Love

Sorry it has taken me so long to get an update. Things have been a little crazy!

     This past week was nothing but fun. On Saturday, July 7, we spent the ENTIRE day at the pool (and I didn’t get a sun burn) then went to Alisha’s for dinner and a movie. Sunday we went to church and then a big group of us went to lunch at LingLing’s, a Chinese restaurant. I decided to walk to town that afternoon instead of taking a boda (huge mistake). I thought it was a 30 minute walk but found out that it was closer to an hour and by the time I got there I had blisters on my feet. But it was nice to get out on my own for a while. On Monday we started our 4 day fruit and veggie cleanse. Breakfast wasn’t bad, but by lunch I was starving and caved after trying to stuff down a tomato and cucumber salad. So I didn’t even last 12 hours, oh well. I got my computer back, still broken. I’m hoping Apple can fix it when I get back to the States. That afternoon Emily H. had school with some of the kids to learn all about the letter “T”. They seemed so interested, for about 10 minutes, and then things just got crazy. We went to the pool again with some of the kids on Tuesday morning and then watched Monsters Inc. that afternoon. Wednesday was probably the best day I’ve had at Ekisa. Angelica and I left late morning to go check out the bungee jumping then headed to the pool for some quiet time. After lunch we went back to Ekisa to get Walter, Paul, and Sam for some afternoon swimming. They swam for a while and then we went down the road to watch someone bungee jump. The kids loved it (as did we)! We went back to the pool to swim some more then had a picnic dinner. We took the boys back after dinner and then instead of going to Katie’s for Bible study, we headed back to the pool for our own independent study and worship time. Spending 2 hours in the Word, overlooking the Nile river, and sipping on hot chocolate was the perfect ending to a perfect day. We started Thursday off right with French toast at The Keep (delicious) and I checked the post office to find I had letters from Josh. I somehow held out reading them until we got home that afternoon. After dinner we all gathered in the volunteer room to have group prayer and worship, specifically for the Ekisa kids. Each child had an index card with specific prayer requests and Bible verses. It was amazing to come together and lift the kids and each other up in prayer. After that we made cookies for the mamas, which they LOVED! On Friday we went for a boat ride on the Nile to see “The Source of the Nile”. We were all expecting something magnificent and were extremely disappointed. That night we had dinner at The Keep and stayed for their African Dance Night, AMAZING! Saturday started off horrible. I woke up at 5:30 extremely sick, but praying that I would get better by 10 so I could bungee jump. I didn’t start feeling better until about 5 that evening (no I didn’t bungee jump but I’m going this Saturday) and then we all went to have dinner at the pool. Sunday was bittersweet because it was Whitney’s last full day. We went to church, had a group lunch, napped, miraculously gathered all the kids together for a group picture, and then headed to Skewer’s for Whitney’s last dinner. I was able to Skype with mom and dad that night and was glad they were able to see some of the kids and the Ekisa house. 

     It’s hard to believe that I’m in my final days here in Uganda. There are no words to describe the roller coaster of emotions I’m feeling right now. The friendships and memories I’ve made here have changed my life forever. Please continue to pray for the children, mama’s, staff, and volunteers. In just the 3 weeks I’ve been here I have seen physical and spiritual growth, personalities shine, and have learned more than I ever thought possible. It truly is amazing what God can do when you surrender and give Him complete control. I pray that through reading this, some of your hearts have been softened and eyes have been opened to see the world and people for what they truly are. Stop digging for things to make you not love someone. Instead, see that they are a child of God, and because God loves us no matter what, He has called us to do the same. Love EVERYONE, not just those who look and think like you. God made us all unique and different for a reason, so don’t shun diversity but EMBRACE it. 

Paul loved his piggy-back ride

as part of the school lesson they had to try to fit the play-doh into the letter T

Paul and Zeke learning from Auntie Emily

Tasha at Jinja Nile (pool)

this my friends, is the source of the Nile...

the boat we took to get the the source

Chacos in Uganda

Angelica and I at African Dance Night

some of the wonderful dancers

group shot with all the kids

sweet little Isaac

Pure Happiness

Sorry it has taken me so long to post this. It sure has been an eventful week!

Saturday June 30, 2012:

                 Taylor and I spent most of our day in town to shop, eat, and get to know each other better. That night we met Whitney for dinner at Skewer’s, a local place run by muzungus and it was delicious. They basically have kabobs with any type of meat and veggies. They have a wall for everyone to sign their name when they come and eat. It was really cool to see the variety of where everyone has come from. When Taylor and I got home that night we discovered a gecko in our bathroom and then found out there was a rat in the kitchen. I wanted to see it so I joined the other girls standing on the table waiting for it to come out so Aaron, a night guard, could try to catch it. Unfortunately the rat ran into the kid’s room and Aaron wasn’t able to get it. There’s never a dull moment here at Ekisa!

