Words

I got home three weeks from today. Wow. What an adventure.

In the process of readjusting here are 515 words that describe/illustrate/remind me/tell the story of my time in Uganda.

Berryville. Virginia. United States. Turkish Airlines. Uganda. Entebbe. Job. Jinja. Ekisa. Home. Three months. Beautiful. Children. Sunshine. Porch.  Lost luggage. Volunteers. Bunk beds. Top bunk. Mosquito net. Cold shower. No pressure. Mammas. School. Emily H. Teaching. Challenging. Progress. Encouraging. Jangu. Tula. Jolly Phonics. Arafat singing. Ants on my arm. "R" for Rachel. Mweru bubble. Art supplies. Donations. Sensory room. "Sa-cool, sa-cool!" Zeke. Joy. Acacia Community Church. Outside. Trees. 1 Peter. Pastor Terry. Mamma Debbie. Not a fan. Luke 9:23. Smart clothes. Town. Craziness. The Keep. Milkshakes. The Source. Chicken guacamole wrap. And Chips. Ozzie's. Cinnamon rolls. Flavours. The Nile Resort. Kingfisher pool. The Gately. Hotel Triangle. Pumpkin-spiced lattes. Krest. Ling Ling's. Uncle Simon. "You've been where?" Post office. PO Box 817. Letters. Packages. Chocolates. Happiness. Pippin. Paul. A pair. Hospitals. Scary. Jaja Sam. Jaja B. Zuena. Sass. Baby Isaac. Joven. Canulas. IVs. Dressing changes. Erika. Awesome. Epilepsy. Grand mal seizures. Medicines. Crises. Water. Susu. Kampala. Capital Shoppers. Kellogg's cereal. Cafe Javas. Matatus. Shillings. Boda bodas. Sabo. Burnt leg. William. Craft market. Necklaces. Paper beads. Bags. Homesick. Hugs. Emily W. Skype. Emails. Phone calls home. Orange. Nokia. Airtime. Hammock. "Auntie, also me." Geckos. Cloudy nights. Bright stars. Colorful sunsets. Rain. Rainbows. Late nights. Early mornings. Early runs. Evening workouts. Kids exercising. Laughter. Seka. Pictures. Yard. Tires. Mats. Meals. Therapy. Walking. Crying. Hard. Perseverance. Climbing trees. Climbing fences. Community kids. Mzungu. Red dirt roads. Potholes. Mud. Motocas. Opposite side. Driving. Rav4. Broken. Funny. New car. New Fridge. Zuena home. Answered prayers. More prayers. God's timing. Sovereignty. Trust. Parents visiting. Kenya. Kampala Coach. Border. Visas. Fifty US dollars. Twelve hours. Nairobi. Karen. Homey. Quiet house. Sleep in. Own room. Hot shower. Baby elephants. Kissed giraffe. Ethiopian food. Backpack. Kijabe. Rift Valley Academy. Green. Mountains. Mt. Longonot. Volcano. Steep. Wild giraffes. Wild zebras. Picturesque views. Acacia trees. Lake Naivasha. Boat. Crescent Island. Hippos. Surgery. Scrubs. Grey's Anatomy. Rosh. Matooke and g-nut. Mukene. Chapati. Rolex. Rice and beans. Lentils. Irish. Cabbage. Greens. Avocados. Pineapples. Central Market. Amber Court. Green beans. Carrots. Christmas (Thanksgiving) in September. Christmas music. Thanksgiving dinner. Turkeys. Friends. Community. Independence Day. Fifty years. Fourteen chickens. Hairy Lemon. Monkeys. Nile River. Relax. Sunbathe. Snake. Cows. Goats. Chickens. Messes. Dirt. Baths. Pajama time. Favorite. Dance Parties. Drums. Walter. Rockstar. Jason. Pastor. Isaac. Hilarious. Stories. Sula bulungi. Bedtime kisses. Nkwagala nnyo. Halloween. Costumes/fancy dress. Sick. Bobbing for apples. Carved watermelons. Trick-or-treating. Adorable. Birthday parties. Ditte. Tea party. Dress-up. Princesses. Movies outside. Projector. Popcorn. Chocolate cakes. Reese's cups. Supermarket. The dairy. Frozen milk. Worship nights. Uncle Benji. Bible study. 2 Corinthians. Two Friends. The Black Lantern. Game nights. Wii. "Sorry, Sam."Too Small to Ignore. Eternal perspective. Adoption. Necessary. Corrupt. Hard to change. Passion. Chris Tomblin. Louie Giglio. Thirty thousand people. Incredible. Special Olympics. Egg toss. Three-legged race. Encouragement night. Australian pampering. Teams. Chaotic. Community care families. Samuel. Olga. Mamma Night.

Twenty-six beautiful children who called me "Auntie B".

Baby Isaac. Natasha. Daniel. Elijah. Jonah. Misach. Amy. Josh. Baby Grace. Mweru. Fiona. Zak. Zeke. Isaac. Paul. Arafat. Zuena. Debra. Rachel. Razia. Jamil. Jason. Walter. Sam. Ditte. Jane.

Life Changed.

Heading Home

In light of the holiday season I think it's appropriate to say that I am thankful. 

I am thankful for the past three months that I got to spend here in Jinja, Uganda. 

I am thankful for this place called Ekisa that gives a home to so many beautiful children. 

I am thankful that I got to know these children and experience the joy that each of them have to give to the world. 

I am thankful that I've been safe on bodas.

I am thankful for my safe travels to and from Kenya, and the wonderful visits I had there. 

I am thankful for Acacia Community Church, and Pastor Terry, for the sense of home they both have provided the past three months. 

I am thankful for the friends I have met here who have continued to support me if I wanted to cry, encourage me in my time here, laugh with me, and build me up in the love of Christ. 

I am thankful for cups of coffee since sleeping in here is utterly impossible.

I am thankful for the small steps of progress that we have seen in school. 

I am thankful for our Thanksgiving dinner we had here last week. 

I am thankful I got to watch the UVA-Tech game on Saturday with Pastor Terry, despite the tragic ending.

