notes from the "american african" :)

I know it has been a while since I blogged about this amazing adventure! A lot has happened since last time so I will try and catch ya’ll up! I officially have 2 weeks left here in Uganda, so on that theme, here is my update in 14 bullet points:

14. I am all healed up from my boda boda accident. All I have to show now from my dangerous time in Africa is a few small scars. I also now wear a helmet, and look even cooler on a bodaJ Here are a few pictures from the accident, and of course a picture of our awesome matching helmets.

Road Rash.

This is the spot on the road where the accident happened. Michael now calls it "Carolina's Place."

13. Dawn has received a few different donations from people at home. We received a donation from some friends of mine in Albuquerque, Ben and Angelica Williams, which bought Dawn its first tank of propane for the stove. This has been such a blessing!

Vaness with her favorite part of the kitchen! Vanessa is also the mother of Victor and Clever, my Ugandan Family!

12. A group of people also sent Christmas gifts to the children. Though not all of them made it here, my greatest thanks and appreciation go to you for going out of your way to bless people you will never meet. The children were so excited to open something that was sent just for them.  Thank you to the Florendos and family, Justine and Andy Williams, George and Tov, Mr. Edelman, and to others who have donated to help these children live better lives.

11. We had a 2 week holiday from work as a precaution for the Presidential and Mayoral Elections. We were stuck in our apt for four days straight- I can say that I got caught up on reading and watching movies! The Presidential elections went much smoother than anticipated, but the Mayoral elections were postponed due to one of the candidates cheating. There has been some unrest in the city because of that, so prayers are still appreciated for peace and safety!

10. I spent yesterday with my Ugandan family. I took Clever and Victor on a walk in our little neighborhood and then we watched movies and ate ice cream. Then we skyped with my Mom, Bryan, and Mariam. We also got to skype with our much missed Heather! They were pretty impressed with how cool skype wasJ

My man Victor on our walk around town.

Hangin' out at Auntie's. Clever wears this the entire time he is at my house.

I have an excuse for my laptop being so dirty...I am in Africa:) Vanessa and I skyping with Heather!

9. Being one of the only “mzungus” in our little neighborhood, I am pretty well known. Walking down the street is always a production of children running after me and people waving and such. But now, since the accident, everyone knows me now as the “cow mzungu.” Awesome. Even people I have not met ask me, “you are the one who got in the accident with the cow.” News travels quickly here. The people are so sweet and are still asking if they can do anything for me.

8. My roommates and I spent a week painting a wall inside the Dawn Centre. It has brightened up the room that the children spend most of the day in, and has become a helpful tool in teaching!

Vera and I trying to use our creative skills.

7. School has started again in Uganda, and I love seeing all of the children dressed in their uniforms walking to school. Children here love school, but it is expensive. If you want a great cause to support, look into sponsoring a child’s education. What a great way to have a huge impact in the life of a child and their family.

6. The church I attend, Calvary Chapel Kampala, has been an amazing part of my experience here in Kampala. It is such a beautiful sight- people from all over the world worshiping God together. One of my favorite memories was the Christmas Eve service. The last song we sang was “Feliz Navidad.” I thought that was a funny song choice, seeing as we are in Africa, but it had this funny way of making me feel at home.

5. One of my favorite boys at Dawn is Joel. He is 5 years old and autistic. He is absolutely precious, but he is very difficult to manage. He does not follow instructions and he has said very few words since I have been here. The only words I can remember him saying are “auntie” and “teacher.” One day I was making sure to take time out to play with Joel and I was chasing him back and forth throughout the daycare tickling him. We played for about thirty minutes when I told him I had to go to the office to do some work. I said, “Joel, I have to go do some work. Thank you for playing with me!” He looked at me and said clear as day, “Thank you Auntie. See you!” One of the best memories!

4. Prayers needed** My roommate, Sophia, was diagnosed with Thrombosis in her arm this week. It has been a very stressful and scary week for us and especially her. She is only 18 and she is waiting to get a flight back to Germany to receive treatment. Please pray for her health, and that she will be able to return to Uganda. Also pray for our other roommate Vera, who is having to say goodbye to us both!

