So apparently I get to post one more blog from Africa as the computer at the guest house we're in right now (just chillin' before we fly out tonight) is working.
The past two days were spent in a town called Jinja. We stayed at a cute little African resort where we had a blast! We arrived in the mid-morning, got settled in our cute little safari tents (which are essentially big canvess tents with beds inside), and then decided to head off for a little 4-wheeling! We took a two-hour ATV (4-wheeling) tour all over trails around the Nile. It was wicked cool! We passed tons of small huts, great views of the Nile (pictures to come) and children who would come running out when we passed just to wave or possibly for a little high-five. Very cool!
After the ATV tour, we rode bodas which are basically scooters/motorcycles that people ride on the back of for cheap transportation. It actually wasn't as scary as I thought it would be, but as I was riding without a helmet on, I did keep thinking of what my friend Jess (the brain injury specialist) says all the time "90% of all brain injuries are preventable". Yikes! So yeah, we took the bodas, helmet-less and all, into the town of Jinja to do a little shopping. We did some battering for all our little trinkets and such - and I learned that Ryan is much tougher than I am with that! I'm such a softy- but Ryan did say later that I did a good job- so maybe I didn't do too badly.
Last night, we had dinner on a veranda overlooking the Nile (how's that for a sweet "date"!), then settled in for a cozy night's sleep in the safari tents.
This morning consisted of the scariest thing I've ever done in my life- bungee jumping over the Nile! I was going to go first and was all set to go, standing on the edge of the platform and I just couldn't jump. So I went back and sat down and let Ryan go. He did great! He made it look so easy, so of course I couldn't not jump. So I got ready again, and this time the two bungee masters, as they are called, held both of my arms and after the second countdown, they gave me a little nudge and off I jumped, screaming all the way down. As the rope recoiled I felt good for a few seconds, but then it drops you again and it's the same feeling like you're going down a hill on a roller coaster, so I screamed again! Every time I went back down, I screamed due to the funny feeling in my stomach every time! My throat hurt afterwords from screaming so loudly. And of course, Ryan felt free to laugh hysterically at my screaming. He, I just learned, is an adrenaline junkie- He jumped a total of 3 times and loved it! The third time, instead of being tied at his ankles, he wore a shoulder harness and did flips as he fell. Crazy, I tell you, just insane. This is one adventure that I can cross off my "bucket list" so to speak and I don't think I will feel the need to experience it again.
When I get home, I'll post the video on Facebook, so you can all see how ridiculous I looked flailing around and screaming :)
Tonight we're off for a midnight flight to London and then back to the US tomorrow afternoon. Looking forward to catching up with you all! Although I'm not really ready to leave Africa, I realized today how much I miss all of you!
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
Hut living
Ok, after 2 whole hearted attempts and 10 minutes of waiting for "images to be uploaded to Blogger", I decided to abort that mission for now. I'll try and upload pictures when I get home.
We just got back to Torit- the town that is the home of Phil and Linda. The trip home was not nearly as exciting. We made it in 3 hrs and 20 minutes as opposed to 5 hours, and we didn't have to stop once! Granted, we were no longer hauling a trailer as it was broken so we made good travel time - and by "good" I mean 40 miles in 3 1/2 hours :)
Our time this weekend at Logotuk (a mountainous village in Sudan) was pretty cool. There are actually villages built onto the side of the mountain- mud huts with thatched roofs. There is a single lady (Patty) who is a missionary there and a single young man (Craig) who is also a missionary there whom we stayed with (I with Patty and Ryan with Craig). They live in mud huts but they have the luxury of metal roofs :)
The huts are actually quite nice- cement floors, lighting and electricity via the help of a solar powered battery (so I was able to have a fan blowing on me all night both nights we were there!). Patty cooked some delicious pot pie and bean tortillas (complete with fresh guacomole!) for me so food was not an issue. I didn't at all mind the primitive housing as I"m used to "roughing it" while camping and backpacking.
Yesterday was a nice relaxing day which was quite needed after the hectic day of traveling the day before. We got up in the morning, meandered down the mountain to attend church which was held under a huge tree. It was peaceful and relaxing with a nice breeze. I had a hard time following the sermon due to the thick accent of the preacher, but it was peaceful just to sit and soak everything in. The children sang a few songs in their language (complete with bongos and a homemade shaker thingy for percussion). I loved just listening to them!
