Home Safely

I am kind of at a loss for words. How do I put into words the depth of our experiences in Uganda? So many things happened the last week we were there – rafting on the Nile (which we are thankful to have lived to tell about), continued service working with the kids at Mercy House and in the slums of Katanga, treating our Come Let’s Dance friends and Jennie Otte to a “fancy” dinner, Prayer Mountain, the house where we were staying being robbed, the building of new friendships and the strengthening of old ones. Now, being home, I look back on this trip as being the most adventurous one that I have ever taken. It was good, hard, life giving, depleting, joyous, challenging, and overwhelming to name a few. I truly have a new found admiration and respect for those who give their lives in full time missionary work…and find joy in it. I am glad I went, but I am glad to be home. Thank you for all your prayers and words of encouragement. We truly appreciate them and each one of you. Please continue to pray for those who are living and serving in Uganda with Come, Let’s Dance. They are wonderful, amazing people and need all the prayers, encouragement, and support we can give them. Thanks again and may God draw you closer to His heart this day.
Tanya

Winding Down

Chady and I had wondered at the beginning of our trip what our purpose was in visiting CLD and Nansana at this time. There were only two of us and we didn’t really have any big plans. We were just going to encourage those at CLD, play with the kids, paint, and be used by God in whatever way He saw fit. Even though I am still not completely sure of why we were there, I know that God knows. He gave us a glimpes of His purpose. We were encouraged to know that we had been an encouragement to those we were staying with at CLD. That was an answer to prayer. Also, knowing that from the beginning, God had orchestrated this trip, we trusted that He knew the greater plan. I believe that He has done more than we will know. I could sense the spiritual aspect of life SO intensely while over there. I know there was a lot more going on than we could just see. Praise God that He is in control…

We were able to meet up with Jennie Otte and take her out to dinner with all of us. Hearing some of what she has experienced in the last year while living in northern Uganda was so amazing and overwhelming. It was so evident in her story and just our daily life in Uganda that we are all alive by the grace of God…nothing more. Sometimes it was overwhelming and at other times so joyous. It is something that I had heard about Africa before I went – the extremes: the joy, the sorrow, the love, the hate, the beauty, the ugliness. Life in Africa…we only experienced it for a short time, but I am truly grateful for the opportunity.

Rafting on the Nile

Chady, Laura (a new addition to the CLD team), and I decided to go white water rafting on the Nile this week. So exciting! Eunice, another of The Girlz from CLD, was our guide as we made our way to crazy downtown Kampala, found our taxi, and headed off to Jinja for a day and a half of R&R. We arrived in Jinja in the late afternoon and hung out at a local coffee shop, shopped a little, and then had a very nice dinner sitting outside with the cool breeze soft on our skin. I found that I could take a deep breath and start to relax after the constant chaos of Kampala/Nansana. Even though I enjoyed the people and place that we were staying in Nansana, I found that the constant noise, crowds, feeling of being on defense for the unexpected was very tiring for me.

As Eunice headed back home to Nansana, the three of us found our way to the campground where we were to stay before heading out for rafting the next morning. The Nile River is amazing! Wow! And we were able to see the source of it. God has made such beautiful things…as well as people. All those that we met while in Uganda were wonderful and friendly. Even most strangers, after greeting them with a smile, were ready to chat and share a smile in return. Rafting was an experience of a lifetime. Not only to be on the Nile, but the first of five class 5 rapids that we came to, we flipped and hit rocks. The thought ran through my head, “I am going to die.” But, fortunately, it was not my time (or anyone else’s) to go. After some time in the first aid boat, we continued down the river. Not five minutes later on the next class 5 rapid, we flipped again. That was enough for me. We finished the trip, but some of us opted to walk a few of the remaining class 5 rapids. Fortunately, there were no broken bones or permanent damage, but Chady and I are still recovering from some pretty large bruises and bumps.