Above all right now I am thankful that the Lord fearfully and wonderfully made each one of them, and all He has given them - the silly, quirky things Isaac does daily to make me laugh, Amy's beautiful smile she gets when you kiss her cheek, Sam's perseverance and strength during his crises, Debra's uncontrollable laughter, Baby Misach's adorable smile where he sucks in his bottom lip and scrunches his nose, Zuena's fight for life, Zeke's enthusiasm everyday for school when we tell them all to come inside, Arafat's love for singing and songs (sometimes our only one joining along in school), Rachel's sparkling personality that makes it so hard to actually get frustrated at her, Mweru's energy that never ceases, Fiona's way of irritating Zak but is just so funny to watch, Paul's love-hate relationship with our dog Pippin, and so many others. 

But I'm also thankful to be heading home. As hard as it is to say goodbye to this place right now, I know that God has a plan in bringing me home, and I am thankful for that. I am thankful I have a wonderful family to go home to, and parents that have supported me in absolutely everything. I am thankful for friends in my life, who most of the time I don't know what I would do without them. And I am thankful for Christ's death on a cross that makes it possible for me to be in relationship with Him, seek to glorify His name, trust in His will for my life, and lift up praises to Him for all He has given me. Despite all that happens in my life, whether good or bad, I pray that this is the truth that remains in my heart. For I want to "rejoice always, pray continually, [and] give THANKS in all circumstances; for this is God's will for [me] in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

I'll be home in less than 36 hours. Thank you so much for all of you who have prayed with me and for me as I have been on this trip. I am thankful for each and every one of you!

1 Week. Again.

Bittersweet? Yes.

Ready to leave? No.

Excited to go home and see family and friends? Yes.

Hard to say good bye? Don't even want to think about it.

Had an amazing time? Beyond so.

Life changing? Yes.

Favorite part? Being a part of the lives of such beautiful children and seeing the beauty of His creation in each of them.

Want to go back? Yes.

When? Praying about that now. You are welcome to join.

Just some of the thoughts running through my head right now as I look towards the next week and how one week from today will be my last full day here at Ekisa and one week from tomorrow I will be home. Before coming I shared some of my answers to questions that had been asked of me all summer as I was preparing for my trip, and here are some of the answers to questions as I prepare to leave. It is beyond crazy that it has been three months, and I am so overwhelmed with how God has used my time here to shape more of how I see the world and His people in it. 

Last week, I got home from Kenya on Thursday morning (smoother travels home for the most part) and that evening Mary Grace headed home. It was a pretty hard day just because seeing her say goodbye really hit me that in less than two weeks I'd be doing the same. However, even with my short time left after getting back from Kenya, I think that visit was really something I needed and God knew that, as He is preparing my heart for leaving here. Being in Kenya, at real homes, being able to snuggle on couches and watch movies, eat home cooked dinners, be in a family setting, have hot showers, and many more things like this reminded me of home and definitely made me excited to get back to some of these things in the States. It also I think put a good separation in my time here, and allowed me to come back to Uganda with the mindset of wrapping things up, and trying to figure out all the things I want to do and people I want to see before leaving. My list isn't long, but I pray that this week I am able to really enjoy the time I have here, but be able to look forward to getting home, for this is the path He has for me right now.

"Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways." 

Proverbs 4:25-26

Part Two

So picking up where I left off - from the little coffee shop where we got lunch and internet, we went to see giraffes! It was a pretty fun setup where you could take pictures of them on the ground then walk up to a balcony where you were eye level with them. The people that worked there gave us food so we were able to feed them. I knew giraffes were big animals, but they are actually really big! It was crazy to get to be so close to such a large animal and  try to picture something that big out in the wild - I think I forget that giraffes, and even elephants, are more than just cartoon characters haha! They have crazy long tongues and would stick them out and take each piece of food from your fingers, versus eating out of your palm like a horse. Some of them also gave kisses, so you could put a piece of food between your lips and they woud stick out their tongue to get it. So day two in Kenya and I pet a baby elephant and got kissed by a giraffe named Ed :)

There were also warthogs with the giraffes that would eat all the food that dropped. these are ugly animals - except the little baby that had to scurry all around so not to get stepped on by the giraffes' big feet. And I forgot to mention at the elephant place we saw a blind rhino named Maxwell. We also saw a couple of monkeys on our way out and a baboon later on the side of the road. 

Saturday evening Mrs. Black had to run out for a little while, so I hung out at the house, washed dishes for the first time in about two months (our Mammas usually do it), and cleaned the kitchen while listening to country music. Talk about feeling at home! Also, never would have thought that doing the dishes would be so therapeutic. I think this means that I'm growing up and I'm not so sure how I feel about it.

Sunday we got up and went to church, and afterwards went out to an Ethiopian restaurant. It was really different but I think I really like it :) It was just really interesting and not really like anything I've had before. First, there is this crepe-like bread (for lack of better comparison) that is laid out on essentially a big pizza pan and then there are piles of different veggies and sauces ladled on top of it. Then we were given a basket full of these "crepes" that were rolled up, that you hold on your left hand, tear a bit off with your right, and use it to pick up something from te center plate. Like I said, very interesting!

From there we went to this Maasai Market that was out on a balcony in this big shopping mall. This mall had glass elevators, escalators, and even was completely decked out in Christmas decorations. Culture shock after being in Uganda for almost three months! (side note - it's very clear how much more money is in Kenya than Uganda. Even landscaping wise, there is just so much more color and flowers everywhere, that I just haven't seen in Uganda). When we were leaving the mall, we ran into a friend of mine from UVA, Betsy! It was wild, and I just didn't really think that I knew enough people in the world to just happen to run into someone I know in Africa! So we all went and got coffee, and it was just really fun to catch up with someone so unexpectedly!

