Leaving for Luwero Today! (June 30th Post)

This morning we woke up and had devotions and then went to Wankulukuku primary school. It was by far my favorite school that we have visited. The children were absolutely adorable and when we pulled up to their school the kids were sitting outside and jumping up and down and screaming and chanting “Monzugu”. I felt like we were rock stars or something.

After we got out of the vans the kids were literally all over us. All of them wanted to be held and hugged and to hold hands. There were about 10 people in our group and all of them had about 10 kids crawling all over them. It was nuts.

We played games with them and sang some songs and then Gabby started to read them a story and tell them about how much God loves them. Then it started to rain. Not the usual daily Uganda sprinkle, but a literal downpour. We all ran inside their little school building. None of the kids wanted to leave the main 8 x 8 (that’s being generous) classroom because they wanted to stand by us, so there were about 100 kids, 5 teachers, and 10 of us standing in the little room. It was crazy. We passed out stickers, prayed, said our goodbyes, and sprinted from the classroom to the van in the rain.

After we got home we ate some lunch and had a meeting about our village trip to Luwero. It was pretty short. We are going to be staying at a school, building a goat shed and giving goats to 4 different families, and doing some evangelism once we finish our sheds. We are leaving tomorrow at 3 and coming back on Saturday afternoon. We’ll be back in time Saturday to have a proper 4th of July celebration! I’ve been campaigning for roasted marshmellows and sausage (they don’t have hamburgers or hot dogs here) all week. The US Embassy is also having a fireworks show, so some of us may go over there.

After our meeting we went to the store to get supplies for Luwero. I was able to get a 3 gallon container of water for $1.75 and 6 CDs for $2. Shopping in Uganda never gets old.

After our trip we headed to Clive College (high school). Clive College is literally next door to us. Our fence shares a fence with them. We went over there and sang some songs and did a skit and then we spilt up into groups of girls and boys and let them ask us questions. Most of the girls were too embarrassed to ask the questions out loud, so they had to write them down and pass them up. Most of the questions were really intense. Questions about boyfriends pressuring them to have sex, what to do if your boyfriend has HIV, how to feel more like a girl, what to do if a friend is peer pressuring you. It was a good reminder that these girls are just like the girls in US high schools, and that being in Africa doesn’t make them any different. Two of the questions were extremely serious. One of the girls had a lover who was paying her school fees and then she found out that her lover had a wife and three kids so she ended things. Her lover is now threatening to kill her if she doesn’t pay the school fees back. Another girl is being sexually harassed by her teacher.

We answered the questions as best we could and then we talked to them for a bit afterwards. The girl being sexually harassed by her teacher came and talked to me more about it. I told her that she really needed to tell her headmistress and offered to go with her, but she was still too nervous to go. I’ve been praying for her, and I hope you will too. We are going to try to go back more often now that we have established a relationship with the school so hopefully I can go back and check on her.

After our school visit we came home, ate some delicious breakfast tacos, played some card games with Brett and the Emilys, and watched The Last King Of Scotland. It was extremely depressing in case you’re wondering, but I still really enjoyed it.

Tomorrow we leave for Luwero so you won’t hear from me until Saturday or Sunday. Please pray for safe travel for our group, for successful building, and for hearts to be opened when we evangelize. Also pray for energy and strength for our group as we go throughout the week. If I don’t talk to you before then, have a great 4th of July!

Enjoy a Few Tropical Burgers For Me,
Jenna

Monday, June 29th (internet was out)

This morning we woke up really early and said good bye to some of my fellow Texans. Brian, Rawles, Laura, and Jared all left this morning at 5:30. They were some of my favorite people here and it was really sad see them go. The house is going to be a lot more quiet without them.

Afterwards, I spent some time on the internet. It is so much faster in the morning! I’m going to have to start getting up early to work on my paper for school. Waking up at 5:30 in the morning to do school work. What an awesome way to start the day.

After everyone else was ready to start their day, we left to go to Sanyu babies home. Amanda was already there and had gotten Francis dressed up for his trip to the hospital. We fed him and then Barbara (the director) drove us over to Katawalma to get him fitted for his chair. We didn’t have to wait long because instead of waiting in the waiting area, I walked back to the orthopedic area and started talking to Fred, the man I met with last week. Normally, people wait 2 to 3 hours.

Fred and I talked about the chair design with Amanda translating and then he talked about when it would be done. Fred tried to tell me last week that it wouldn’t be done until the end of July. Amanda and Rachel (Francis case worker who also came with us) weren’t having it. I don’t know what they said to Fred because they were talking in Luganda, but the chair should be done by next Wednesday.

We waited for the driver from the Sanyu Babies home to come get us for a long time. Close to an hour actually. Francis was crying and hungry and upset from all the noise and I had to hold him the whole hour. It was awesome. And by awesome I mean I kind of wanted to shoot myself.

When we got back to Sanyu, Amanda needed to pick some stuff up from her house, so we took a short walk to her apartment. Amanda is an absolutely amazing person and I loved getting to spend some time with her. Amanda lost both of her parents when she was younger, and since then has been living off money given to her and her sister by guardians, family members, and friends. Her apartment is an 8 x 8 room. It has a mattress on the floor, her closet, her kitchen, and her dressing area all in one area. Amanda told me that some nights she goes to bed without food because she has to use it to pay rent instead.

Amanda also told me that she is incredibly blessed and that she thanks the Lord everyday for all that He has given her. It was amazing. If I were in her situation I would have such a bad attitude, but she still has such a joy for the Lord. It blew me away.

After stopping by her house, Amanda and I went to a nearby restaurant and had cassava and French fries. It was so good. We had two plates full of French fries, two plates of cassava, and two cokes for 6700 shillings. That’s 3.25 American dollars if you can’t do the math. I love how cheap everything is in Uganda.

After lunch we went to a craft market. Amanda got me 60 small paintings to give to all the people who donated money. If I had paid full price, I would have paid 60,000 shillings, Amanda got it bargained down to 30,000 shillings for me. I am taking her shopping with me from now on.

After the craft market we came home and I tried on a traditional African outfit. Sarah, the administrator of Empower A Child, is having a traditional introduction ceremony (kind of like an engagement party) while I am here so I have to buy a traditional outfit.

After that Tommy and I did a pile of dishes and then we went and played some soccer at Kampago College. After dinner, Tommy and I did even more dishes. Then, four new people came, Amy, Katie, Andrew, and Brett, so we spent the rest of the evening meeting and greeting them.

Overall, it was a great day. Tomorrow is schools and preparing for our next village trip.

Enjoying The Day,
Jenna

The Best Birthday Weekend Of My Life Thus Far

June 26th

This morning I woke up really early so that I could talk to my family for my birthday. It wasn’t a long talk, but it was still really nice to get to talk to mom, dad, and Ally. After I finished talking with them, I couldn’t go back to sleep so when it was finally time to start driving I ended up sleeping most of the way. Our safari group was small compared to others, most groups have 5 to 7 people, my group had me, Emily (a girl from Ohio), Jessie (a girl from Oregon), Gabby (a girl from Texas and a proud member of the UT marching band), and Jayan (the Ugandan girl who runs the sarfari part of Empower A Child and who took care of all the details the whole trip). We stopped on the side of the road again to get more of the roasted goat I love so much and Jayan also bought us some roast bananas-also extremely good. For lunch we stopped at a tourist hotel in Masindi. I had somosas (the Ugandan version of the hot pocket) and fried tilapia both of which we were really good. It took us about 3 hours to get to Masindi and it took us another hour to get to the park.

Murchison Park is huge-our guide told us on Saturday that it is approximately 4,000 square kilometers. After we got to the entrance to the park, it still took us almost an hour to get to the falls we were going to hike. After arriving and quickly applying some sunscreen, we headed out to hike to the top of Murchison falls. Our guide’s name was Simon and first he took us to the bottom of the falls and then an easy 30 minute hike to the top. We got to see 2 different falls and part of the Nile. It was absolutely breathtaking! We took a lot of pictures, but I really don’t think the pictures did it any justice at all.

When you look at something like that, it really shows you the glory and awesomeness of God. When I was looking at that waterfall all I could think to myself was, “How could someone look at this and doubt the existence of God?” It really was a view that left me awestruck by my Creator.

After the hike, we drove almost another hour to get to our campsite, The Red Chili Camp. We stayed in these cute little two bedroom cabins. Emily and I stayed together in Civet cabin. There were also community baths, but the showers in them actually had water (cold) that fell on you and toilets that flushed all the time! It was great!

For dinner I got some really good spaghetti and some banana custard for my birthday. The food at the campsite was so good!

Overall, today was an absolutely fantastic birthday. I honestly feel bad for my future husband-its going to be really hard to top this birthday. I really am so blessed with everything that God has given me. Thank you guys so much for supporting me and this trip so that I could have this opportunity. You guys are awesome!

June 27th

The Red Chili Camp turns off their generator from 11 at night to 8 in the morning. This means that: 1. I had to walk in the dark by myself to go to the bathroom last night (scary!) and that 2. Emily and I had to get ready by candlelight this morning. It was very Little House On The Prairie.

We headed to the ferry about 5 minutes from our campsite at around 7. The ferry takes you across the Nile to the game drive. We had to wait a little while for our turn, but while we were waiting, we got to see a beautiful sunrise. I love the sunrises here, they are always to beautiful! Or, it might just be that I actually take the time to notice their beauty here.

On the other side of the Nile, we picked up Frank, our guide and a park ranger. We also had the manager of Red Chili, Emma (Immanuel), driving with us. A little ways into the drive, Frank and Jayan let us pop up the top of the van and get on top. Emily and I sat in the front and the rest of the girls sat in the back. While the seat wasn’t the most comfortable, the view was incredible. The park literally goes on farther than your eyes can see. It’s just miles and miles of trees and grass and hills and the Nile. God’s Creation never ceased to amaze me this weekend.

The very first thing we saw on our safari was giraffes. I am pretty sure it was God’s birthday present to me. Giraffes are my favorite animal and in the US, it was still my birthday, so I’m pretty sure that’s what it was. The giraffes were literally less than 100 yards away from the van. It was incredible and I got some great pictures!