3. I have spent a good amount of time with the staff at Dawn teaching them how to use the internet, more specifically email. I quickly found out how hard it is to teach, especially since using a computer comes as natural to me as breathing. I am leaving them my laptop to use at Dawn for email and research and I am excited to now have a way to keep in touch with all of them! They were all so excited to learn, and were so impressed with how fast I can type. J

2. I am so excited about the Chicken Coop Project. When I was asked at first to head this project I was wildly overwhelmed. How in the world was I going to raise money for something when I was so far away? The fact that with the help of all my dear friends and PHCC, we were able to raise enough money to fund the entire project! (My initial goal was to fund just stage one.) God’s faithfulness is amazing. The coop will be completely built by Monday, and then the first batch of chicks arrive March 7^th. I can’t wait to see it! Thank you to all who helped. You have helped in a way that will continue to bless the children and staff at Dawn.

1. These last two weeks are going to be very full, and I know they will pass by quickly. I am very excited to come home, but I am also sad to leave the people I have come to love so much. More, now than ever, I am overwhelmed with thankfulness for this experience. I am amazed that God chose me to come here. In my work to help people here I have been blessed beyond measure. I have experienced God like I never have before. These 4 months have been very difficult, not just because of homesickness and not having the conveniences of home, but because God has used this time to change me. Change is never easy, and in my experience comes with some painful looks inside. Africa and Uganda especially, will always be on my heart. One thing that God has taught me here is how to love his people. I want to take that lesson and make it one of my life’s missions’. I want to extend my Father’s love, grace, and mercy to everyone that I meet. And hopefully with every face I meet I will also see the faces of my dear friends in Uganda.

who i get to hang out with everday!

                                                        This is Esther, isn't she precious?

If you are interested in helping children like Esther receive the care, therapy, and education they need PLEASE contact me!

why cows should not be allowed on the road

The transportation in Uganda is one word: CRAZY! There are cars, mututus, city buses, bicycle taxis, coach buses, boda-bodas, and pedestrians all trying to cross the road at one time. From my perspective it looks like there are absolutely no rules, and if there are, nobody follows them. Kampala is a big city, and walking is just not an ideal way to get around here.

The vans are Mutatus. This picture doesn't even come close to depicitng the craziness!

 I have two options when I want to go somewhere. Option 1 is a Mutatu. A mutatu is the equivalent of the city transit or bus at home. They are smaller 12 passenger vans that smash in as many as 18-20 people, and sometimes some chickens too. I find this mode of transport pretty miserable because to get a distance that should take 20 minutes it usually takes at least 45 minutes. When someone needs to get off the yell “Maasawo!” and the driver will pull over. These vans have rows for seats, so for someone to get out everyone in front of them must get out as well. A normal mutatu ride includes if not all than most of the following: sitting on a stranger’s lap, smelling a good amount of B.O. close and personal, getting charged at least double the price as the African passengers, the taxi stopping every quarter mile, at every stop vendors stick their merchandise inside the windows and try to sell sodas, watches, food, and just about anything, the person next to you needs to get out so you have to file out of the taxi and then herd back in, at your destination you look at the time and you are late.

Option 2 is to take a boda-boda. This is a motorcycle taxi. To call a boda-boda all you have to do is make eye contact with a driver on the road and raise your eyebrows. I have been amazed that a driver will respond to this gesture from very far away! I was warned over and over (times a hundred) about how dangerous bodas are. Bodas weave in and out of traffic like they are being chased by the police in an action movie. The roads are terrible, and the possibility of hitting a pothole too hard is pretty high. I have heard a statistic that 5 people a day, A DAY, die in boda accidents. Nevertheless, my favorite way to get around Kampala is by boda. A boda ride is fast because you don’t have to wait for traffic, you just go around it. It is also nice to be on the back of a motorcycle in the heat because the wind is a natural air conditioner. Michael, my boda driver, is a friend that I met as soon as I arrived here. He jokes that he is my body guard, but I really do call him my guardian angel. He has driven me all over the city, he is reliable and on time, and he will come to pick me up no matter what time or where I am. Now that is service! 

Michael and I waiting for "Ente" to cross the road.