Monday morning I went to class with Mrs. Black; she is a professor at a theological school in Nairobi. She had an advisee meeting with some of her students and invited me along, and it was kind of fun to be back in an academic setting, even though I was just sitting and listening. Then we went to this place called Amani Ya Juu, meaning Peace from Above, and it's a business that hires women from different sides of conflict all over Africa. It not only seeks to give them jobs, but spiritually invests and builds them up, and helps them to get their feet under themselves. They make all sorts of things from bags to jewelry to quilts to clothing to Christmas decorations, and it's all absolutely beautiful. They also had a little cafe where we got lunch, and then we went to catch a matatu for me to head to Kijabe. 

I had taken a matatu to Kampala before, but this was my first one by myself and it was quite the adventure. I'll spare the details, but after about 45 minutes I made it to the Kijabe stop, then had to get another one down the mountain that was about 10 minutes, and I was dropped off at the hospital. I had to wait a little bit, but then Mrs. Kraus walked down to get me. Kijabe is absolutely beautiful and sits right on the side of a mountain that looks out to other mountain ranges as well as a couple of volcanoes - one of them being Mt. Longonot. That night we walked down to an oen field and watched the sunset and it was beyond beautiful! Dr. Kraus, Mrs Kraus, and Sam (a senior in high school), and I all ate dinner that evening and made plans for the next day. 

Yesterday was incredible! We hiked Mt. Longonot in the morning, which I mentioned was a volcano, so you get to the top of the brim and you can see down into the crater, which is full of trees and other plant growth. Apparently there is also leopards that live down there too, but nobody has ever seen them haha. But we did see, while walking down, giraffes and zebras in the distance! Afterwards we went out to lunch at Lake Naivasha and caught a boat over to Crescent Island, which isn't really an island but a peninsula where there are wild animals (all herbivores), and people can just walk around on it! It was so great and we saw even more giraffes and zebras, antelope, water bucks, wildebeests, and buffaloes in the distance. Then on the way back we saw a couple of hippos in the water! If you haven't caught on so far, a huge part of this trip I feel like is just getting to soak in God's creation:) It has been more than reenergizing!

Then today I went to the OR with Mrs. Kraus and watched Dr. Kraus do an abdominal aortic aneurysm - which I didn't know how I'd handle myself, but surprisingly didn't do too bad haha. Then we walked the surgical floor - you know, something you could totally do in the U.S. haha - and poked our heads in the windows to see different surgeries. There was one lady having a c-section and the nurses and doctors invited us in, so I saw a baby be born. Again, all so very wild! 

And now I am sitting here and we are getting ready to head back to Nairobi so I can catch my bus to head back to Jinja! As incredible this trip has been, I am a bit ready to get back to Jinja. It has been making me sad seeing the statuses and other facebook pictures from some of the people back at Ekisa, and I'm a bit ready to get back! Til next time:)

My First Taste of Kenya

In starting this journey I was thinking to myself how I've done quite a bit of traveling, and even more so, a lot of traveling by myself - so you'd think I'd be used to it. I realized two nights ago in getting on the bus to head to Kenya, that I'm really not, and I really don't do very well by myself, and allow myself to get wayyy to caught up in my nerves. I guess this really isn't that unusual and nobody is going to find it that surprising, but let me give you a sequence of event that led to me getting to Kenya - and you can compare it to the pretty perfect, easy description of my trip that I gave you earlier in the week. 

Side note, Thursday was Emily's birthday, as well as the last full day that I would get to spend with Mary Grace, one of the other volunteers (she leaves the thursday I get back to Jinja). For lunch, Mary Grace and I went out to lunch at this little place we just discovered that has an incredible view of the Nile! The whole wall was open and it was almost like in the Hunger Games where the wall changes to whatever view you'd want. It was beautiful. Then for Em's birthday that night we invited people over, moved our couches to the front lawn, and had a movie projector playing A White Christmas. It was pretty fun, even though I had to leave early to get to the bus station.

My bus was supposed to leave at 10, like I had mentioned, and check in time was at 9:30. So me, being my pretty time conscious self, gets there right at 9:30, expecting other people to be checking in too, but I am waiting by myself in this little office. Around 9:50, the guy who was working there, ran inside grabbed my bag and told me to hurry and follow him. So I throw my book in my purse and run outside after him through a pitch black parking lot to the side of the road to the bus, only to be told the bus was full. Uhh, I was almost panicked, and probably would have been  more so if our house wasn't 5 minutes away and I could have easily called someone to come get me. But in walking back to the office, the guy assures me that "another one is coming". Ok, good. He also told me that its about two hours to the border and I will get there in the morning around 10 - meaning its more of a 12 hour drive instead of the 10 1/2 that I was originally told. Then around 10:30, a bus actually pulls up to the office, I get on, and take the only empty seat on the bus - and I happen to be the only muzungu (white person for those of you who forget). 

We make it to the border and as soon as the bus stops everyone immediately stands up and files out the door to the immigration office. I just followed suit since I didn't know what else to do, had to fill out a form to leave the country - terrified I wouldn't do it right and not get a stamp, but made friends with the people behind me and they were so sweet and made sure I was where I needed to be and walked back to the bus with me after I got my passport stamped. Then we get back on the bus, to then be rushed off to another bus that we took across the border. I was so confused and nervous that I might not see my bag again.. We get to the Kenyan immigration office and I had to fill out a Visa form and told I needed to pay a $50 bill. Well this was great because the lady at the bus office told me it would be $35 and I could pay in Ugandan shillings. So I have Ugandan and Kenyan shillings, and no dollars, and then get a bit ripped off in paying with Kenyan shillings. At this point I didn't even care because I was the last person on the bus to get on and they were already waiting on me and I didn't want to get left. This whole border stuff took about an hour and a half, so at this point we are pushing two in the morning.