While we were in the park, we went on a hunt for lions. They are the hardest animal in the park to find. Frank took us to all the places that lions might be, but unfortunately they weren’t out because it rained a little the night before.

While on our hunt we got to see all the animals you typically see on a safari in this park: Monitor lizard, baboons, warthogs, Jackson heartbeast, Waterbuck, Ugandan Kob, Oribi, Water Buffalo, and Egrets. We also saw a bunch of birds, but the only 2 whose name I can remember is the Kingfisher and the Snake bird.

The animals were literally right next to our car. It was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done.

A little while into our hunt we found another herd of giraffes, and these ones were even closer to our van. Less than 50 yards. I almost peed my pants with excitement. I can’t wait to show you guys the pictures.

Towards the end of our safari, Emily and I begged Frank to let us have some bones. Technically, taking bones from the park is illegal because it is a national park, but Frank loved us, so he said it was alright as long as we didn’t tell any of the other park rangers. Frank found us a lion kill pile and let us pick some bones out-Emily tried to take a giant leg bone and I tried to take the skull, but Frank made us go for something smaller, so I took a jaw bone, a spine bone, and what appears to be an arm bone. My mom (the biology nerd) is going to love them.

It was good that Frank didn’t let us take the big bones anyways, later on we gave a Ugandan military officer with a giant gun a ride back to the ferry. We were able to hide our small bones in our bags, but I don’t think I would have been able to hide the skull from him. We would have gotten into huge trouble!

While we were stopping to get bones, I really needed to pee, so I squatted behind a tree. I tell you this so that I can tell you the following: I am probably one of the only people (if not the only person) who has ever peed behind a tree next to a lion kill and then taken a few bones illegally from said lion kill. You should feel honored that you know me.

We had to head back to the ferry around lunch time so that we could make our boat trip. Unfortunately, we were unsuccessful in finding lions or elephants today, but while we were waiting for the ferry, a baboon came and took our driver, Patrick’s, donuts from the van. It was hilarious. We gave him some bananas too.
Lunch at the camp was tropical burgers-hamburger with bacon, cheese, and pineapple. I know it doesn’t sound good, but it was incredible. Do me a favor and try some pineapple on your burger this 4th of July. You won’t regret it.

After lunch, we headed out the boat part of the safari. The boat ride was 3 hours to the bottom of Murchison falls. It was really nice and relaxing. Our guide, Captain Nelson, also loved me and Emily. He would point out animals to only us and whenever he saw that we were trying to take pictures, he would slow down or sometimes even stop the boat.

Along the way we got to see a few elephants from a far off distance, a ton of hippos, a few crocodiles, the Nyamisiki cliffs, and a ton of birds. We got to go really close to the bottom of the falls-only 700 meters away. We got to stop and get out on this small island and take some pictures. It was a really beautiful view.

Dinner was pork sausage and cinnamon and sugar pancakes for desert. The food continued to not disappoint.

I also accidently ripped off the scab on my elbow. It bled everywhere. I tried to find hydrogen peroxide and some band aids. It was like trying to pull teeth. Africans don’t believe in hydrogen peroxide and I don’t know what their problem with band aids is, but it literally took me an hour to get it all cleaned up.

I also took a shower in a different bathroom than the one I used last night. Tonight’s shower had bugs and birds flying everywhere. Also, last night’s shower was separated into boys and girls showers. I didn’t know that this one wasn’t until I walked out of the shower in my towel and found 2 boys staring back at me. It was embarrassing.

Lastly, when I got back to the cabin, there were probably 50 or so dead bugs on my bed. It was disgusting. Emily and I couldn’t figure out what killed them, but I’m sleeping on whatever it was that did them in. How comforting!

Besides these minor mishaps, today was seriously one of the coolest days of my life. I am so outrageously, incredibly, awesomely blessed. Words can’t even describe it.

Some fun animal facts I learned today:

• Egrets, although they look like baby deer, are actually fully grown.
• Jackson heartbeast have a 10 minute memory-they can literally have a lion eat a member of their herd and go back to the same location 10 minutes later because they don’t remember what happened there.
• Sausage trees are trees that have these fruits that look like sausages (creative naming I know) hanging from them. Elephants and rhinos like to eat these fruits and get drunk.
• All the palm trees we saw were not native to the area. The elephants pooped the seeds for the palm trees when they were migrating from Sudan.
• Giraffes live to be approximately 35 years old. At 20 their spots start to turn darker and they start to separate from the herd until they are living completely alone.
• In crocodiles the males are a darker green
• Elephants can take in 200 liters of water

June 28th

This morning we got up early and got ready by candle light again. We had some breakfast and rode the ferry across. We convinced (although I’m pretty sure he wanted to) Henry to be our guide again. Only about 15 minutes into the drive we saw a group of 5 lions-2 boys and 3 girls. They were just lounging around. It was awesome.

A little while later we saw a female lion by itself. Henry taught us how to tell if lions are around. If Kobs start to walk in a straight line, then you know lions are around. After that, Emily and I were able to find another female lion by itself a little later. Although we couldn’t get super close, Henry did let Patrick drive off the trail (also against the rules) so that we could get a closer look. We got as close as we could without it being dangerous. It was awesome.

After our lion encounter it started to rain, but we were still able to find some elephants getting water from the river. One of the elephants went and hid as soon as we pulled up, but we got right next to the other. He was a huge (Henry said he was the alpha) male. We literally were about 30 yards away. It made him a little unhappy that we got so close because he ended up charging after our car. We had to get out of there fast-but it was still awesome!

We also saw 2 more herds of giraffes. We were less than 30 yards away from both. One of them had 18 giraffes-and a few of those were babies. They were so cute!

Henry also saw a leopard. He tried to show it to us but it jumped out of the tree before he could. It is very rare to see a leopard on safari. Jayan takes people on safari 2 or 3 times a month and she has only seen 2.

On the way back to the ferry, Henry let me take a picture with his gigantic gun-my dad is going to be so proud!

After the drive I had another tropical burger for lunch and then we made the 5 hour drive back home. I finished Ragamuffin Gospel on the way home. You should really read it. It is one of the best books I have read in a while.

When we got back home, the foam at the bottom of the waterfalls had left me and Emily craving coke floats, so we went to the store and got some ice cream and coke and had coke floats while we watched the USA take on Brazil. Ivan found a TV and hooked it up to the cable for me for a late birthday present. Even though the US lost in the last 6 minutes, it was still fun to watch the game with everyone.

This was definitely one of the best birthday weekends ever!

Birthday Post

This morning I woke up early and got ready to leave for Sanyu with Amanda. Unfortunately, Amanda got caught in traffic and ended up showing up at the same time as we would have normally left. I hate getting up early for no reason.

When we got to Sanyu, the driver was out running errands, so we weren’t able to take Francis to the hospital today. I did get a chance to meet with Barbara, the director of Sanyu, and we talked about all the kids who are receiving therapy and changes that can be made. We also made appointments with everyone so that we can take Francis to the hospital for his chair on Monday morning. I didn’t really think that Barbara liked me because she wasn’t very friendly towards me, but Amanda said I really made an impression on her. She told all the nurses that they needed to help me, do whatever I asked of them, and to tell me thanks for all the work that I’m doing for the home.

I also did therapy with a few of the kids. The therapist is starting to listen to me, and for the most part, he lets me do whatever I want. Things are really starting to turn around there, and I am really excited about all the things I’ll be able to do there in the coming month.

After Sanyu we came home and had lunch and a quick nap and then we headed to Remand home. We did our usual program and played some games and then we hung out with the boys. I spent more time with Moses and another boy named Bruce. I had brought two Bibles with me to give away, so I gave one to each. They were both so excited. I showed them how to use the
Table of Contents and the One Year Reading plan in the back. It was great.

Even better, when we were there two weeks ago, Moses asked me to pray for his court case that happened last week. I have been praying about it the last two weeks and when I got there today he told me that he gets to go home next Saturday! He was so happy and excited to tell me about it, and it was really cool to show him the power of prayer.

After Remand Home we came back to the house. A bunch of people went to the School of the Deaf but tonight was my night to help with dinner so I had to stay behind. John and I made spaghetti, bananas and pineapples, and birthday cake for me and Leah’s birthday (today was Leah’s birthday and tomorrow is mine)

After dinner we sang Happy Birthday and had the cake and some ice cream. It was a nice little celebration.

Tonight Emily and I packed for safari and watched Mean Girls. Tomorrow we leave bright and early for safari, so you won’t hear from me until Sunday.

I get to call my family tomorrow (tonight for you guys) for my birthday. I can’t believe I’m going to be 22 in a few hours.

Today’s word: birthday which in Luganda means birthday…weird, I know.

22 in a few hours!
Jenna

Just Another Day In Africa

Today we woke up and had a really awesome devotion time. Rachel played the song “God Of This City” for us and we talked about how God is the God of Kampala. Then, we went on a prayer walk around our neighborhood. I went with Emily and Rita. It was really nice to just walk around the Ntinda area. Most of the time, our ministries are further away from our house, and it was nice to focus on our neighbors for a bit.

After devotions, we headed to Katawalma children’s hospital and there were finally therapists there! Well actually, only one therapists, the rest were in meetings. The therapist I worked with was named Karen, she is from Switzerland and she is actually a physical therapist. She also told me that back home, she hasn’t worked on a child in close to 5 years. Working with her ended up being really good, she was able to show me some stuff, and because she didn’t have a ton of experience with kids, she was willing to listen to my suggestions. She even asked me to do some therapy by myself during one of the sessions.

The first little boy, Mohammed, we worked with had a mild case of cerebral palsy. He is 2 years old and is still having trouble sitting up and using his left hand. The therapist worked on his left hand some, and then she let me do some NDT treatments on a ball with him. He was a really happy kid, and his mom was really involved and helpful, so it was really nice to work with them.

The second boy, Sansom, made me cry for the second time in Africa. Sansom is probably close to 20 years old but they lie and say he is 18 so that he can come to therapy. He has a severe case of cerebral palsy, and his parents just started bringing him to therapy for it last month.