What inspired me to write about the transportation in Uganda? None other than my very own story to tell! Michael was taking me into town and we were on the road that headed out of our “zone” or our neighborhood. One moment I was waving at the lady who pumps fuel and the next I was flying off of the motorcycle. What I hadn’t seen was the cow that had charged across the road. Michael slowed as much as possible, but he couldn’t avoid it completely and it hit the front tire. The impact caused us both to be thrown off. I landed on my right hip and then slid for a few feet on my right side. Once I realized what had happened, the adrenaline kicked in and I stood up as fast as I could. I did a quick systems check to make sure nothing was broken and that my head was still attached. Within 30 seconds of the accident there was a swarm of people surrounding us. All of these people knew who I was, in one way or another, and they were all so concerned about me. One man had run to his house to get a first aid kit, while another had brought me a bottle of water. I was absolutely filthy, covered in dirt and mud from head to toe and this is point when I realized I was bleeding pretty badly from my shoulder and hip. I called another boda (yes another boda) to take me home so I could clean up. Michael’s boda was very messed up, and his arm was injured and he hit his head. Michael’s boda is his life- the only income he has. My first thought went to him. What is he going to do? How will he get the money to fix the bike if he can’t work? And how can he drive with a hurt arm? Within a few minutes of reaching the apartment Michael was at the door. Even though his head was bleeding, his boda was totaled, and he had no way to earn money, his first concern was me. He expressed over and over how sorry he was. He explained that he tried his best to fall under me so that I wouldn’t get hurt.

A few days later, I am healing up ok and am left with a pretty big fear of getting on a boda again, but I know it’s something I have to do. More so I can’t stop wondering- Why did this happen? Why did God let that happen to me? I pray at the beginning of every ride, “Lord, please keep me safe.” Did He not hear me? Or did He just choose to not listen that time? This kind of dialogue with God can often cause frustration, and I was definitely at that point. I know that God allows terrible things to happen to good people, but why?

If you believe that God allows things to happen, then you must believe that there are some things that God does not allow. I went round and round in head about all of these concepts and soon came to understand- God did allow me to get in a boda accident, that much is true. But what part of the story do I not know (or will I never know)? What part did God not allow? I could have broken a bone, hit my head, or even died. Those are all likely consequences of a boda accident, but I came out with just scrapes and bruises. God protected me, so much more so than I can even appreciate. Plus, now I have a pretty awesome story to tell.

9 days of Rwanda

Recently I got the opportunity to travel out of Uganda to Rwanda. I had an amazing time, and I hope one day I can return.

Traveling in Africa is not a carefree adventure. It is not uncommon for the buses to be raided by rebels, or even ransacked by the police. The roads in Uganda are very dangerous and we were also worried about the possibility of an accident, or even the bus breaking down in the middle of the trip. I know a lot of people prayed for me, and for the safe travel to Rwanda and by God’s grace we reached our destination very tired, but safe.

The best purchase I have made...a blow up pillow. This is on the coach bus, right before we left on a 12 hour overnight journey!

Rwanda is an absolutely beautiful country. The landscape is green and very hilly. It lives up to its nickname, “The Land of a Thousand Hills.” It is very different from Uganda. The roads are clean, and you are fined if you are caught littering. The bodas are required to wear helmets, and they even have helmets for their passengers! Rwandans are not as impressed by white people and I enjoyed not being called “mzungu” or being pointed at.

Beautiful! A quick picture I took on our drive to the conference.

The conference was a great and inspiring time. I met some amazing and faithful people who were serving all over East Africa. I was encouraged by the speaker and even met some new friends who live only a few hours from me. I got a good amount of rest and got to have real coffee for breakfast, so all in all it was quite the treat!

Fellow AIMers. We took a boat trip to an island called "bat island."

How it got its name.

Besides losing my ATM card, we have had fun in Kigali. Our hotel was right by the town square and our view was amazing. Rwanda is a beautiful country, very green and very hilly. We also have a shower with warm water!! I took a 20 minute shower and it was a spiritual experience. The hotel runs about $25 a night, so it's a great deal for the money.

