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.
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