Well the past couple of days have been quite interesting. Let's see where I had left off. Ok so on Sunday, Lydia, Alice, the Mamas of TERREWODE, and I drove to a health center in Kaberamaido so that I could see what a sub-county clinic is like. We drive a ways from Soroti and then proceed down this dirt road seemingly in the middle of nowhere for a good hour. I was amazed each time we would come across a "developed" area after traveling so long of just bush and little villages. At one point a lorry was driving in front of us packed full of people. The one person sitting in the back kept hanging out and throwing up. We guessed he was on his way to the health center, either that or just car sick. But he didn't look well at all and you couldn't help but be concerned for him. On the way there, one of the Mamas of TERREWODE was telling me how an increased awareness of delivering at a health center was actually creating some problems as there were too many patients and not enough nurses or midwives. Or beds even, as evidenced by an earlier blog where delivering mothers only get a bed if they had a c-section. When we finally reached the health center, we found a small building with a couple of rooms and one ward with about 6-8 beds. We met the midwife who was on duty and were able to see the labor/delivery room and the new bed that they had for it. I also saw the old bed outside...let's just say no bed at all may have been better than what they had been using. We walked around the clinic a little and went into the ward where there were several patients. Some new mothers who had recently given birth. The midwife said that they have on average 3 births a day there. Which is great that it is getting utilized, however, you also know there must be quite a few not coming to the center to give birth. Again, I was encouraged to take pictures in the ward and again, I felt pretty awkward about it. But a lot of them didn't seem to mind. Outside of the health center we saw some bicycle and push ambulances that were out of commission. They were originally out of use because the tires had gone bad, but since the time this occurred, they have just been sitting outside so now they are all rusty as well. I think TERREWODE had helped implement the program that enabled the health centers to receive these things so needless to say they were pretty disappointed at the lack of care they had received. We discussed how if a community doesn't take ownership of a program, it falls apart because people are too short-handed, too tired, and too under-paid to care whether or not the program is successful. Whereas if the community had seen the project as more important, they should have all chipped in a little to buy new tires for the ambulance and built a storage shed. It only takes 2 bike tires...not much for a community to pull together on.

After leaving the health center, we went to Bululu, the village where Alice grew up and where her clan resides. We first went to her eldest brother's house (Lydia's dad). No one stays there but it is out of obligation and from pressure that the eldest male child must build a house on the family plot. Alice explained it to me as the sign that the male child is successful. It's kind of silly. I mean, it makes sense to have family land and have the clan all settle there, but when many of the members of the family now live elsewhere for work, what's the point of the second home when you are struggling to supply the first? Not that her brother is struggling but in general this is the case. Anyways, we then continued on to another brother's house where we would be having lunch and spending the day visiting. This was a lot of fun as it was the family of one of the student interns in the office at TERREWODE. So it was nice to meet his family even though he wasn't there. When we first arrived, we sat and talked to Alice's brother while waiting for lunch to be prepared. He's a school teacher but hasn't gotten his salary since April. He's one of 10,000 teachers in Uganda who hasn't been paid a salary...some since November. Teachers are treated so poorly. Here they are the ones who are bringing up the next generation and they are forced to live lives of poverty by being in that profession. At one point during the day, Lydia and I walked with some of the kids to the borehole to fetch water. It was maybe a 15 minute walk there. And boy was I ever something to stare at when we arrived. Everyone just stopped what they were doing and stared at me the entire time we were there. I'm not surprised. We were out in the middle of the bush and here a mzungu walks up to the well. A bit out of the ordinary I would say. Once we filled the jerrycans with water, we tied them all on the bike and began to push it back. I tried to push at one point and finally one of the girls told me she was just going to help me. As in do it for me. Either I was moving too slowly or I was spilling too much water and she was afraid she would have to go back and start all over again...either way, that thing was heavy to push. Not only to push but to keep it steady. It wasn't the easiest. And here these young girls are just plowing through it. Anyways, it was a good experience. When we got back Lydia asked if I would be able to survive in a village, I said perhaps with time I would but it would be a huge adjustment. Maybe I'm kidding myself.