Sunday July 1, 2012:

                I woke up early to shower (the water was freezing and it took me a good 30 minutes to get clean) and then shared my blueberry muffin with Zuena and helped feed little Isaac and Daniel. Whitney and I left around 10 am to spend 24 hours at the hospital in Kampala with Nam and Grace. The drive wasn’t as long as usual, only 2 hours compared to 3 or 4 if there’s bad traffic. When we got to the hospital, Nam gave me a huge hug (she picks people up off the ground when she hugs them), and then Whitney and I went to the cafeteria to get some lunch. After lunch I took a boda to a supermarket to get diapers for Grace. I’ve never really been scared on a boda in Jinja, but that 5 minute round-trip ride in Kampala made me fear my life. Whitney and I watched movies on her computer and I read a book I brought. Janis called Whitney around 7 pm and told her that she had mixed up her dates for when she leaves, and instead of leaving Tuesday morning she was now leaving tomorrow morning. We were both sad that we weren’t able to say goodbye and that Janis’ last 24 hours in Uganda were spent at the hospital. When the doctor came in that night to check on Grace, we asked if we could try taking him off oxygen. He explained that he was still struggling to get enough oxygen, even with the added bit, so he didn’t feel comfortable with that yet. Grace was happy though and that’s what mattered most. Whitney and I had only planned to stay in the hospital Sunday night (yet I forgot to even bring a toothbrush but thank goodness I had mouthwash) so neither one of us brought a change of clothes. When the doctor wasn’t willing to wean Grace off the oxygen though, we suggested to the girls back home that we just stay Monday night as well. It was getting expensive to have someone drive to Kampala every day. Erika said she would let us know Monday morning if they wanted us to stay. 

Monday July 2, 2012:

                I spent the day watching movies, reading, holding Grace, and trying to learn how to play Snake on Whitney’s phone (I am NOT good). The day went by slower than Sunday but still wasn’t too bad. Grace’s breathing was looking better and we were hoping he would come home by Wednesday. 

Tuesday July 3, 2012:

                Grace was discharged from the hospital in the morning but we didn’t leave until around 4 that afternoon. The paperwork took forever, same as in the US. We made the 3 hour drive back to Jinja, Grace sleeping in my lap most of the way. By this time, I felt disgusting. I hadn’t showered or changed clothes, including underwear (sorry if that’s gross), in 3 days. I couldn’t wait to shower and be back in my bed, which is exactly what I did when we got home.

Wednesday July 4, 2012:

                I went for a run in the morning but it wasn’t great. The road was rocky, the air was chilly, and my cardiovascular system was weak. Trey’s team took the kids swimming in the morning so we spent the day in town. We went to central market for clothes and food, what an experience! The lady we went to was known for having good deals but she was not willing to make us one. Eventually Whitney told her either sell us every piece for 10,000 schillings or we don’t get anything, which she finally agreed to. That afternoon it rained so we had “messy play” with the kids. There were 7 different stations full of jelly, play dough, water, and bubbles. It was awesome to see how much fun the kids had! Erika and Emily H. made us a wonderful 4^th of July dinner that consisted of burgers (amazing), potato salad, pasta salad, fries, and “Ekisa sauce” (similar to Zaxby’s). Dinner that night felt like a family, so nice. After dinner we headed over to Katie’s house for Bible study. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I loved it. The atmosphere was so open and fun. It made me long for a similar group back at home. 

Thursday July 5, 2012:

                We took Zak, Josh, and Jojo swimming at Jinja Nile Resort in the morning. Things didn’t really work out though. There was a bus load of kids there, it was overcast, the water was FREEZING, and Jojo got sick. I went into town alone around lunch to run some errands and just take a break from everything. It was nice to get out and go where I wanted and take as long as I wanted. I spent the afternoon helping Emily W. organize her paperwork to put in her new file cabinet in her new office. We all went out to dinner at Surjio’s for pizza (the best pizza I’ve had). When we got home, Erika went to give Grace his last dose of antibiotic in his IV and discovered that Nam had washed his hand, taken out the cannula, and wrapped it back up thinking we wouldn’t notice. So Erika needed to start a new IV just for 1 treatment. I heard Grace screaming so I went out to the living room to try and calm him down. Erika tried 6 times, in 6 different places, to get one started but it never worked. She decided Grace needed to go to Al’Shafa so a nurse there could try to put one in, since she had tried everything and failed. Grace was happy when we got to Al’Shafa and for the 30 minutes or so we waited for a nurse, but as soon as we went into a room he knew what was going on. The nurse ended up sticking Grace another 5 or 6 times before finally succeeding with a vein in his head. Holding Grace through the entire process, watching him scream and cry in pain, was heartbreaking. He just kept looking up at me with these eyes saying, “please help, make it stop”. All I could do was hold him and try to soothe him, and in the process I ended up shedding a few tears, knowing that there wasn’t much else I could do. We came home around 11 pm and Erika was giving Grace his medicine when we heard a whimpering outside, like a puppy. Emily and I went to check it out, and there curled up against our iron gate, was a tiny puppy. We brought him inside and Grace loved him! There’s no way Ekisa could keep another dog though, so we took it back outside; very sad. 

