The presidential elections went fairly well. The incumbent won, which was to be expected and things remained fairly peaceful, with just a few small problems in some areas. However last Wednesday the Mayoral elections were held and then postponed due to rioting in the city. There were rumors of ballot boxes being stuffed and lots of corruption. The police stepped in and the riots were fairly small and contained. There was some tear gas and shots fired, but things calmed pretty quickly and it was not near my home. I only heard of the rioting through some locals who work at the Center of Hope with me. All of that to say that school did not resume last Thursday, so my schedule did not go back to normal until today. I am very blessed by the time I had to to spend with youth kids and also with my teacher friends from Heritage who were on break. I love relationship building and a whole lot of that happened in the last couple of weeks or so.
The Mayoral elections have been rescheduled, but I don't know for when. News does not travel fast here and rumors move as quickly as the truth. Whenever they are though, there is sure to be more rioting so I invite you to continue praying for peace in Uganda.
I've mentioned the Ackers and the Sudanese guys before and I got to spend plenty of time with them over break. I asked each of the guys if I could interview them and get their life stories first hand. The truth is, I know the general stuff on all of them, but nothing very specific except for with Lino because of the amount of time I spent with him last time. I would like to point out that it is a huge deal that these guys trust me enough to sit down and share their lives with me. It's a gift from the Lord really because it does not happen often that Africans open up and make themselves completely vulnerable... and these guys have lots of darkness in their past that they don't love to talk about let alone have to think through. I'm blessed by the gift of relationships with each of these extraordinary guys. So far I've only been able to sit down and get three of their stories because the other ones are back in boarding school, but they've agreed to sit down with me next time they are home. I'm not sad that I didn't have time to get stories from all of them within a week because it is emotionally draining to sit and hear these stories.
Obviously I've promised them that I wouldn't share their stories with others, so I can't go into any details. However sitting through tails of being a child soldier, being an orphan, and the way life is/was in Sudan is one of the hardest things I've done in my life. It's heart breaking, gut wrenching, and more horrific than most people can imagine. After the first story I wasn't sure that I wanted to hear anymore, but the Lord has prompted me to do this and He's given me the ability to befriend these guys so I'll keep going. I'm not even sure what I will do with the stories once I have them all written out, but I guess that's for God to decide. Luckily my new iPod has a recorder on it so I won't miss out on any of the details while I take a break from hearing and writing. I feel like this is a huge ministry and doors are continuing to open with these guys. Many are Muslim, some don't really believe in anything. They are such a burden on my heart right now and I would love for you to join me in praying for their souls. Pray for more opportunities to arise to just sit and talk with them, to show them the love of Christ. Some hearts are so hard right now it seems impossible, but God is sovereign and so much bigger than that.
Other than that, I'm still loving my class at the Center of Hope. I love teaching these beautiful people and I love the new relationships that are forming. The Wednesday night worship service grew from 10 to 20 within a week, praise the Lord. The people that are coming are from all different religious backgrounds. What a huge ministry and a huge opportunity to show Christ. Would you join me in praying for this worship service?
This past Saturday was a new friend's birthday, so a bunch of us piled into a van and drove down to Entebbe to spend the day at the lake. Of course we couldn't go in the water, but just being out of the city and sitting on the sand was really refreshing. It was nice to catch up with old friends and hang out with new ones. Mostly it was a nice opportunity to relax. I love being at the beach... I love it even more when you can actually swim though. :) We found a nice beach front place that served food, had music, and had plenty of people swimming and enjoying the water. It's always fun to watch an extreme game of soccer being played while little kids are splashing each other like crazy. The sunset on Lake Victoria is beautiful. Unfortunately I didn't even think about taking pictures, but rest assured that this is not the last weekend I'll be there! :)
I think that it's from me today. I've got to go substitute for some one's English class at the Center now. I hope you're all well these days!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Uganda Elections and Nicodemus the Goat
As most of you are aware, yesterday here in Uganda the polls opened and millions casted their votes for the presidential election as well as some smaller elected roles. The most dramatic vote, being the presidential vote. President Museveni, the current president, has been in power for 25 years and is campaigning for another 5 years. People who were alive during "the wars" are afraid of change as they've seen so much bloodshed and are afraid that someone new might bring more. Mr. Museveni has kept the peace in Uganda for the most part, but of course there is still corruption. The opposition has promised protests if he is defeated, and these protests are almost certainly going to turn violent. I read the local newspaper this morning and with about 15% of voting stations reporting, Museveni has about 73% of the vote. Even though such a small number of the votes have been tallied it's almost a guaranteed win for the president. Museveni has vowed to keep everything peaceful, even saying he will throw the opposition and any protesters in prison if they try and create an uprising, however the tension in the air is thick.
