Breaking Walls and Mending Hearts: July 2012

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

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!