After church, we headed back up the mountain to Patty's for a spagetti lunch and then just sat around and relaxed and chatted. The boys headed up to Craig's hut in the middle of the afternoon so I spent the rest of the evening talking and sharing with Patty, cooking beans, making them into refried beans, making the guacamole, sour cream (which you can apparently make from a can of plain cream by just adding vinegar!) and then the tortillas of course. It was delicious- although I did crunch on a stone mixed in with the beans. Not a surprise as they sort the beans on a tarp on the ground
Patty and I spent a little time with her next-door (or hut) neighbor who is a lovely lady with a few children- one of whom is an adorable 6 mth little boy. He let me hold him for about 3 minutes until he realized that although I was white, I was not Patty whom he was used to. :)
We ended up giving that family the rest of our beans and tortillas as we found out they had not eaten since the morning prior. Apparently lack of rain is affecting their peanut crop which is one of their main sources of food.
I'm not exactly sure what the boys did last night, but I think they went around visiting some of their neighbors as well. Craig is very fluent in the native language and apparently visits often with the neighbors.
After visiting with Patty's neighbor, I took my tub "shower" again, watched as Patty sent a few emails via a satellite contraption she has, then headed to bed encased in my mosquito netting.
I was extra thankful to have stayed at Patty's house and not Craig's when I learned this morning that last night, the boys killed two scorpions in his house! Yikes! Apparently they hurt like the devil when they sting and the intense pain lasts 24-36 hrs! UGH!
This morning we visited the two schools at which Patty and Craig teach, along with visiting the medical clinic. I was much more impressed with the clinic at Logotuk than I was at the one here in Torit. We even got to see a less-than-one-day-old baby who had been born in the clinic the day before. How incredibly adorable was he!
So here we are in Torit for a hopefully relaxing evening. Tomorrow mid-morning (there's no specific time for the flight-just sometime between 10 am and noon. We just have to listen for the plane and go out to the landing strip when we hear it! ) we fly back to Kampala and will hopefully do a little shopping at the craft market so I can bring ya'll back some African culture!
After that we head to a little resort town for a little R & R and hopefully some bungee jumping..if I don't die from a heart attack just thinking about it first!
As always, I don't know about computer access from here on out, so this may be the last blog from Africa. But who knows, somehow computer and internet access seems to crop up out of nowhere here in Africa!
Love you guys! Thanks for continuing to pray! I can definitely feel your prayers as God continues to give me strength and energy beyond what I should have by now!
We just got back to Torit- the town that is the home of Phil and Linda. The trip home was not nearly as exciting. We made it in 3 hrs and 20 minutes as opposed to 5 hours, and we didn't have to stop once! Granted, we were no longer hauling a trailer as it was broken so we made good travel time - and by "good" I mean 40 miles in 3 1/2 hours :)
Our time this weekend at Logotuk (a mountainous village in Sudan) was pretty cool. There are actually villages built onto the side of the mountain- mud huts with thatched roofs. There is a single lady (Patty) who is a missionary there and a single young man (Craig) who is also a missionary there whom we stayed with (I with Patty and Ryan with Craig). They live in mud huts but they have the luxury of metal roofs :)
The huts are actually quite nice- cement floors, lighting and electricity via the help of a solar powered battery (so I was able to have a fan blowing on me all night both nights we were there!). Patty cooked some delicious pot pie and bean tortillas (complete with fresh guacomole!) for me so food was not an issue. I didn't at all mind the primitive housing as I"m used to "roughing it" while camping and backpacking.
Yesterday was a nice relaxing day which was quite needed after the hectic day of traveling the day before. We got up in the morning, meandered down the mountain to attend church which was held under a huge tree. It was peaceful and relaxing with a nice breeze. I had a hard time following the sermon due to the thick accent of the preacher, but it was peaceful just to sit and soak everything in. The children sang a few songs in their language (complete with bongos and a homemade shaker thingy for percussion). I loved just listening to them!
After church, we headed back up the mountain to Patty's for a spagetti lunch and then just sat around and relaxed and chatted. The boys headed up to Craig's hut in the middle of the afternoon so I spent the rest of the evening talking and sharing with Patty, cooking beans, making them into refried beans, making the guacamole, sour cream (which you can apparently make from a can of plain cream by just adding vinegar!) and then the tortillas of course. It was delicious- although I did crunch on a stone mixed in with the beans. Not a surprise as they sort the beans on a tarp on the ground
Patty and I spent a little time with her next-door (or hut) neighbor who is a lovely lady with a few children- one of whom is an adorable 6 mth little boy. He let me hold him for about 3 minutes until he realized that although I was white, I was not Patty whom he was used to. :)
We ended up giving that family the rest of our beans and tortillas as we found out they had not eaten since the morning prior. Apparently lack of rain is affecting their peanut crop which is one of their main sources of food.
I'm not exactly sure what the boys did last night, but I think they went around visiting some of their neighbors as well. Craig is very fluent in the native language and apparently visits often with the neighbors.