Friday July 6, 2012:

                Jobe came to pick us up at 8 for a day of shopping in Kampala. We arrived at Garden City, the mall, around 10:30 and stayed until 1. Then we went to craft market and spent 2 hours shopping. I got some great gifts for myself and others and could’ve stayed there the whole day! On the way back to Jinja, I called mom and she read me some letters that Josh had sent me. We both cried the whole time. It was hard to hear some of the things he’s enduring, especially how lonely he is, but it was uplifting to know that through this he has turned to the Lord in prayer. I prayed that this experience would bring him closer to God, and God has been faithful. I can’t wait to see Josh and talk about how we’ve both changed, and how we can both work together to make our relationship even better than it was before.

It’s obvious that the Lord is doing amazing things, some that I can see and some that I can’t. I not only pray that Josh grows closer to the Lord, but that each of you reading this will find a deeper connection with our Savior. I pray that your hearts will be open to whatever the Lord has planned for your life, knowing that it most likely isn’t what you would have chosen for yourself. Uganda isn’t a place I would have dreamed I’d find complete happiness, but the Lord knew, and He led me every step of the way. Allow Him to do the same in you. 

PICTURES!

 

Amy, little Isaac, and Tasha 

 Josh loves to stand up and dance

 My group at Station 1, jelly, during messy play. Arafat wasn't a fan of how it felt.

Arafat isn't sure what to think about it. It was really sticky.

This facial expression says it all!

Play dough!

Bubbles are the biggest hit with these kids. They could play with them for hours.

My sweet baby Grace, who looks like a girl in that sweater.

Our 4th of July feast.

Taylor, Whitney, Angelica, and I wearing our red, white, and blue to celebrate Independence Day.

Out by the pool at Jinja Nile.

Rachel combing (really ripping out) my hair.

And Rachel's finished product. You can't really tell but it's a tangled mess on top of my head.

Grace getting his last dose of antibiotics and the cute puppy we found outside.

On the way home from our shopping day in Kampala. Everyone was exhausted.

Blessed

I'm going to start this post by sharing a prayer with you that I wrote yesterday during my quiet time by the Nile.

Lord, I can’t thank You enough for sending me to Uganda to share Your love and blessing me with an opportunity beyond my wildest dreams. Despite the sinful mess that I am, You bring new mercies every day so that I am constantly being made new, wanting nothing more than to walk with You. I pray that You use me and my time here to show my friends and family back home how You have changed my heart, and how You can change theirs. We should all be willing to give all we have and more to further Your Kingdom because Your love is all we need. No amount of money could make me as happy as I am here. Sure, the smell can be overwhelming and the bugs occasionally make me scream and my heart is CONSTANTLY aching for the pain and suffering these people go through, but I can’t remember being this filled with joy! The people of Uganda may have nothing, by American standards, but they have what matters most. A life centered in You.

Here's a quick summary of what's been going on the past few days:

Wednesday, I went into town and dropped off my Bible with Angelo so he can paint it. I also ended up ordering 3 other paintings from him, costly but I think well worth it. That’s probably all I will buy in Jinja, since we plan to go to Friday market in Kampala next week and things are half the price there. Angelica and I are also planning on going on a safari with Alisha mid-July and can’t wait!  Whitney and I spent the night at Al’Shafa (the “modern” hospital here in Jinja) that night with Mama Nam and Baby Grace. It’s called a modern hospital but there is nothing modern about it, other than maybe the ambulances. As we sat at the hospital for 12 hours, unable to sleep due to the storm and crying children and random loud noises, I watched Mama Nam care for her baby in a way that blew my mind. She is more of a mom to that child than I ever could have been at her age (she is only 17 and had her first, Jamil, when she was just 14, after her grandmother sold her into prostitution). However, she has no idea how to correctly care for Grace. She lays her whole body on top of him, sucks on his fingers, and has absolutely no knowledge of sanitation. We’re not sure why she sucks on his fingers, but that night she asked me to do it and I wasn’t about to go there, so I just kissed his hand. And when she changes his diapers, she uses her hand to feel the inside to see if it’s wet and then doesn’t wash her hands like you’d expect, she just keeps going like nothing’s wrong. So much of the illnesses here could be cured if they just had some knowledge of how to be sanitary. There was a bathroom right outside of the room that she could have used to wash up, but the thought doesn’t even cross her mind.