I went down to the school yesterday to play soccer with my Sudanese friends (mainly watch them be crazy, aggressive). There is a polling place nearby and I could hear crowds demonstrating and chanting. I'm not sure how peaceful it stayed because shortly after it started, we left. The point is that when the winner is announced (Sunday at 5pm, 8am Central time in the US) there could be major rioting. Police and military presence is strong right now, but after reading about Egypt I'm not convinced that even they have the ability to keep things calm. There have been some small problems around the country already at polling places yesterday, but so far the death count is low. School has been out since Wednesday and is scheduled to resume this Wednesday pending peaceful election results.
What does all this mean for me? It means a sort of lock-down is in place. Since Wednesday my travel has been limited to my side of the hill. This means I can go hang out with my teacher friends, play at the school, and teach at the Center of Hope. We were told to stock up on food and water in case we can't leave our homes once announcements are made. So I have enough food to last a while, work to do, and movies to watch. Today I am allowed to go over to Buziga which is where my friends, the Ackers live and play volleyball and games with them and their 8 Sudanese guys. Being cooped up is no fun, so I'm really looking forward to hanging with them.
I will do my best to keep you all updated as to what's happening. Even as I type this I don't have electricity and communications are rumored to be shutting down so I will do my best. I may not be able to update for a while. Just know that if anything big does happen, I'll be safe on my compound. Please pray for peace in Uganda and all of Africa. Pray for safety and rational thinking.
Pray also for the refugees who are often persecuted during this time more so than other times. I have recently started working with the Center of Hope (centerofhopeug.org) which is run by the Ackers. I'm teaching an English course focused on reading and writing. My students are refugees from about 5 different countries. I've really enjoyed teaching so far and my plan is to be around the Center helping in whatever way I can as much as I can. The goal is to build relationships, invest in hope, and share Christ. Please join me in praying for the students (of all ages) at the Center of Hope, for the teachers, and for Refuge and Hope International. I am also leading a weekly worship service for the refugees at the Center. Many come from various religious backgrounds, but Jade and Shelah wanted to offer a time to worship the true King of Kings. So a friend and I have stepped up and are in charge of leading that every Wednesday evening. Pray for hearts to be changed and souls to be won.
In other news... I bought a baby goat! I know you're wondering why on earth I would do something like that, so I'll tell you. There are so many people, neighbors and friends, who go without food everyday. A decent sized goat is a treat and will feed someone for a long time. I bought a baby goat because I have really been wanting a pet and I think baby goats are just adorable. I'm not allowed to keep a pet because the mission doesn't want the responsibility of finding it a home once I leave. So I chose to get a goat to raise and love and then when I leave I will give it to someone in need of food. Maybe sounds a bit sick and twisted, but if I want to have a "pet" there needs to be some reasoning behind and I think my reasoning is pretty solid. Nicodemus (Nico for short) is living next door to the Ackers at my friend, Hussein's place. There is plenty of grass and leaves for him there and Hussein feeds him a bottle of milk twice a day.
My journey to get Nico is a bit entertaining and I thought I'd share it with you all. First of all you should know that when I get an idea in my head I have to see it through and see it through as soon as possible. So early Wednesday morning I arranged for Hussein, the Acker's guard to come to town with me to purchase Nico. Not only does he know his way around better, but he obviously speaks Luganda, knows many different markets to look for livestock, and can get a better price because he's Ugandan. So I went to pick him up from the Acker's and while waiting for him, discovered that Lino was awake. Knowing that Lino, being a big dude would be a good asset to bring along even though he doesn't speak Luganda, I asked him to come. Normally I am good with traveling on my own, but being election week I felt safer with him there as well as Hussein. Luckily he was off of school.
So we got into my vehicle and headed to town. At least I thought we were going to town. With Hussein directing me we ended up in an industrial area at a slaughter house and not in town at the big market. I was appalled. This was not my first time at a slaughter house and to be honest I'm a big fan of meat so it doesn't bother me that much, but I was expecting a LIVE goat! We pulled in and were greeted by the sight of many cows and goats hanging from hooks and being chopped to pieces. Not what I had in mind when I thought of goat shopping. I clarified with Hussein that I wanted a live goat and he said he knew what he was doing. So, he and Lino got out and talked to some guys and then went to see what they had to offer. About 10 minutes later Lino came back to the vehicle and started describing one of the goats that had yet to be slaughtered that day. It turns out we arrived a bit too late to save any babies, but there were older ones available. Lino led me to where the live goats were, but I was not impressed. They were too big and I wanted a baby goat to love. So the guy said he would go check again. As we waited we took a picture of our adventure thus far...