On Monday we did an assessment of a new district that TERREWODE is hoping to include in their programs when they scale-up their services. We were told to meet at 8:00 at the office. But minutes before Lydia and I started walking, we were told no longer 8 but 8:30. So we decided to wait until 8:30 to leave our guest house figuring we would still be too early if we had left any earlier. Well we get to the office and then proceed to sit around until past 11 waiting to proceed to the field. Glad we didn't show up any earlier. We finally left and drove for 3 hours to get to Amolatar District. We arrived right around lunch time so we decided to grab a quick bite before heading to the offices to hopefully find the officers there...it's funny to me that we would travel 3 hours without calling ahead of time to schedule an appointment but I guess that's just not how things are done here. For lunch I had tilapia. Probably 3-4 normal servings worth. And it was amazing. Me who has vehemently been against any and all seafood for 23 years loves tilapia. And now willingly orders the "fresh fish" when we're out. I'm even getting used to having the scales, fins, bones, and all sitting in my bowl in front of me. I'm not, however, used to getting the front end of the fish. When that comes my way I politely ask if they have the other half that I could have instead. Something about the eyes and thinking about eating both those and the brain still disgusts me a little. Anyways, I know Phil will be pleased with my new love of fish. At least super fresh tilapia in Uganda. After lunch, we proceeded to the district government offices and met with the city planner, the chief financial officer, the chief administrative officer, and the district health officer. A lot of important people. I'm getting to sign my name in visitor's books all over the country. Somewhat cool. They were very excited about the idea of partnering with TERREWODE and assured us that the partnership could start immediately once they receive some documents. It was a warm reception and an overall positive visit with each official. Which is good considering we were spending a total of 6 hours in the car to have an hour's worth of meetings.

On Tuesday, we were supposed to head back to Kampala and stop in Sironko District on the way to do another assessment. We were supposed to leave by 8:30. I think we pulled out at 11:30. Not like we had an 8 hour drive and several meetings thrown in there ahead of us or anything. So we start the drive as usual and then turn off to head to Sironko. What a BEAUTIFUL area. We drove up into the mountains and it was just breathtaking to look out at the scenery. After a quick lunch, we headed to the district government offices and met with the Chief Administrative Officer. Not nearly as warm and welcoming as the day before. At first, she seemed on board and excited...but overall, not a great meeting in comparison to the day before. But there's still hope that TERREWODE will have a good partnership there with time. We then drove to a health center that one of the women's groups that TERREWODE works with had advocated for. There wasn't any health center locally for the people and so they used the skills that TERREWODE had developed in them of lobbying and advocacy and they were able to convince a leader in the local government to donate land to build a health center. Pretty big accomplishment for a grassroots women's group. It is still under construction and it was quite interesting to get to. We drive down yet another dirt road with gullies every couple hundred feet that are underwater...there's really no wondering why they have so much car trouble...we then turn into the bush along a path that is maybe two-people-wide. And we're still driving in the car. Then we come to this little market place completely hidden in the bush. And people have to move their things out of the way so that we can continue driving through to this health center. We were laughing so hard the entire way wondering what the poor women in labor are going to do to get themselves to this place. Infrastructural issues? Maybe. Just maybe.

Anyways. After that adventure, we had yet another. We're driving along and maybe an hour or two into this part of the trip,  the car starts making funny noises. And then smoke starts pouring out of the hood. So we pull over, all get out (which, in and of itself is quite the process as there were so many of us shoved into the car that it was a puzzle getting us both in and out), and start examining the car. We soon notice that oil is pouring from beneath. Never a good sign. We figure a part is missing (probably broke off when the vehicle bottomed out in the first water-filled gully). So Mawanda (the driver) catches a boda and heads back to the nearest town. Because at this point we're really just in the middle of nowhere. He comes back with a mechanic who fixes the problem. But the car still won't start. So Mawanda hops back on a boda with the mechanic and they go and get a battery because they determine ours is now dead. During this time I took many walks up and down the sides of the road. And then proceeded to attract 5 little kids from a nearby house. So now we have the two Mamas, Alice, Martha, her baby, and Lydia sitting on the side of the road. Me standing on the same side but across a small ravine and 5 kids giggling and staring at me a few feet away. I found them entertaining at least and enjoyed making faces at them while none of the adults were looking. They would all start cracking up and laughing and looking at each other. Finally (after a good 30-40 minutes of this and several pictures) they mustered up the only english they knew between all of them…"give me money"...still cute kids but lost a little of their charm I have to admit. During this time, Mawanda and the mechanic get back and the battery isn't working. The mechanic and his friend hop on a boda and will "be right back" with another solution. Well. Unfortunately Mawanda had already paid them so they never returned. Nor did they put the battery back in the car after taking it out. So now Mawanda starts walking back to the town. The rest of us sit there and try to flag down vehicles passing but at this point, it's getting dark. And no one stopped to help in the light. Therefore absolutely no one will stop to help in the dark. And now not only is Alice upset over yet more car trouble, but I think panic started to set in as breaking down in Uganda in the dark is probably the last thing you want to do. Ok, I can probably think of other things that would really take last place. But breaking down in the dark is down there. Luckily, the next town had "a break down" aka a tow truck and we finally determined we will just have to tow it and spend the night at a hotel. Hours from the time we had first broken down, we were in the town for the night and hoping to have the car fixed in the morning. We eat dinner at a little restaurant and then find our way to a hotel. Martha had been walking around the town earlier trying to find a place for all of us to stay. As she was walking, a man sees her and recognizes her. An old friend. Used to be Lydia's family's driver and then worked for Alice as a driver for awhile. Talk about God looking out for us. No one even knew that Richard was living in this little town. He helped us hugely. Not only found us a safe place to stay but did so much more in figuring out car details.  To get to the rooms of this hotel, you have to enter through the bar out front. Richard goes first with a few of our bags and I follow. And even over the loud music you could hear people yelling things to/about me. Even in the dark I'm white. Wonderful. One guy said, "you are welcome mzungu" while stroking my arm. Let's just say I think they had been drinking for quite awhile. Richard stayed in the corridor where the rooms were until the owners had closed the bar and everyone had left so that we felt protected. It was nice of him. The bathrooms were long drops in the dark and the holes were much smaller than others I have encountered (I know, important piece of information for you). The showers were to get a bucket of water and find a dark corner...I decided to just wash my hair, my face, and my feet while still being fully dressed...those are the only parts that get dirty right? The next morning we learned that the car can't be fixed around here because what had happened was the engine had run dry of oil before we even knew that it was leaking, and well, I know enough about cars to know that oil is essential and if you run the car without it, you are in big big trouble.

