GRACE
This is Grace (left) Last year I went with the social worker to a slum to do some analysis on orphans in need. I met Grace here. She had nothing and no parents to take care of her. she was timid and looked sad. I fixed the zip on her old waistcoat and I remember her smiling. Being back this year I have been so excited, Grace was chosen to come and be part of the Village of Hope. She has a house, a bed, a mother figure and a lot of new brothers and sisters! SO happy to see her again and in her new life of stability and love!TRIP TO THE CAPITAL
And no we didn't sensibly think to buy spare strings for the dodgy unreliable guitar we drove miles to find...
Left: Jeff with the new fan. There isn't a story behind it but I think he looks adorable in his bright orange cardigan.
SWIMMING LESSONS AND FISH EYES FOR DINNER
One day at Home of Hope disability home, we met a girl called Amina. She is deaf. She took us to a wall where the alphabet was painted and taught us the sign language alphabet which was really interesting and good to learn.
Amina is beautiful and always giggling. I asked her to come along to the pool with us that weekend as we were taking some other people there for a break (Edith from Home of Hope and Juliet and Sam who run the guesthouse.
She had never swam or been in a pool in her life. It was so interesting to watch how she reacted as I held her hands and guided her through the water. By the end she went down the slide and splashed around enjoying using my waterproof iphone camera.
Juliet also has never swam and it was hilarious watching Will teach her what to do. Less humorous when she dragged me down with her, drowning me...
We all enjoyed a meal together afterwards, the Ugandans all ordered Tilapia, a huge fish which looks as if it's just been caught, scales, eyes and everything (eyes are apparently the tastiest bit according to Edith). And they loved it, eating every tiny bit right down to the bone. We settled for burgers ;)
Left: Edith, Juliet and I - two extremely hard working women who we took out for a day off
Right: Amina, Sarah and I. Amina is part of Home of Hope because she is deaf. This was her first time swimming!
EMOTIONAL
During the dark journey home in the car, we drove past Kampala University, Jinja campus. From past experience I know and have visited the slum which is right behind this University building.Sitting in the car picturing and thinking about those people, especially children, struggling with limited light, usually no bed, small mud homes, hungry and thirsty for clean water, and knowing it was happening right there and then, brought tears to my eyes. The worst part about being in Uganda for me is seeing so much desperate need and knowing that I can't change everything, so many lives, and end the suffering and poverty. It is hard but I suppose if we can help even just a few people to feel loved then our time here is well spent.
I also got emotional at Home of Hope disability home this week. I was sat on the floor with the kids all around me. I love each of them so much, their individual personalities are amazing and I no longer see their disabilities but just their joy and smiles. I was playing music through the big speakers which I got using your donation money from last year. They actually use this every day and the children LOVE it. They all dance in their own way with the limbs they are able to use. It brought me to tears just looking around at these children who I love, seeing them so happy despite not being able to walk/talk or move like we can. I feel like they are all my family and I feel so privileged to be able to help care for, feed, change and spend more time with them!
For anyone who has me on Facebook, towards the end of last year I posted a prayer request for a little boy at Home of Hope, Waswa. He has hydrocephalus (build up of fluid on the brain so enlarges head) and cerebral palsy. He got so sick and was admitted into hospital and I was told it was likely he would not last more than a week. This broke my heart as I thought I would never see him again. The thought of him suffering was horrible. He is already constantly straining, always has his arm and leg muscles tensed and finds it hard to breathe and thats on a daily basis without him being 'sick'.
The response from everyone was great and so many people prayed for him. I am sooo happy to say that I have been able to hold Waswa again and he is so much better. Thank you for all your prayers and thank you God for keeping him safe!
Above: Waswa out of hospital!
For those who haven't read my posts from my previous trip, I talked about how disability is viewed in Uganda. People with disabilities are seen as the very lowest in society. They are believed to be cursed or bewitched. If a woman has a disabled child she is actually encouraged to pray for the child to die. It's heartbreaking hearing how the children are found before they are brought to Home of Hope. Some tied up in a yard and left. Some babies are dumped in the road and left by the parents. Some found eating rubbish from the street or worse... And some girls in particular are even used to make money by guardians who send men in to abuse them. After talking to quite a lot of Ugandans, I've learned that dumping or giving away babies is a lot more common here than back home. Poverty can lead to difficult or impossible situations and desperate choices, it's just so sad that a child's life can begin with separation from it's parent. It's awful that these children are already suffering with being less able than other people but are then cast out of society, leaving them with such small hope for life.