We didn't have any luck finding a baby goat, so we traveled on. Keep in mind that being election time, I needed to be home as early as possible so as to avoid any demonstrations in town. It was recommended that I be home no later than 10am. Well on our way to the huge open air market in town, Owino, we got stuck in a huge traffic jam for about an hour. One of the main roads was closed and many people were out and about preparing for the election. It was stand still and wall to wall traffic. A traffic jam in Kampala means fighting with animals, people, vehicles, bikes, and motorcycles. If you stop paying attention for a second you end up in some sort of a wreck. Finally traffic started moving a bit and Hussein was able to direct me to Owino market (I would normally just take a boda and not have to worry about driving). Once in front of Owino, chaos ensued. A thief came running out of the market, followed quickly by pursuers. In situations when crowds and mobs begin to gather the best thing to do is leave. However I was stuck in a vehicle, in a traffic jam with no way out. As the mob began to shout and beat the man I began to panic a bit. I didn't want to be around when the man was killed and it was way unsafe for me to be anywhere near an angry mob. Things heighten very quickly here. Next to me, Lino started to get very anxious and began telling me that we had to get out of there right away. He knew they were going to kill the guy, and he knew that I needed to be out of there. Having a couple of big, strong African guys begin to panic only increased my own anxiety, as things like that don't always phase them because they've seen worse. Lino kept his eyes on the crowd, I keep mine on the road and maneuvered my way out of there. About 50 yards from the mob were police, not paying attention, just directing traffic. It was incredibly scary and I'm so glad I wasn't by myself. Once behind Owino the streets were still packed, my adrenaline was still pumping, and it was hard to concentrate on anything good after seeing the man being beaten. Hussein got out of the vehicle to ask around about goats. Lino and I waited while angry shop owners shooed my vehicle from stopping in front of their shops. Once again, I was so thankful to have Lino with me and that I wasn't sitting alone waiting for Hussein to come back to the vehicle. Finally he returned and said that there wasn't anyone willing to sell a baby goat. He suggested that we go home and get up earlier the next day to go back to the slaughter house. Lino spoke up and mentioned trying another market close to where we live where he and the guys had bought a goat to slaughter for a celebration last year. So despite being a bit traumatized I agreed to going to another market. Luckily Ggaba market is out of downtown, away from traffic, close to home, and much quieter. We got to the market and Hussein once again left the vehicle in search of someone willing to sell a baby goat. We went all around and most said they weren't selling. Finally there was one more place we hadn't tried. I pulled over, Hussein and Lino both got out, talked to the lady, and then called me over. She had agreed to sell one to me for $55. I asked Hussein to tell her that I would not pay that much and that I didn't want the (mzungu) white person price. We got her down to $30, and I got my goat!
Here's Lino untying him...
And here I am, exhausted, 3.5 hours later, holding Nicodemus
Riding with Lino on the way to his new home...
Finally, here are a couple videos of Nico at his new home
I went down to the school yesterday to play soccer with my Sudanese friends (mainly watch them be crazy, aggressive). There is a polling place nearby and I could hear crowds demonstrating and chanting. I'm not sure how peaceful it stayed because shortly after it started, we left. The point is that when the winner is announced (Sunday at 5pm, 8am Central time in the US) there could be major rioting. Police and military presence is strong right now, but after reading about Egypt I'm not convinced that even they have the ability to keep things calm. There have been some small problems around the country already at polling places yesterday, but so far the death count is low. School has been out since Wednesday and is scheduled to resume this Wednesday pending peaceful election results.
What does all this mean for me? It means a sort of lock-down is in place. Since Wednesday my travel has been limited to my side of the hill. This means I can go hang out with my teacher friends, play at the school, and teach at the Center of Hope. We were told to stock up on food and water in case we can't leave our homes once announcements are made. So I have enough food to last a while, work to do, and movies to watch. Today I am allowed to go over to Buziga which is where my friends, the Ackers live and play volleyball and games with them and their 8 Sudanese guys. Being cooped up is no fun, so I'm really looking forward to hanging with them.
I will do my best to keep you all updated as to what's happening. Even as I type this I don't have electricity and communications are rumored to be shutting down so I will do my best. I may not be able to update for a while. Just know that if anything big does happen, I'll be safe on my compound. Please pray for peace in Uganda and all of Africa. Pray for safety and rational thinking.
Pray also for the refugees who are often persecuted during this time more so than other times. I have recently started working with the Center of Hope (centerofhopeug.org) which is run by the Ackers. I'm teaching an English course focused on reading and writing. My students are refugees from about 5 different countries. I've really enjoyed teaching so far and my plan is to be around the Center helping in whatever way I can as much as I can. The goal is to build relationships, invest in hope, and share Christ. Please join me in praying for the students (of all ages) at the Center of Hope, for the teachers, and for Refuge and Hope International. I am also leading a weekly worship service for the refugees at the Center. Many come from various religious backgrounds, but Jade and Shelah wanted to offer a time to worship the true King of Kings. So a friend and I have stepped up and are in charge of leading that every Wednesday evening. Pray for hearts to be changed and souls to be won.
