Sunday in One of My Favorite Villages

Today we went to Kyampisi again for service. Kyampisi is the village we started building the school at and the church I went to the first weekend I was here in Uganda. I love Kyampisi. It’s without a doubt my favorite place to go to church here in Africa. The people are so friendly and loving and open.

This morning I ran Sunday school. I had asked if I could help, and last minute Cockroach (Robert, a Ugandan) asked if I would run the whole thing, so this morning about 30 minutes before we left I went into the office and grabbed some stuff and made up a lesson.

When we got there we sang some songs and listened to Kevin speak for a while. He did a really great job. He had to talk for almost 30 minutes and it was his first time to do such a long talk. I was really impressed. After he talked we sang a few more songs and then I took the kids outside for Sunday school. The Emilys, Brett, and Rachel also helped me.

We played a bunch of African games, sang some songs, and then I told the story about Joseph having dreams that I did from the primary school last week. Afterwards we colored pictures of our favorite dreams. My favorite little girl told us about a dream where she worked as a night dancer, the Ugandan version of a stripper. It cracked me up.

After we had been doing Sunday school for close to 2 hours, I was pretty much out of activities and we still had 30 more minutes. We played a few more games, and then it got hot so we just sat in the shade with the kids for a while and passed out some toys and stickers.

After Sunday school we went and looked at the school that we started building the last time we were in the village. Empower A Child and the church offering paid for workers to finish it and it looked so good! 30 kids are already attending school there. It feels really good to know that our hard work paid off.
We then went to the same church member’s house that we went to last time and had lunch. It was just as good as last time. After eating we played with kids for a little while before heading out.

On the way home we stopped at 2 family’s houses and gave them coffee seedlings. John had paid for 2 of the families to get the coffee seedlings so that they could have a source of income. We delivered the seedlings and prayed for the families and then we headed back to Kampala.

Once we arrived in Kampala we decided to do Rolexes (Ugandan version of the breakfast burrito) for dinner. We found a stand on the side of the road and ordered 40 which took about an hour and a half. Emily, Katie, Amy, Brett, Jovan, Jessie, LaTisha, and I had a great time just sitting around and talking while we were waiting. I had a great talk with Jessie about life and relationships and I’m really glad I went with everyone to wait.

After we got back, I took a look at Nathan’s hand. Nathan is the married guy that came in last week. He broke his thumb joint (called a Bennett fracture) while he was in Kosovo. The doctor put an easily removable cast on it, and it was ready to be removed. We took it off and looked at his X-rays, and we talked about what I am going to do therapy wise on his hand. Tomorrow we are going to make him a soft cast to wear when we aren’t doing therapy and start doing exercises. I had no idea I’d have so many therapy opportunities while I am here!

I also did some more work on my paper tonight. I plan on working really hard on it this week. Hopefully I stick to my commitment.

In other news, the bite on my foot is getting worse. It’s greener and redder and bigger and more painful. Jessie (another nursing student) is going to try and drain it some tomorrow. Say a prayer that it’s successful (and maybe that it doesn’t hurt too badly).

Hoping for healing,
Jenna

The Internet Is Finally Working!

Today was a really laid back day. I woke up and went with a small group of people to Green Village Secondary school. They were having a party to celebrate the transitioning of new officers of their Scripture Union. The party was supposed to start at 9 which is when we arrived, but it didn’t actually start until about 11. We just sat around and sang songs and talked to kids until then. The rest of the party consisted of different groups of kids singing songs. We also sang a few songs for them. The singing went on for close to 2 hours, and I needed to get home to work on my paper, so me, Shawna, Colin, and Leah left right before they were about to serve lunch.

Shawna and I rode a boda boda back to the house. I am getting pretty used to those things.

Once we got back to the house we ate some lunch and I worked on my paper for a bit. I also got Tony (a Ugandan and a computer genius) to work on my computer. It’s been acting a little weird lately, so I really hope to stays intact until my project gets finished (yours prayers in this matter would be much appreciated).

After a while, a large group of people went to the craft market, but Kevin and I wanted to wait for Tommy to get back to the house from golfing because we didn’t want to go without him, so we hung out at the house until he got home and then the 3 of us and Ivan and Jovan headed to the craft market.

At the craft market I got a few more presents, a doll for my sponsor girl, and a beautiful photo book of pictures from around Uganda and Kampala. I met the woman who took a few of the pictures, she was super nice and I was really happy that I got it.

After the craft market we went to a sports shop so the boys could get more soccer jerseys. I also got a soccer ball for my sponsor boy. After that we got something to eat at a place called Antonio’s. It wasn’t very good.