The rest of the trip was pretty smooth sailing, I took an Advil PM and slept most of the rest of the way. Then we arrive in Nairobi around 11, and because I spent most of my Kenyan shillings at the border I have to first exchange more money in order to buy my bus ticket home. I then get my ticket and have to ask directions to the city bus station where I am getting a bus to go meet Caroline's mom. I walked around Nairobi for at least half an hour to get to the bus stop, found the right bus and was praying I'm headed the right direction. I was, found my right stop, pointed in the direction of the coffee shop, ordered coffee, and then Caroline's mom walked up maybe 10 minutes after I got there. I haven't felt such relief in  a long time. (Funny observation - it wasn't until I got to the coffee shop that I saw a single white person in all my travels that morning haha)

We drove back to their house, which is adorable and has such a pretty garden with flowers blooming everywhere - a funny contrast to imagining home right now with leaves turning colors and all - and I showered, in a hot water, high pressure shower. Wonderful. We then went to this organization called Heshima (a lady who goes to Mrs. Black's church works there), which is a school for children with disabilities. It was incredible and the closest thing I've seen to anything back in the States since I've been here. Their equipment, facilities, resources, really everything, was absolutely beautiful! Along with their outreach to children with disabilities, they also reach out the their parents and have a side area where the moms (or sometimes aunts) work making jewelry, scarves, and other fun things. It was really great to see and I feel a good resource for Ekisa to be in contact with to act a model to where we are a hopefully going. We then went to this other bead shop, where we got a tour of how these ceramic beads are made and how this organization provides jobs for so many people there. From there we went and got tea at Karen Blixen's old estate, which was beautiful. It was a very full day and we then went home, rested then made dinner. We made homemade focaccia bread, cannelloni bean stew, and salad, and enjoyed it with a glass of wine. We then watched Sweet Home Alabama and went to bed. It was so fun being back in a real home setting, something I've definitely missed the past couple of months. 

This morning we got up and got breakfast and went and saw baby elephants! It was adorable and I even got to touch one!! There were 25 total and they all were orphaned and are now being taken care of and will be set into the wild later in life. They gave us a lot more information about them, but I says wayyyy to caught up in watching the and taking pictures! Absolutely adorable and so much fun! We just finished lunch and in a little bit are headed to see giraffes! I feel like I'm doing such "African" things that I haven't had the opportunity to do yet! Really blessed to have this opportunity!

My Next Adventure

Thursday night I am headed to Kenya and am pretty excited to say the least! I bought my bus ticket yesterday and it finally seems that plans are actually laid out. So here it goes: 

- The bus ride is about 10 1/2 hours long (eww) but I was able to get a ticket there and back for less than $50! I am leaving at 10pm Thursday night and will get there around 8:30 the next morning. The bus company is called Kampala Coach, and it's almost like a Greyhound bus - notice I said almost, keep in mind I'm comparing this to Africa transport haha. There is no bathroom and I have been told they don't make stops, but I have also been told that they will pull over to let you go on the side of the road if necessary - so this should be interesting. When we cross the border I have to purchase a Kenyan visa, so another fun stamp in the passport :) 

- When I get to Nairobi, I have to purchase my ticket for the way home (which will be next Wednesday evening) because you can't get a round trip ticket in Jinja haha. Then I will get on a city bus and head to the part of the city where my friend Caroline's parents live. This is essentially my reason for visiting Kenya. I have two friends from school whose parents are missionaries in different parts if Kenya and both invited me to visit, and just see a little different part of Africa. Since I'm really not that far away, I decided to take advantage of this opportunity. Caroline's parents live in Nairobi and I will spend Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights with them. I don't think we really have much of an agenda yet, but it will be fun to just get to see a little bit of the city. 

- Then on Monday at some point I will get on a matatu and head to Kijabe to stay with Evan's parents. Kijabe is about an hour north of Nairobi and a much smaller town, and apparently absolutely beautiful! Two of the volunteers who are here at Ekisa now went to Kijabe this summer for three weeks and loved it, and are really excited for me to get to visit as well. Again, once getting there I don't have much of an itinerary, but I'm sure some fun things will fall into place. Then Wednesday I will head back to Nairobi and the get on my bus home that evening to get back to Jinja early Thursday morning. 

I am really excited about this trip and opportunity to travel a bit, but know that Mom and Dad especially will be worried about my safety. I ask for prayers for safe travels and that this trip would be such an adventure - and that Mom and Dad will rest easy knowing God's got me:)

Friday Craft Market

In my last post I mentioned how on Friday we went to the craft market in Kampala and how crazy and fun it was! I also said I wanted to share a little more about it, so here it goes. First, a little background on kind of the reasons behind going, since you can pretty much find everything that we saw there here in Jinja. This sounds pretty self explanatory, but the primary reason is because you can get everything for cheaper, especially when you buy a lot of something. I didn't come to Uganda with the intention of doing this, but coming home from market I came home, not only with Christmas presents for lots of people in my life, but also with a lot of stuff that I want to sell. Since being here I have heard from other volunteers who have left or just other stories in general of people taking home a lot of the beaded necklaces and homemade bags to sell to people in the States. Sometimes people are fundraising for themselves, in order to raise money to come back, and then others, just to raise money for things here. Upon hearing these stories, I wanted to do this too. Not only as a way to give back to Ekisa, and help them start off the this next year, but just to be able to raise awareness about what I've been doing here, and to bring Africa a little closer to people back at home!

With all of that said, I bought 70 necklaces (the paper beaded ones) in a ton of colors and styles, and 23 cross-body bags that are also in a ton of colors and patterns, that I will be selling when I get home - and all of the money will come right back here to Ekisa! I'm excited about this because I get home November 30th, so how perfect these will be for Christmas presents! I'm not really trying to do a sales pitch, though I guess this kind of is, but I would love everyone's support to give back to a place that God so intentionally placed in my life! I am going to try to get a couple pictures up on Facebook of the necklaces and bags so you have an idea of what they look like, but if you see something you like, let me know and I would love to get more or save them for you! Please also feel free to email me if you have any questions! Brb9p@virginia.edu

Out on the Town

So this past week was a little bit different in terms of scheduling and school. In a bit of long term planning for school, Emily wanted to go by the British system of terms and half terms and such, and this week was 'half-term' so we kind of took the week off for our kids that do school at the house and used a little more time for planning for our next term. We still did some fun things with the kids, just to keep a bit more of a structure to the day, but we also had a bit more time to hang out with individual kids and do fun things!