In other news... I bought a baby goat! I know you're wondering why on earth I would do something like that, so I'll tell you. There are so many people, neighbors and friends, who go without food everyday. A decent sized goat is a treat and will feed someone for a long time. I bought a baby goat because I have really been wanting a pet and I think baby goats are just adorable. I'm not allowed to keep a pet because the mission doesn't want the responsibility of finding it a home once I leave. So I chose to get a goat to raise and love and then when I leave I will give it to someone in need of food. Maybe sounds a bit sick and twisted, but if I want to have a "pet" there needs to be some reasoning behind and I think my reasoning is pretty solid. Nicodemus (Nico for short) is living next door to the Ackers at my friend, Hussein's place. There is plenty of grass and leaves for him there and Hussein feeds him a bottle of milk twice a day.
My journey to get Nico is a bit entertaining and I thought I'd share it with you all. First of all you should know that when I get an idea in my head I have to see it through and see it through as soon as possible. So early Wednesday morning I arranged for Hussein, the Acker's guard to come to town with me to purchase Nico. Not only does he know his way around better, but he obviously speaks Luganda, knows many different markets to look for livestock, and can get a better price because he's Ugandan. So I went to pick him up from the Acker's and while waiting for him, discovered that Lino was awake. Knowing that Lino, being a big dude would be a good asset to bring along even though he doesn't speak Luganda, I asked him to come. Normally I am good with traveling on my own, but being election week I felt safer with him there as well as Hussein. Luckily he was off of school.
So we got into my vehicle and headed to town. At least I thought we were going to town. With Hussein directing me we ended up in an industrial area at a slaughter house and not in town at the big market. I was appalled. This was not my first time at a slaughter house and to be honest I'm a big fan of meat so it doesn't bother me that much, but I was expecting a LIVE goat! We pulled in and were greeted by the sight of many cows and goats hanging from hooks and being chopped to pieces. Not what I had in mind when I thought of goat shopping. I clarified with Hussein that I wanted a live goat and he said he knew what he was doing. So, he and Lino got out and talked to some guys and then went to see what they had to offer. About 10 minutes later Lino came back to the vehicle and started describing one of the goats that had yet to be slaughtered that day. It turns out we arrived a bit too late to save any babies, but there were older ones available. Lino led me to where the live goats were, but I was not impressed. They were too big and I wanted a baby goat to love. So the guy said he would go check again. As we waited we took a picture of our adventure thus far...
We didn't have any luck finding a baby goat, so we traveled on. Keep in mind that being election time, I needed to be home as early as possible so as to avoid any demonstrations in town. It was recommended that I be home no later than 10am. Well on our way to the huge open air market in town, Owino, we got stuck in a huge traffic jam for about an hour. One of the main roads was closed and many people were out and about preparing for the election. It was stand still and wall to wall traffic. A traffic jam in Kampala means fighting with animals, people, vehicles, bikes, and motorcycles. If you stop paying attention for a second you end up in some sort of a wreck. Finally traffic started moving a bit and Hussein was able to direct me to Owino market (I would normally just take a boda and not have to worry about driving). Once in front of Owino, chaos ensued. A thief came running out of the market, followed quickly by pursuers. In situations when crowds and mobs begin to gather the best thing to do is leave. However I was stuck in a vehicle, in a traffic jam with no way out. As the mob began to shout and beat the man I began to panic a bit. I didn't want to be around when the man was killed and it was way unsafe for me to be anywhere near an angry mob. Things heighten very quickly here. Next to me, Lino started to get very anxious and began telling me that we had to get out of there right away. He knew they were going to kill the guy, and he knew that I needed to be out of there. Having a couple of big, strong African guys begin to panic only increased my own anxiety, as things like that don't always phase them because they've seen worse. Lino kept his eyes on the crowd, I keep mine on the road and maneuvered my way out of there. About 50 yards from the mob were police, not paying attention, just directing traffic. It was incredibly scary and I'm so glad I wasn't by myself. Once behind Owino the streets were still packed, my adrenaline was still pumping, and it was hard to concentrate on anything good after seeing the man being beaten. Hussein got out of the vehicle to ask around about goats. Lino and I waited while angry shop owners shooed my vehicle from stopping in front of their shops. Once again, I was so thankful to have Lino with me and that I wasn't sitting alone waiting for Hussein to come back to the vehicle. Finally he returned and said that there wasn't anyone willing to sell a baby goat. He suggested that we go home and get up earlier the next day to go back to the slaughter house. Lino spoke up and mentioned trying another market close to where we live where he and the guys had bought a goat to slaughter for a celebration last year. So despite being a bit traumatized I agreed to going to another market. Luckily Ggaba market is out of downtown, away from traffic, close to home, and much quieter. We got to the market and Hussein once again left the vehicle in search of someone willing to sell a baby goat. We went all around and most said they weren't selling. Finally there was one more place we hadn't tried. I pulled over, Hussein and Lino both got out, talked to the lady, and then called me over. She had agreed to sell one to me for $55. I asked Hussein to tell her that I would not pay that much and that I didn't want the (mzungu) white person price. We got her down to $30, and I got my goat!
