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.