Afterwards we came home and watched Beauty and the Beast (my favorite Disney movie). I also did a little work on my paper.

Because today’s entry is so short, I’m including a special surprise for you. A few days ago, my friend Laura sent me a few questions about life in Uganda. The following is her questions and my answers. Enjoy!

Do people have pets like dogs and cats in Africa?

Yes, I think people do. The super market has a small pet supply section, so someone somewhere does, but I have yet to meet anyone personally who does. I'm assuming most of the people we work with can't really afford pets. There are so a lot of stray dogs on the streets. I haven't seen too many stray cats though.

Is there a police department in place to prevent things like the child sacrifices?

There is a police department, but the police department isn't very good. There is also a lot of corruption. One of the Ugandans told me it is really easy to get out of a traffic ticket by just paying the cops 20,000 shillings ($10) or so. There are hardly any police in the villages which is where the child sacrifices occur, so even though they are illegal, there isn't really much the police can do about them.

Sad fact: when they built the new soccer stadium outside of Kampala, a lot of kids went missing around the time they were pouring the foundation. There are probably a lot of children in the foundation of the soccer stadium.

What religion are the child sacrifices from if any?

People involved in witch craft participate in child sacrifices, although the Chinese that moved to Ugandan started the tradition (according to the Ugandans). A lot of people here who are Christian or Muslim also participate in some witch craft. It is a tradition that has been around Africa for centuries and it is hard for some people to let go to their traditions I guess.

On average how many fast food places are there in town?

There are no fast food places that you've heard of here. There are plenty of "Take Aways" which is what they call them here. A lot of restaurants also offer a take away services. You can get almost anything on take away: chicken, french fries (called chips here), Indian food, Ugandan food, pizza. I don't eat from Take Aways that often because there is always food at the house but I have a feeling come the end of July when I am super sick of rice and beans I'll be taking advantage of them more often.

Do any of the children you have seen have HIV, I mean is it like rampant or not so much?

So far, I have only seen one baby at the baby's home who I knew for sure had HIV. There is also a girl on Sponsorship who one of the girls in room went and visited on Friday who has it. But, I'm pretty sure there are more than the ones I know of for sure. "Do you have HIV?" isn't a common question to come up in conversation. But, Uganda is one of the countries in Africa working very hard to reduce their rates of HIV, so that could be some of it.

Have you seen any turtles in Africa?

I have not seen any turtles yet. Turtles aren't very big here.

Let me know if you have any questions and I will do my best to answer them!

Enjoying the Laid Back Day,
Jenna

Yesterday Again

I didn’t make it through Braveheart last night. I fell asleep with about 30 minutes left. Maybe one day in my lifetime I’ll finally finish that movie.

This morning I woke up early with the intention of working on my paper only to discover that the internet wasn’t working. I couldn’t go back to sleep so I spent some time in the Bible and in prayer. It was a great start to the day.

After devotions and a planning meeting we headed to a local slum to visit with and evangelize to the families living there. We spilt up into small groups and walked around the houses. My group consisted of me, Emily, Tommy, and Jeff (a Ugandan). We visited with 3 different families.

The first family was a man and a wife with 7 kids. The man was the only person in the family that works. He and his wife were having a hard time paying for school fees for all of their children. In fact, the youngest 2 haven’t started school because they can only afford to send the 5 oldest children. We prayed with them and took their names and phone number. Hopefully, we will be able to put some of the kids on the Empower A Child sponsorship list.

The next guy we talked to was a single 24 year old guy. He works as a barber at a local shop. He told us about how he was a Muslim until about 2 years ago. He accepted Christ but afterwards he didn’t really do anything with it. We talked to him to him about living his life for Christ and he recommitted his life to Christ. We also introduced him to a Ugandan named Ivan who goes to a church near his house. We also gave him Ivan’s phone number so hopefully he will get connected to the local church.

The final family we talked to was a brother and sister whose were keeping the house for the 3 older brothers while they are serving the army. They are both Christians so it was nice to talk to them and pray with them and encourage them.

After the morning we went home and had some lunch and then went to Kids In Need. We played games, sang some songs, and then John performed a song he wrote and Jeff spoke. I didn’t listen to that part though because during the singing and speaking Leah and I took the smaller kids outside and did face paint with them. One of my professors at school donated a face painting kit and I was excited to finally have the chance to use it. The kids absolutely loved it and it was so much fun!

After we got back I got caught up on my blog and e-mails. Tommy also went with Ivan back to the slum and visited the family of 7 that we met this morning. He decided to sponsor the older of the 2 younger kids (the ones that aren’t attending school). He said that the kids were going nuts and the parents were super happy. We also made sure that the younger one got put on the waiting list. I’m so glad we got to help them out.