Here's Lino untying him...
And here I am, exhausted, 3.5 hours later, holding Nicodemus
Riding with Lino on the way to his new home...
Finally, here are a couple videos of Nico at his new home
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Kikongo Village Children
Free entertainment as we waited for our vehicle... maybe I was the entertainment?
Island Adventures
In my last post I mentioned the orphan project that I had begun working on and a possible trip out to Buvuma Island. Well, I made the trip and got everything done that needed to be done, but not without some very hectic events taking place. Join me as I recall my adventurous trip to Buvuma Island.
The day began early, well early for me. I woke up at 6:30am on Wednesday and got ready to head down to Heritage International school where I would catch a ride out to Jinja. Thankfully the school had planned the high school spiritual retreat to Jinja around the same time I was needing to get there for my project. A free ride is always nice! Upon arriving at the school I was blessed to be reunited with many students and meet new ones. I hopped on one of the buses and was joyfully crammed in with my knees in my chest and my bag on my lap. I sat next to an old colleague and friend, Francis and thoroughly enjoying the 2 hour ride, reminiscing and catching up on life. What a joy! Once we got to Jinja I called the missionaries who were hosting me for the next few days and told them I was in town. They were busy finishing up work, so I was able to spent some blessed time with the youth for the beginning of their retreat.
After some time I was picked up and introduced to Brenda and Michael Guilliams and their little son, Luke. After we had some lunch I rested for a bit and then we went to Amani Baby Cottage, where Brenda has been serving as a nurse. We spent a few hours there seeing and treating adorable orphaned babies and toddlers. When we got home from Amani we had dinner and then went to bed pretty early in preparation for the next day out on the island. I did some reading out of the book of Mark, stopping at "Jesus calms the storm" so that I would definitely remember where to pick back up the next day.
So Thursday morning I awoke well rested and anxious to get out to Buvuma so we would have enough time to get everything done. After driving down towards the shore, parking the vehicle, and then walking to the shore we found the boat motor being difficult and not willing to work properly. The plan was to head to the Island with Pastor David (a Ugandan pastor who has been trained by WGM and now does pastor trainings out on Buvuma Island) and Michael Guilliams as it is improper for a single woman to travel with a man. David was already on the boat working with a mechanic to try and get the motor running. After about 30 minutes of just sitting on the shore we were told to board the boat. Now that all sounds simple and easy, but in reality it's a bit awkward. (The water around the shore of Lake Victoria is contaminatied with a disease called Bilharzia which is carried by snails. It's a fairly serious disease, but there is a pill available if you think you've been infected. The medicine will make you violently ill if you indeed have the disease, if not you'll feel fine.) Anyways, all of that to say that there are men on the shore who are either immune or don't care and they carry you to the boat so you don't have to walk through the water. So the first guy had Michael on his shoulders and carried him to the boat. The next guy who was to carry my wasn't a very big guy so I asked him if he was sure he wanted to take me and he said he was, so he scooped me up because I was wearing a skirt, and carried me to the boat like a baby. So awkward, but it is what it is.
After sitting on the boat for some time it became apparent that the engine was not going to start, so David made some calls and we rented a much smaller boat for about $10. WGM has a smaller motor that was working, so we put it on the boat and off we went about an hour and a half after our scheduled departure time. The ride to Buvuma Island in the normal boat is about a two hour ride. It only took us about and hour and twenty minutes with the smaller boat. The lake was calm, the sun was beating down, and the sights were breath taking. I entertained myself by listening to some Selah on my iPod and looking for crocodiles and hippos. It felt like home somehow.
With a smile on my face we arrived at Buvuma Island, hopped up onto the "dock" and walked up to the school where we were greeted immediately by the head mater, Joseph. After some customary greetings, I explained what needed to be done and we got right to work. My job was to get pictures of all of the orphans along with some basic information in order to assist in getting them sponsored. I had already made up and printed out a form with a space for photo number, name, age, gender, and grade level. Each of the teachers were given a stack of the info cards and they wrote out the student's info, gave the card to the student, and then the students lined up for me to take their picture and write their photo number so as not to get the wrong face with the wrong info. It was a very fast process and I was very surprised at how well the whole ordeal went. After all of the pictures were done being taken, the headmaster gave me a tour of the compound because there had been so much forward progress since the last time I had visited the school. All in all we were only on the island for about 2 hours when I had thought it would be an all day project.