View of Kigali from our room 

One day we went to the genocide memorial in Kigali. It was absolutely incredible. It was so well put together and organized. After learning about the history of Rwanda, I am so much more educated on the issues that caused the genocide in 1994. Again, being in the country and city that it happened in is surreal. The pictures of all the victims line the walls, and the rooms that were dedicated to children were very difficult to be in. The memorial is a burial site for a quarter of a million victims. They had actual items from the genocide like machetes, chains, and guns. They showed videos that displayed victim’s personal stories. It was definitely overwhelming.

The Genocide Memorial, the concrete blocks are the mass graves.

We also went to two churches where over 20000 people were killed in the genocide. These churches at Nyamata and Ntarama, are places that thousands of people fled to because they thought it would be safe for them and their families. The churches are now memorials. Inside, there were clothes everywhere, blood on the walls, and rooms and rooms of skulls and bones. The churches reek of a smell that I can only describe as death and true horror. My heart was burdened and heavy for all of the lives that were lost.  Because the churches are a good 45 minutes from town we had to grab a mutatu back to town. We randomly started talking to this guy, Eric,  in the taxi about nothing in particular. He ended up really helping us get around and we wanted to repay him so we asked if he wanted to join us for coffee.  We sat down and we all started talking and getting to know each other more. He asked us what we were doing that day and we told him we visited the memorials. His mood changes slightly and he told us that he was inside the church at Nyamata. We were shocked to hear this since we had just spent all day there, and we asked him if he would be willing to share his story. He was 8 years old and his family sought refuge in this church. He witnessed the murders of over 10,000 people, people who were his family and his friends. He survived that day by the grace of God. . He was so open with his story, which is an amazing part since it is practically impossible to talk to a stranger about what happened- it is very hush hush here. We talked to him for 3 hours about his life, his testimony about when he became a Christian, and his hopes and dreams for himself and for Rwanda. I'm telling you, if we would have actively looked for someone to share their story it couldn't have been more amazing than his. Eric took a few hours out of his day to talk to us, and in return his testimony will inspire me for years to come.  

Some new friends in Kigali! This is Eric's mother and neice. These people are precious.

My time in Rwanda was absolutely incredible and an experience that will stay with me and continue to challenge me. Having the opportunity to even go to Rwanda is amazing, and I am so thankful that the Holy Spirit’s fingerprints were all over the trip. Pray for Rwanda, that it would see true and deep reconciliation. Pray for all of the survivors as well as all who were apart of the killing. Pray that God would do great things for the Rwandan people, that a new sense of hope and purpose would take hold of them.

an update in pictures

Heather and I with Kizito and Dan, our friends from Amazing Grace Church in Muyanga.

I had to chance to go to the children's Christmas Party at Amazing Grace. My job? Nothing less than "flying" Chapati for 4 hours in the sun! The children would come in and laugh because they had never seen a Mzungu flying chapati quite like me:) We made about 275 chapatis.

The church decked out with Christmas decorations and about 250 children.

This little girl was so precious. She was dressed in her Sunday best, and after a while warmed up to me and sat on my lap for a bit.

Kampala on December 23rd. The epitome of busy. Here you can see a boda and a mutatu taxi.

This guy was on the side of the street and at first I thought he was selling a scale. Nope! He was charging people to weigh themselves. I found it funny, but I am pretty sure the guy on the left caught me taking a picture:)

Michael waiting for the cows to cross the street, and yes I am on the back of his boda. Right of way here in Uganda is first cows and goats, cars, bodas, and then people. It is important to know where you stand in that group when trying to cross the road!

the best day ever

One of the women who works at Dawn is a single mother of two boys, Victor, who is 8, and Clever, who is 5. I have adopted them as my Ugandan family while I am here and over the holiday break I was itching to take to boys to do something fun. Earlier that week I was talking to Vanessa, the mother, and she told me that neither of the boys had ever been to a swimming pool. I showed up to their house, which was a one bedroom concrete structure with no power, and told the boys they were going to spend the day with me. I didn’t tell them we were going swimming, just that I had a surprise for them; which wasn’t the best idea since they did not know the meaning of the word surprise, so I then spent the next 10 minutes trying to explain what that meant.  First we went to the store because I needed to get the swimming stuff, like floaties and pool toys. We go buy them and I was sure that this would give away what my plans were but they had no idea what they were for! Then we get to the pool and their faces were expressing the most joy I have ever seen. They started jumping all around and saying “thank you, Auntie!” Like I said, they have never been swimming in deep water, so they cannot swim. We all changed into “bathing costumes,” they were floatied up and I was sun screened up, and then I gave them a quick rundown of- if you get in the water without your floatie…you will die.  I think it is safe to say that this day ranked among the tops of the best days ever for everyone.