I know I keep talking about this, but if you want to sponsor the youngest girl from the family we met this morning or any of the other 100 or so children on the Empower A Child waiting list let me know. Next weekend, Francis is taking me back to Luwero to meet my 2 sponsor children. If you want to pick up a sponsor child from Luwero, I’ll be able to take them a few presents next weekend. It only costs 30 dollars a month and it will make a huge difference in the life of a child and their families.

Later tonight I plan on working on my paper and watching The Emperor’s New Groove with everyone. It’s going to be a really relaxed night and weekend, which is good because I feel like my body has been going non stop all week.

Lastly, I have a few prayer requests for you guys:

1. My body has been really tired lately. This is partly because I’ve been getting up early to work on my paper and partly because I have been really pouring myself into all the ministries lately because I know my time here is going to end soon. I get sick really easily when I get tired, so pray for energy and strength and for my body to stay healthy.
2. I have some kind of infection on my foot. The Ugandans are convinced that it’s a boil that I got from making mud in Luwero. Amy (a nursing student) thinks it’s a bug bite that has gotten infected. It’s pretty swollen and has a lot of pus (sorry for the gross details). I have never had a boil before so I’m not really sure what it is. All I know is that it hurts, especially when I walk and take shoes on and off. Additionally, the Ugandans tell me that if it is a boil then I’m going to have to drain it and since it hurts to touch it, I’m not really looking forward to that. Please pray for healing (without having to drain it preferably)
3. Finally, I got news today that my Great Uncle Bubba passed away from Alzheimer’s on July 1st. News travels slow here. Anyways, I ask that you would pray for my family as they deal with loss. His body was basically shutting down and he is in a better place now, but losing a family member is always hard. My mom tells me that my Grandma Betty is taking the loss of her brother pretty hard, so please pray specifically for her, my Aunt Janice (Bubba’s wife) and their children and grandchildren.

Grandma Betty and Aunt Janice know that I love you and I’m praying for you!

Thanks in advance for the prayers guys,
Jenna

Yesterday Because The Internet Was Out

This morning we got up early and headed to Sanyu baby’s home. When we got there, I discovered that Francis was sick. He had a fever and had thrown up in the middle of the night. Unfortunately, Francis can not turn his head or roll over, so his face sat in his pool of vomit for most of the night. I was really disappointed to discover that no one had changed his sheets or cleaned him up during the night. Children with disabilities always get the short end of the stick here.

Elias the therapist didn’t show up at all today, so I got to do therapy however I wanted all morning. It was wonderful. Anita, one of the babies I have been working with, sat up by herself today. Additionally, a little girl named Martha took a few steps independently. These are things I have been working on since I arrived and it felt so good to finally see the work I’ve been putting in with the children pay off. The only bad part of the morning was that I wasn’t able to see all the kids because I ran out of time. It’s hard to see 8 kids in 2 and a half hours without someone there helping you.

After Sanyu we came home and had a quick lunch. I also took a quick but much needed nap and afterwards we headed to Remand home. Today we sang songs and played games and then Leah spoke to the boys on sexual immorality. She shared her testimony about her sexual past with close to 50 teenage boys and girls. It took a lot of guts and I really admired her strength. She did a really great job. Afterwards, she let a few people share their testimonies. A few of the volunteers shared about being raped or sexually assaulted. Only one of the teenagers shared. She told us all about a man trying to sexually assault her and beating her up and stealing her stuff. She then stabbed the man for self protection and was sent to Remand home. While there she became a Christian and is now going home in the next week. It was a really sad and at the same time inspiring story. She had such strength. There is no way I was that mature or strong at 17.

We didn’t get a chance to talk to the boys in small groups like we usually do. I saw that Moses was still at the home, but I wasn’t able to ask him why. Hopefully I’ll be able to talk to him next week.

After Remand home we came home, went to the market, got some Somosas, and played some card games. Also, while we were at the market, Tommy, Brett, and I discovered a small movie theater in the basement of the shopping center. By discovered I mean we saw posters for it and tried to find it. We were able to find a few movie posters and a piece of paper with movie times written on it. We tried to find the actual theater but whenever we asked people they told us somewhere wrong or didn’t understand our English and responded with things like “How are you?” and “The bank is closed”. I say all this to tell you that I am determined to find the theater and see the new Harry Potter movie when it comes out. Currently, I won’t be able to see it until the weekend after it comes out because we would have to go into town, but if it’s going to be playing across the street, you can bet I’ll be there opening night.