Sansom looked like he was maybe 12. He had joint contractures that make it impossible for him to bend his knees. His legs are permanently crossed. His feet look like clubs. His hands are clasped tightly together and his wrist and flopped over. He also drools all over himself. The therapist also told me that before the doctor gave him pain pills last week, all he did was cry any time anyone touched him or tried to move him.

He can’t sit up by himself and he lies on his side all day in the same position until someone comes along and changes his position. Additionally, because he lies on his side all day, his family has trouble feeding him. His legs and arms are literally skin on bones. I wasn’t allowed to take pictures of him, but I wish you could have seen him. It was absolutely heartbreaking.

Karen and I did what we could for him therapy wise, and we worked on placing on order for a wheelchair and some hand splints from the workshop for him.

After Sansom, I went and met with a few of the carpenters about some things I wanted to order for Sanyu. They don’t have any therapy wedges or rolls, so I ordered some for the clinic. I was able to take a wedge home with me, but I have to wait a few weeks on the roll. I also tried to talk to them about making a chair for Francis. I had drawn up measurements for a chair for him, but they refused to make it without seeing him first. We called the director of Sanyu and made arrangements to bring him back tomorrow. We have to live at 6:30 in the morning.

After we got back, we had a really fast lunch and then we went to Clive College (high school) to lead a Scripture Union. We sang songs, Kevin spoke and then we split up into groups and let the kids ask us questions.

The kids in my group were so funny. They asked a bunch of questions about farming, and my job, but my favorite question was, “I’ve heard that people with white skin like you bath 3 times a day and that’s why you’re so white. Is that true?” It was hilarious.

After Scripture Union we hung out at the house some. I went and got some silly string, balloons, and shaving foam for therapy with the kids at Sanyu. Afterwards, we went back to Kampago College (high school) and played soccer and basketball with some of the kids.

While we were playing soccer, I cut a ball around a boy and I think I embarrassed him, because afterward he shoved me onto the ground. His friends yelled at him in Luganda, so he apologized but it still cut up my knees and elbows pretty badly. It’s the first time that someone has been mean to me in Uganda.

Tonight Colin and Leah made tacos with chapatti. Then, Brian and Rawles introduced me to their special sandwich that they make when they are at home. It’s peanut butter, sugar, cinnamon, maple sugar, and bananas on a chapatti (or tortillas at home). It was literally Heaven in my mouth.

Admittedly, all the sugar made me sick.

I am ultra excited about tomorrow. We are getting Francis his chair, I get to go hang out with Moses at Remand home, we are visiting a School for the Deaf and then tomorrow night we are getting ready for safari. It’s going to be a great day!

Today’s word: oluwumula (o-lou-woo-moo-la) which means vacation

Excited for Tomorrow,
Jenna

Cleaning Toilets and Washing Clothes By Hand

Today we woke and had a really long devotion time. Tara had everyone share their favorite thing about Gulu, their least favorite thing about Gulu, and one thing God taught them. 40 people sharing all that information took close to an hour and 45 minutes.

I shared that my favorite thing was helping Fiona walk, my least favorite thing was God showing me what a spoiled brat I am, and that God showed me that I need to be more bold in sharing my faith with others back home. It was really interesting to hear about everything that God taught people during the week.

After devotions, we had a planning meeting and then we waited for lunch. And waited, and waited, and waited. We didn’t eat until almost 2.

I took advantage of the long break and did some laundry. Someone got gum on my sheets while I was gone, and it had also gotten on my skirt, so I had to use Petrol to get it out. Jayan helped me and she also taught me how to wash clothes by hand. She was stunned that I had never learned how to do that before and that every in American uses washing machines and dryers.

After lunch we tried to go to a school and hang out with kids, but there had been a miscommunication and some scheduling conflicts so we weren’t allowed in. Instead, we went over to Kampago College (high school). The girl’s basketball team doesn’t have a coach, so some of us went over there to help coach the team. Tommy, John, and I played a game of street soccer with a group of boys and then talked with them afterwards. Kids here always have so many questions about America! We also played a board game with them called Rubo. I’ve never played it, but Tommy says it’s popular in England.

After we got back we ate some dinner, colored in coloring books and watched Remember the Titans (my favorite movie)! It was such a great night.

On a side note, Mom, you’ll be proud to know that I unclogged and cleaned a toilet today by myself. The water was out all day today so the toilet has been used and not flushed all day. Tonight it was disgusting, so I got the clog out, poured water in the basin so it would flush, and cleaned it.

Your little girl is growing up, try to hold back the tears.

Cleaning toilets and whatever else it takes to further the Kingdom,
Jenna

June 22nd (Internet was Out)

This morning I woke up early and went had Rita take me to Sanyu. I was still really tired from Gulu, but I had promised the German therapist that I would come back and work with her, so I felt like I needed to keep my promise. We had to take a taxi and another boda boda, and we stopped and got some breakfast bread and a weird type of black berry juice for breakfast. It was my first time to eat breakfast outside of the house.

I am so glad I got up to go to Sanyu. It was such a great morning! Since we weren’t on any time constraints, we were able to work with every child that needed therapy. The therapist gave me a bunch of different activities to do with each child since this was her last visit. It was really informative and a ton of fun. The therapist had brought shaving cream and bubbles and the kids had a blast with it. We even let Moses, Godwin, and Oscar go outside and play with it. They were a huge mess by the time they were finished but they laughed and squealed the entire time. They are definitely not autistic.

After playing, we helped feed, change, and put the kids down for a nap and then Rita and I headed back to the house. We both fell asleep in the taxi and luckily woke up right before our stop. I ended up accidently falling asleep on a man’s shoulder! He didn’t really seem to mind.

After we got back to the house we ate a late lunch and I took a quick nap and journaled on Gulu. Then, we were supposed to go play soccer at a local school for the deaf, but they cancelled at the last minute. In place of this, we decided to go see another movie at Garden City. We ended up seeing State of Play. It was a good movie and I really enjoyed it. Perhaps the best part was the popcorn Emily and I shared during the movie and the ice cream I had after. The whole trip gave me a little taste of home.

When we got back to the house we played some card games. Rawles and I dominated at Skip Bo again. I tried to watch some movies, but I ended up being too tired. I definitely needed to catch up on my sleep from the Gulu trip.

I can’t believe that my birthday and safari are both in 4 days!

Gulu Trip

June 17th

Today we woke up pretty early and got ready to go to Gulu. It took a while for us to get ready and load everything in the car. We also had to get our car serviced at two different places before we could go. We were supposed to leave at 9:00 am. We ended up leaving at around 11:30. This is Africa.

On the way up there, we ended up getting pulled over by the police twice, once for speeding and once for not having our license plate attached (it had fallen off and was in the window). We had to stop along the way and get the license re attached. We were able to pay off the police officer to get out of the speeding ticket, but not before he made us listen to a 20 minute story about why police officers will go to Heaven before everyone else. We also stopped and got some really good grilled goat along the way. With stops and all, it ended up taking us about 7 hours. We arrived in Gulu around 6:30.

Along the way we were able to cross over some really pretty water falls that are part of the Nile. We were all admiring the falls and the bridge until Colin told us things that had happened on the bridge during the war. The LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army) used to block both sides of the bridge when people were on it. People then had to choose between getting shot or jumping off the bridge into the waterfalls. At a different bridge we were also able to see baboons hanging out near by. It was fun and a good distraction from the trip.

The house we are staying in has a main house and a hut in the backyard. It also has no electricity, running water, or regular bathrooms. The family that normally lives in the house is staying in the hut this week so that the girls in our group can stay in the house. I am always stunned by the generosity of the people in Africa.

The no regular bathrooms means that we are peeing in cement hole over a deep pit in the ground (the African version of the port o potty) all week. It should be interesting.

No electricity means that we went to bed at about 8 when it got dark. Emily, Brittany, Louise and I decided to sleep in a tent outside. It was too hot in the room we were supposed to sleep in, and we wanted to stay away from cockroaches. Sleeping in a tent for 5 days should be interesting to say the least!

June 18th

One thing that is good about sleeping in Gulu is that the stars are absolutely beautiful! Since Uganda is near the equator, we can see stars from both the northern and southern hemispheres. Also, the absence of lights anywhere means that the stars are so bright and beautiful. It was wonderful.

Pretty much everything else about sleeping in Gulu is not wonderful. It is freezing here at night. We slept on a slant, so my hands kept falling asleep. There are four of us in a three person tent, so you don’t have room to move around. We could also hear wild dogs, and at one point, a pig walking around outside our tent. I also refused to get up and go to the bathroom in the dark. All in all, I think I slept about 15 minutes. It was awesome.

As it turns out, sleeping inside would not have been much better. There are bugs everywhere and a few rats. One of the girls, Laura, got bit by a rat on the finger last night. She had to go to the clinic this morning to get checked out for rabies.

We got up at around 6:30 when the sun came up. We split into 4 groups for the week. My group went to work on the house today. The first thing on our list of things to do was to move clay bricks from the chairperson’s (like a mayor) house to the building site about a mile away. The truck that was supposed to move them never came, so we carried the bricks by hand. Close to 1,000 bricks, 2 to 8 bricks at a time depending on how strong the person was. Needless to say, it was a long morning.

After moving bricks, we started to dig the foundation. The house is going to be about 10 foot by 10 foot. The foundation needed to be about 4 feet deep. So, we worked on digging at 10 foot by 10 foot square. It wasn’t two bad until about foot 3 when we hit some kind of substance that was in between rock and clay.

After finishing the hole, we started laying bricks. We were only able to finish the bricks that made up the foundation; the walls should go up tomorrow. At first, the boys would only let me level and hand them bricks, but by the end of the day, I was spreading cement and placing bricks too. I’m pretty sure I could make a brick wall by myself now!

I can honestly say that I have never worked harder and been as dirty, tired, and sore as I was at the end of today. It did, however, feel really good to look at our hole and say, “I worked my butt off to get that done”.

When we got back, we played with some kids from around the neighborhood. People around here speak a tribal language called Acholi instead of Luganda and only two of the Ugandans in our group speak Acholi. It makes communicating with words almost impossible.