Victor is the one on top, and Clever is the botton right.

After 4.5 hours of swimming- well I will call it swimming, but they were floating and I was carrying them, we were all exhausted. The boys did not want leave, but I convinced them it was time to go. I took them to a restaurant to eat dinner.  We sat and talked about all kinds of things while we waited for our food. Among the topics was school. Clever, the younger, was telling me how much he likes to learn and how one day he will go to University so that he can take care of his mother. The conversation warmed my heart as I remembered all of the struggles these boys face every day, but they still had such motivation to make something of themselves.  I really think that being able to spend the day with them was much more of a blessing to me than it was to them.

During dinner Victor accidentally spilled his soda and he kept saying how sorry he was for wasting my money, and how it's ok that he didn’t have anything to drink. I told him that he does not have to worry about money when he is with me, and he could order another soda. He was shocked and so appreciative. Our next conversation was centered on Christmas and the reason we celebrate. “Why do people give each other gifts on Christmas?” I ask them, fully expecting to be the one that explains this to them. “Because the real gift is Jesus.” Clever says, so confidently that I was caught off guard. The boys told me how they wished they could get their mother a gift, because they told me “she spends everything on us, so that we can eat and have clothes. We wish she could have some new clothes.” These boys are absolutely precious and so special. They were wide eyed and bushy tailed all day, and showered me with hugs and appreciative words. I was so happy to be blessed enough to get to take them to do something they had never done, but also just to have the opportunity to serve them, to serve their mother. 

All in all, this day was wonderful. Even though this swimming adventure was definitely different than any swimming trips I have been on- we were stared at all day, which I am used to for the most part but I am sure being a young white girl with two African boys caused a little more staring than usual, I even had people come up to me and thank me for adopting Ugandan children. At the pool I was the only person who knew how to swim, it was cute seeing all the adults with inflatable wings and tubes. A few people asked if they could just watch me swim across the pool. There was one thing that was the same though; I got a pretty good sunburn as a trophy for the day.

I left with much more than a sunburn though, I left with a renewed sense of purpose, an excitement for the days to come, and an embedded sense of joy that can only come from God. I know that is what God desires for me, and for everyone. That night the ideas of loving others and serving others filled my brain. Those concepts have no doubt been a big challenge throughout this entire time, and I finally felt like I had a deeper understanding of them. There are different people with different cultures, backgrounds, religions, and skin colors, on this Earth. But we all have something in common, we are all people. We are all people that were created by the same God, and all people whose only hope is Jesus. That is why I am not only here in Uganda, but why I am alive, and it’s why you are alive. I pray that God gives me more opportunities to simply serve, give, and love others and that I will do it with the understanding that we are no different from one another, no matter how different we are.

it's Christmas?

The past few weeks have been very interesting, to say the least! I had feared that the weeks leading up to Christmas would be rather boring because most of the children travel to their villages for the holidays, so they would not be at Dawn for the last few weeks of the year. For the first couple of days last week my suspicions were true, and the days were very slow at the Centre because we had about 3-4 kids on those days. I was kind of disappointed about that because I have been itching to be busy for a lot of reasons, but mostly because I was questioning the point of being here when there was no work to be done. I had let myself doubt the purpose, and much more doubt that I was even helping at all. I mean really, what do I have to offer that the next person does not? There is nothing special about me that gives me the qualifications and all to be the person to help Dawn. In all honesty this was a very difficult issue to work out because along with the doubting feelings came an overload of homesickness. I felt unneeded here, and then I would think of all the holiday fun I was missing and felt completely alone. For about a week I found myself unmotivated, sad, confused, and just plain in a sour mood. I had no idea what to do.