After dinner, we watched Braveheart. Tommy is Scottish and was shocked to discover I’ve never seen it. He has been asking to watch it since he has been here so a group of us watched it tonight. By watched it I mean we are watching it as I type. So far, I like it, but it is outrageously violent.

Committed to Braveheart for the next 3 hours,
Jenna

A Day Full Of Adventures

This morning we had devotions on love and loving one another even when we are wronged. It was interesting. We talked about how when Jesus washed the disciple’s feet, he also washed the feet of Judas, knowing that Judas would soon betray him. That is so incredible to me. I have such a hard time forgiving the simplest things sometimes. I don’t know how I would ever humble myself to that level to someone who had been so cruel to me.

After devotions we headed to Katawalma. Francis’ chair was not ready and neither were a few therapy rolls and wedges I ordered for the therapy room at Sanyu. To be honest, I was a little upset, and I let them know (in as nice a way as possible of course). I am paying significantly more than the average customer for the items and I was promised on multiple occasions that everything would be done before today. They swore to me that everything will be done next Wednesday, and Amanda said she would call and “have a chat” with them tomorrow as well, so hopefully everything will be taken care of.

After dealing with the orthopedic shop, I headed to the physiotherapy room to help Karen, the same physical therapist that I worked with last week. This morning, all of the nurses were gone, so Karen was in charge of wound cleaning. I helped her with it some, we mostly just changed bandages on surgery incisions, but then Sansom from last week came in and needed to be treated. Since Karen couldn’t abandon the long line of children waiting to have their wounds cleaned, she asked me to do his treatment on my own. It was a bit overwhelming at first. And by a bit I mean hugely overwhelming. I was really nervous at first, but after about 5 minutes, I started to feel a lot better about it.

I officially did my first therapy session from beginning to end all on my own!

I think it went relatively well. Also, because I was by myself, I was able to sneak a picture of Sansom. It’s going to break your heart. The good news is that Sansom was able to use one of his hands to partially grip a few large beads. I know this sounds like nothing, but it’s actually huge. Karin and I are going to work on getting him to release items as well. Hopefully eventually he will have functional use of his hand. His chair will also be ready next week which will have a huge effect on Sansom and his parent’s lives. Right now, his parents carry him around everywhere!

After Sansom I treated a 2 month old little boy named Ryan who had Erb’s Palsy. Erb’s Palsy is an injury usually obtained during birth (as in Ryan’s case) from the doctor pulling too hard on the baby’s arm to remove the child from the birth canal. This pulling causes the axillary nerves in the armpit to tear, resulting in a loss of sensory and motor function in the arm. This actually happens to a lot of children in 3rd world countries, but most don’t receive treatment right away, which results in poor use of the arm later in life. Ryan has a significantly better outcome than most babies because he is being treated early. I am really excited to work with him again next week.

After we got back from the hospital we had about 10 minutes before we had to leave to go to Clive College for another Scripture Union. I coordinated, Kevin spoke, we sang songs, and did a skit. The skit had no meaning and was just supposed to be funny, which really confused the students. They were all asking us the spiritual meaning behind it. Other than that though, it went really well.

We had a really late lunch after we got back and Tommy and I were on dishes duty again. After finishing dishes, we had an evaluation meeting to evaluate the missions to Gulu and Luwero. It was long and boring.

In a strong bit of irony, our security guard, Rocky got arrested last week for stealing a phone. He is not really a thief, but his friend owed him money so he took his phone as collateral. The friend then pressed charges. Rocky has been in jail for the last few days. Today he finally got out and it was really great to have him back. He told us some stuff about his experience. He slept on concrete and only got one meal a day. They didn’t even feed him at all the first two days he was in prison!

After the meeting and talking to Rocky, Tommy, Kevin, Andrew, Brett, Amy, and I headed downtown to walk around for a little bit. It was the first time I have gone any where in Uganda without a Ugandan with me, but we held own on very well. Kevin is really good at getting around the city. We stopped at a sports shop to get Ugandan national team jerseys. I was able to find a youth size that fit me and the guy gave me 10,000 shillings off.

We also went to a pizza place called Dominos. We had pizza and milkshakes that were so good. It was almost like being at home! It was absolutely wonderful. It was also a lot of fun to hang out with everyone. Its weird that I’ve only been around these people a month (or a week for some) but it feels like I’ve know them for a large majority of my life.

