since we like him so much, we gave him an even 100,000. Really, $40 is totally a bargain for a personal car for the entire day.

What happened after the Wooly visit was only explainable by God's timing. Angella and I needed to borrow a car from our friend Patt, who happens to live in Nsambya which is also where the Agape orphanage is. My mom decided that a good place to spend some of the money she had was to help them finish the kitchen of the house so Angella and I figured we could also stop and drop off the money. We were going to do it Friday but because of the slow start from the rain we didn't have time. Two of the children, Diana and her brother John were visiting their grandmother so we didn't get to visit them at Watoto. We got the car and drove to Agape, planning to be in and out really quickly. As we were getting out of the car, a girl walked up and gave Angella a hug. At first I thought it was a random patient or something. Then she stood in front of me and I stared at her. She looked like Diana, but I didn't quite recognize her because she looked so grown up and healthy. It turns out that her grandmother lives literally right next door to Agape and she happened to be on her way to church. It was perfect timing - from delivering the money on a different day, staying later at Watoto, and Diana going to church at exactly that time because she was late. It was awesome to see her and since we saw her, we found a way to pick her up and take her for the fun event with all the other kids today! It was perfect!!

As for today, I can't even start to describe all the excitement, but I'll post a few pictures to help! We collected all the Woolies and a few of our adult friends to help out with taking care of them. The event at the Oval was huge! There were a ton of bouncy castles, a huge speaker system with fun music, face painting, and good food for the kids. When we got to our meeting place, we ended up waiting over an hour for the Woolies to arrive. In the meantime, Angella had told her brother, Clement about the even and asked him to come and help. He pulled up with a car full of kids. I assumed it was just a bunch more kids to have fun with. I was wrong - it was a car full of 7 Scouts (i.e. Boy Scouts). They came complete with uniforms, a huge first aid kit, and a tent in case we needed shade. They were invaluable throughout the day. Any time a kid's location was unknown, the went on a search, the took kids on trips to the bathroom, delivered food and drinks, and basically were rock stars! I really shouldn't expect anything less from a member of Angella's family!

In addition to the scouts, we had a really great help named Godfrey who is one of Angella's other friends. He is so great with kids and is a teacher so he knew exactly how to get the kids under control and he seemed to really enjoy the day! I was so appreciative of his hard work and I don't know how much more difficult the day would have been without him! The kids really loved the day and running around. When I got home I just felt like my heart was full. We got to be a part of a really special day with really special kids. None of them got lost or hurt and there were almost always smiles! We got cotton candy at the end of the day and all the kids got seedlings to take home and plant. It started pouring right as we were leaving, but it was just fine. The kids were happy and we just sat under a canopy until it was over. I am just so happy that we got to enjoy such a special day and the sunburn I have on my chest and arms are SOOOOO worth it!!

Another bonus is that UGANDA WON GOLD!!!! Everybody has been so doubtful about getting a medal that it has become a bit of a joke! When he won, we were getting phone calls from friends saying there was a gold for Uganda. We didn't know what event it was until we got home but we were still ecstatic! When we got home, Hope said it was the marathon (a really tough event!!) and that when it happened, the entire neighborhood was cheering and you could hear people yelling all over Ntinda! It's so great that they are all so excited! I really hope that the Kiprotich comes home while we are here so we can go to welcome him in. The government has not been very supportive of its athletes so it is great that they were successful without even having the backing of their country's leaders!!


Finally, the most dramatic part of the night was the FIRE! It was so crazy! There is a big shopping center called Capital Shoppers literally next to us with only a brick wall to separate it. So many times I have wished there wasn't a wall so we didn't have to walk around the whole neighborhood to carry things home. Today I was very thankful for the wall! I really wanted a cheese sandwich from the restaurant in Capital but my mom suggested Tusky's deli which is just a little further down the road. Since it was a quick trip, Angella and I decided to just take the money we need. I think it's the only time I've traveled without my bag, phone, or really anything. While we were gone, the fire started. My mom will tell the whole story, but I will briefly re-share.

They heard a person pounding at a door and yelling. Hope went outside to see a man yelling and pounding at the window of the third floor on the other side of the wall. A group of people were on the ground trying to convince him not to jump, but he was frantic, saying he was burning and he needed to jump. Somebody tried to get a ladder but it wasn't tall enough. Then a rope was thrown, but they decided it wasn't strong enough. Finally, JB took one of our mattresses and a couple from the neighbors and jumped over the wall with them. They convince him to jump, but first he got scared and was hanging from the window. When he finally dropped, he ended up breaking both of his legs but otherwise he survived. The smoke was the worst though. It was blowing directly over the building and into our house. Because of the way it was blowing, it only went into our house, so we were forced out. Angella and I went back to get our phones and ID's because we weren't sure how bad it was or if we might have to sleep somewhere else tonight. The smoke was so thick we could barely breath. We got in and out as quickly as possible. After experiencing that little bit of smoke, I can't imagine how scary it would be in a really big fire like that! After making sure everybody was okay, Angella and I couldn't resist the urge to see what the fire actually looked like. Based on the amount of smoke, we were sure it was huge! When we got there, we saw it was probably only a few stores, but there was a ton of damage. The whole township of Ntinda seemed to be out to look. I felt horrible for the shop owners who were being kept away. They were worried about damage to the stores and the possibility of people looting. We got close enough to take just a few pictures, but it was mostly too dark to get any good ones. I was just happy to know the fire wasn't too bad. I feel horrible for any of the small shop owners who had spaces. They lost everything and I am sure didn't have insurance. We will look at the real damage tomorrow. I am just glad there was very little injury and that there were at least quite a few emergency vehicles. The first fire truck didn't have water, but after that, everybody else seemed a lot more prepared. The fire was around 7 and it is nearly midnight. The sirens are finally done, but there are still firemen in the building with lights investigating the building. For now, I am thankful for a great day, but with all the excitement it is going to be hard to settle down and sleep!