Despite all of this, I made friends with a little girl named Sarah. She appears to be about 8. I don’t know for sure because the only thing we can say in each other’s languages in “How are you?”, “Fine”, and “What is your name?”. Sarah also knows how to ask for sweets. Despite all of this, we spent a large majority of the evening together, laughing and playing. I love that language can’t get in the way of smile and laughter and fun. I know that sounds cheesy, but I don’t care.

Around sunset, Felix (the therapist) and I find a little girl living in the neighborhood who has hypotonic cerebral palsy. Hypotonic cerebral palsy is a type of cerebral palsy that causes the muscles to be really limp and floppy. Because of this, the little girl, Fiona, has been scooting around on her bottom. She also can not talk and drools often.

I showed her mom some oral motor exercises she can do for the drooling. Felix and I also designed a walker, took measurements, and found a local carpenter to construct it for us. He only wanted to charge us 2,000 shillings ($1) to make it. I wanted to make sure he had it done by Saturday, so I paid him 20,000 shillings ($10).

After dinner, we made a camp fire and had a huge dance party. Joseph drummed a bunch of different songs and tribal dances on the drum and we danced. The Ugandans danced the tribal dances and the Americans danced like retards, but it was still a good time.

I stayed up kind of late singing worship songs with Diana, Colin, Tommy, and Kevin. I wanted to make sure I was super tired so I would actually sleep through the night!

June 19th

Last night, it rained on and off throughout the night. Our tent was waterproof though, so it wasn’t so bad, only things right by the windows (like my feet) got wet.

My group went to a primary school this morning and gave a presentation. The headmaster didn’t know we were coming, so we had to wait a long time to finally go on. The headmaster also gave us a lecture about visiting Africa and not staying to change it. I am pretty sure he wanted all of us to sign 5 year teaching contracts right there. After the confusion with scheduling, we only had about 20 minutes left during announcement time, so we sang a song, did a skit, and then Ty spoke for about 3 minutes. All things considered, it went pretty well.

After the performance, we walked about 20 minutes to the site where we were building the house. There is a well nearby that is kind of dirty, so we slashed the grass with machetes and slashers and cleaned mud out of the water. The work gave me tons of blisters. While we were slashing, Brian accidently hit Erin in the face with a slasher. She had to go to the clinic to get stitches. I wonder if the people at the clinic are tired of seeing dumb Americans yet?

After we had cleaned up the well, we hung out around the site. A few of the boys worked on the walls of the house, but only 5 people could work at a time. Some of the boys also worked on digging a bathroom pit near the house. The rest of us sat around, talked, and ate mangos. We also played with some of the village children. It was a good time. One of the little boys, Jared, ended up taking a nap in my lap. It was so cute. I probably could have sat there all day.

Later in the afternoon, we went to Invisible Children. Invisible Children is a non profit organization that is working on rebuilding Uganda after the war. You may have seen an Invisible Children movie at a nearby college campus. The organization raises awareness and funds by showing a documentary the founders made on the effects the war in Uganda has had on its children. I’ve never seen it, but it is supposed to be really good.

One of the program directors talked to us about the different programs they are doing and gave us a tour of their offices. One program involves educating and mentoring local children. Another involves teaching child mothers (girls who were forced to have the children of LRA members) a craft and then selling the craft. The girls are then taught basic money management skills with their profits. They are also starting a similar program with cotton growers. The final program is called School to Schools and involves schools across the world doing fundraisers to help improve schools here in Uganda. It was a really interesting visit. You can check out everything Invisible Children is doing at their website:

After Invisible Children we went to a secondary school and gave another presentation. We sang songs, did a skit, Laura talked for a bit, and then we answered questions on faith and prayed with the students about their prayer requests. We also passed out stickers, small balls, and toothbrushes. In America, high school kids would have laughed at you for passing out that kind of stuff, here, the kids were so grateful. I am reminded on a daily basis how spoiled Americans really are.

Tonight after dinner we stayed up talking with the Ja Ja (grandmother) who owns the house that we are staying in. She told us a ton of stories about her child hood, meeting her husband, and the war. She even told us a story about her running away and barely surviving an attack from the LRA (all of her neighbors were killed). We also asked her about 3 graves that are in her backyard. As it turns out, they belong to people in her family who were killed by the LRA. One of the graves belongs to her 7 year old grandson. The other 2 belong to her sons. It was a very sobering and interesting evening.

June 20th

This morning the boys went and worked on the house more while the girls went to Noah’s Ark orphanage to play with children. Noah’s Ark is similar to Kids in Need, in that the children that stay there are older street children who need help, but have not yet been arrested. None of the kids spoke a word of English, but we still had fun playing Frisbee and soccer. We also sang songs, did a skit, and gave a short message with the help of an interpreter. I was able to teach the boys I played with, Felix and Richard, how to “pound it” with your fists. Overall, it was a productive morning.

After Noah’s Ark we went home and changed to go work on the house some more. We got lost trying to walk there without the boys, and when we finally made it, we discovered that they were out of bricks. So, we had to make the mile walk to move about 600 more bricks to the site. It was a tiring morning.

After moving the bricks, I cleaned up a few of the village kids who had some cuts- one of them had some sort of ringworm on his head. Everyone here expects me to be some sort of doctor or nurse. I don’t really mind until they expect me to diagnose stuff-I definitely didn’t go to school for that!

After leaving the site we went to a local IDP (internally displaced persons) camp. During and right after the war, approximately 2,800 people lived in this camp. The camp now has about 1,800.

Our guide, Franics, was actually one of the people abducted by the LRA. The LRA shot his father and brother in their beds and forced him to join their army. He spent 3 years with the LRA before he was able to escape and return home. He now is actively involved in improving his community. He showed us around the camp, which was actually a lot bigger than I expected it to be. It probably took us about 15 minutes to get from one side of the camp to the other.

During the tour we got to see the “clinic” which was really just a few beds with curtains around them. We also got to see where they used to pass out food to everyone. The organization that passes out the food now only has enough money to pass out food to vulnerable children and seniors. Another building we saw was a small building with no complete walls and a single chalkboard. It is where all the children had to stay during the day while there parents were working in the garden so they could be kept safe from LRA abductions. Some of the children had to walk as many as 4 miles to get to this building everyday.

After this, we saw the area where the soldiers stayed. The soldiers would stay on the outskirts of the camp and prevent anyone from entering or leaving after 4:30 in the afternoon. If you tried to enter the camp after 4:30, you could be arrested or killed, no questions asked.

Perhaps the saddest part of the tour was the huts. We got to go inside one of the huts. When I was standing inside, I could stand in the middle, lean over a bit, and touch the walls on either side with my finger tips. I’m 5 foot 3 inches, and my head almost touched the top of the roof. A woman lived there with her 3 children. This small spaced served as their closet, bedroom, kitchen, dining room, living room and everything else room. It was slightly bigger than my closet.

Peter, the Ugandan who took us to the camp, told us that during the war, many people would lock themselves in their huts for safety. The LRA would then throw torches over barriers onto one of the huts. The huts are made mostly of straw, and when one would catch on fire, hundreds of them could burn. The LRA burned alive literally thousands of people this way.

The woman whose hut we visited lost her husband in the war, and about a year ago, lost one of her daughters to some sort of infection. She has just recently checked another child into a hospital for sickle cell disease. The child won’t live long here with sickle cell. We prayed for her and sang some songs with her. She praised the Lord louder than anyone else in our group. The perseverance the people of Africa have is absolutely incredible.

While we were taking the tour, I had the opportunity to talk with Peter about some of his experiences. Peter came and shared the Gospel in Gulu when the LRA was still present and Gulu was still very dangerous. He has also been arrested and beaten in Sudan for sharing the Gospel. I am afraid of sharing the Gospel back home because it might be embarrassing. I am so lame.

While we were walking around, we got to meet a group of men who were abducted by the LRA and are now a part of a dance support group for men like them. It was interesting to talk to them, but I’ve found that people here who have been abducted by the LRA don’t want to share very much of their stories. To be honest, we probably couldn’t handle hearing it.

We also got to meet the camp Ja Ja who talked with us and prayed for us for a while.

While we were walking around, we accumulated a crowd of children who were interested in seeing all the white people. We played with them while we were walking. Peter said about 90% of them lost their dad in the war. They all wore dirty, torn clothes. They were all super skinny with pouched bellies from hunger. They all had huge smiles. It broke my heart.

One of the boys had an odd looking wound that you could fit your entire pinky tip in. It also had some necrotic tissue around it. We drove him into town so that it could get treated.

When we got back from that, I went and picked up the walker, ate dinner and spent the rest of the evening playing with Sarah.

June 21st

This morning, Felix and I woke up early to take the walker to Fiona. I’m going to be honest. I cried for the first time in Africa today. Fiona was able to walk by herself for the first time in her life. Her mom clapped and cheered and cried and I lost it. To know that I was a part of such a huge change in this little girl’s life and independence was so moving. I could go home tomorrow and feel like the trip was worth while.

When we got back, the boys went to finish the house and the girls cleaned and packed up the house and went to church. We went to one of the Watoto churches (there are 8 around Uganda). To be honest, I wasn’t a real fan. To me, it seemed like an Americanized service, which I don’t mind at home, but this is Africa. Give me an African drum and a Gospel choir any day. The message on unity was really good though, and I can’t criticize the organization too much. It gives literally hundreds of Ugandan orphans a place to call home. You can check out their website here:

After church, we went home and ate lunch and packed up the vans and waited on the boys to finish with the house. And waited, and waited, and waited. We were supposed to leave at 1, but we didn’t leave until 4:30 because the roof took longer to put on than the boys expected. The drive home involved a lot less stops, so it only took about 5 hours. This was good because I was crammed in the back seat with tools underneath my seat that prevented me from ever putting my foot on the floor completely.

On the way home I sat by John (our cook). He had me try g nuts (African peanuts), more goat, and fried cassava (my new favorite African food). He also tried to buy a few live chickens and make me ride home with them in my lap. I think he actually thought it was a good idea until he realized that both me and the chickens would have squealed the entire way home.