Our kids love to go to town, it doesn't matter to do what, but just the thrill of putting on 'smart clothes,' riding a boda boda, getting a soda and maybe a sweetie, and spending a little one-on-one time with an auntie, is such a treat! And since being here and taking the kids on a couple of different outings, whether to church, a walk around the block, to town, or just riding in the car, it usually is as exciting for me too:) On Tuesday, I took Sam into town and it was precious! I had been telling him since he had been back from the hospital that when he was walking we could have a date to town, and despite him walking for the past couple of weeks, we just got around to it. We rode a boda into town to a coffee shop called The Source. I got lunch, and he got a soda and a cookie, which he then proceeded to finish before I even got my food, then wanted to eat all of mine - mind you he already had his lunch at home! While hanging out we also got to Skype with Mom and Dad, and even Anna for a bit, and it was so fun! It made me so happy that Mom and Dad got to meet him and talk to him for a little bit. Granted he was acting so shy and hardly talked, but I also think the concept of Skype was a it foreign haha. Then we walked to the supermarket and then got a boda home! Fun day #1 on the town!

Wednesday, Mary Grace, Josey, Michelle (all other volunteers), and I took Debra and Rachel into town! Like Sam's outing, we skipped out on nap time, got the girls in their smart clothes (meaning dressing up in church clothes equivalents) complete with headbands and new pink shoes(!), loaded Debra's wheelchair in the car, carried Rachel out, and drove into town. Rachel was in awe; the entire drive there she was silent taking absolutely everything in, looking out every window. Then walking into The Keep she was the same way, completely quiet and calm, and very unlike the Rachel we know from home. Debra was all giggles and was so excited to be there, and couldn't wait for her soda and chocolate cake (her absolute favorite)! We sat at some couches outside, so we saw everyone who walked in, and it didn't take Rachel long to warm up. Soon she was greeting every person who walked in, calling every girl "Mamma" and every guy "Uncle" or "Sabo" (meaning "sir") in her crazy loud, deep voice. While we were slightly embarrassed we couldn't help but laugh and just let her enjoy her time out as well. Debra laughed at everything Rachel said and between the two of them, we were all laughing, having a great time. Fun day #2 on the town!

Then on Friday, a couple of us aunties took a day for ourselves on the town and went to Kampala. We wanted to go to Friday Craft Market in Kampala, so we just decided to go. Four of us got up early and caught a matatu (aka large taxi bus) that cost us 5000 shillings ($2) to get all the way to Kampala. It was about an hour and a half drive, and was quite the experience - my first time taking public transportation besides bodas. Getting there, we then had to catch a boda to the craft market, which the driver lied about knowing where it was and took us a bit longer than expected to get there. That experience was pretty funny as well - riding a boda in Kampala is MUCH more intimidating than in Jinja. This time I was actually a bit shared for my life. Michelle and I shared a boda, and at a stop light (first stoplight I've seen in this country, and was actually impressed it was being respected and followed) another boda driver stopped beside us and told me "I need your number" when I said no he didn't he then told me he will call me, I said no again and we both just turned away - second time I've had to lie about being married to a boda driver haha. It we finally made it there and it was so fun! So many crafts and fun things to buy, I'll write more about it later, but we had a great time, and made some good friends with some of the vendors. Erika really wanted to see a movie, she's been here about 4 months and is staying a year, and has really been wanting to see the new batman. So that was planned after the market and we get there and they say it's no longer playing, despite what it said online. Erika was very annoyed and it was one of those "I hate this country" moments haha - they certainly don't happen very often, but things like that and then usually the hospital trigger them:) However, instead of a movie, we went and ate at this place called Cafe Javas, and it was great! Also, going on during this time, we found out Zuena was getting discharged from the hospital, definitely an answer to prayer in her coming home! So we hung out at Cafe Javas and waited for Job, our driver, to drive to Kampala to take us all home! Fun day #3 on the town!

And then yesterday, three of us took Walter and Sam to the pool! Not quite the town, but quite the day's journey, and definitely a fun treat and great day spent outside with some of our boys! Also, pretty special because Walter has been asking since I've been here to go to the pool! However, it was a time ton getting there. First we told them the night before that we wanted to take them, but to keep it quiet so the other kids wouldn't get upset. Well the first things I hear yesterday morning are Sam and Walter, "Auntie, pool?" Sad thing was that the sky was dark gray and around 10 it was a full blown thunderstorm, so the pool wasn't looking like a great option for the day. But what do you know around 11:30 the sky was blue and the sun was out, so we decided we'd head to the pool after the boys ate lunch. I've never seen them eat so fast and then were running around the house in their underwear because they couldn't find bathing suits to wear. They were so excited and so stinking cute - Sam looked liked Alfalfa from Little Rascals running around in his underwear with his little arms and legs and big belly:) Once we were all together we called two bodas to drive us to the Nile Resort, which upon getting there we found out it was closed, then decided to go to a resort called Kingfisher, which was on the other side of the Nile, about a 20 minute boda ride, but absolutely beautiful! Also funny, I was on the boda with both boys - Sam in the front, then the boda man, then Walter, then me - I was lucky I didn't fall off the back! But we finally got there and the bow loved the water! Walter reminded me of a kid in our family, absolutely  loved the water, wanted to play in it at all times, wanted to go where he can't stand, jump where he probably wasn't allowed, and just didn't want to get out! Sam, on the other hand, wasn't quite as bold, and I realized once we got there, I don't think I had ever really even asked Sam if he had ever been swimming. But he had a good time too, and it was still a lot of fun having Sam's death grip of a hug around me at all times so he wouldn't drown - even thou most of the time he could stand:) We ended up leaving a bit earlier then expected because Sam's foot started paining him (the Ugandan way of saying hurting) and we think he is in another sickle-cell crisis because he is still in a ton of pain. I pray we are able to beat it without it getting so bad. But that was essentially our fun day #4 on the town!

Other things that happened last week:

- I drove the car for my first time - they drive on the opposite side of the road so that was fun!

- I had to switch anti-malaria medicine because my other one was giving me really bad heartburn and I think an ulcer in my esophagus (if that's possible) basically I couldn't really eat for most of the week, but I am really hoping I don't get any side effects from this one I'm now on.

