For those still reading...

I realize that I haven't written anything since I've been home, and that there is a good possibility that no one is checking this blog anymore, but I have some sad news...
Baby Moses passed away this weekend. Shelly sent me an email from Enoch and I found out he died Sunday (Oct. 19th) from malaria.


There are people that don't understand why I continue to go back to places like Uganda...well, this is why. No one should die from malaria. No one should die from dehydration. Life shouldn't be lost to hunger. But it is. Every single day. And this Sunday, it was a 2 year old boy named Moses that I held and loved. You see, I have to go back. God's love for His people doesn't allow me to stay here, but instead compels me to go and love as many as I can, for however long I can. Life and death is not in my hands, here or in another country. It is not up to me whether someone lives through a battle with malaria or is lost to it. But it is up to me to love them as much as I can.

Photos

Here's links to pictures from my trip! There's about 120 of them, so grab a cup of coffee and settle in for a look at some of the cutest kids you'll ever see.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2079441&l=438a8&id=46701991
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2079445&l=45596&id=46701991

(You'll have to copy and paste this into your browser)

What a week!!
I was proposed to by Michael, a 5 year old (really cute, I still have the bamboo ring), I had a bat in my bedroom (yes...a bat), I found out a really fun way to get a taxi driver back for overcharging b/c I'm white, and we had 16 smelly ballers out at Shiloh this weekend!

We kept Enoch's nephew and niece for a few days (Abdul and Rahia---in the picture on the left). They were so much fun! The circumstances around why we ended up keeping them aren't fun (mother just up and left), but I'm still glad they got to spend a few days with us. Between me and Alisha, I'm pretty sure they got more hugs and kisses in 3 days than they ever have!

This weekend was the match between the students and the Secondary School of the Deaf in Wakiso and our CHM boys. It was quite the exhausting experience! Feeding and housing 16 boys is a challenge! We went to their church service before the game and it was amazing to watch them worship through signing. The game was so much fun! Our boys lost (their first loss so far) but it was great. They played hard and I think they learned a lot by playing against that team. I think the boys liked getting away for a weekend too. That's something that doesn't happen often here. We had a bonfire Saturday night and though most of the talking was in Luganda, you could tell they were having fun. I got play nurse too! George William (one of the sweetest guys on the team) had an abscess on his face that we ended up having to drain. I know Mama, not everyone's a nursing major, so I won't go into too much detail, but it was amazing!

The week with the school program was different. We had some pretty heavy rains that kept some schools away and exams are this week so they won't be coming to the center. We've got Bible study tomorrow night with the older girls and then I'm doing my last first aid class Wednesday night (we decided that we'd stop trying Saturdays b/c not everyone could make it). I really hope those two nights we have left with the older girls go well. Definitely keep those nights in your prayers!

It's hard to believe there's only one week left! And time is completely relative, b/c I feel, partly, like I just got here, but then also like I've been here so much longer than a month. Shelly, Alisha and I have called it a time warp. We've got one more Saturday with our Bunga kids. Those are the one's I'll miss the most! Alisha and I don't pledge an allegience to any department on Saturdays, but instead consider ourselves to be the official huggers! It's a way better job!

I know this is a short update, but time is limited. If I don't get a chance to post another before I get back to the States, I'll post one from my apartment in good old Carrollton, GA! More to come...

**By the way, if you ever get stuck in the back seat of a taxi here (public taxi's are big vans with sliding doors) and the conductor is trying to overcharge you (there are always two prices in Uganda--the one for the locals and the one for white people) then a fun way to get him back is to stick your hand out the window everytime he opens the door and hold it so it won't close. Then, after he's pulled and pulled a few times, just let go! It'll keep him puzzled for miles and the people next to you laughing!

Life, or something like it...

I debated a lot about whether I should post this or not. If you only want to hear about the sunshine, happy moments of a short-term mission trip, you may want to scroll down to the bottom of this post, look at the pictures, and then wait for the next post. But if you want to know what it's really like sometimes, when it's not always smiles and sunshine, keep reading...

It's not fair.

It's not fair that a one year old child will grow up never knowing his parents. It's not fair that he is tossed about from family member to family member as the one he was with either dies or walks out on him. It's not fair that his he was sitting in a basin of freezing cold water while his tiny, malnourished body was fighting pneumonia--and it's really not fair that if God hadn't coordinated our going to check on him, that he wouldn't have received treatment, and may not have made it through everything.

It's not fair that Edith is at least 15 pounds smaller than her healthy weight last year. It's not fair that she is now HIV positive and is struggling to take care of 7 children on her own, since her husband passed away from AIDS. It's not fair that when she took one of her children to the doctor, he looked at her and said, "How dare you bring that boy in here looking like that! You're just showing everyone how poor you are," and now she is humiliated and ashamed to take him back.
It's not fair that a group of male teachers can watch a teenage girl get caned and then walk out of that room smiling, extending their hand to greet me as if nothing happened. It's not fair that they are so desensitized to abuse and caning that they have no reaction to it, probably because they were beaten when they were kids (which isn't fair either).