When we got home, I unpacked and showered for the first time in 5 days (I had only been wiping down with a wash cloth and camping wipes because I didn’t want to use the open shower at the house). I thought I had gotten a tan, but my “tan” ended up being layers of dirt. It was slightly disappointing.

I also changed my shaved my legs, plucked my eyebrows, clipped my nails, put on lotion, and changed my sheets. It felt good to act like a girl again. I know I am going to get good sleep tonight!

Tomorrow's Gulu Day!

Today was supposed to a relaxing day, but I ended up planning more activities for myself than I needed. We woke up and had devotions. Devotions this morning were really good. Jen had us spend some time in groups encouraging and praying for each other. It was really up lifting.

We had the morning off so I was finally able to take a warm running water shower. It was fabulous.

During lunch Felix and I got to talking about what kind of chair Francis (the boy with cerebral palsy) would need so that he could sit up and play with the other kids in his class. Felix and I drew up a plan and figured out what measurements we would need to take. Then we had some lunch and walked to see a carpenter about making the chair for Francis. He wanted to charge us 40,000 shillings (20 US dollars) to make the chair. I thought that was a good deal, but Felix didn’t. He recommended that I wait until next week when we get back to Katawalma (the children’s hospital) because they could do it better and for cheaper (30,000 shillings or 15 US dollars). Can you believe it? A cerebral palsy chair for $15 dollars, back home it would cost thousands of dollars!

Once we were done making our plans, Amanda (a Ugandan) and I head to Sanyu baby’s home so that I could take measurements of Francis. Because I was the only one going, Amanda and I had to take a taxi to Sanyu, but first we went and picked up our white water rafting DVD and stopped by a craft market so I could get some Ugandan sandals at a place that Amanda knows about where they are really cheap.

When we wanted to get back into the taxi, we found a part of the city where a strike was going on. A group of people who own shops in a market were protesting the closing of the shopping center where they work. The strike was already over, but there were still burnt out fires and soldiers everywhere! The taxis couldn’t pass through, so we had to take a boda boda the rest of the way. I was smart enough not to get burned this time, but I still have not figured out a graceful way for me to get on, off, or ride a boda boda. I’m pretty sure I look ridiculous when doing all things boda boda.

When we got there, the babies were just waking him from their nap, so I had to change and feed Francis before I could start measuring him. It was very difficult to do because there were children around every where and I had no one to help me hold Francis up while I measured him. After a about an hour or so, I think I finally got what I needed. I can’t wait to take the measurements to Katawalma next Wednesday and see what they can do.

After I finished measuring Francis, I played with the babies some. Mostly Moses and a little boy named David. They were so cute and fun and I had a really good time. Afterwards, we met up with Rita, another Ugandan, and a girl named Leah from Minnesota. Leah wants to get her hair dreadlocked before we go to Gulu, and she needed Amanda to take her to see a friend of hers. Rita took me the rest of the way home on a taxi.

When I got home we watched the Notebook and ate some dinner. Sometime tonight I have to pack for Gulu. I am getting up early tomorrow to call my family before we leave for Gulu. I am so excited about the trip and about getting to talk to them!

In case you don’t get my e-mails, I will be gone to Gulu until Sunday evening. So you won’t get any updates from me until then but here is a list of things you can pray about while I am gone:

•Pray for safe travel for me and the group. Gulu is 6 to 8 hours away because the roads in Ugandan are so bad.

•Pray for our group’s safety while we are there. Gulu is much safer than it was a few years ago, but we have been told there are some mentally unstable individuals there who hate white people and might try to fight with some of the boys.

•Pray for the things we bring to stay safe, because theft is an issue in such a poor part of the country.

•Pray for our group to have strength and energy as we will be doing a lot of hard work and sleeping on cement floors, which will obviously limit the amount of sleep and rest we get.

•Pray for us to work hard. We are going to try to build an entire house in 3 days!

•Pray for us to have a impact on all the people at the refugee camps and schools that we meet.

•Pray for God to change us and for those people to have an impact on us.

•Also, this one might sound silly, but pray for the burn that I have on my leg. I popped the blisters today so I wouldn’t have to worry about them popping in Gulu. I am bringing cleaning supplies and bandages with me, but I am concerned about it getting infected while we are in such an unclean place. So pray for no infections and fast healing!

Today’s word: takisi (tack key see) which means taxi.

Talk to you guys in few days!
Jenna

Another Day At The Babies Home

Today was a pretty laid back day. We woke up and headed to the babies home. This morning was fabulous. There was an occupational therapist there from Germany and she and I worked with the “therapist” that usually works at the home. I guess because she was there and telling him the same things I told him last week, he was actually willing to listen. I feel like the morning was actually productive.

We explained to him that Godwin and Moses do not actually have autism, and we taught him some of the basic symptoms and treatments of autism. We also showed him some sensory activities and speech things he can do with them to help with their delayed speech.

We proved to him that a boy named Oscar is not deaf and showed him how to work on his speech.

Perhaps most importantly, we showed him a bunch of activities we can do with Francis (the cerebral palsy boy). Also, the therapist has a friend who is a carpenter and he is going to fix up the very run down chair that he currently has.

I can’t wait to go back to the house and work with them again next Monday. It feels so great to actually make a difference.

After the baby’s home we went back to the craft market. I bought some bags, jewelry, and some really pretty carved gourds. I’m pretty sure I’m going to have to have one of the rooms in my future home as an African theme. I have so much cool stuff!

After the craft market we had a late lunch and then we had a meeting about Gulu. Gulu is a village in northern Uganda that has experienced a lot of destruction after the fighting from the Lord’s Resistance Army that occurred there a few years ago. We are leaving for Gulu early Wednesday morning and coming back Sunday after church. Here are a few quotes from the meeting:

• You should bring toilet paper if you want to be able to use it.
• Prepare to be uncomfortable.
• Girls should wear skirts so that its easier to use the restroom in the bushes
• The water you bathe in will probably be dirty

And my personal favorite:

• You should sleep in long sleeves and long pants so that you don’t feel the cockroaches crawl on you at night

Despite all of this, we are going to be building a home for a woman who is taking care of her 9 grandchildren, visiting kids at local schools, and perhaps what I am most excited about, visiting and playing with children at a refugee camp. There is even a school we are going to that is solely for children who have been injured in the war. To say that I am excited about the ministry opportunities that are coming up would be an understatement. It is going to be so impactful for both us and them!

After the meeting we just hung out at the house. I did some laundry. We can add washers and dryers to the list of things I appreciate back home. I helped Sarah the housekeeper wash my clothes in a basin and then we laid them out on the grass to dry which to me defeats the purpose of washing, but Sarah seemed ok with it. I also miss dryer sheets and fabric softener, my clothes are so hard!

The Carolina girls left this evening. It was really sad to see them go. It kind of sucks to share all these once in a lifetime experiences with people and then know that you won’t see them much, if ever, after they leave. It’s a little depressing. 2 new boys and a new girl are coming tonight and another new girl is coming tomorrow. It will be interesting to meet them.

The only good thing about the girls leaving is that I finally get a bottom bunk! I was so tired of crawling up that little ladder every night. It will be so nice to roll into bed when I am tired. Who would have thought I’d be so excited about a bottom bunk?

Tomorrow is a day to relax and prepare for Gulu. It should be an easy day.

Today’s word: mwaana (ma wan na) which means baby.

Excited for Wednesday,
Jenna

Experiencing Some African Culture

Today was another great day in Uganda. We woke up this morning and went to a local university that also has an Anglican church on its campus. We had to get their really early to put on Sunday school for the girls that attend school on campus. Sunday school was awesome! The girls sang some songs for us and gave a short message and then we did the same. It was so cool to hear the joy those girls had for the Lord. The best part was singing “My Redeemer Lives” with them. At the part where the song says, “Because my Lord has conquered the grave…my Redeemer lives, my Redeemer lives” the whole room went nuts. I mean shaking plastic chairs in the air, twisting handkerchiefs above our heads, fisting pumping, jumping up and down nuts. There were at least 100 people in the room celebrating the fact that Our Redeemer really does live. The energy and passion in the room was awesome. I almost cried. It was really a beautiful moment and one of the best worship experiences I’ve ever been a part of.

After the Sunday school, we went to the main service. Anglican church services aren’t really my thing I suppose. The worship was awesome, but the pastor’s message gave me some of the best sleep I’ve gotten in a while. It took him 20 minutes just to read through Colossians chapter 1! We also presented a skit during the service.

The skit was interesting to say the least. None of us really understood the point or the message of the skit. I was an angel, which meant that for the entire song/skit I flapped my arms like wings. By the end of the skit, I’m pretty sure the audience was laughing at us. I have a video of it, so hopefully I can show it to you guys when I get home. Despite the fact that the skit made no sense, I’m a pretty dang good angel wing flapper if I do say so myself.

Today when I got back from church I was tired and sore and sunburned from white water rafting. I was also dumb enough to burn myself on the boda boda the other day and the burn started to blister. My ankle was slightly twisted and swollen from rafting yesterday and I had a ton of mosquito bites all over me. In short, I wasn’t feeling so hot so I popped in P.S. I Love You on my lap top and fell asleep watching it. It was a nice afternoon. I felt approximately 4,637 times better afterwards

Tonight we went to a nearby cultural center and watched a dance troop perform all the tribal dances of the different tribes in Uganda. It was nuts. I don’t know how those dancers move the way they do. At one point, a woman balanced 9 pots on her head and danced at the same time. It was crazy! We also had a buffet of traditional African food: matooke, sweet potatoes, Irish potatoes, grilled goat on a stick and pineapple bites for deserts. There was also a ton of fruit. The fruit in Ugandan is so good and fresh. I love it!

Tomorrow I’m not sure exactly what’s in store for us. There is a rumor we might go to the baby’s home and craft market, but that has yet to be confirmed. I do know that the Carolina girls, Brittney, Ashley, Anna, and Carissa are heading home tomorrow night. It will be really sad to see them go. 3 new people are also coming tomorrow. It will be interesting to meet them.

Today’s word: kuzina (koo ze na) which means to dance.