- I got a letter from my Aunt Debbie:) and it had fall leaves in it!! Probably completely against customs coming into Uganda, but made my day and now they are hanging on my wall! We all miss the fall here!

- But with that said, I found out that a coffee shop in town just released their pumpkin-spiced latte!! (clearly owned by Americans) :)

Adventures at the Hairy Lemon*

*A small island in the middle of the Nile river, about an hour away from Jinja, where you can camp, swim, tube, eat, play Frisbee, play water volleyball, lounge, and just relax. There is a variety of housing options (with differing prices) from bring your own camping stuff, to a small bunk room, to your own house, to your own bigger house. To pay for one night includes some sort of housing; a homemade, fire-cooked breakfast, lunch, and dinner; checkout at 10am, but hangout all day long; better shower pressure than here at home; no Internet or cell phone service; and absolutely beautiful scenery. Basically you an check it our if you want at hairylemon.com.

Anyways, one of my friends, Whitney, and I decided to schedule and take an adventure this weekend to the Hairy Lemon. We had heard that it was beautiful, relaxing, and really after last week we needed a bit of a breather from life here in Jinja - so we made reservations for Friday night. Two of the other volunteers here at Ekisa also got to come so it was fun with the four of us. We hired a driver to take us out there and he picked us up around 1:00 on Friday afternoon. After an hour of driving we arrived at this little docking station on the edge of the river where a long, wooden canoe was waiting for us. All excited we jumped on board with our suitcases, expecting a 20ish minute ride to this island! Well we were only a little disappointed when we realized we were headed right across the river and we were only on the boat for about 4 minutes haha, but we get off and go the what we think is the checkin area, and pay our room fees upfront of 65,000 shillings - $26!! We were pretty pumped for this exotic-like, island getaway for only $26! We were then shown around the island and then to our cabin for the night, which was a bunk room that fit 11 people, but awesome enough we were the only ones staying there for the night!  When our boat had first pulled up there was a table of maybe 7-8 guys and we laughed thinking, "well it's going to be awkward if we're living with them for the night" - luckily they were camping. Going through our tour, Whitney asked if there were snakes, which the lady laughed at us, and told us that we may see snakes, monkeys, lizards, and lots of birds. All of which we saw..a lizard about three feet long, three red-tailed monkeys, lots of birds, and an about six foot long snake, story to come!

Then after we had our tour, we got our bathing suits on and headed to their beachy area! Laid out, read some books, got a little sun, and swam in the Nile - absolutely beautiful, and so relaxing and wonderful! Then around 5:30 we headed up to get dressed, shower, and head up for dinner. Dinner was awesome, and so much food - soup, bread, beef pie (questionable), potatoes, and grilled vegetables! We bought a bottle of wine, and sat there for a long time talking and enjoying the time we had. After awhile, we went back to our cabin, got on our pjs, and walked to one of the little pavilions that they have set up with cushions, hammocks, and chairs for people to hang out in. Two of the guys that we saw earlier were there and we got to talking to them, and boy do they have an interesting lifestyle!? All of the guys we saw earlier were apparently kayakers and most of them didn't come together, but most had met before, because "the kayaker community is pretty small". It was pretty interesting taking to them, they were from England, but some other guys were from the Netherlands, and some were from other parts of Europe, and here there are in Uganda. They had been here for about a month and just go kayak during the day and stay at different island places like this during the night. Again, Whitney brings up snakes, and they assure us that if it's green, the bite will hurt, but it's not poisonous, but if it's a black or red one, it's poisonous so watch out. Hardly as reassuring as we wanted it to be haha. 

The next day we woke up and went down for breakfast at 8, which may seem early, but to be woken up by the river and crickets was the most relaxing, refreshing thing ever!! Breakfast was good, coffee was great, and then we went back, got our bathing suits on and went back to the beach, and spent the rest of the day relaxing, reading, and reenergizing! We really wanted to tube, but Paul, the owner of the island, didn't come all day and he was needed to work the generator:( Kind of a bummer but it was a wonderful weekend! We planned on leaving around 4, so around 3 we were going to go shower and get cleaned up, but around 2:30 some kayakers came back and we were talking to them, and we saw a huge snake come out of the water and onto the island!l it was terrifying and we were happy it decided to come right when we were about to leave! 

Wonderful adventure, and hopefully there will be a couple more to come:)

Joys of School

Despite the tough things happening now, God has still blessed me with the joy of seeing progress and growth in many of the kids during school. I've shared a little about about school, and mentioned in my last post about how some of the progress we have seen is just so encouraging! But I wanted to share just what this looks like and how awesome the past two days have been! 

Rachel, who is around 7 or 8, is a spit-fire of child, has a huge smile, loves getting into messes, isn't our best listener (has some trouble with keeping attention on a task or instruction), has an awesome laugh that can't help but make you smile, has such a deep voice that can be quite loud, cannot walk but can crawl faster than any child I've ever seen, loves to dance bouncing back and forth on her arms, and when we first started school hardly got any question right. 

I mentioned school has been slow in terms of progress and moving forward on goals and objectives, but for most of these kids this is the first time they've been in a school-like setting and their first exposure to really any letters or numbers, so I have been very humbled in thinking how I'd like to see progress and movement in school, to what is actually going to work with these kids. With that said, we have been working on six different letters (AINPST), both the letter sound and recognition of the letter, for the past month a a half, as well as the numbers 1-5, again both recognizing the numbers and being able to count to 5. Emily has a curriculum base from England, so we have this video that we watch that has a little song for each letter that practices the letter sounds so we are getting exposure to all the letters but primarily focusing other instruction on the 6 mentioned. Also in literacy, we are practicing their names - being able to recognize their names and the letter that it starts with. We we focus on numeracy, we have a couple of songs that we usually will sing that practice rote counting, then will do different activities that practice counting "how many" of something, recognizing and matching number symbols, or simply rote counting. Some of the songs and activities will practice rote counting higher than 5, but like the letters, we are primarily focusing on 1-5. 