On the way home our taxi broke down trying to go up the hill. The driver tried to drop the transmission four or five times, and the taxi kept on stalling out and rolling backwards down the hill. Brett and I couldn’t stop giggling about the situation and we were really annoying everyone. The driver finally made us (us as in everyone on the van not just Brett and I for annoying everyone) get out and pay him half of the fee that he quoted us. We were stuck on the side of the road for a bit before we stumbled upon a driver with an empty taxi. We told him what happened and asked us him if he would take us the rest of the way home for 300 shillings as a joke (the regular rate would have been 500). He laughed and said he would charge us 100 if we sang to him the entire way. So we did, and he sang along, and it was awesome.

When we got out, he didn’t charge us any fare at all. What a great adventure!

Tommy and I had to do dinner dishes before I watched Aladdin. I also finally started on my paper today for school. And by started I mean I wrote a 5 sentence introduction. At that rate I’ll finish around Christmas. I’m going get serious about it for real this weekend. I promise.

I solemnly swear to work on my paper this weekend,
Jenna

Titles for These Things Are Difficult

This morning we woke up and had a great devotion time. Rachel passed out 10 shilling coins to everyone and explained how Uganda no longer uses this type of coin and they are worthless. She then talked about how Uganda views most of its children in the same fashion and that everyday is an opportunity to change that. It was short and sweet but it really moved me.

I have been getting frustrated with the fact that I don’t feel like I am having a huge effect on the kid’s lives here. I expected to come in and be this huge life change for them, and whenever we go play with a kid for an afternoon never to see them again, it frustrates me. I realized today that making them feel special for an afternoon is a big enough life change for them. It really changed my attitude on a lot of things.

After devotions we went to Victory Primary School and played games and sang songs with the kids. I also shared the story for the first time. I told the story of Joseph and his brothers and his dreams (check out Genesis 37ish through 46ish) and how we need to forgive people when they are mean to us. I know that’s extremely simplified, but I was talking to 8 to 10 year olds, so it couldn’t be too complicated.

Afterwards we came home and Andrew, Emily, and I went and got lunch at Chicken Express before we headed out to another school, King Solomon Secondary school. We were supposed to be going to another Scripture Union (like FCA in America) during the school’s lunch hour, but when the school found out we were coming, they made the entire student body come out and watch our presentation. This means we were singing, dancing, doing a skit, and sharing the Gospel to a bunch of 14 to 18 year olds who were missing their lunch break to watch us. Needless to say, it didn’t go well. The Scripture Union kids loved it, but the kids of the kids weren’t so impressed. They talked and laughed and made fun of us pretty much the entire time. Benon and I did a skit together and Jen spoke and despite the problems, it went relatively well.

Once we got home we practiced songs for a little while so that the new people could learn the songs we do in Swahili and Luganda. It was also so we could learn them, because there are still quite a few songs where I just make noise and move my lips and pretend like I know what I’m saying.

To be honest, practice didn’t help me much.

After practice, I got a pedicure. There is a 20 something boy who comes by our house and does nails to help pay for school and my feet were revolting, so I let him give me one. My feet literally lost 3 to 4 shades of tan/dirt. They look much better now.

After me and Emily got pedicures, Andrew and Brett wanted to paint our nails for some reason, so we let them. Each one of our nails is a different design and color. It looks interesting to say the least. We promised to keep it on for at least one week. It will be funny to see what the kids think of it this week.

After dinner we all watched P.S. I Love You. It was wonderful. That movie never gets old.

Francis’ chair is supposed to be done tomorrow when we go to the hospital. I’m so excited!

Looking forward to the morning,
Jenna

The First 6 Days of July

July 1st

I can’t believe my time here is halfway over! The month of June has literally flown by. I can’t believe that in less than a month my time here will be over. This has without a doubt been the fastest month of my life.

In other news, this morning we got to sleep in! We weren’t leaving for Luwero until 3, so Benon moved devotions back to 10. It felt so good to stay in bed until 9:55! During devotions, we broke up into small groups and shared our struggles and prayer requests and then we prayed together. My group was me, Emily, and Colin. It was really nice just to talk with each other and pray together and I really enjoyed it.

The rest of the day the electricity was out so we just hung out at the house waiting for 3 to arrive. Brett, the Emilys, Katie, and I played a bunch of different card games. We also went to the market. We went to a different market then we usually go to, called Good Price. At this market, if you get caught stealing, you have to take off your clothes (leaving on your underwear) and take a picture of yourself holding the things you tried to steal. They then post it on the doorway for everyone to see. It was funny and sad at the same time.

At 2 we packed and loaded up the vans and headed out for Luwero at around 3. The drive was pretty short. We arrived in Luwero at around 5:30, after stopping under a covered gas station for a while because it was raining on all of our stuff. My stuff got a little wet in the rain, but it was alright.