Wishing I had African Rhythm,
Jenna

Mom, You Might Want To Skip This One

Today was an awesome day! We woke up at 6 and left the house at 6:30. We went to the white water rafting office and got on the bus. All of the rich tourists get picked up by the bus at their hotels, so we had to spend about an hour going from hotel to hotel.

The part of Kampala they put in the tourists in is much different from the part I’m used to seeing. The streets are cleaner, the buildings are nicer, there is landscape around the buildings, and they even have professional street cleaners around. Today a woman with a Coach bag and Marc Jacob’s sunglasses was shocked by some of the slums we drove by. I don’t understand what part of Kampala she’s been in the whole time.

I know that was a very judgmental statement of me, but it really upset me.

Anyways, after we had picked everyone up, it took us about an hour and a half to get to Jinja, which is a city close to Lake Victoria, where the Nile River ends. The drive there was so beautiful! Hills and trees and untouched jungle areas. I didn’t take any pictures because we were driving, but it doesn’t matter, pictures don’t do it justice. You really just need to come see it yourself.

There were 7 of us white water rafting: Me, Louise, Jen, Brittany, Ashley, Anna, and Carissa. Ashley and Anna were also bungee jumping, so first, we watched them go. I am so glad I decided not to go; just watching them made me sick to my stomach. After they finished jumping we got our gear and met our guide.

Our guide, Nathan, was awesome! He is an Olympic kayaker and has also trained various military troops on how to raft at night. Additionally, many kayaking video companies have paid him to do films on famous falls around the world. In short, the guy knows what he is doing. Don’t be fooled either, because not all of the guides were that good. Our guide was the head guide of the all guides which made me feel a lot better. He was also very nice and funny. He did make some really vulgar jokes and comments, but mom asked me to keep my blogs PG, so I won’t share them with you.

Rafting down the Nile is awesome awesome awesome. There are Grade 1 through Grade 6 level rapids when white water rafting and today we got to do mostly 3s, 4s, and 5s. The girls who had been in the Colorado before said they only got to do 3s and a few 4s. Also, before they dammed up part of the river for energy producing purposes, the spot we were rafting in today was one of the top 5 rafting spots in the world. Finally, soon the entire river will be dammed up and rafting won’t be offered here anymore. It really was a once in a lifetime opportunity!

(Mom, you might want to skip this part)

The rapids were incredible. There were literally times when you are floating along and it looked like the river stopped, only it was just a big drop off. The rapids honestly didn’t look that scary when we approached them, but after finishing them and looking back we would all kind of look at each other and say “Holy crap I can’t believe we just did that”.

We bought a video today, so once I get back home, I’ll be able to show them to you. You won’t believe some of the spots we went down. If I hadn’t done them myself I probably wouldn’t believe them.

I really only had 3 incidents. One rapid I lost my paddle, and another I almost fell out but the guide pulled me back in.

The last one, our raft flipped over. The rapid we were going down is called 50/50 because on average, 50% of the rafts flip over on that rapid, and we were one of the 50%. You know when you dive into the pool and you try to come back up, but there is a floaty above you and you panic for a few seconds because you think you are drowning?

This was like that. On a much larger scale.

I didn’t have time to catch my breath before we flipped and when I tried to come back up the raft was on top of me. There were a few seconds (maybe 3 max, but it felt like a minute at least to me) where I didn’t think I was going to come to the top.

I really thought I might be meeting Jesus.

I think though that that is just the feeling that being underwater in rapids gives you, because everyone in our raft felt the same way.

With the exception of those 3 seconds, it was a blast. The only part that I didn’t like was waiting. Since Nathan was the leader of the guides, we were almost always the first group to arrive at the rapids and one of the last groups to go down. This meant that we waited at the pool above the rapids for a while. Waited and stared at the rapids we were about to go down. It was rather nerve racking.

At one point, we went down a 4 meter (I don’t know the conversion to feet) waterfall backwards! It was so awesome!

We also got to do some swimming in the Nile during the flat parts.

Include in our charge was all you can eat lunch and dinner. Lunch was sandwiches. Sandwiches with real cheese and real meat and real bread and real mayonnaise. I never thought I would appreciate a sandwich so much. Seriously. Dinner was chapatti and grilled meat and pineapples. We also got to try some Nile Special (African beer). It was awesome.

On the drive home, we went through more beautiful backcountry and saw an amazing African sunset. The drive was almost 2 hours long and on the way home I had a great chat with Brittney about life and ministry and our experience so far with Empower A Child.

Overall, it was a great great great day. A day that makes you really appreciate God’s creation. Every inch of the Nile River is beautiful!

Rafting does, however, take it out of you. I am completely spent and headed to bed.

Today’s word: Mazzi (ma zee) which means water.

Definitely swallowed plenty of Nile mazzi today,
Jenna

An African Outing

Today was such an awesome day! We woke up early and left at 8 for Mityana. My group was Ty (one of the boys from Texas) and Joseph, a Ugandan. It was quite a long journey. First, we took a taxi downtown then; we walked to the taxi park. The taxi park is where the taxis going all over the country pick up customers. The way it works is each area of the park is going to a different town. I wish you could have seen it. It was crazy!

There are probably at least 200 taxis crammed into this little area. Many of the taxis get trapped in by other taxis parked all around them. Joseph told us that many times the taxi drivers will get into fights when they block each other in. Additionally, this part of the city is REALLy dirty. There is trash and dirt everywhere. This is also where many of the drunks in the town hang out. Many of the men there would yell things at me. Joseph wouldn’t tell me what they were saying, but I’m assuming it was pretty inappropriate.

The taxis hold 14 people and the drivers refuse to leave until their taxis are full, so we had to wait a while for our taxi to fill up. Then we drove the 3 hours to Mityana. It took extra time to get there because the drivers stop and let people out along the way and then refuse to leave until that seat is filled again.

I slept for some of the trip and the looked out the window the rest of the trip. The Uganda country side is so beautiful. It’s hilly and covered with trees and not developed so it’s beautiful. I tried to take some pictures of it, but I don’t think the pictures I took really capture the idea of it.

When we arrived at Mityana we had to take a boda boda to a smaller village outside of the village. Riding the boda boda was very interesting. You get on the back of someone’s bike, and hold on for dear life. It’s not as scary as it looks though. I think when you are riding on the boda bodas you feel like you are going much slower than it looks like you’re going. I’m not sure that makes sense.

Anyways, the boda bodas could only go so far, so they dropped us off, and we walked through the literal jungle for about a mile until we arrived at the boy’s school. The school was just basic straw and cement huts and there were tons of kids there. It was shocking. Our arrival disrupted their lessons. All of the kids stopped listening to their teachers and started staring and waving at us through the windows. They rarely see white people so us being there was a treat for them.

We filled out the required forms on the two boys, Tony and Keneth, who are brothers. We basically just ask them questions from the form and then write down what they say. After finishing that, we asked them questions about their life and stuff, I gave them some cookies I had in my purse, we prayed together, and then Tony and Keneth took us to their home.

Those boys literally walk 5 miles to school every day! It was a long and hot and dusty. When we arrived at their home, we got to see the mud hut they used to live in, and the cement hut they now live in, some of which was paid for by their sponsorship money.

We also got to meet their family. Tony and Keneth live with their grandmother (their dad’s mom), their dad died a few years and when their dad died, their mom left them. We also got to meet 2 of their aunts and an uncle. Their grandmother went on and on about how beautiful I was and tried to convince me to marry one of her sons several times. It was hilarious.

We helped the boys bring in water, which is one of their chores. We had to carry water jugs about half a mile to a giant tree where water collects at the roots. The water was so dirty and the jugs had mold growing on the inside. You couldn’t have paid me enough money to get me to drink or bathe in that water. I felt so bad for those boys.

Isn’t it weird how we take the simplest things for granted? Those boys walk half a mile to get dirty water. I complain when my iPod doesn’t work and I can’t afford a shirt I want. I’m so blessed and sometimes I can’t see it. I am such a brat.

After visiting with the family for a while and praying with them, we headed to the boda boda stop about half a mile away from the boys home. We had to wait forever for 2 boda bodas to come by. While we were waiting, one of the boy’s aunts gave us cokes from her shop. We also tried to teach the boys Rock, Paper, Scissors. They didn’t really get it.

Pretty soon, word spread that monzugus were in the village and a bunch of kids came out. We played with a few of them, but some of them were scared of us. Joseph told us it was because they had never ever seen a white person before.

I had some zebra gum in my purse and we gave each kid a piece and showed them how to use the wrappers to give themselves tattoos. They were fascinated, even the adults. It was so funny. I am amazed by the little things we take for granted that the people here are so surprised by,

We rode the boda bodas back to Mityana. This time, the boda bodas took us the long way around so we wouldn’t have to walk through the jungle, but that meant we rode on the dusty rode for about 15 minutes. It got so dusty when cars drove by that you couldn’t even see. I got so dirty.

Seriously, when I looked at pictures from today I look like I got a tan. Don’t be fooled. It’s literally a thin layer of dirt all over my body. I had dirt lines from my sandals and shirt. It was awesome.

When we got back into town we stopped at the cleanest local restaurant we could find. Ty and I weren’t brave enough to get anything besides chicken and chips (fries). They were pretty good, but the ketchup here tastes just like sweet and sour sauce.

By this time, I REALLY needed to go to the bathroom. Up until this point, I have been able to hold it until we got back to the house from outings. Not so today. I finally had to bit the bullet and pee in an African toilet.

Have you ever seen Slumdog Millionaire? You know the scene where the kid is in the toilet and he jumps into the poop so he can see his hero? It wasn’t that bad, so don’t get scared, but I say that to say that that’s what the toilets look like, only, lucky for me, the floor is cement instead of wood so you don’t have to look at what is underneath you.

It was relatively clean, but smelled horrible. Luckily, I was wearing a skirt which made the ordeal much easier. Also lucky, I had tissues in my purse for cleaning up. Overall, it wasn’t nearly as bad as I expected. But thank God for hand sanitizer!