We made it back to Nansana that evening, but I was kind of out of commission for the last few days of the trip since my knee was pretty banged up and I couldn’t bend it without pain. I ended up going to the doctors to have it checked out. Chady, the amazing trouper, hardly complained and continued working at the kids house finishing painting and also spending another day working with the kids in the Katanga slums. Part of me felt bad to be laying around on our last few days there, but another part of me was thankful for the rest. I decided that since I couldn’t do anything physical, I could spend my time praying.
Tanya

Visiting the Hospital

Our second (and last) week in Uganda continued to be as eventful as the first. We visited the one of the local hospitals and spent time in the infant ward where we prayed with the families over the children, gave out balloons & stickers, colored, and made fun little things with colored pipe cleaners. The minute we brought out the little red balloons and the color books and crayons, there was a small gathering of mothers and babies around us. The mom’s seem instantly cheered by the little things we brought. It was good to see them smile after feeling the heaviness of worry in the room. Also, being able to pray with them was an amazing experience. Feeling the power of prayer and knowing that God was listening and answering was overwhelming. I was with Florence, one of The Girlz from Come Let’s Dance, and as she prayed in Luganda and I prayed quietly, even though I didn’t understand what she was saying, I know that God was working.

Play-Do and Day Care in the Slums

Tanya and I have spent a couple mornings in the slums just doing day care with the kids. The first day was overwhelming when we tried to hand out sweeties and stickers – all the kids just crowed around. Luckily there were a couple older children around to help the kids take turns form lines!

One day Tanya & I made homemade play-do to bring to the slums for the kids. We set up stations for play-do, books and coloring. At first the kids had no idea what to do with the play-do – luckily I only saw one kid who attempted to eat it! They seemed to have a lot of fun, were laughing and cheerful! The kids were so much more calm the day we played with play-do.

Painting at the Mercy Children Home

Painting seemed like it should be an easy task. Tanya & I realized that although we had a vision of what we wanted to paint for the children we think God had more planned for us. This two day process started with walking for about 30 minutes (round-trip) to gather water at the local well so that we could wash down the exterior walls that were caked with red dirt. The first time gathering water was good – the children gather water two times a day. Julie is currently working with a friend to potentially drill some water wells at the children’s home. One of the things they are waiting on is funding for the wells $5,000 to $10,000 per well.

We had a couple of children help us wash down the dirty walls - our rags barely held up! (the next day we decided to purchase brushes!) All the children were very anxious and willing to help us paint the base coat of paint on the walls. By the end of the day all the children showed markings of paint. The paint here in Uganda is just a bit different than in the states – it does not rub off, but requires Paraphin to remove (at the end of the second after being paint stained we decided to buy the Paraphin and it was marvelous!).

For the second day of painting Tanya & I ventured off on our own for the first time! (taxis, botos, shopping for paint at the local 8x10 ft shops – we had to go to about 7 stores to buy and find the supplies we needed today) By the time we arrived at the kids house it was already close to noon – the pace of life here is so much slower and relaxed.

All the kids were very excited to help us wash the remaining walls and paint. Tanya had a great idea of beautiful educational mural for the children. But, we ended up letting the kids create most of the artwork and drawings. They were so excited and wanted to show us their creations! The wall turned out much differently than we expected, but it was beautiful!

These children so want to help and take ownership of their projects!

Visit to the Women’s Sew Shop

Just a short walk from the slums ‘Come, Let’s Dance’ has opened a sew shop for ladies to try to make money to support their families. The women arrive early in the morning, are provided breakfast and lunch and can bring their children along with them. They are compensated on a per item basis. They make aprons, uniforms, beaded necklaces from paper, etc. Ideally it would be nice if they could get contracts with local schools to provide uniforms, but they are not consistent enough with producing goods. Currently the sew shop is not fully self-sustaining, but the hope is that eventually it will be!

They attempted to show Tanya & I how to make the paper beads. It appeared easy. But, we found out that it takes a lot of time to make just one bead that is perfectly symmetrical and balanced. The ladies were so very patient, gracious and helpful!

A couple days later we helped bring three of the children (Julius, Johannie and Hannah) from the Mercy Children’s Home to stay with their mother who lives in the slums and works in the sew shop. Hopefully they will eventually be reunited permanently.

Visit to the Slums

I was a little intimidated to visit the slums - unsure of how safe it would be. But, sometimes it is good to step out of your comfort zone to fully experience life and what God has planned for you. I was later shocked at how safe and welcoming the people in the slums were!