After visiting with Patty's neighbor, I took my tub "shower" again, watched as Patty sent a few emails via a satellite contraption she has, then headed to bed encased in my mosquito netting.
I was extra thankful to have stayed at Patty's house and not Craig's when I learned this morning that last night, the boys killed two scorpions in his house! Yikes! Apparently they hurt like the devil when they sting and the intense pain lasts 24-36 hrs! UGH!
This morning we visited the two schools at which Patty and Craig teach, along with visiting the medical clinic. I was much more impressed with the clinic at Logotuk than I was at the one here in Torit. We even got to see a less-than-one-day-old baby who had been born in the clinic the day before. How incredibly adorable was he!
So here we are in Torit for a hopefully relaxing evening. Tomorrow mid-morning (there's no specific time for the flight-just sometime between 10 am and noon. We just have to listen for the plane and go out to the landing strip when we hear it! ) we fly back to Kampala and will hopefully do a little shopping at the craft market so I can bring ya'll back some African culture!
After that we head to a little resort town for a little R & R and hopefully some bungee jumping..if I don't die from a heart attack just thinking about it first!
As always, I don't know about computer access from here on out, so this may be the last blog from Africa. But who knows, somehow computer and internet access seems to crop up out of nowhere here in Africa!
Love you guys! Thanks for continuing to pray! I can definitely feel your prayers as God continues to give me strength and energy beyond what I should have by now!
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Saturday, Nov 7th Off-roading
Well, we started on our road trip at 11 AM to a mountainous village called Logotuk. There was 6 of us in the Land Rover (one in the back with the corn and luggage) and a trailer filled with cement bags, corn and bibles attached to the truck. The "roads" were dirt roads lined with potholes galore. The "good" road enabled us to drive about 20-30 km/hr on average. Then we turned off onto the bad "road". It was like off-roading...but on the road. Serious ditches and potholes that I didn't think we would actually get around or over at times. Suddenly, the trailer came off the back, so we had to stop and hook it back on. !0 minutes later, it came off again (how it stayed on even that long with the crazy bumpiness is beyond me). We realized the trailer clamp wasn't strong enough to stay clamped on the ball hitch, so I had the idea of securing a chain around it as well. Well, that lasted another 10 minutes or so and then we heard a grinding sound. We stopped to check it out- the hitch had come off and it was secured by just the chain and it kept sliding under the back of the truck. We secured things again and then realized one of the trailer tires was flat. So we changed the tire, rearranged the load in the trailer to make it more front-heavy to try and keep it attached. Oh and did i tell you that one of the cement bags had opened so all of the stuff in the trailer was coated with cement dust?! Back off we go, traveling in and amongst the cattle who also chose to travel on this narrow "road". Sometimes it was narrow enough that the cattle had no where to go so we had to travel as slow as the cattle were walking. Then, a loud crash- the axle to the trailer broke! UGH! We then started the messy, heavy, hot job of transferring the cement, corn and bibles in the trailer to the back of the Land Rover and on top of the Land Rover (did I mention the cement dust all over everything?). Then we were off with 4 us of crammed in the back seat of the Land Rover for the last 5-8 kilometers. Praise Jesus when we got to Logotuk!
At Logotuk, we unloaded the messy supplies and then started up the mountain trail for a good 20-25 minute hike up the mountain to the place where we were staying. I stayed with Patty, a wonderfullly welcoming single woman missionary, in her mud house with a metal roof. The "house" is cute. Has 3 bedrooms, a common kitchen area and a bathroom. The "bathroom" has a raised toilet seat over what is essentially a big hole in the ground, and a drain where the water goes when we "shower". Showering consists of filling a basin with water, sliding it into the bathroom, and using a cup to wet, lather, rinse and repeat. :) For me, it's not really all that challenging as I'm used to camping and backpacking. But Patty, bless her heart, was never an outdoorsy-type person prior to becoming a missionary so all this was definitely a stretch for her initially. She tells me, though, how God has definitely provided for her and she has felt a comfort here that she never could have imagined. It's a testimony to His Grace and Mercy that's she's adapted so well. (she even had to kill 6 scorpions that were in her home...glad that didn't happen while i was there...so far at least!)
The night was a bit warm, but i learned a tip for "air conditioning" from the Bylers. Simply soak a sheet in water and use that to cover with. It's wonderfully cooling and I slept well last night.
I still find God's provision to be simply amazing during this trip. I've done so many things that should have flared-up my often tight neck and upper back muscles which then often leads to a dull chronic headache. But so far? No headache! Yay Jesus!
I continue to thank you for your constant prayers. They are much needed and much felt for sure!
love you all!
Friday, November 6, 2009
Just a typical day...