Once we arrived at the primary school we were staying at, we unpacked our stuff, set up our tents and hung out with the kids. We got there after the children had gotten out of school, but all of them stayed around the school so that they could greet us. Some of the kids had gotten out at lunch time and waited at the school for almost 6 hours! They also did a little performance and sang some songs for us, it was so cute!

After setting everything up, we ate some dinner and played with the kids. We also had another dance party around the campfire. The kids danced with us this time, and it was a blast. I hung out with two boys for most of the night. One of them was named Sirius. Actually, his name was Silus, but when he first told me his name I thought he said Sirius, like Sirius Black from the Harry Potter series. Since I am obsessed with Harry Potter, I refused to call him anything but Sirius for the rest of the week. Sirius thought it was hilarious, thought I was hilarious, and followed me around like a shadow for the rest of the week. So much so that most of the other people in our group called him Shadow instead of Silus or Sirius. He was one of the cutest four year olds I’ve ever seen.

The other boy I hung out was a boy named Martin, who looked to be about 10. Martin was deaf. I have taken 2 sign language classes, so I know a teeny, tiny bit of American Sign Language. Once Martin figured this out he tried to talk to me a lot in sign language. Unfortunately, American Sign Language is a bit different from Luganda sign language, so I was really only able to tell him everyone’s name and we also made up sign names for everyone. Despite my inability to communicate effectively with him, he seemed to really enjoy it.

Emily and I opted to sleep in the tents again on this trip. There is something about sleeping outdoors that I actually kind of enjoy. This time, we were the only girls sleeping in tents, so we volunteered to take the smallest one. It was a really small two person tent and when I laid all the away out, my head touched one end and my feet touched the other. I have no idea how the boys slept in there during Gulu.

July 2nd

Last night it rained a little. Our tent is a bit less waterproof than it was in Gulu, so our feet got a little wet, but we survived. The school also has lights that turn on automatically at night. The lights we so bright that I woke up several times in the middle of the night and thought it was morning, so needless to say, the sleep I got wasn’t great.

After a quick breakfast we spilt up into 4 groups and went and built goat sheds for four Empower a Child sponsor children’s families. My group’s house was literally right behind the school we were staying at, so it was a quick walk.

Today we cleared out the garden where we were building the shed and dug 6 2 foot deep holes for the main poles We then had to carry the poles and the bamboo sticks for the walls about ½ mile from another building site. After carrying everything, we realized that we didn’t have enough poles or bamboo so we had to go into the jungle and cut down more poles.

I cut some down whole tree branches in the jungle with a machete. I’m pretty sure that makes me ready for some kind of gang battle or mafia showdown.

That last statement probably could not have been further from the truth, but I am pretty sure that my dad would have been pretty proud of how tough I looked.

After our trek though the jungle, we came back and put up the poles and then filled in the holes with rocks and dirt and packed them. After finishing the main frame for the goat shed, we called it a day and headed back to the school.

Tonight when we played with the kids we taught them the hookie pokie and the chicken dance and they loved it. I also gave Sirius my old keep away mosquito bracelet when I changed into a new one. We then had matching bracelets. I’m pretty sure he thought it was the coolest thing ever. He has started following me around so much that he now has a plate prepared for him at every meal because everyone knows he is coming.

I would take him home in a second if I could.

We had another dance party tonight around the campfire and after Sirius had to go home for the night and cleared out my lap another kid fell asleep in my arms. It was the cutest thing ever. I love how trusting and open all the kids here are.

July 3rd

I had another night of restless sleep which wasn’t helped by the 6:30 wake up to go work on the goat sheds again. We first had to put the reeds (which made up the wall) and tie them to the main poles with banana fibers. We then had to fill the reed walls with rocks. Afterwards, we made mud which was a ton of fun.

Making mud consists of digging a hold, getting the dirt wet (from water carried in jerry cans from about ½ mile away) and mixing the dirt with our feet until it turns into pasty mud. Its similar to making wine from grapes, only more dirty and less sticky I imagine.

Afterwards, we mad mud balls and threw them against the wall so that it would stick. It was outrageously messy but outrageously fun. While we were making the walls, Douglas hammered on the roof, and at around 4, our goat shed was finished.

After all the groups had finished their sheds, we went to a local college (high school) to play sports and present the Gospel. As it turns out, the college was a Muslim one, so we got some pretty dirty looks during the presentation, but Kevin did a great job and at least some seeds were planted.