(Any moms out there should not read any further.)
We boarded the boat and began our journey back to Jinja. The sky was still clear and bright, my still wintry, pale skin was beginning to turn red, and the lake was friendly. We ventured a bit close to the island as I wanted to look for crocodiles, but we were on our way. Up ahead we could tell that there was a storm, but it looked like it was closer to the mainland than on the lake. Well about 45 minutes to an hour into the trip the waters woke up and began to stir. The clouds overhead became menacing and a wind that would have made lesser men (or women) sea sick took control. I tightened my grip on my bag which contained all of the info, two cameras, and my ipod, and held onto my seat for dear life. The boat began to chop through the waves and jump and crash over some as the smaller engine worked to keep us moving forward. The mainland was in sight, but the water between where we were and the shore was anything but safe and inviting. And the the engine stopped. The boat was swaying violently, I was drenched from the rain and lake water rushing into the boat. David was calling for help from the back of the boat. The motor had come loose and jumped off the boat and David was holding onto it for dear life. Michael went back to try and assist, but the motor was too heavy for the men to lift and the waves were not helpful. Water was rushing into the boat.
In the distance there was a boat passing by. I steadied myself a bit, stood up and flailed my arms about to try and grab their attention. They kept going past us. Just when I thought we were going to have to swim to the nearest shore, filled with crocs, the boat turned around. With the help of some of the men from the other boat they were able to lift the motor out of the water. A waterlogged motor doesn't start so our only other option was to sit and wait for someone to come get us, or ask these men to tow us. The men said they would tow us back to the mainland, but not where we had entered the water. Where they wanted to tow us was almost exactly where we left Buvuma from. The mainland wraps around, but taking a boat is faster in getting to the island which is why WGM travels by boat more often than not. So with our fuel as payment the men began to tow us through the waves back to some kind of shore. The towing system was a man in our boat holding a rope and a man in their boat holding the other end. Not the best system, but what do I know? Soon the men began asking for more payment. What better payment than making a white woman one of their wives? I was not thrilled about that suggestion and began to feel a bit unsafe as we were being watched.
Following a larger boat meant dealing with it's wake. There were moments when I was absolutely positive that we were going to flip. I'm a good swimmer and probably could have made it over to one of the islands, maybe not without losing an arm or my life to a known man-eating crocodile, but Ugandans aren't avid swimmers. Most don't even know how to doggy paddle. So even if I made it, David probably would not. I don't remember the tears starting to flow because I was soaked from head to toe, but I remember being terrified enough to think that I was going to die that day, in the middle of Lake Victoria. I was not being dramatic, just very realistic. I texted some people on the mainland asking for prayer and letting them know our situation in case anything did happen.
As I was sitting there, body tensed, holding onto the boat as the waves tossed us to near capsizing with every hit, I thought of what I had been reading in John. And then it occurred to me that I stopped reading right before the story of Jesus calming the storm. So with tears streaming silently down my face I prayed, "Jesus, I know this is cliche, but I really need you to calm this storm. Jesus, you've done this before. Calm the storm."
Almost instantly the wind died, the waves went back to sleep, and the sun was once again burning my skin. I didn't jump up or even say a word, but sat silently praising God because it was all that I could do.
We finally reached land and thus began the debate on more payment. The other men were being gross about women and even saying things to me, but I just couldn't pay too much attention to them because I was focused on stepping foot on land. After some time payment (not me, praise the Lord) was agreed upon and the men were off. Even though they were offensive and rude, God used them to probably save our lives that day. Pray for them as they were mainly Muslim men.
We finally jumped out of the boat, waded through a bit of diseased water, and were on the shore of a small village. My white skin was quite the spectacle, especially for the village children. We waited in the village for about 2 hours while someone was on their way to pick us up. The children were a gift from the Lord and I couldn't help but laugh as smile as they played. I spoke what little Luganda I do know to them and they laughed and laughed at the fact that a mzungu (white person) was speaking their language. If the internet is working fast enough I will upload a short video of the children here on the blog, but if not check out my facebook profile as I was able to get it on there.
Our vehicle arrived and we drove home over some of the most beautiful landscape I have ever seen. It was safe and peaceful inside of the vehicle even with the crazy unstable roads, animals and children darting into the dirt road, and bodas flying past. God is good.
When I awoke the next morning I was anxious to get back to the retreat, hang out with the youth, and put the previous day permanently behind me. I got to the retreat early enough to worship with everyone, hear the speaker, hang out with a new friend, visit with my old youth kids, laugh, have lunch, and just relax. Amazing. We departed Jinja for Kampala, got to the school by 3, and went home from there ready to crash for a long night's sleep.
The End.