Just a typical day yesterday here with the Bylers in Sudan. You know, getting up, having a good long quite time reading and praying, preparing to go to the market with Linda and three hours later actually going (keep reading to here why), coming back for lunch, then going visiting to see friends (it's rude to have visitors come and not bring them by to say hello), then coming back to the house, having dinner while Ryan hunted the pesky monkeys with a sling shot. You know, just the usual... :)
Ah, life is so different here. Relationships and people are so much more of a priority than appointments or agendas. For instance, as mentioned above, Linda and I prepared to go to the market yesterday morning, desiring to go while it was still relatively cool. As we got ready to go, 2 ladies from their church stopped by and Linda enthusiastically greeted them and welcomed them in. They chatted for a few minutes and then asked if they could exchange some Sudanese pounds for American dollars so they could travel back to their home in Kenya (the banks here apparently don't have any money currently). So Linda said yes, but the ladies didn't actually have the money with them, so they went to get it and would be "right back". 45 minutes later, they still weren't back so we decided to head off to the market. However, just at that point, Pastor Johnson from their church stopped by and of course was just as enthusiastically greeted and invited him. He is a fascinating man, passionate about Jesus, and was one of the few local people I could actually understand and have a conversation with. His english was quite good. So he stayed for a while and then after he left, we finally headed out to the market- at 11:15- not quite the "cool of the morning" we'd planned on! But such is life here- time is much more irrelavent, calling ahead of time before visiting is unheard of, and welcoming someone in for however long they intend to stay (minutes, hours or even days) is just the norm. It's definitely been convicting for me as I see how much more people are valued over projects (a perspective that I'd been trying to adopt even before coming to Africa..."people before projects" has been my mantra).
Today we leave for the weekend to travel anywhere betweeen 3-5 hrs on very bumpy pot-holed roads to a small village about 40 miles from here (yes, do the math with the time of travel and the mileage- it's gonna be an adventurous drive for sure!). We'll be visiting 2 missionaries who are living with the local tribe in their village. The purpose is for encouragement of them and also of course interaction with the people in that village. Both Linda and I have sensed a bit of spiritual warfare concerning this trip, so when you read this post, please pray for us and our travels. We'll be back home Monday evening and if I have computer access, I'll update ya'll on our journeys. No worries if I don't actually update, though, as internet access is not convenient and handy.
Currently, as a bit of the novelty of actually being in Africa has worn off, I find that I am a bit more tired than I realized. Pray for strength and focus- the enemy is not invited to have any part of this day. May the joy of the Lord be our strength!
Thanks again for the encouraging words and continued prayer!
Ah, life is so different here. Relationships and people are so much more of a priority than appointments or agendas. For instance, as mentioned above, Linda and I prepared to go to the market yesterday morning, desiring to go while it was still relatively cool. As we got ready to go, 2 ladies from their church stopped by and Linda enthusiastically greeted them and welcomed them in. They chatted for a few minutes and then asked if they could exchange some Sudanese pounds for American dollars so they could travel back to their home in Kenya (the banks here apparently don't have any money currently). So Linda said yes, but the ladies didn't actually have the money with them, so they went to get it and would be "right back". 45 minutes later, they still weren't back so we decided to head off to the market. However, just at that point, Pastor Johnson from their church stopped by and of course was just as enthusiastically greeted and invited him. He is a fascinating man, passionate about Jesus, and was one of the few local people I could actually understand and have a conversation with. His english was quite good. So he stayed for a while and then after he left, we finally headed out to the market- at 11:15- not quite the "cool of the morning" we'd planned on! But such is life here- time is much more irrelavent, calling ahead of time before visiting is unheard of, and welcoming someone in for however long they intend to stay (minutes, hours or even days) is just the norm. It's definitely been convicting for me as I see how much more people are valued over projects (a perspective that I'd been trying to adopt even before coming to Africa..."people before projects" has been my mantra).
Today we leave for the weekend to travel anywhere betweeen 3-5 hrs on very bumpy pot-holed roads to a small village about 40 miles from here (yes, do the math with the time of travel and the mileage- it's gonna be an adventurous drive for sure!). We'll be visiting 2 missionaries who are living with the local tribe in their village. The purpose is for encouragement of them and also of course interaction with the people in that village. Both Linda and I have sensed a bit of spiritual warfare concerning this trip, so when you read this post, please pray for us and our travels. We'll be back home Monday evening and if I have computer access, I'll update ya'll on our journeys. No worries if I don't actually update, though, as internet access is not convenient and handy.
Currently, as a bit of the novelty of actually being in Africa has worn off, I find that I am a bit more tired than I realized. Pray for strength and focus- the enemy is not invited to have any part of this day. May the joy of the Lord be our strength!