After our songs and presentation we played an actual game of 11 vs 11 soccer against the school’s soccer team. It was my first time to play a real game here versus the usual street soccer. As usual, I was the only girl and as usual everyone was stunned by the fact that a girl was playing football.

For a while, the boys wouldn’t pass to me, which I automatically assumed was because I am a girl. As it turns out, I am retarded because I was wearing the other’s team’s jersey color and never put a penny on. Once that problem was solved the game went pretty well, we lost by 2 to 1. We also had a good time playing volleyball and American football afterwards. I also talked to a boy named Robert for a while about America and school and his plans for the future. He was the same age as me and going to school to be an accountant.

I think before I came to Africa I thought Africans were going to be a lot different from me. More and more I am discovering that we really aren’t that different.

After dinner Emily and I did the dishes, which turned out to be a lot harder without the comforts of a water container and the sink in Kampala.

Or a dishwasher for that matter, but I’m starting to think those don’t exist in Uganda.

After dishes Amanda, Brett, and Emily and I talked about where we are on our walk with God and things we are struggling with. It was a really great talk despite the fact that I almost froze. It was the first time I have been legitimately cold to Africa. We finished our talk by the campfire before heading to bed.

July 4th

This morning we were woken up early by a woman screaming, crying and moaning which I complained about until I discovered that it was because her 14 year old daughter had died in the middle of the night from malaria.

Then I felt outrageously guilty.

I was also heartbroken for the family. While simple malaria medication could have helped her, the family couldn’t afford it, so they went to a witch doctor instead. I’m not saying that it was his fault that he died, but he definitely didn’t help her any.

I know that people die in Africa (and around the world) every night, but it’s the first time that the poverty in Africa causing deaths has been real to me. It was really very sad.

After a quick breakfast we went to each of the goat sheds we had built and prayed for the families and the sheds and the goats. Then we spilt up into small groups and went around the city to go door to door and share the Gospel with people. My group was really a partnership consisting of me and Benon.

The first house we went to was a family of five. The dad spoke a little English and told me and Benon that he was a Christian, but still also practiced some witchcraft. We talked with him and prayed for him and his family.

The second house we went to there was only two young girls around 12 and 14 home. We talked with them for a while and presented the Gospel and then we prayed with them to accept Christ. Part of me thinks that they were only accepting Christ to make the white girl happy, but it was still pretty cool and regardless of whether or not they truly accepted, at least a seed was planted.

The third house we went to was a mom and her 3 children. She had a 5 month old baby that was smaller than any newborn I’ve ever held in America. The mom told us that the baby has been sick since she was born. The mom was a Christian, so we spent some time talking with her and praying for her and her children.

The final house we went to was an old Ja-Ja with a lot of her grandchildren. After talking to her we discovered that 4 of her 5 children had died over the past 6 years. Her only remaining daughter had moved into her house with her. This left her and her daughter to take care of her daughter’s 3 children and her 18 orphaned grandchildren. In case you’re doing the math, that’s 21 kids. The woman cried while she told us her story. We offered her some words of encouragement, talked with her and prayed with her. I really wish there was more we could have done for her.

After that house we headed back to the camp, ate lunch and then went and prayed for the family who had lost their daughter, packed up the vans and headed home. Once we got home we did some research on the party at the US Embassy and discovered that it was for US citizens only. We didn’t really want to celebrate the 4th without our British and Ugandan friends, so we decided to throw our own celebration at the house.

The boys and I went and got firewood and marshmellows and we made s’mores and had a bonfire. Tara also made homemade apple crumble and we got ice cream at the super market. Even though it wasn’t the celebration we expected, it was still a good time.

July 5th

This morning we woke up and went to church at the Watoto church in Kampala. I’m going to be honest and say that I wasn’t a fan at all.

Part of it was because the service was completely commercialized. Every time they played a video I literally felt like I was watching a TV commercial.

Part of it was also because I felt really sick. I had to leave the service twice because I thought I was going to throw up. It case you’re curious, both times I just dry heaved, but I still felt pretty miserable.

When we got home I ate some crackers and rice and drank some Sprite and I felt a lot better so I decided to go to Garden City and watch Transformers 2 with everyone. I thought it was good, but I also thought the first one was better, and the romantic scenes were super cheesy.

The best part of the movie was that we got to bring Jovan along. Jovan is a neighbor boy that lives behind our house. Yesterday I had talked up fireworks to him and got him really excited about going and than we had to tell him that he couldn’t go. I felt really bad about disappointing him, so I paid him for to go see Transformers and got him some popcorn. He loved it.