Fast forward to today and I feel the complete opposite. Over the past two weeks a lot has happened. The first thing that fostered an attitude change was when Heather and I visited a local church called Amazing Grace Church in Muyanga where we met the Pastor and his family. This was one of the best experiences I have ever had. I have never been encouraged by someone’s faithfulness and trust in the Lord. We sat there for about 2 hours as we listened to Pastor Fred tell us stories about his life. He told us how he went to Bible College in South Africa and led Bible studies in neighborhoods amidst gunfire fights. He told us how there are times when he has no way of feeding his family, much less funding the church, but he has faith that God is his provider. He encouraged us as well as inspired a fire in my own heart. He had numerous stories, every single one was amazing, and I wish I could have recorded them to share. We then shared dinner with his family and afterwards had a dance party with his children in their living room. I had been praying for something else, other than Dawn, to get involved in and God has answered that prayer very quickly! They invited me to help with their children’s ministry on Sunday’s and I am so excited! I anticipate the experiences I will have at Amazing Grace to be awesome. I am so thankful that God heard my prayers, and that before I even asked Him He had already began working.

The entire time I have been here the director of Dawn has been out of town. This has added greatly to some frustrations because I was never actually told what she wanted me to work on. For the past 7 weeks it has been a guessing game of some sorts. I have been craving some direction about what is really needed from me, and what they want me to work on. Florence finally returned to Kampala last week and I was able to meet with her and sort out my long list of questions. I left the meeting completely renewed, with a long list of tasks and projects (if you know me well, you know that makes me happy), and ready to go. Looking back, and knowing that God already knew that my frustrations would almost get the best of me, I think it was good Florence was gone for my first month here. It really allowed me to integrate myself as a member of the Center. I was able to build relationships with the staff and especially the children. I worked alongside everyone, playing with the children, bathing them, changing diapers, and feeding them. I was able to see how the Centre runs from day to day and I think that will really help me to understand the best ways to complete the projects I have now.

Being in 80+ degree weather in the middle of December definitely makes it feel like summer instead of only two week until Christmas! I have been a little bummed because so much of my holiday spirit comes from seeing lights, drinking warm Pumpkin Spiced Lattes, and the cold weather. I get none of that here, but this Saturday we got to go to the Children’s Cantata at Watoto Church. It was GREAT! It was a play filled with music and dancing and every person in it was a child from the church. I was SO impressed, and so happy to get a little dose of the holiday spiritJ

This weekend was also the Dawn staff Christmas party. The party has been planned since I got here to be at Sesse Beach in Entebbe. On Sunday we woke up to the coldest and rainiest weather that I have seen so far in Kampala. It was definitely not beach weather. Convinced the sun would start shining at some point, we dressed in our sundresses and head out to the beach. We had an hour van ride and then reached our destination. From what I gathered it was supposed to be a restraint, but it was pretty much just an abandoned, unfinished, and unfurnished house. I was a little shocked that this was where was chosen for our party. We were led upstairs to a patio that just had plastic chairs on it. I knew we were going to be eating fish, but I was informed that it would take 3 hours to prepare because they had to go catch the fish first. So what do you do in room with no furnishing, with a group of people who have a very difficult time communicating? You play games! Our German roommates brought different games, and just like at a child’s birthday party we played “balance and egg on a spoon” and “three legged race.” Sounds lame, right? Except it was a blast! And of course because we are in Uganda, the games were followed by a Dance party. If you went to this staff party at home you would be in shock, I think.  After that we all sat in a circle and had to introduce the person to our left. It was so great hearing people tell the group what their favorite thing about the person they were introduce…until the girl introducing me said that her favorite thing about me was that I am “very audible.”  Basically that’s the nicest way to say I am loud. HahaJ We had a Secret Santa exchange and it was so fun to be a part of such a happy and fun time with the staff.

Among the busyness, my roommate and fellow AIMer, Heather’s last week has snuck up on us. The friendship we have built is incredible, and I am going to miss her so much. I know that I have made a lifelong friend and I am so happy she was able to come, even for a short time. Even though I now get my own room and double the closet space, it is going to be a great challenge to be here “alone.”  It was such a blessing to have a partner, someone to talk to, and someone to do things with. I know that God offers the ultimate companionship and protection, and I am confident that all my needs will be met. Even so, the transition will be difficult so keep me in your prayers!

More to come. I have two weeks off as Dawn is closed for the holidays. I am looking forward to catching up on emails and my blog! Blessings to you all during this time as you remember Him!