Thanks again for the encouraging words and continued prayer!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Checklists...
So I took my first private chartered jet ride today..ok, maybe it wasnt' exactly it a jet, but it was just ryan and i and the pilot. the plane was a single engine plane with a total of 6 seats, including the pilots. our luggage was stored directly behind us (no need to worry about our luggage getting misplaced on this flight!), and we had to wear headphones due to the noise. it was pretty sweet, and only a bit unnerving for about 3 minutes during turbulence. ryan was kind enough to laugh at me...ok, well maybe just grin, but he didn't mind the turbulence at all.
prior to take off, the pilot said he was going to pray. he said he has to actually, it's on his checklist! and it actually is! (it's a mission organization called Mission Aviation Fellowship that charters the flights). I thought to myself, if prayer is on the checklist for a mere 2 hr flight, how much more should prayer be on our 'checklists' prior to a 24 hr day filled with all sorts of unknowns- stressors, commutes to work, interactions with family, strangers, friends, co-workers, etc, etc and all the while having an enemy who wants to sneak in and thwart the good plans God has for us on that day. Pretty sure I'm going to continue putting prayer on the top of my checklist after this little reminder! May I not move a step until I've sought the Lord's guidance and protection!
In other news, we are now in Sudan, landing on a dirt runway, having to fly low over it first to clear off the people and the cattle. no joke. we then went into the town to see a few things; gotta say, not a fan of the downtown. there was garbage and waste everywhere and it was hard for me to enjoy the trip due to all the waste and the not so pleasant aromas. we visited the 'hospital', again not impressive. very primitive, saw no workers or nurses, just people lying on beds. medicine is very scarce here so sometimes families have to actually go out and buy the medicine and bring it back to be administered. crazy.
Good news that we just found out tonight: 47 members of the LRA (Lord's resistance army) -who was responsible for the brutalization of the northern Ugandan people and who had abducted the precious children we had visited in Uganda - they just surrendered stating they felt no purpose or direction for their work anymore. Praise Jesus! Also, 40 children who had been abducted were released back home to their families! Tonight those precious babies will be back in the arms of their parents! Praise Jesus!
Pray for the continued disillusionment of the LRA and the return of ALL the precious children!
Love you guys! thanks for continuing to pray!
don't know when i'll update next. in two days we're going to a remote village for the weekend and i definitely won't have computer access then. we'll see. bye for now!
prior to take off, the pilot said he was going to pray. he said he has to actually, it's on his checklist! and it actually is! (it's a mission organization called Mission Aviation Fellowship that charters the flights). I thought to myself, if prayer is on the checklist for a mere 2 hr flight, how much more should prayer be on our 'checklists' prior to a 24 hr day filled with all sorts of unknowns- stressors, commutes to work, interactions with family, strangers, friends, co-workers, etc, etc and all the while having an enemy who wants to sneak in and thwart the good plans God has for us on that day. Pretty sure I'm going to continue putting prayer on the top of my checklist after this little reminder! May I not move a step until I've sought the Lord's guidance and protection!
In other news, we are now in Sudan, landing on a dirt runway, having to fly low over it first to clear off the people and the cattle. no joke. we then went into the town to see a few things; gotta say, not a fan of the downtown. there was garbage and waste everywhere and it was hard for me to enjoy the trip due to all the waste and the not so pleasant aromas. we visited the 'hospital', again not impressive. very primitive, saw no workers or nurses, just people lying on beds. medicine is very scarce here so sometimes families have to actually go out and buy the medicine and bring it back to be administered. crazy.
Good news that we just found out tonight: 47 members of the LRA (Lord's resistance army) -who was responsible for the brutalization of the northern Ugandan people and who had abducted the precious children we had visited in Uganda - they just surrendered stating they felt no purpose or direction for their work anymore. Praise Jesus! Also, 40 children who had been abducted were released back home to their families! Tonight those precious babies will be back in the arms of their parents! Praise Jesus!
Pray for the continued disillusionment of the LRA and the return of ALL the precious children!
Love you guys! thanks for continuing to pray!
don't know when i'll update next. in two days we're going to a remote village for the weekend and i definitely won't have computer access then. we'll see. bye for now!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Pictures!!!
Here are some pictures for ya'll! Had a hard time uploading them in the right order, so i'll explain each picture hopefully right to left, top to bottom.
1-This was my bedroom last night. It was quite stellar.
2- these are the precious children who live in the safe house with Rose at the Village of Hope. Man, have they stolen my heart! I pray I see them again (do i hear another trip next year????)