When we got home around 8:30 my nausea was back. I also felt really light headed and had a headache at the same time if that’s possible. In short, I felt miserable. So I went to bed. I don’t think I have gone to bed that early since the age of 7. I woke up around 10 to say good bye to Louise and then went straight back to bed.

July 6th

This morning I felt much better when I woke up. I think I got so tired from the village trip and not sleeping well that my body just started to shut down. The sleep made me feel so much better.

This morning we went and spent the morning at Sanyu baby’s home. I did treatments on the usual kids. Susan, the German therapist, was there for the last time, but I feel pretty good about doing treatments on my own. Being here has definitely given me more confidence in my therapy skills.

After Sanyu we got went home and ate some lunch and had our planning meeting for the week. We then hung out at the house for a little while before going to Kampago College. Instead of going to Kampago, I went with Emily, Vanessa, Amy, Jan, and Katie to a nearby squatter’s house and played with the children there. We also sang song and made bracelets with them. They loved us and sang us songs and walked us back to Kampago. It was a really great time and I can’t wait to go back.

After we got back, I went to Tommy to the local clinic, which is literally right across the street. Tommy got hit in the eyebrow with Kevin’s head when they hit a giant speed bump while driving and he had a really deep (but small) cut from it. Since I’ve become the house medical expert for some reason, I looked at him and told him that it was probably deep enough to need stitches and that I would go over there with him to make sure that they cleaned it up right.

It was definitely an interesting experience. They ripped off the band aid that was on there so it gushed blood. They then refused to give him any sort of anesthetic because “he is a man and wouldn’t need it”. After finishing the stitch, they cleaned the wound with hand sanitizer. I felt bad because I kept on asking the doctor questions and making him justify his actions, but I wanted to make sure Tommy was taken of. I think I made him feel really self-conscious, because after he completed the stitch and cleaned the wound he had me come and inspect his work.

He accidently sewed part of the gauze into the stitch and had to pull it out, so I wasn’t very impressed.

After we got home we played some cards and ate some dinner and then things got really interesting.

There is a girl named Katie who got here right before we felt for Luwero. She is allergic to soy, which we already knew, but I don’t think we realized how allergic she was.

I causally walked back into our room to take out my contacts to find Katie sitting on the bed and Brett and Jen trying to get her attention. Right as I walked in, she passed out onto the floor and started shaking. Brett and I picked her up and put on laid her on the floor and covered her with blankets (at this point, we didn’t really know what was going on with her). We also went and got Jessie who is a nursing student. I tried to call 211 (the emergency number here) but the server was busy, This Is Africa. Around that time, Katie stopped shaking and breathing, Jessie started doing CPR and I sprinted across the street to get the doctor on duty.

The doctor across the street really pissed me off at this point. I ran into the clinic and said, “Hi there is a girl across the street who isn’t breathing and we can’t get a hold the emergency number to work, can you please come?”

To which he responded, “Well I don’t really know if I’ll be able to do anything.”

To which I said, “You’re a freaking doctor so you are the best we’ve got.”

He and the nurses then had a pretty in depth discussion about which nurse should go with him, so I yelled, “It doesn’t really matter someone just needs to come now!”

The doctor then took the hand of one of his nurses and the two of them literally walked like they were having a date along a boardwalk to our house.

At multiple times during their romantic walk I turned around and yelled, “She wasn’t breathing when I left could you please hurry?” I’ll also be honest and admit that I cursed a few time under my breath. The sense of urgency that needed to be there was definitely not!

When we got back to the house the “doctor” asked us to move Katie outside and I found Katie’s phone and called her mom. I talked to her mom just long enough to confirm that Katie was having an allergic reaction and to figure out what medicines we needed to give her before the phone I was on ran out of minutes.

It took me about 5 minutes to find another phone with minutes, so I’m sure I gave her mom some sort of heart attack/hernia.

By the time I was able to call her mom back, Katie was coming to, so I was able to give her mom some good news.

A little while later, Katie felt good enough get up and move from outside into her bed. We all felt so relieved. I’ll be honest and say that even though I think I did a pretty good job of keeping my cool, it was the most scared I’ve been in a while.

About 10 minutes after we got Katie into bed, the newest volunteers, a married couple (Nathan and Shawna) and another girl named Rachel came. We were all so grateful that they didn’t come any sooner. Can you imagine how nuts that would have been and how badly we would have scared them?

Needless to say, tonight was a crazy night. I can, however, happily say that Katie is currently watching Aladdin with me, Brett, Emily, Diane, and Andrew, so I’m pretty sure she’s made a full recovery.

Hopefully tomorrow won’t be so eventful!

Busy saving lives,
Jenna