Now let me tell you how Rachel is doing. On Monday and Wednesday this week we worked on our literacy objectives, and Rachel was a rock star! After singing our letter songs, when Emily was practicing with our 6 key letters, Rachel identified every one with the sound that each letter makes! It was quite surprising, but so exciting and I think had all of us cheering her on:) Then in breaking into our groups and working on names, Rachel not only recognizes her own name and can tell me it starts with an "R", but can recognize about 8 of the other kids names who are in this group with her, knows that Paul's name starts with a "pppp" sound, knows that Razia's name is not hers but that it does start with an "R" too! I know these sound like little things but they are huge accomplishments! Then today when we were practicing numbers and counting she counted to number 12 by herself! She hasn't quite mastered number recognition but rote counting is getting so much better! Again, may not sound off the wall exciting, but this is me and such a place where I find joy! And not only is she learning so much, but she's excited about it! The smile that takes over her face when she gets a question right is the reason I want to be a teacher and do what I'm pursuing! 

Just a little of joy to add to the hardships that have been going on this week. Despite it all God is still good.

Rainbows and Promises

We saw a rainbow yesterday, and I think it made my day. I love lots of things in the sky - definitely have an obsession with stars, love seeing the beautiful colors of sunsets and sunrises, and really like seeing rainbows and being reminded of the promise they represent. 

"I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth... Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth." 

Genesis 9:13,16

What a promise that reminds me truly how faithful and trusting our God is in how He forever has kept, is keeping, and will keep His promises.

Here are some other promises I cling to, especially in the midst of trials and hardships. 

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

Joshua 1:9

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight."

Proverbs 3:5-6

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. I will be found by you."

Jeremiah 29:11-14

"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you."

John 14:18

"And we know that in all things the Lord works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose."

Romans 8:28

"And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it."

1 Corinthians 10:13

"And so we will be with the Lord forever."

1 Thessalonians 4:17

When I was 16 I remember going to the hospital with my family to say good bye to E-ma (my grandma for those of you who didn't get to know her), and I remember being overcome with feelings of not knowing what to say, and even when we left, not knowing if I had said everything. Looking back, I don't think our goodbyes are ever going to feel sufficient, for it's always going to hurt to actually say good bye when the person is no longer here. On Saturday I had another one of these moments - except instead of saying goodbye to my grandma, I walked into the hospital room to say goodbye to a six year old beautiful little girl. Zuena was admitted back into to the hospital on Friday and then later transferred to another hospital that has a better/more advanced heart care center. On Saturday, Erika, who was with Zuena at the hospital, didn't know how close the end was so a few of us went to the hospital just in case. I think it was one of the hardest things I've ever done, just because it was so hard to see this beautiful little girl, whose life has always been so full of joy, energy, and spunk, lay there in so much pain/discomfort and hooked up to so many wires - and then me having to selfishly think about saying good bye. We've been told that she looked better on Sunday in comparison to the other night which maybe is good, but at the same time it's so hard seeing her the way she is and knowing that sometime, probably sooner or later her little body is going to shut down. I wrote about Zuena earlier in my trip, and prayers were answered. She came home for a little more than two weeks and was back to her joyful, playful self. I pray expectantly, knowing God has the power to heal her, but don't want my prayers to be selfish if it is the time He is calling her home. Please pray for those whose lives this little girl has touched and whose lives she has been a part of far longer than mine. I know many people here are struggling, as am I, in clinging to the promises that God has with us - but I am thankful for His reminder in yesterday's rainbow. I am also thankful we have His Spirit for when "we do not know what we ought to pray for, [He] intercedes for us" (Romans 8:26). 

Other updates on the past week:

- Last Tuesday celebrated 50 years of Ugandan independence! We had quite the Independence day celebration complete with the killing and cooking of 14 chickens, other wonderful Ugandan food prepared by our Mammas, signs made by the kids in school, and a huge paper mâché flag, also made by the kids in school. I think every other person here killed a chicken, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it - maybe next time:)

- Mary Grace's (another volunteer) mom and aunt came last Wednesday, and has been so fun having a couple mom figures around. They are staying at a pretty nice place in town with hot showers and Mary Grace and I have taken advantage of these a couple of times:) They are also just so funny in being here and have made a blog while for their week trip to recount the stories of "Laverne and Shirley" haha. So many of their interactions remind me of my mom and Cathy, so it's been fun having them here!

- School is still going really well and it's so fun and wonderful to see the progress of some of the kids! It's all very slow, but being able to see small steps of progress and the excitement of a child, makes the small steps so worth it:)

Lots of love sent to so many at home!

Calling vs Task

As a Christian, how many times have you heard others (or maybe yourself) say, "I'm just trying to figure out what God is calling me to do," or "what is God's calling for my life?" or "God has called me to do this or that or be here or there"? If you've been around me, you have heard it a time or two. My future is definitely something I struggle with, and if I could I would love to have a conversation with God and take notes as he tells me what the next many (hopefully) years of my life will look like. I know that this is where faith comes in and I need to trust in God's plan for my life, but like I already said, I struggle with this, but definitely think it's something God is trying to teach me a lot about. 

The other day in a devotional that I'm doing, by Beth Moore, she wrote that "the concepts of calling and task are often confused," and that our calling as Christians is actually to "surrender [our] lives to His will." This really struck a chord with me because I so often fall into thinking about His "calling" for my life, instead of the tasks that He has set before me. God calls me to drop everything I have, pick up my cross daily, and follow Him (Luke 9:23) - and from there He will lead me. I am not "called" to go somewhere by myself, because He walks in front of me, and promises never to leave nor forsake me. Walking through this all, my prayer has come to be that I do not see the Lord's calling for my life as a struggle or stressor that I am constantly trying to figure out, but as something I can find rest in because my only calling is to follow Him. 

Practically speaking, I am praying through where I am going to be next May after graduation. I get this question all the time, and besides wanting to teach, I don't have much of an answer. I try all the the to really give this to God, but yet I still get caught up in trying to picture it myself. I want to be a follower of Christ and have all I do reflect that, in that I am seeking His guidance in everyday steps, and not trying to figure out the next years. 