3- this is Rose talking to the kids at one of the camps we visited. she just commands respect from all of the childre, and continues to encourage them, empower them, and just let them know they are loved and special
2- these are the precious children who live in the safe house with Rose at the Village of Hope. Man, have they stolen my heart! I pray I see them again (do i hear another trip next year????)
3- this is Rose talking to the kids at one of the camps we visited. she just commands respect from all of the childre, and continues to encourage them, empower them, and just let them know they are loved and special
4- The dances they did for us at the camps. So fun-great choreography. ha, ha.
5-Some of the beautful children we met at the first refugee camp we visited. this little girl is Massi. She had just been standing about 4 feet from me, just looking at me with these sad eyes. I just kept smiling at her and then I took her picture. She seemed curious with this so I motioned for her to come over to me and she did, kind of shy. i showed her her image on my camera and she broke out ino this huge smile and after that stood beside me for quite some time and just kept smiling at me.
6-this is Ryan and I standing in the bean field at the Village of Hope (can't you tell they are beans? )
One person....
I can never again say that I am only one person and therefore can not really make that much of a difference. Because now, I've seen the incredible difference one women, Rose, has made in the lives of hundreds of children.
Rose is, well, Rose if a lot of things actually. she bought a home in May of last year with her husband and never even lived in the house with just she and her husband because as soon as the house was built, 19 kids moved in too! All of them orphans, all of them previously abducted and none of them with any hope or future. Rose has counseled them, loved them, provided for them, and all out of her very own home. This home is referred to as "the safe house" for the Village of Hope. However, there are 450 other orphans who are living in scattered villages and have experienced similar atrocities and losses. These orphans used to live in refugee camps around Gulu, but the government is slowly burning all of the huts down in order to say "hey, the war is over, we don't need these anymore", but in reality, they were home to hundreds of orphans who really don't have a place back in their native villages. although they sleep at their respective villages at night, every day they travel back to the camps to gather together, and to sing and dance as a way of feeling a sense of belonging and also helping to forget what has happened to them for a time.
Rose visits one of the six camps EVERY evening and she knows all 450 children BY NAME. When asked how many of these kids stories she knows, she simply and quietly said "all of them". Yes, ALL of them she has personally counseled over the past 3-4 years. she continues to love them, encourage them, and empower them by reminding them of the importance of staying in school, getting an education, etc.
As we drove into one of the camps last night, you could see how much respect the kids had for her. they immediately layed down a tarp for all of them to sit on, set up chairs for us and Rose to sit on, and just listened to everything Rose had to tell them. It was an amazing site to see.
I am completely humbled by Rose. She is the picture of selfless love, giving of herself, her home, her everything for the sake of caring for these orphans.
I do believe I've met the modern day Mother Theresa.
I hope this brief description of her challenges you as it has me. Imagine if all of us reading this post loved like that....just imagine.
Rose is, well, Rose if a lot of things actually. she bought a home in May of last year with her husband and never even lived in the house with just she and her husband because as soon as the house was built, 19 kids moved in too! All of them orphans, all of them previously abducted and none of them with any hope or future. Rose has counseled them, loved them, provided for them, and all out of her very own home. This home is referred to as "the safe house" for the Village of Hope. However, there are 450 other orphans who are living in scattered villages and have experienced similar atrocities and losses. These orphans used to live in refugee camps around Gulu, but the government is slowly burning all of the huts down in order to say "hey, the war is over, we don't need these anymore", but in reality, they were home to hundreds of orphans who really don't have a place back in their native villages. although they sleep at their respective villages at night, every day they travel back to the camps to gather together, and to sing and dance as a way of feeling a sense of belonging and also helping to forget what has happened to them for a time.
Rose visits one of the six camps EVERY evening and she knows all 450 children BY NAME. When asked how many of these kids stories she knows, she simply and quietly said "all of them". Yes, ALL of them she has personally counseled over the past 3-4 years. she continues to love them, encourage them, and empower them by reminding them of the importance of staying in school, getting an education, etc.
As we drove into one of the camps last night, you could see how much respect the kids had for her. they immediately layed down a tarp for all of them to sit on, set up chairs for us and Rose to sit on, and just listened to everything Rose had to tell them. It was an amazing site to see.
I am completely humbled by Rose. She is the picture of selfless love, giving of herself, her home, her everything for the sake of caring for these orphans.
I do believe I've met the modern day Mother Theresa.
I hope this brief description of her challenges you as it has me. Imagine if all of us reading this post loved like that....just imagine.