When we arrived at the church (visually all the buildings and houses look like make-shift shacks, but they are truly homes to these people – no running water and no electricity), Jeremy was working with one of the locals help them set up a micro business. This 20 year old guy from Colorado has spent most of the last year building relationships with the people who live in the slums and it is amazing to see the impact he has made – person by person. They were working out of a mead notebook writing down the necessary supplies, estimated costs – sitting on wooden benches on a dirt floor with a group of people gathered around to absorb the conversation.

Mama Flavia, older lady, is one of the local ladies who lives in the slums that Jeremy has helped get on her feet. She graciously welcomed all 9 of us into her ~10x10 house. The interior of the house was decorated in full with skateboarding magazine pages! She was abandoned by her husband and moved to the slums. Jeremy loaned here enough money to start up her micro business of making somosas, (basically triangular tortillas filled with peas/beans – also very delicious), japote, etc. Amazingly she was able to pay off her loan within two months! She was such a joyous and happy lady – totally amazing given the physical circumstance she has been placed in – you could definitely tell that she had the Spirit of God in her heart.

Shakirah, a 20-year old, also welcomed us into her new house. I believe that ‘Come, Let’s Dance’ helped her pay off her 10x10 home in the slums so that she and here family would not have to struggle. I believe she is managing/renting two other homes in the slums to make ends meet. Florence, one of the Ugandan girls who is helping to guide us, went to school with Shakirah. Shakirah’s husband basically fell a couple stories down from a construction site and is not able to work. He has pain and some brain injuries. Shakirah has two adorable children Emma (3-year old boy) and Ester (1-year old girl). She also told us her story and that she was close to leaving her husband and children because life was so hard and she did not know if she could make it through everything. She patiently prayed to God to help her and her family. Amazingly Jeremy came along with such energy and helped her to get on her feet financially and was able to encourage her to continue living through her struggles. Such an amazing example of love, patience, perseverance, trust and total reliance on God.

Visit to the Farm and a Local Village

This year, Come Let’s Dance had the opportunity to purchase close to 21 acres of farmland. They had to give ~3 acres to their squatter neighbors as an appeasement. It was great being out in the country not surrounded by all the noise and clutter. They have a group of engineers, etc. coming later this fall to help design the best use of the land. Currently they have 3 locals from Nansana staying on the property to build a bunkhouse. Here is a picture of the outhouse well – I have no idea how they were able to dig such a big hole manually!

We walked to Mama Victoria’s house, up the hill from the farm. She was very glad to see us. She pulled out a mat to place under a tree for some of us to sit on. I could tell that she was in pain. And then she pulled over a log to sit on herself. Julie later mentioned that she had never seen Mama Victoria so uncomfortable. We visited with her and I ended up giving her my whole bottle of Advanced Tylenol for her pain – thank God for healing me! Maybe Mama Victoria will have a little relief. Mama Victoria thinks her pain was caused by years of digging (basically gathering natural food in the local fields) – not an easy life, but you could tell that she was a joyous, bubbly lady amidst the hardness.

We stopped by a couple other neighbors and delivered sugar and ‘sweeties’ for the children. As we left the last house it down poured…perfect timing!

Walk in Nansana

We are staying in Nansana, basically a suburb of Kampala. We are very fortunate that we have running water and electricity. As Tanya and I walk along the red, dirt road with huge cervices we realize that most everyone is outside (houses are fairly small). There is laughter, crying and talking in the air. People are giving children baths in small plastic basins, ladies are braiding each others hair, children are playing small soccer games in their front lawns, children are carrying huge, yellow plastic jugs of water on their heads or sometimes have 5-6 jugs tied to a bicycle that they are pushing down the road. Although the area would be considered poor by American standards, you can definitely sense a strong bond between the people and a strong sense of community.

All the while the children shout ‘Mazungu’ which means ‘Hello, white person.’ Everyone is very friendly and respond to our greetings of ‘Hello” or “Oliettia”. Tanya stopped to play with some of the children while I talked to a lady who was ready to deliver her child – I think she was walking to help induce labor.

Visiting the Mercy Kid’s House

We had our first experience with public transportation today (very few people in the area we are staying have personal vehicles). On later trips we will realize that you can fit more than 20 people in a four-row mini-van. The trips typically cost between 500-800 shillings ($1 = 1,600 shillings) so it is quite cheap. We then took a boda boda (motorcycle) from the Wakeso Taxi Park to the Children’s Home, which cost 1,000 shillings. This ride was a little intimidating at first with no helmets, but we feel safe and it was a great way to see the countryside and locals!