During lunch, we had some great conversations. We talked about where we see ourselves in five years. Joseph also told us all about child sacrifices here in Uganda. Apparently, whenever they are building a new building, it is considers good luck to kill a child, grind his or her body into little pieces and put them into the cement foundation of the building. Children are kidnapped on a daily basis for child sacrifices because people will also do them in hopes of helping themselves to become rich. It made me sick to my stomach.

On a side note, if you circumcised your child or pierce their ears, then they can’t be used for child sacrifices because they have already bled. If one of you uses that piece of trivia to win the million dollar question, I hope you’ll give me a part of it.

The taxi ride back to Kampala was awful. Because it was one of the last trips of the day, the taxi driver tried to cram as many people into the taxi as possible. There were 21 people in a 14 person taxi for the whole ride. It was awful.

Tonight we are just hanging out at the house and resting up for white water rafting tomorrow. I’m on dishes duty again tonight so I better get to it!

Today’s word: sula bulgi (sew la bu lun gee) which means goodnight.

Sula Bulgi everyone,
Jenna

June 11th (the internet was out last night)

Today we went to Sanuyu baby’s home to play with the kids again. I wasn’t able to play with Raymond because Felix wanted me to do some therapy with a few of the kids there. It was extremely frustrating. The “therapist” that works at the baby’s home isn’t even really a therapist, but rather does something with bones. I couldn’t really understand what he does, but he only comes to the home twice a week. To be completely honest, he was kind of a know it all, and refused to listen to any of my comments or suggestions. I tried to be respectful and critique him without being rude, but I’m pretty sure he thought I was just some stupid American.

Again to be honest, nothing he did with the kids made sense, and some things were just plain wrong. I worked with 3 kids today. The first one, Francis, has cerebral palsy. Francis has very tight, or as therapists call them, hypertonic muscles. You aren’t supposed to pull or tug on the limbs of these kids because it makes their hypertonicity worse. Francis’s “treatment” with the therapist consisted mostly of pulling and tugging on his limbs. At the age of 2, Francis can still not bring his head to midline, can’t sit up straight, and is still drinking out of a bottle. It broke my heart to see him and know that if he had been born in America, he would be so much further in his progress.

The 2nd girl, Anita, is just weak and slightly developmentally delayed. She is about 8 months old and can’t sit up yet. Instead of doing exercises that would work on strengthening her trunk muscles, the therapist would only allow me to massage her shoulders, arms, and stomach with baby oil. I’m still trying to figure out the logic behind that.

The final child, Godwin, is 3 years old. Someone somewhere told the home that he has autism. I’m not a doctor, but I’m pretty sure this isn’t the case. Autistic kids never make eye contact, never initiate social contact, and rarely, if ever speak. When I walked into the classroom to get him, Godwin walked up to me, looked me in the eyes and said “Up, please.” He also responds to all the commands that his teachers give him the first time, asks for more food and drink when he wants them, and plays well with his classmates. He is a little slow (I think he has slight mental retardation) and some speech problems, but I really don’t think he is autistic.

Regardless of what he has, the treatment for Godwin’s “autism” was very interesting. At first, the therapist told me that they were considering cutting the flap of skin under his tongue to help him talk, but since he had started making some words, he didn’t need that anymore. Instead, I massaged his neck with baby oil while singing songs to him. That was the recommended treatment.

On a side note, on the board on the therapy room, the therapist had placed a list of symptoms of autism so that it would be easy to recognize in other children that come in. One of the symptoms of autism is “twinkling eyes”, another is excessive drooling. Please know that this is not really the case.

I’m not an expert on therapy by any means, but I did know a few things that we could have done to help them. It was so frustrating to not be able to say anything to him and to not have him listen to my opinions. It broke my heart knowing the kind of treatment those kids could have gotten in America.

Felix says that hopefully the next time we go the therapist won’t be there and I can show him some exercises. We are also going to work on adjusting Francis’s chair so that the nurses will actually sit him in it instead of having him lay in bed all day.

After the baby’s home we came home for a quick lunch and then went to Remand home. We sang and played games and Ty gave a message. Then we hung out with the kids again. One of the boys from last week, Moses, came and talked to me again. A bunch of the other kids from today were really fun too. Chris, David, Jared, Justin, and Moses were all in my group and they were great kids. Two of them (Chris and Moses) asked me to bring them Bibles next time we come, it was great to just have conversations with them, even though it was hard to communicate at times because of the boys bad English.

Moses loves to play Rock, Paper, Scissors and we also tore up the dance floor today. He taught me how to dance to some African drum and I thought him some lame white girl moves. It was awesome.

Today, Moses also told me what he is at Remand home for. Sort of, he said defilement, which here in Uganda means some sort of sexual crime. That taught me quite a lot. If I had know that before I had gotten to know Moses, than I never would have talked to him. But knowing him before I found out made it very easy to forgive whatever it is that he did. To be honest, it didn’t even faze me. He’s a great kid who made a mistake. Isn’t it weird how judgmental we can be sometimes?

Tonight we are just hanging out at the house. Tomorrow morning we are splitting up into groups and going to visit all the kids who are sponsored by Empower A Child. Each Ugandan has one or two MSTs going with them. Some groups are staying in Kampala and others are going really far away. My group is going to visit 2 children 3 hours away. We have to leave at 8 tomorrow morning. It’s going to be a long day.

Tonight the internet was out. It’s amazing what you can find to do for entertainment when you have no TV or internet. Tonight, Emily introduced us to a game called star tripping. Basically, you spin around as fast as you can for 30 seconds at the stars, then someone shines a flashlight in your eyes. For some reason, you immediately fall over. I think it’s the shock to your vestibular system. It is by far one of the funniest things I have done or seen so far in Africa.

Finally, I am thinking of getting my hair braided like the women do here. Over the next 3 weeks we are going on 2 different 4 day village trips. These trips will provide no opportunity to bath (or wash my hair). The braids would at least keep my hair from looking gross. Thoughts and opinions on this topic are welcomed.

Today’s Luganda word we learned yesterday when we took the kids swimming (they had to swim naked): Jamu engoye (jam mew en goya) or take off your clothes.

Keeping my clothes on,
Jenna

Swimming with Babies

Today was a great day! We woke up and had devotionals, and after devotionals we headed to Katawalma children’s hospital. My group’s job today was to talk and pray with the parents of the children at the hospital. I went with Jeff, a Ugandan, so that he could translate for me. We met with four different families. The first family had a son with bow legs. They were waiting to meet with the doctors to see what the doctors could do for them. The 2nd family had a small daughter with bow legs. The family was Muslim, but unfortunately, they did not speak Luganda so we had no way of communicating with them. The little girl was terrified of me because she thought that all white people were doctors. I felt so bad making her scared and being unable to tell her that I wasn’t a doctor.

The next family was a boy who had broken his arm and his father. The boy had broken his arm almost 8 months, and Ugandans doctors had unsuccessfully tried to heal him. They left him with a huge lump on his wrist, and the father and son were trying to see what the surgeons could do for him.

The final father and son pair we saw were very sad. The son had fallen from a tree and required a bunch of back and leg surgeries to repair all the damages. The father told us that a Ugandan doctor had estimated the surgeries to cost around 6,000 US dollars. A Canadian surgeon had found a way to get the UN to pay for his surgeries, but the Ugandan doctor wanted to keep the money for himself and had purposefully lost the paperwork required for the surgery. The Canadian doctor had found out and refilled the paperwork, but they were still waiting to hear the results.

As it turns out, the health care system in Uganda is very corrupt. Most of the doctors and nurses will give priority to patients to whose families will pay them extra, this means that the poor are at an extreme disadvantage.

One thing from the morning that really frustrated me was communication. The healthcare provider in me wanted to know exactly what had happened to each patient and exactly what surgeries and treatments were being provided. Most of the patients could only tell us that something had been broken and something had been operated on. It was very frustrating.

Also frustrating? The therapists and surgeons were in a meeting the entire morning, so I still didn’t get to view any therapy. Hopefully next week.

Despite all the frustrations, I still love the hospital. All the kids there are so adorable!

After the hospital we came home and ate a quick lunch and then spilt into 3 groups to go to 3 different high schools. My group went to Kiva Ka high school and met with a group of students during their lunch hour. We sang a few songs, played a few games, and then Kevin gave a short message.

Perhaps the best part of this trip was the conversation we had on the way there. Benon made everyone share their testimony and it was really interesting to hear everyone’s stories.

Once we got back, we had to leave immediately to take the kids from Sanyu baby’s home swimming. We got there, got assigned a kid, got our kid dressed and headed to the pool. My kid was a 2 year old named Raymond. He was absolutely adorable! He is at the stage where he is learning how to talk so he tries to repeat everything you say. It was so cute.

He wasn’t, however, a huge fan of the water. He clung to me the entire time and refused to be spun around, dipped or anything. He was shivering the entire time because all the kids had to swim naked. He also cried whenever he was splashed. We only lasted about 15 minutes.

After eating a snack and getting dressed, Raymond and I spent the rest of the time moving a red chair around the garden and waving hello and goodbye to cars and trucks.

It took us almost an hour to get back to the house in rush hour traffic, and Raymond just sat calmly with me while the rest of the babies cried. When we got back, I also got to feed him dinner. Raymond cried when I left.

I think it’s safe to say I am in love with Raymond. I’m currently working on finding a way to sneak him into my suitcase back home. Unless mom and dad, you are interested in finally getting me and Ally that little brother we asked for every Christmas growing up!

I know you’re laughing, but I’m not making a joke.

Maybe about the suitcase part.

Right now it’s only about 9 pm but I feel like it might be 2 in the morning. I am absolutely spent. Tomorrow we are getting up early to go back to the baby’s home. Felix the therapist has asked me to look at a baby with cerebral palsy and do some treatments on him, so I’m excited about going (Laura, I may need you to e-mail me some notes!).

Today’s word: Nkwangala nnyo (In quad ga la an yo) which means “I love you a lot”

Nkwangala nnyo guys,
Jenna

Heroes Day

Today was another interesting day. We woke up and had devotions. Today was another national holiday in Uganda, Heroes Day. Apparently, in Uganda, you can only be a hero if you’re dead so Benon had us talk about what we want people to say about us when we are dead. It’s an interesting question. I had to go first, so I didn’t have much time to think about it, so at first I said that I would want people to say that I followed Christ’s plan for my life and that I was a good mom and wife. Don’t judge me! I was under pressure.