Thanks for all who prayed for the trip. God answered your prayers. Please continue to pray for those orphans, for more sponsorships, and that we would never have to turn another child away because of lack of funds.
I would also appreciate prayer for my health. I was exposed to bilharzia, but don't know if I have it. The chances of me having it are small, but I really don't want to take the medicine and be violently ill from it. I hate throwing up so the thought of doing it for days is terrifying for me. It's a wonder I didn't barf on the boat from the waves. Praise the Lord. Praise God for His hand of protection. Please let me know how I can be praying for you.
The day began early, well early for me. I woke up at 6:30am on Wednesday and got ready to head down to Heritage International school where I would catch a ride out to Jinja. Thankfully the school had planned the high school spiritual retreat to Jinja around the same time I was needing to get there for my project. A free ride is always nice! Upon arriving at the school I was blessed to be reunited with many students and meet new ones. I hopped on one of the buses and was joyfully crammed in with my knees in my chest and my bag on my lap. I sat next to an old colleague and friend, Francis and thoroughly enjoying the 2 hour ride, reminiscing and catching up on life. What a joy! Once we got to Jinja I called the missionaries who were hosting me for the next few days and told them I was in town. They were busy finishing up work, so I was able to spent some blessed time with the youth for the beginning of their retreat.
After some time I was picked up and introduced to Brenda and Michael Guilliams and their little son, Luke. After we had some lunch I rested for a bit and then we went to Amani Baby Cottage, where Brenda has been serving as a nurse. We spent a few hours there seeing and treating adorable orphaned babies and toddlers. When we got home from Amani we had dinner and then went to bed pretty early in preparation for the next day out on the island. I did some reading out of the book of Mark, stopping at "Jesus calms the storm" so that I would definitely remember where to pick back up the next day.
So Thursday morning I awoke well rested and anxious to get out to Buvuma so we would have enough time to get everything done. After driving down towards the shore, parking the vehicle, and then walking to the shore we found the boat motor being difficult and not willing to work properly. The plan was to head to the Island with Pastor David (a Ugandan pastor who has been trained by WGM and now does pastor trainings out on Buvuma Island) and Michael Guilliams as it is improper for a single woman to travel with a man. David was already on the boat working with a mechanic to try and get the motor running. After about 30 minutes of just sitting on the shore we were told to board the boat. Now that all sounds simple and easy, but in reality it's a bit awkward. (The water around the shore of Lake Victoria is contaminatied with a disease called Bilharzia which is carried by snails. It's a fairly serious disease, but there is a pill available if you think you've been infected. The medicine will make you violently ill if you indeed have the disease, if not you'll feel fine.) Anyways, all of that to say that there are men on the shore who are either immune or don't care and they carry you to the boat so you don't have to walk through the water. So the first guy had Michael on his shoulders and carried him to the boat. The next guy who was to carry my wasn't a very big guy so I asked him if he was sure he wanted to take me and he said he was, so he scooped me up because I was wearing a skirt, and carried me to the boat like a baby. So awkward, but it is what it is.
After sitting on the boat for some time it became apparent that the engine was not going to start, so David made some calls and we rented a much smaller boat for about $10. WGM has a smaller motor that was working, so we put it on the boat and off we went about an hour and a half after our scheduled departure time. The ride to Buvuma Island in the normal boat is about a two hour ride. It only took us about and hour and twenty minutes with the smaller boat. The lake was calm, the sun was beating down, and the sights were breath taking. I entertained myself by listening to some Selah on my iPod and looking for crocodiles and hippos. It felt like home somehow.
With a smile on my face we arrived at Buvuma Island, hopped up onto the "dock" and walked up to the school where we were greeted immediately by the head mater, Joseph. After some customary greetings, I explained what needed to be done and we got right to work. My job was to get pictures of all of the orphans along with some basic information in order to assist in getting them sponsored. I had already made up and printed out a form with a space for photo number, name, age, gender, and grade level. Each of the teachers were given a stack of the info cards and they wrote out the student's info, gave the card to the student, and then the students lined up for me to take their picture and write their photo number so as not to get the wrong face with the wrong info. It was a very fast process and I was very surprised at how well the whole ordeal went. After all of the pictures were done being taken, the headmaster gave me a tour of the compound because there had been so much forward progress since the last time I had visited the school. All in all we were only on the island for about 2 hours when I had thought it would be an all day project.
(Any moms out there should not read any further.)