When we arrived one of the older children was cutting a jaka fruit for the younger children. A large group of kids gathered around in anticipation of the treat. Later we ate a lunch of beans, rice and chapatti (tastes like a cross between a crepe and a tortilla – so delicious!) – the older children prepared the meal. We sat on the cement floor with 6 of the young toddlers. It was amazing how self-sufficient they were. They ate with their fingers and left their bowls completely clean! They then wandered off to explore. The only other adult around to take care of these children was ‘Mother Margaret’….most of the kids were home on holiday from school so in total there appeared to be 40-60 children.

Mercy Children’s Home was founded by a local minister and his church to take care of children who were abandoned or whose parents are not able to support their family. The organization we are staying with “Come, Let’s Dance” has come along side this local church to help support their ministries. Some of the kids have parents who are in the process of trying to become self-sufficient so that eventually they can take the children back in to their family. There are situations where the parents are unknown – two little boys Jackson (3 years old) and Jordan (1 year old) were abandoned along the side of the road in Nansana (the town we are staying) and the local pastors brought them to Mercy Children’s Home. There appears to be a strong family and community bond with a care-taking mentality – so I think it is fabulous that the ultimate goal is for the families to eventually bring the children back into their original home. So many times in typical orphanage situations the parents would quickly turn their children over so that the kids would have a better life – guaranteed food and a good education. I believe that all kids have to pay school fees to attend school here in Uganda. We just spent the afternoon talking with some of the high-school children, playing with the younger kids and holding babies. Jeremy, our guide, started up a game of soccer with the boys. These kids just need a lot of loving!

Arrived Safely

hi all =)
chady & i made it safely to kampala last nite after about 20 hours of travel. we arrived in the dark so haven't seen very much of the city, but it is good to be here. phew! we met some of the people that work at the come, let's dance houses. they have all been very kind and welcoming. the weather here is pretty mild - not as hot as i would have imagined on the equator. the air here is definately thicker with moisture than in denver. i awoke this morning to the sounds outside our window - birds chirping, a child crying, someone singing, and some others talking. walking along the road to come & type this, we passed houses built of bits of wood & steal, small gardens, small piles of trash, small shops with items lining the shelves. the air of burning trash hangs faintly in the air. many of the children along the road from the house called out greetings to jeremy who is our "guide" today as julie is in jinja talking to someone about digging a working well at the children's home. please be in prayer that this negotiation and the finances work out for them. after sending out our emails (which is infinately slower than even dial up at home - a test in patience - we were warned of this...), we will be heading to the children's home for much of the rest of the day. we are glad to be here and are so thankful to you for your love and prayers. we'll type again soon. tanya

On our way...

As Chady & I prepare to leave for Uganda tomorrow morning, I am filled with such excitement for this trip. God has provided beyond what we could have asked for or imagined both financially and in words of encouragement, support, and prayers. But I also feel a burden of the reality of this trip. It will not be a “pleasure cruise” and part of me is unsure as to what God has in store. So, with my feet on the ground and my head in the clouds, I look forward to experiencing the things that only He can bring. I know that He has a purpose and plan for this time, even if I am somewhat unsure of what that might be.

We are going to be working with Come, Let’s Dance in Kampala spending time with the kids in the displaced children’s home, working in the slums, and just helping out wherever they need it. The trip feels a little nebulous because we don’t have specific activities planned for each day, but, to be honest, I prefer it that way. Being open to God’s timing and schedule gives me a hands-off feeling, trusting that whatever He brings our way is what is needed at the time. I am so looking forward to interacting with and building relationship them. I am hoping and praying that we will be a source of encouragement to those at CLD, and even to those that we meet along the way. Also, we are hoping to meet up with Jennie Otte and spend some time with her before she returns to the states.

We will be posting blogs as often as possible to keep everyone updated on what is happening. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers and feel free to respond to the postings. Words of encouragement are always accepted and appreciated. =) May each of you find joy in this day, knowing that the God who created you did so with a purpose. May the joy of the Lord be our strength.
Tanya