Joy
From Sunday (our second full day in Africa):
Today we went to a church service here and it was just fabulous! the worship was so joyful and expressive, so freeing as well. the service was in english (which is actually the national language of Uganda), and there was an element of westernization (power point of all things!), but the music worship was definitely African style. I loved it! I kept thinking of the joy and smiles I saw on the faces of those worshiping around me, and i wondered if we are possibly missing out a bit in America. Here, there is a new depth and meaning to sing about how Christ has saved us, and there is just a sense of genuine gratitude and praise of our King that is based just on who He is and not the circumstances around them. they are praising Him simply because He is good and is worthy of praise. I was blessed to be a part of it.
Today we went to a church service here and it was just fabulous! the worship was so joyful and expressive, so freeing as well. the service was in english (which is actually the national language of Uganda), and there was an element of westernization (power point of all things!), but the music worship was definitely African style. I loved it! I kept thinking of the joy and smiles I saw on the faces of those worshiping around me, and i wondered if we are possibly missing out a bit in America. Here, there is a new depth and meaning to sing about how Christ has saved us, and there is just a sense of genuine gratitude and praise of our King that is based just on who He is and not the circumstances around them. they are praising Him simply because He is good and is worthy of praise. I was blessed to be a part of it.
Advantages
The advantage of playing soccer in a developing area in Africa? you don't have to worry about breaking any windows in a mud hut! :)
Today, we traveled from Gulu, Uganda (a town) where we'd been staying for the past three days to an area called "the land" by the Village of Hope. It's an area they are developing and building homes and schools with the intent of then transporting some of the 450 orphans here when it's all completed. The children will then have a safe place to live, food, shelter and will receive an education. It's a BEAUTIFUL place! I literally will be sleeping in a mud hut with a thatched roof tonight! And actually, they are much nicer than I had thought. The couple that lives here and works here have their own hut with a large bed partitioned off for their "bedroom", a "living room" area with a bamboo rug and bamboo chairs (if only i could fit one in my suitcase!), a clock on the wall, pictures, etc. It's really quite homey, actually.
The people here are fantastic as well! Sooooooooooo welcoming and friendly! We took a very bumpy 1/2 hr truck ride to a place where the workers get loads of sand to make cement and all along the way, the people we passed would smile and wave and the kids in the little villages would run to the road when they heard the truck just to wave and say "bye" as we passed.
Tomorrow morning, we'll drive back to Kampala to stay in the little cottage guest house we stayed in when we first arrived in Africa. and then on Thursday we'll fly to Sudan.
thank you all for your continued prayers. i'm going to try and write a few posts from excerpts from my journal the past few days, just to try and get you up to date on the days i couldn't blog.
love you all!
tanya
Today, we traveled from Gulu, Uganda (a town) where we'd been staying for the past three days to an area called "the land" by the Village of Hope. It's an area they are developing and building homes and schools with the intent of then transporting some of the 450 orphans here when it's all completed. The children will then have a safe place to live, food, shelter and will receive an education. It's a BEAUTIFUL place! I literally will be sleeping in a mud hut with a thatched roof tonight! And actually, they are much nicer than I had thought. The couple that lives here and works here have their own hut with a large bed partitioned off for their "bedroom", a "living room" area with a bamboo rug and bamboo chairs (if only i could fit one in my suitcase!), a clock on the wall, pictures, etc. It's really quite homey, actually.
The people here are fantastic as well! Sooooooooooo welcoming and friendly! We took a very bumpy 1/2 hr truck ride to a place where the workers get loads of sand to make cement and all along the way, the people we passed would smile and wave and the kids in the little villages would run to the road when they heard the truck just to wave and say "bye" as we passed.
Tomorrow morning, we'll drive back to Kampala to stay in the little cottage guest house we stayed in when we first arrived in Africa. and then on Thursday we'll fly to Sudan.
thank you all for your continued prayers. i'm going to try and write a few posts from excerpts from my journal the past few days, just to try and get you up to date on the days i couldn't blog.
love you all!
tanya
Monday, November 2, 2009
Speedbumps, joy and provision
Greetings All!
Today is day our 3rd full day here in Uganda and so far, it has been incredible. There's so much to tell, so much to describe that I'd never be able to do it justice in the 23 minutes I have left to use the Internet. I'm currently in the "Internet cafe" in the "hotel" we're staying in...and even the keyboard is a bit different so just excuse any typos that may occur. And we have to pay for the use of it, so this will be shorter than I'd like it to be.
Our flight here went smoothly, we were met at the airport in Entebbe, Uganda by our taxi driver, Lawrence. We knew it was him due to the sign he was holding with our names on it. Never had that experience before!