We boarded the boat and began our journey back to Jinja. The sky was still clear and bright, my still wintry, pale skin was beginning to turn red, and the lake was friendly. We ventured a bit close to the island as I wanted to look for crocodiles, but we were on our way. Up ahead we could tell that there was a storm, but it looked like it was closer to the mainland than on the lake. Well about 45 minutes to an hour into the trip the waters woke up and began to stir. The clouds overhead became menacing and a wind that would have made lesser men (or women) sea sick took control. I tightened my grip on my bag which contained all of the info, two cameras, and my ipod, and held onto my seat for dear life. The boat began to chop through the waves and jump and crash over some as the smaller engine worked to keep us moving forward. The mainland was in sight, but the water between where we were and the shore was anything but safe and inviting. And the the engine stopped. The boat was swaying violently, I was drenched from the rain and lake water rushing into the boat. David was calling for help from the back of the boat. The motor had come loose and jumped off the boat and David was holding onto it for dear life. Michael went back to try and assist, but the motor was too heavy for the men to lift and the waves were not helpful. Water was rushing into the boat.
In the distance there was a boat passing by. I steadied myself a bit, stood up and flailed my arms about to try and grab their attention. They kept going past us. Just when I thought we were going to have to swim to the nearest shore, filled with crocs, the boat turned around. With the help of some of the men from the other boat they were able to lift the motor out of the water. A waterlogged motor doesn't start so our only other option was to sit and wait for someone to come get us, or ask these men to tow us. The men said they would tow us back to the mainland, but not where we had entered the water. Where they wanted to tow us was almost exactly where we left Buvuma from. The mainland wraps around, but taking a boat is faster in getting to the island which is why WGM travels by boat more often than not. So with our fuel as payment the men began to tow us through the waves back to some kind of shore. The towing system was a man in our boat holding a rope and a man in their boat holding the other end. Not the best system, but what do I know? Soon the men began asking for more payment. What better payment than making a white woman one of their wives? I was not thrilled about that suggestion and began to feel a bit unsafe as we were being watched.
Following a larger boat meant dealing with it's wake. There were moments when I was absolutely positive that we were going to flip. I'm a good swimmer and probably could have made it over to one of the islands, maybe not without losing an arm or my life to a known man-eating crocodile, but Ugandans aren't avid swimmers. Most don't even know how to doggy paddle. So even if I made it, David probably would not. I don't remember the tears starting to flow because I was soaked from head to toe, but I remember being terrified enough to think that I was going to die that day, in the middle of Lake Victoria. I was not being dramatic, just very realistic. I texted some people on the mainland asking for prayer and letting them know our situation in case anything did happen.
As I was sitting there, body tensed, holding onto the boat as the waves tossed us to near capsizing with every hit, I thought of what I had been reading in John. And then it occurred to me that I stopped reading right before the story of Jesus calming the storm. So with tears streaming silently down my face I prayed, "Jesus, I know this is cliche, but I really need you to calm this storm. Jesus, you've done this before. Calm the storm."
Almost instantly the wind died, the waves went back to sleep, and the sun was once again burning my skin. I didn't jump up or even say a word, but sat silently praising God because it was all that I could do.
We finally reached land and thus began the debate on more payment. The other men were being gross about women and even saying things to me, but I just couldn't pay too much attention to them because I was focused on stepping foot on land. After some time payment (not me, praise the Lord) was agreed upon and the men were off. Even though they were offensive and rude, God used them to probably save our lives that day. Pray for them as they were mainly Muslim men.
We finally jumped out of the boat, waded through a bit of diseased water, and were on the shore of a small village. My white skin was quite the spectacle, especially for the village children. We waited in the village for about 2 hours while someone was on their way to pick us up. The children were a gift from the Lord and I couldn't help but laugh as smile as they played. I spoke what little Luganda I do know to them and they laughed and laughed at the fact that a mzungu (white person) was speaking their language. If the internet is working fast enough I will upload a short video of the children here on the blog, but if not check out my facebook profile as I was able to get it on there.
Our vehicle arrived and we drove home over some of the most beautiful landscape I have ever seen. It was safe and peaceful inside of the vehicle even with the crazy unstable roads, animals and children darting into the dirt road, and bodas flying past. God is good.
When I awoke the next morning I was anxious to get back to the retreat, hang out with the youth, and put the previous day permanently behind me. I got to the retreat early enough to worship with everyone, hear the speaker, hang out with a new friend, visit with my old youth kids, laugh, have lunch, and just relax. Amazing. We departed Jinja for Kampala, got to the school by 3, and went home from there ready to crash for a long night's sleep.
The End.
Thanks for all who prayed for the trip. God answered your prayers. Please continue to pray for those orphans, for more sponsorships, and that we would never have to turn another child away because of lack of funds.
I would also appreciate prayer for my health. I was exposed to bilharzia, but don't know if I have it. The chances of me having it are small, but I really don't want to take the medicine and be violently ill from it. I hate throwing up so the thought of doing it for days is terrifying for me. It's a wonder I didn't barf on the boat from the waves. Praise the Lord. Praise God for His hand of protection. Please let me know how I can be praying for you.
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