HARD LIFE AND REAL HARD LIFE
I heard a story this week that really puts things into perspective. My friend Luke who lives out here told me he knows a man who works for the Barclays bank in town. He is a security guard so stands outside with a gun all day at the entrance. He works from 6am to 6pm every single day. Not only does this mean he is working almost al of the daylight hours, but he also rarely sees his wife and children. In fact he sees them every 5 months. I just find this heart breaking that he is working so hard purely to fund his family and pay the school fees. It's awful to think that we complain about our day to day lives and work. Our jobs generally allow us to have a life around them so that we are able to think that each shift is worth it because life outside work is still there and we can fund it. It makes me realise how privileged we are to be in such a comfortable lifestyle and maybe that I should think twice before moaning about insignificant problems!UGANDA
We are hoping to go on safari towards the end of our trip. I feel so privileged that we are able to do that and see some amazing African animals. I am absolutely loving being in Uganda. God has really put it on my heart; the people, the atmosphere, and just how beautiful the country is. I look around and see so much colour: red soil, blue sky, green bush, palm trees, so much wildlife, and in the sky there are always huge birds of prey soaring above me. I love seeing more of God's creation and being able to take in how amazing different parts of the world are. Oops I could rave about Uganda all day...
SUNDAY
Sunday was really special. We have several boda (motorbike) drivers that we use regularly and call then when needed. Will's driver Charles invited us for Sunday lunch at his home. We had no idea what to expect. No idea what his house would be like, or what we would eat... We worried that we would be given unboiled water to drink or a meal that our Mzungu (white person) stomachs couldn't tolerate.Anyway, we arrived with our gift of a bag of sugar (this is seen as a good gift here - I think in future at home, we will turn up with bags of sugar to dinner parties...) and greeted the family. Charles has a wife, Justine, and three children, Jehoram, 15, Gemima, 10, and Joash, 1. After they showed us exactly which verse in the bible each name came from, we sat and made ourselves comfortable.
The minute baby Joash was carried into the room, he took one look at the three white grown ups staring at him and waving and burst into tears. He clearly likes us.
Left: Happy looking Joash... at least he wasn't crying anymore because I was a scary white person...
Right: The main room of the family home where we are and sang around the keyboard!
A massive answer to prayer, dinner was self service and so we could determine our portion sizes (Ugandans PILE on mountains of food onto guests plates usually). It was also SO lovely, Justine had really thought about what to cook. There was rice, potato, G nuts, Eggplant, cabbage, carrot, pork, pineapple and banana. We decided maybe one of the nicest meals we have eaten here! Plus they had even bought bottled water for us to drink. This all may sound quite normal and what you would expect, but bare in mind this is a family that collectively earn around £6 per day, have to pay rent and their children's school fees. They felt it a real honour for them to have us visit their home but for us it was an honour to be invited in and see where they live. It is basically one lounge room and one bedroom for the whole family, but they had made it so homely and warm.
After eating the amazing meal, we sat and talked about life and learned more about each other which was so interesting. Then Charles brought out the church keyboard which he looks after.
It was such a special time. We sat and all sang worship songs together for two hours, in English, Luganda, and Swahili, learning new songs as well as singing old (Lord I lift your name on high). It is beautiful to see how music can bring people together, removing conversation language barriers and enabling a time of fellowship. So lovely!
Above: Charles' family and us
We also prayed for them before we left. The family really touched our hearts. So many men here in Uganda leave the woman to do literally everything. They work all day and expect the woman to look after the kids even when they are home. In many (not all) cases couples are together for the convenience. Seeing Charles with his family was beautiful. He takes every Sunday off to spend time with his family. He helps to look after the children and shows affection to them and his wife. It was so lovely to see the family so united and there was such a loving atmosphere. It was obvious that they all love Jesus too, especially during singing.
It made me realise this is what this trip is about. Building relationships. Slotting into the community and learning what life is like here. Learning about the culture. Getting to know the people.
Thank you as usual for your huge support and prayers, we are praying for you too! It's been great to spend each morning together as a three doing daily devotions and praying for people at home, as well as asking God to continually show us what He wants us to do with each day. Sorry there is so much to read! Here's a sign which made me smile in Kampala. X
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