Just a little about what I'm learning - more of an update coming soon. 

Homesick?

Saturday I went to the Nile Resort to get internet and a little alone time just to spend reading and such, and during that time I was going to write a brief update, but I was slightly overcome with feelings of homesickness and just really couldn’t get anything down. Even in the midst of it all I am still loving it here, but I was just struggling to get anything “on paper” that didn’t sound sad. So I forfeited the idea and just thought I’d get around to it later, which I’m doing now.

This past week, I don’t want to say was typical – because I don’t really think such a thing really exists here – but I just felt like it flew by and it took seemingly a lot of effort (as in having to go back and read in my journal) to think about what we did last week. Here’s a brief update of some of the more interesting things that happened last week (keeping in mind that we still have school everyday):

- Monday: During naptime I set up a hammock on our front porch between two of the pillars and read for a solid two hours. This has become a favorite “naptime” activity for me because it is so quiet and so relaxing in comparison to the craziness, which I also adore, that happens every other second of the day. But I know when my time has come to an end when I start getting little pokes in my back, eyes peaking over the side, or little voices saying “Auntie B, also me.” :) Then that night we all went over to Pastor Terry’s house for dinner, and I know I talk about good meals a lot, but I feel they are few and far between so when we have one I feel it has to be noted! We had tacos, which were delicious – and Mexican twice in a week is a great week for me!

- Tuesday: Nothing oh so exciting happened today except that I got a package and a letter in the mail! Granted they were both from my parents, but it was still awesome to get! The package was so fun, and filled with lots of my favorite, much missed, American treats – dark chocolates (yay!), French vanilla coffee creamer, instant coffee, peppermint tea, green tea with peach, luna bars, and some others! Good day!

- Wednesday: Jessica, one of the other volunteers left today, which was sad to see her go. Her mom was here for 10 days before, so not only was it fun to have a mom figure around, they are both some of the sweetest people I have ever met, so just both of their company was a joy in and of itself. Her mom brought a ton of pumpkin things with her – everything from pumpkin bread mix to cookie mixes to canned pumpkin to pumpkin marshmallows – so this morning we made homemade pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes! We “skipped” school and just had a fun morning in the kitchen! This was Jessica’s third time to Ekisa, and seeing the impact that she has made with these kids, our Mammas, and just the community at large here in Jinja is amazing. It was also hard to see her good byes, especially to the kids, because I really can’t imagine having to do this in about a month and a half.

- Thursday: Today Mary Grace (another volunteer) and I took two of our boys, Jason and Jamil, into town just to get them out and about! It was so cute and you would have thought we made their lives! We took bodas into town (my burn is healing slowly but surely) and the boys were on cloud 9 :) Then we went to a little coffee shop and got them sodas and cookies, also such a highlight, then walked to the supermarket, then got bodas home. It was so fun to walk around town with them and just see them on such a high! Then for our afternoon school activity we were doing cooking and making chapattis (flour, salt, and water, fried with oil in a pan), but a very typical Ugandan dish. They turned out alright and we ended up making them later for dinner too.

- Friday: I went to Kampala with Erika (our nurse), Josey (another volunteer), Hilda (one of our young Mammas) with her 6-month old son Joven, and Sam, and Zuena. Sam and Zuena both had doctors appointments, and Joven we just wanted to get checked out by the doctor there. It was such a long day. I know I mentioned appreciation already for American medicine, but this reaffirmed it all the more, as well as for American hospitals and American time. We left our house around 8:30 a.m. and got home around 10:30 p.m. (and it’s only about 1½ to 2 hours to Kampala), and the entire day we essentially spent waiting for one thing or another – Zuena’s blood to be drawn, Sam’s x-ray, Joven’s scans, results for all of them, doctors to read them, another hospital/clinic for Joven, you get the idea. But long story short, Sam’s foot is healing so well, there is no more infection in the bone, we don’t have to be soaking it anymore and he needs to start walking on it :) Zuena’s blood work came back with some hesitations, but some medications were altered so hopefully it all work out and get better. Prayers for this little girl are still needed. On our way home, Sam fell asleep on my lap (don’t know if I’ve mentioned that seat belts are nonexistent) and it pretty much made my life. Right before he fell asleep we were all laughing and playing around and then he said, “Auntie, I want to sleep,” I said ok, and he laid his head over and went to sleep.  This little boy is almost too much for me:)

- Saturday: Already gave you an idea of what happened early Saturday, but it did get better. I’m not really sure what caused me to get so homesick, maybe thinking about Anna’s homecoming, UVA football games, the fall weather, or just not being able to pick up the phone and call home at will, but I was just caught up in the fact that life is continuing to go on at home. I know this sounds super self-centered, but I was just realizing I am missing a lot at home, and then was just hit with the fact that I wasn’t prepared for these kind of emotions. I have been here more than I month and yesterday was the first time I was brought to tears in thinking about home. I know it’s fine, and probably completely normal, but I just don’t think I was ready for these kind of feelings and it really caught me off guard. So needless to say, most of the day yesterday I was in a bit of a funk. Then last night Mary Grace and I went over to Pastor Terry’s to watch the Virginia Tech game (remember how I said he like VT – go figure) but it was nice to get out of the house and get to watch some football. I won’t lie and say I wasn’t that upset seeing them losing:) haha. But when we got there it was just Pastor Terry and his wife Debbie, and he was asking us about our days and how we were doing and I mentioned how I was feeling a bit homesick, and he told Debbie to stand up and she gave me a “mom hug” and then he gave me a “dad hug” and let’s just say both of them were much needed!

- And today, Sunday: It’s been a great day - church, lunch, and then I went to a Bible Study that started today through church. Kind of like a community group, but I’m really excited because it’s 7 weeks long so I get to be here for the entire thing and it’s not like I’m coming in the middle or leaving early. And I got to talk to Mom, and Anna briefly, but for about 40 minutes on the phone and that made my weekend:) I’m pretty blessed with such an amazing family, and especially one that supports me in being here and absolutely everything I do!

Sorry this was super long, but it’s a bit of an update on life right now!