It's not fair that even though it was a last resort, she had to be caned at all. It just isn't fair.

It's not fair that all I could do while I sat outside of that room, while I heard her cry and I heard the cane hit her body, was tremble and pray for it all to stop, but that I found myself paralyzed to move. It's not fair that those men found sleep easily that night, while I laid awake, unable to stop replaying that horrible scene in my head. It's not fair that the whole scene was too soon forgotten by those teachers, while I'm sitting here, 3 days later, shaking while I'm typing this.

It's just not fair.

It's not fair that things like this happen all over the world (America is by no means exempt). But there are two ways that I can go at this point of realization---I can either stay paralyzed, shaking and trembling, or I can hug as many children as possible. I can either let a language barrier stand in my way or I can understand that some things are universal and that love is one of those things, whether in word or action. I can listen to Satan, when he whispers to me that I am useless and powerless to do anything, or I can listen to God's voice, telling me to love, no matter what I feel. I can try to forget things I've seen or heard that are unsettling or discouraging, or I can use them to remind me of why it's so important to love as much as you can, as often as you can, wherever you are.

So now, for the sunshine and smiles!

Our time at the ranch in Nakasangola was so much fun! We walked around for about 4 hours Sunday afternoon, hugging and visting so many people! We had tea with the boys at the CLA academy and spent some time at the secondary school. It was quite the reunion. Monica and Godfrey are doing so well! Monica is taller than me now (Godfrey has been for awhile). Godfrey is one year away from University and Monica is two years away. They both expressed an interest in social work. Monica and I had a really great talk. She's an incredible girl. I really think God's given her a passion for helping people, and I'm excited to see where He leads her. Godfrey has some pretty big dreams too!

We made dinner for about 14 boys Sunday night and ended the night with some intense leg wrestling matches. Not that I'm boasting (ok, maybe a little), but I beat all the boys that were brave enough to face me! It was hilarious!! They loved it! The boys that came are Alisha and Shelly's boys that they, and Alisha's family, sponsor. It was so much fun. Some of them I hadn't seen since 2005, so it was neat to see how they'd all grown! We stayed through lunch on Monday and went around and saw everyone one last time before we left. It was sad to go after such a short visit, but it was so good to see everyone.

We've got some busy and exciting stuff happening in these last two weeks!

This weekend, we're taking 16 soccer players from CHM out to Shiloh to have a match against the kids at the deaf school near Lukwange. It should be fun, but crazy. I love the ballers! They're a fun group of boys! And they're really good at soccer! They've won every match in thr tournament they're in, most of the teams being older and bigger than they are!

Then the next weekend is the Miss Uganda Pageant, which Shelly was asked to help decorate for (which means Alisha and are helping too) and we'll be attending the pageant too! It should be pretty interesting...but also crazy and busy since it falls on a Saturday (which is the crazy chaotic day at the center)! We're working on stuff for that throughout the week! Crazy!!

That's all for now! Much love from Uganda! Stay tuned...

**Oh, and I held a baby goat!!! Don't ask questions, just understand that it was a really exciting moment :)

Damp or dirty?

I can't believe I'm almost halfway through my time here in Uganda! Time really goes by fast!

Little Man (Moses) update: We took him back to his Jaja's family last Saturday. There were a few tears (on mine and Shelly's part) but the woman who we left Moses with seemed to really understand the importance of keeping him on his medicines and feeding him the porridge we left and to not bath a kid with pneumonia in freezing cold water! We're going back out tomorrow to see him and check on him. I miss him!

This Sunday, we're going to head up to the ranch in Nakasangola (where I went in 2005) and I'll get to see Monica and Godfrey (my friends that I help sponsor)! I can't wait! I'll definitely have some pictures and stories to post when I get back.

The school program is still going well! I've floated back and forth between art and drama and it's been a lot of fun! Next week, the kids are going to perform the dramas they've been working on. It should be cute! In art, they're working on paper mache fruits--paw-paws (papayas) and bananas (matoke). There are some really gifted kids in the schools!

Saturdays are just as chaotic as ever! My first aid class was a little low in attendance last week. Out of the 21 girls that signed-up, only 3 came initially and by the end we had 8. I'm hoping to have a better turn out this week, but even if there is only 8 again, its a great group of girls (Shamim, Madina, Shamirah, Annet, Anicka, Salima, Promise and Hadijah)! Last week, they tried to teach me African dances and I taught them line dances! It was hilarious! This is going to be a fun class this Saturday--wound care, splinting and burn care! It's always funny to see how excited the girls get to play with gauze and plasters (bandaids).

Not too much new to report this week! I'll have more next week! Stay tuned...

*By the way, damp or dirty refers to the debate we find ourselves in when changing underwear--do we go with clean and damp, or the same pair we've already worn?? That is the question!