Yesterday, several of us took Mweru, Paul, Zak, Zeke, and Mama Sara on an outing to The Source Café (I think I've gone every day just to get their coffee, so good!). The kids LOVED taking a boda into town and getting sodas and chapatti (some type of bread, it’s pretty good). After the kids took their nap we went outside to play, but what started out that morning as a scratchy throat soon turned into nausea and aches all over. I spent most of my time yesterday with Arafat, Rachel, and Elijah (who were all coughing and snotting in my face, not helping my nausea). It turns out that all of them, plus Zak, have malaria. It also didn’t help that Jojo threw up everywhere right after I fed him dinner. Since I wasn’t in the best mood, I took a cold shower and ate dinner and then realized how ugly my thoughts were earlier. I may have been coming down with a cold, but I have much to be thankful for. These kids have physical and/or mental disabilities, and on top of that many have other medical issues (malaria, TB, HIV, etc.).

Pictures:



Jamil, Mama Nam's oldest, walking home from school.

Sweet sweet Arafat. He sang me lots of Justin Beiber that day, and then we got bored so I found some Disney songs, which he loved.

Josh has the best little personailty and the cutest face when he stares at you with those eyes!

Holding Baby Grace at Al'Shafa.

I don't think they come much cuter than this gem. Janet is Mama Christine's 4 month old. She is the happiest baby I've ever known and has the softest hair. And she gives the best slobbery kisses :)

Morning quiet time on the Nile.

Arafat and Jojo (who is happy but not for long).

He could sit and listen to music ALL day.

His happiness quickly turned to sadness. I don't blame him though, he barely ate anything all day and I'd be a little unhappy too.

Zeke is so happy to be on the boda!

Paul as usual, nothing but smiles, sitting at The Source Cafe waiting for food.

Mweru being held by Mama Sara because she can tell he's about to misbehave.

The grasshopper who decided to join us. I was not ok with that. Mama Sara just picked it up like it was no big deal, yuck.

Can we get add some more sass to those potatoes? Oh Zuena...



Prayer Requests:

Please please keep praying. Around 10 of our children, as well as one of our directors, have malaria. Baby Grace is still in the hospital but looking better. Hopefully he will come home tomorrow. Last night I came down with something but am feeling much better this morning. My chest still hurts and my body still aches and I have a slight headache, but I am grateful to be here. Please just pray that the Lord takes away all of this sickness, or at least provides us all with the strength to endure it. Also, please pray for my friend Seth, who just lost his neice to a pool accident. Things are hectic here at Ekisa. Nothing goes as planned and there usually isn’t a schedule. We just take it minute by minute, knowing that the Lord is holding us up and never letting go.

Amazed

I'm not really sure where to start. So much has happened in the past couple of days that I could spend hours talking about it. My trip went fairly smooth, a couple of bumps in the road but nothing major until I arrived in Uganda. Once we landed in Entebbe I got my visa, my suitcase, and headed out to look for the driver from Ekisa to take me to Jinja. I looked and looked but never saw someone. I didn't panic but in the back of my mind I knew something wasn't right. I called my mom and woke her up (since it was midnight back in Collierville). I told her that no one was here to pick me up and I wasn’t sure what to do. I ended up on the phone with Lindsay and within the hour I had a plan to get to Jinja. I was so thankful for everyone who woke up in the middle of the night to help me! That whole situation really proved to me how God is in control of this whole trip and He is always faithful.

In the 2 days I’ve been at Ekisa, my heart has been completely stolen by these children. They are filled with such joy and love for everyone. I’ve become especially fond of Rachel. She is so patient, kind, loving, smart, and just a beautiful person on the inside as much as the outside. I'm not really sure where to start. So much has happened in the past couple of days that I could spend hours talking about it. My trip went fairly smooth, a couple of bumps in the road but nothing major until I arrived in Uganda. Once we landed in Entebbe I got my visa, my suitcase, and headed out to look for the driver from Ekisa to take me to Jinja. I looked and looked but never saw someone. I didn't panic but in the back of my mind I knew something wasn't right. I called my mom and woke her up (since it was midnight back in Collierville). I told her that no one was here to pick me up and I wasn’t sure what to do. I ended up on the phone with Lindsay and within the hour I had a plan to get to Jinja. I was so thankful for everyone who woke up in the middle of the night to help me! That whole situation really proved to me how God is in control of this whole trip and He is always faithful.