We stayed overnight in a cute little guest house for AIM...sort of like a little cottage. We only had a few hours sleep and then we were off on a 5 1/2 hr interesting bus trip to Gulu. Interesting due to the 15-20 minutes of speed bumps placed every 30 feet or so on the road for a section of the trip. Why you ask? Well, we certainly had that question as well. Turns out they were placed intentionally when the road was built to preserve the road until the inspectors inspected the road and deemed it well done so the workers could get paid. Now they are slowly removing all the bumps....but a nice long stretch still remains. Not so much looking forward to that on the way home!
We arrived in Gulu where we were taken the safe house for the Village of Hope. We were greeted by 19 beautiful children who sang and danced for us for a good 1/2 hr or so when we arrived. The joy on their faces was incredible! And to think these are all orphans who had been previously abducted and forced to do horrendous unspeakable things. The joy they had definitely was the joy of the Lord as it has transformed them in amazing ways.
I wish i could tell you more, but the time is short. We've experienced so much serving (on our behalf), so much welcoming by everyone we've met, we feel like we're doing all the receiving and barely any serving! The children have captured my heart like no other. Can't wait to show you pictures! I'll upload them next week when we are in Sudan if I can. For now, know that we are safe, God has provided abundantly more than we could have imagined, and we are learning a ton!
Thanks for you prayers and we continued to seek your intercession on our behalf, especially for energy, strength and focus. (apparently there's a dance club (or at least it seems like it) just next door which plays music till the wee hours of the morning, and there's a rooster that likes to wake up in the alley right outside my window (no alarm clock needed here!) so sleep is in short supply). But God has been so good- I've had much more energy and focus than I should have for the wee bit of sleep I've gotten, and so a big YAY GOD for that!
Love you all!
Tanya
Today is day our 3rd full day here in Uganda and so far, it has been incredible. There's so much to tell, so much to describe that I'd never be able to do it justice in the 23 minutes I have left to use the Internet. I'm currently in the "Internet cafe" in the "hotel" we're staying in...and even the keyboard is a bit different so just excuse any typos that may occur. And we have to pay for the use of it, so this will be shorter than I'd like it to be.
Our flight here went smoothly, we were met at the airport in Entebbe, Uganda by our taxi driver, Lawrence. We knew it was him due to the sign he was holding with our names on it. Never had that experience before!
We stayed overnight in a cute little guest house for AIM...sort of like a little cottage. We only had a few hours sleep and then we were off on a 5 1/2 hr interesting bus trip to Gulu. Interesting due to the 15-20 minutes of speed bumps placed every 30 feet or so on the road for a section of the trip. Why you ask? Well, we certainly had that question as well. Turns out they were placed intentionally when the road was built to preserve the road until the inspectors inspected the road and deemed it well done so the workers could get paid. Now they are slowly removing all the bumps....but a nice long stretch still remains. Not so much looking forward to that on the way home!
We arrived in Gulu where we were taken the safe house for the Village of Hope. We were greeted by 19 beautiful children who sang and danced for us for a good 1/2 hr or so when we arrived. The joy on their faces was incredible! And to think these are all orphans who had been previously abducted and forced to do horrendous unspeakable things. The joy they had definitely was the joy of the Lord as it has transformed them in amazing ways.
I wish i could tell you more, but the time is short. We've experienced so much serving (on our behalf), so much welcoming by everyone we've met, we feel like we're doing all the receiving and barely any serving! The children have captured my heart like no other. Can't wait to show you pictures! I'll upload them next week when we are in Sudan if I can. For now, know that we are safe, God has provided abundantly more than we could have imagined, and we are learning a ton!
Thanks for you prayers and we continued to seek your intercession on our behalf, especially for energy, strength and focus. (apparently there's a dance club (or at least it seems like it) just next door which plays music till the wee hours of the morning, and there's a rooster that likes to wake up in the alley right outside my window (no alarm clock needed here!) so sleep is in short supply). But God has been so good- I've had much more energy and focus than I should have for the wee bit of sleep I've gotten, and so a big YAY GOD for that!
Love you all!
Tanya
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Wed. Oct 28, 2009. The day before....
Several of you have asked if I'm going to blog during my trip, so I'm trying to be computer savvy and set up this blog in the event that at some point during my trip, I'll have computer access. If anything, I may have computer access during the second week while I'm in Sudan . We'll see. If not, I'll update it all when I get back and then you can read all about it!
Thanks to all who are committing to cover this trip in prayer! It's been a long time in the making....about 4 years of continual prayer on my part, and 6 months of actual planning with Ryan. I'm excited to see a different land/culture/people group and to see what God teaches me through all of this. I pray I don't come back unchanged.
Thanks to all who are committing to cover this trip in prayer! It's been a long time in the making....about 4 years of continual prayer on my part, and 6 months of actual planning with Ryan. I'm excited to see a different land/culture/people group and to see what God teaches me through all of this. I pray I don't come back unchanged.
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