Saturdays and Baby Moses!

So much to say! So little time!

Saturdays...

Since CHM now is partnering with local schools, my kids from last year only come on Saturdays. So while I'm enjoying getting to know all of the new kids in the school program, Saturday was, hands down, my favorite day! It was the best homecoming! So many hugs! It was so great to have those kids back in my arms. I am working with Uncle Elijah and Uncle Kin To in art and loving it! Elijah is working with me during the week in the evenings on my drawing. He says there is something special in my hands, but I wouldn't go that far. I'm having fun though! I'm not good at clay sculpting...no good! But the kids liked watching me try (and in the process I end up wearing most of the clay)! I'm also working with the kids in drama. We had a blast yesterday. I learned a game called "Big Booty!" I think that's one I'll bring back to the states with me. It's funny! The kids are really starting to get into acting. It's really neat to watch them open up! I'll start this Saturday with my first aid class! I have 19 girls signed up!! I'm excited (a little nervous) but excited! I think we're going to have a blast! We're even going to work in a little drama at the end of the course too! It should be great!

Now, Baby Moses (or as I like to call him, "Little Man"). The Old Testament one came in a basket down the river. Ours, came butt-naked from a bathing basin with pneumonia! Shelly started working with a few families in Lukwange around Shiloh a few months ago who had malnourished chidlren, giving them porridge and trying to get them healthy. Baby Moses was living with his Jaja (grandmother) at the time. His mother died when he was one month old, and his father passed when he was 7 months old. Then, right after Shelly started working with the Jaja, she too, passed. So Baby Moses ended up in Bulenga, a good distance from Lukwange, under the care of the Jaja's daughters. Aisha, who live in Lukwange, knew where Moses had gone and took Shelly and I yesterday to go see him. I couldn't believe it when I saw him. He is one and a half years old and weighs only 13 pounds, half the weight of what he should be. He can barely stand and cannot walk. He had a terrible cough and was getting little to no nutrition in his diet. He also had infected places all over his scalp. Shelly and I took him into town with up and the doctor said he had pneumonia and a little infection, but luckily, no malaria and thank God, he is HIV negative! He is staying with Shelly and I for five days so we can take him back to the clinic for treatments. And so we can spoil him with lots of food, love, and mango juice (his favorite)! I think I was completely in love the minute his big brown eyes looked up at me. He spent part of the night in Shelly's bed with her, and most of the morning in bed with me, wrapped up in my sweatshirt. He seems better today, and I even got a smile out of him!! I'm having so much fun with him, but after one night with a baby, me waking up everytime he coughed, moved, breathed, etc. I think maybe 5 days is enough! I'm just a bit sleep-deprived, but it's worth it!!

My sister gives me a stuffed animal monkey every summer I go somewhere to take and give to someone that makes an impression on me, and Moses has won my heart over! As soon as I gave him the monkey, Moses tried to feed him a cookie! It was the cutest thing! After breakfast I laid Moses down at the center with the monkey and he just started talking to the monkey and fell alseep with an arm around him!

That's as much as I have time for now, but I'll keep posting more as I get the chance!! Off to have lunch at the center and then to the clinic with my Little Man. Stay tuned...

P.S. I really hate mosquitos. Seriously.

Feels like home!

I finally made it! And it feels so good to be back here. I cannot tell you how exciting it was to pass through the clouds and see Lake Victoria and know that Shelly, Enoch, Alisha and CHM were only a visa and a trip to baggage claim away!
There are many things that have changed since last year--CHM moved their center to a different building (still in Bunga--just down the road from the old center). Their new center is wonderful! There is so much more room to fit all the new kids from the 12 schools that now partner with CHM. That's another new thing--there are almost double the number of kids in the program from this time last year! Which means more hugs and smiles! It's incredible how developed the different areas in the program have become! There are a few new faces on staff and it's just incredible how far things have come. The kids are really motivated and it's a fantastic thing to see. The football (soccer) program has really taken off. Before I got here, our little ones had a game against some teenagers, and our guys won!!!! Whoo-hoo! I can't wait to go see them play.
It was so good to see everyone again. All of the staff and kids!! Oh, and I even had a surprise when I was sitting in the internet cafe last night--Shamim, who has cancer, heard I was back and came to see me!! We just sat there hugging each other forever.
We are spending the night in some apartments in town this year, since gas prices are outrageous (yes, it's worldwide)! The apartments are close to the center so it's nice, especially as tired as I was last night, to just be a quick boda-boda (a cross between a vespa and a motorcycle) ride away from a bed! Tonight, after we finish at the center, we are heading back to Shiloh, where I stayed last year. I can't wait to see my friends there--Galabuzi and Sylivia--and all the work that's been done there! It's such an amazing place.
I had my first cup if African tea this morning while staring out and watching people pass through Kansanga (the town beside Bunga) and singing with Alisha (we have more fun than we probably should)! Well, off to the center for another great day! I can't wait to write you more.