Once I got to Ekisa I met the other volunteers and children. We took bodas (motorcycles) into town so I could get local currency out of the ATM. Bodas can be scary, but so much fun! It rained that afternoon so the kids stayed inside and watched Up on the computer. Once the kids went to bed we all out went out for dinner at The Keep, a restaurant owned by missionaries. My first meal in Uganda was a meatball sub and fries, and it was delicious. I never thought I'd be eating so well here! Tuesday morning I woke up and took a shower (which took forever because there is next to no water pressure, but it was hot so I enjoyed it) then went to breakfast with Erica at the Source Cafe. On the way into town we stopped at the Orange store (like AT&T) to get me a phone (which ended up costing about $22). At breakfast I had an iced coffee and waffle, and that coffee was better than any American coffee I have ever had. Starbucks needs to come take some lessons from them. That afternoon I played outside with the kids and had many people ask me about my freckles. They thought it was a skin reaction to the sun, since it's so harsh here. I explained what they were and one of them asked if he could touch my arm (I guess he thought they would raised up or feel weird). Most of the kids, mainly Zuena, point to the rock on my nose ALL the time. No one at home seems to notice, but here they are fascinated! Later in the afternoon while the kids were napping, we put on a talent show for the mama’s. I wish I could describe how amazing it was, but I can’t. It’s captured on my iPhone and in my heart, but no amount of words can tell you how much love was shared in those few hours. Erica left for the States after the talent show, and even though I was only with her for a day, I was sad to see her go. I can’t imagine leaving this place or these people.

As I helped the mama’s feed the kids dinner last night, my heart broke and it took everything I had not to bust out in tears. The children just lie on a mat, most of them not moving and covered in flies. I want to cradle each of them, protect them from even the flies on their body, but I know someone better who has them. The Lord cradles each one of them, day in and day out, and He will never let them go.

We all went over to Pastor Terry’s house last night for dinner. He made us burritos with all the toppings you can imagine. What a feast we had! We ended up leaving early because baby Grace needed to go to the hospital. Currently, 6 kids have malaria and 2 are HIV+. I’m steadily praying that the Lord heals them in any way He chooses.

Most of you are probably wondering how I’m dealing with the bug situation. So far, I’ve been good with it. I killed about 5 spiders my first night. I moved to Erica’s bed after she left and last night I discovered a trail of ants running along the footboard. At first I wanted to move back to my other bed but then I realized that I need to stop being afraid of such trivial things. I mean, they’re just ants, they can’t hurt me.

This morning Angelica and I woke up early to walk to the Nile. It took about 20 minutes to get there but was so worth it! God really has created wonders. As I sat on a brick wall reading my Bible and overlooking the river, it hit me that nothing in America compares to what I have seen here in 3 days. I can constantly feel the Lord’s presence, something that doesn’t happen much back home because of our materialistic ways. I can’t imagine leaving this place.

Here are some pictures of the orphanage and kids from the past 3 days. This is just a glimpse into what I live with every day, and I couldn't be happier. These children have completely stolen my heart and I'm sure you will see why.

The one on the left is Rachel (my personal favorite) and I'm holding Zuena (little diva).

Paul and I in front of the Ekisa car. He has CP and drools, drools, drools (why his shirt is soaking wet). But I love him so much!

Zeke is on the left and Paul is on the right. Both of them are hysterical!

Us just goofing around the house!

Rachel on her swing. She LOVES to swing. I think she was on it for at least an hour when I took this picture. She is so funny, smart, patient, kind, loving, and always willing to share. 

The ramp leading to the front porch.

This is my shelf with all of my belongings. Well, not all. Some stuff stays in my suitcase because I don't want bugs all over it (like my treasured pop tarts and chocolate).

My bed. I'm on the bottom.

The bathroom. You literally shower with the toilet. But it's a shower nonetheless so I'm happy!

Paul and I jamming to some African Children's Choir on Angelica's iPod.

Please keep praying for all of the children and mama's here, as well as the staff and volunteers. Pray that the children heal from any sickness they may have. Pray that the Lord gives the mama's strength to carry on and raise these children. Pray that He gives Ekisa's staff everything they may need to continue supporting special needs children. Pray that the Lord blesses every volunteer with a passion for Him and His children and to love them like they deserve to be loved. Love y'all!