After some thought, I think that I would like for people to say that they knew I was a Christian by my actions. That I didn’t have to profess my faith in Christ for people to know that I was a Christ follower. That I was a woman of God and that my home, family, work, leisure, and everything else I did represented that.

Another one of the Ugandans, Joseph said “Your life means nothing if you have nothing worth dying for” while he was sharing. I liked that.

I’m also reading In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day. Today, the chapter kind of went along with the devotions. I really liked the quote that said, “Are you living a life worth telling stories about?” Something to ponder to each of our lives I think.

After devotions we had evaluation time. This is basically a time for us to share what we think Empower A Child can improve on. We talked about making more team building opportunities, so on Saturday we are having a “No Talent” Talent show. It should be fun. We also talked about giving the volunteers an opportunity to do more personal ministries during the week. I am really excited about this opportunity.

After the meetings and lunch we went to Kids In Need home. Kids In Need is similar to Remand Home except that none of the kids there have been arrested. All the kids there were so cute and fun! We sang songs and gave a message and played with them. I talked with 2 boys named Peter and Yemen. They are really nice and I am looking forward to talking with them again next week.

On a side note, I am beginning to discover that my favorite game to play with African children is what I like to call “Faces Game”. Basically, you get the kids to make faces, take pictures of them, and then you both laugh at the pictures. Every kid I’ve met so far loves it, and so do I!

After Kids In Need we went back to the school from the other day and played soccer, basketball, football, and ultimate Frisbee. There weren’t many kids there so we only stayed for an hour or so, but it was still a good time.

Dinner was spaghetti and rice crispy treats. Unfortunately, the only marshmellow flavor they have here is strawberry (weird!) and it made the rice crispy treats interesting to say the least.

Brittney and I did the dishes tonight. It wasn’t as bad as I thought, but dishes definitely don’t get as clean here as they do back home. I’m pretty sure some of you would be disgusted by the level of sanitation we have here.

Tomorrow we are going to Katawalma children’s hospital, to a Scripture Union at a local school, and to take the 2 and 3 year olds at Sanuyu babies home swimming (I am uber excited about this). It should be a great day!

Today’s word: Yesu. This one is easy, it’s Jesus in Luganda!

Excited for tomorrow,
Jenna

Planning Day

Mondays are planning days, which means we don’t do much ministry. This morning, we woke up and had devotionals. Devotionals consist of singing, sharing what God has been teaching us, and then reading and discussing a verse. This morning’s verse was from Matthew “where your treasure is there your heart will be also”. It was an interesting verse to talk about. Sometimes, I like to think that I do a good job of not caring about earthly things then, I start to think of all the people I have been seeing lately. I think of the lady from yesterday with a run down hut who paid for lunch for 60 people, and I think of the kids who have 2 sets of clothes and yet have a huge joy for the Lord, and people from church who gave fruits and vegetables because that’s all they had to give. I start to think about all those things and then I start to think that I could probably do a MUCH better job.

I’ve found in Africa that I can live without running water, air conditioning, television, and high speed internet, and the more I think about the things I have back home, the more I think I value earthly things way too much.

After devotionals, we went to the African craft market. It was so much fun! Both of the vans are broken down today, so we had to take a taxi. The taxi drivers here charge Monzugu double for riding in a taxi, so the Ugandans have to trick them by settling on a price before they realize they are driving us. The vans we drive in usually are old taxis (they seat up to 17 people!) so other than that it was just the same as usual.

The craft market is interesting, they have a ton of stuff and everything is super cheap. I got some presents for a few people, but I’ll probably go back a few times to get everyone off my list. You can also barter like in Mexico, which I love! The only bad thing is that they charge Monzugus extra here too. Next time, I might give Amanda my shopping list and have her get the things for me for cheaper.

After we got back we had some lunch and then we had meetings to prepare for the week. I am posting the weekly schedule on the calendar at jennacoe.shutterfly.com, you can go check it out. I really don’t see a point in writing it on here, because you can just read it as it happens.

I do, however, want to tell you that on Saturday I am going white water rafting on the Nile River! How awesome is that? Seriously. How many people can say that they have white water rafted in the Nile? I am so blessed. Thank you guys so much for helping to get me here.

It’s going to cost me 250,000 shillings, or $125 dollars, but I think an experience like that is worth every penny.

Some people in my group are also bungee jumping. I love living and hate heights too much to ever do that.

We also practiced songs and skits that we will perform this week.

After practice, Amy left. I didn’t know her that well, so it wasn’t that sad, but our room does feel different now. Before she left, Amy told me that the time flies by. Watching how sad she was about leaving made me sad about the end of July. I miss home and I know I’m going to get homesick, but today mad me realize what a short time I have here. I plan on appreciating every minute of it!

Now, we are just hanging out at the house. The girls in charge of dinner tonight are making pancakes! I can’t wait.

Emily, Brittney, and I are on dishes duty two nights this week. Dishes for 40 people, times 3 meals, with water that sometimes doesn’t work. Should be awesome.

On a side note, I found out today that water hasn’t been working in the evening because of construction. I could get up early in the morning and take a real shower, but to be honest, I care more about sleep than I do about a real shower. I guess Africa is already changing me!

Today’s word: Webelenyo (way-bay-len-o) which means thank you very much.

Webelenyo for all your prayers and support,
Jenna

P.S. Completely unrelated to Africa: both of my favorite youth groups are at camp this week. The youth group at First Baptist Church Georgetown and The Connection Church at Kyle are both leaving for camp right now, I think. It's 9 pm here so 1 there? They might already be arriving. Anyways, pray for safety and for the Lord to move in everyone's life!

Also, you should check out the site awkwardfamilyphotos.com. It is hilarious and makes me laugh almost everyday I'm here.

An African Sunday

Today was my first time at a real African church. It was incredible! The church was at a run down building. I didn’t want to take pictures because I was afraid they might think it was rude, but it definitely wasn’t anything like First Baptist Georgetown! It was a one room building with peeling yellowing paint and a straw roof. There were some “windows” which were just holes in the wall, and it was so hot in there!

The church runs about 30 people on a Sunday, because it just started, and there are about 35 people in our group when you add in the Ugandan volunteers, so we doubled their church attendance.

Everyone is so full of joy! The church choir sang us a few songs and there was tons of clapping, singing, dancing, yelling, and jumping. It was awesome. After the choir sang, our group led the rest of worship. We sing a few songs in English, but most of our songs are in Swahili or Luganda. Unfortunately, you learn the songs for the week at the weekly Monday meetings, which I missed this week. This means, that whenever we perform songs, I stand at the back and pretend like I’m mouthing the words. I’m sure I look ridiculous. Joseph, one of the Ugandans, has promised to teach me the words tomorrow.

Two of the boys in our group gave the sermon. It was really was really good message on hope. It was really cool to hear them speak in English and then listen to Colin translate everything in Luganda. We also took an offering. Instead of leaving cash, some people leave mangos, passion fruits, etc. It’s really interesting! I suppose God doesn’t care as long as you give your 10%. Actually, He probably appreciates it more, because those fruits mean more to those people than our 10% means to us.

After the sermon and offering, they have “announcements”. If I were a little kid, “announcements” would make me dislike church. “Announcements” consists of all the church elders coming up and giving mini sermons. Long, boring mini sermons. Seriously, the regular service lasted an hour, and the announcements lasted another hour.

After church, we played around with the kids for a bit. We also passed out the smiley face stickers and sunglasses you guys bought. The kids loved them!

Then, we headed to a local woman’s home in the village. She and her family paid for food for our entire group, and the entire congregation, even though she and her family were so in need. Their house looked similar to the ones we saw on Thursday. I am always so stunned by how nice and giving everyone is here!

Today I ate goat, rice, beans, and matooke (ma-toe-kay). Matooke is mashed up bananas with something done to it. I don’t know what the something is, but matooke is awful. It tastes like eating play dough or something. I’m not sure, but I definitely didn’t like it. Goat meat is pretty good, a little tough, but tasty.

On the way home from church the vans were full so I road back with one of the Ugandan volunteers who had brought their own car. I know I told you yesterday that everyone here drives crazy, but I don’t think I understood the full effect until today. The van drivers must have been toning it down some us Americans, because the driver was crazy! We were going super fast and then braking right before the speed bumps that occur every 100 yards or so, we cut people off, we passed people and barely made it back into our lane before cars coming the other direction hit us. It was so scary!

After we got back, a boy named Brian (a fellow Texan) and I went to Chicken Express to get some food. Don’t worry for those of you Texans reading this; it is nothing like the Chicken Express at home. It was decent. I only had fries and a coke, but Brian let me have a bite of his chicken. It was nice to feel American again for a little bit.

We also went to the market again and I got another coke and some apple juice! I hope African apple juice is as good as American apple juice. On the way home, we tried sugar cane. You bite it, chew it and the sugary juice comes out. It’s pretty good, but it takes a lot of work to get there!

Tonight I helped with dinner, so I chopped enough tomatoes, onions, and green peppers to make pizzas for 35 people! It was a lot of chopping. The pizza was no Dominoes, but it was nice to have a little taste of home. Today has been such an American day!

No a side note, my body already doesn’t like the processed food we get in America. All my American eating has given me a little tummy ache!

Finally, I still haven’t taken a running water shower. Every morning, the water is working fine, and then in the evenings, it stops working. In protest, yesterday I only took a wash cloth bath. I probably won’t be protesting anymore. I feel so dirty.

Tomorrow we have team meetings to prepare for the week. Then, the rest of the day is a free day. I might go to the African craft market. Also, one of the girls who has been here for a while, Amy is leaving tomorrow. Everyone says that the house changes a bit each time a person leaves, so it will be interesting to experience the “new” house.

Today’s Luganda word: Jinda (jen-dee) which means fine. It is the typical response to oltya. Also, there is a special Ugandan handshake that goes along with this exchange. I can’t wait to teach it to you guys!

Doing Jinda,
Jenna