So, we start looking for other solutions. We find a matatu heading to Kampala and all of us except Mawanda cram in. Mawanda stayed with the car which was going to be towed all the way back to Kampala where there are garages that can fix it. On the way back, we passed a boda accident that had happened just moments before. A young man was laying in the middle of the road, a lady was picking things from his pocket (so I was told that's what she was doing...I'd like to think it's not true), and as we drive by, people start running towards the scene. Check his pulse. And then grab one of his arms and one leg and lift his limp body up and carry it to the side. The scene just looked shocking to me as everything was done so mercilessly.  And just not careful in any way in any hope that he was still alive. Needless to say the whole thing disturbed me a little and I prayed for quite some time afterwards that God would comfort his family and we would arrive back to Alice's house safely. After stopping at the taxi park, hopping in another vehicle, taking several people home, and making several stops, we made it home. Safe and sound by God's protection.

The rest of the day was spent helping Alvine and Emma learn how to ride a bike, watching China (student on holiday who has been staying at the house) patiently help Emma learn, playing football with Aidah (which was hilarious, man can that girl laugh and when she laughs you can't help but crack up too), and all sitting together hanging out and keeping China company as he made chapatis for dinner. That's the first time I really was able to interact with him and unfortunately he leaves today to head back to school. He's a sweet kid and unfortunately the weeks we were all here were more awkward than anything because he (as well as Aidah and Raymond) are silent when around the adults. So talking to them was pretty much not happening. But I'm thankful for last night. It was really enjoyable. Even if half the time I just got laughed at for my accent. Whether I'm saying their words or English words, I get laughed at. Despite the fact that I would like to think I can speak English and pronounce things better than they can (though I should admit that I just spent several minutes trying to figure out how I was spelling pronunciate wrong before I realized the word is pronounce or pronunciation, not pronunciate). It's still funny. At least I don't sound out every letter in a word. Mil-lik. El-le-bow. 

Anyways, entering my final week here and so much to do still in terms of reports and grants for TERREWODE. As well as my own internship report for OSU. I think the days will fly by. A week from today I'll be getting picked up in Washington DC. Seems crazy. At times, it feels like time is flying. I look back and feel like I've been here forever. I'm anxious to get home and want the days to pass quickly and at the same time hope the week doesn't go too fast so that I can finish everything up. What a mixture of feelings! But what experiences along the way.

Today was our last workshop. In my post yesterday, I brought up my thoughts on what motivates the volunteers to do the work that they do. And I can tell you I now know. As the women were arriving this morning for the workshop, I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. Because their smiles were so big and they were so joyful. It felt like a celebration.  And rightly so. They are survivors.

We went through introductions and I was surprised at the emotions I felt as the women introduced the person next to them, telling the group that person's expectations for the meeting and what excites her about TERREWODE. I couldn't even understand a word they said but just observing the friendship and the hope that these women had was enough to give me chills. If I had allowed it, it was also enough to bring tears to my eyes.

I now understand the motivation of those volunteers. All you have to do is look at the women who have been helped and realize there are 200,000 more women like them in Uganda who desperately need someone to restore their dignity and give them hope. What an awesome morning of hearing their stories. Hearing their achievements. And their challenges. And these women still face many challenges. It was difficult and frustrating. Especially as one woman had a child with her whose eye was milky and bulging out of the socket. I wanted to do something, to help in some way, but what can you do but take down her information and try to schedule her for treatment. Or the woman who was pleading for TERREWODE to once again offer her treatment as she has had 5 surgeries and still suffers from leaking. Although a minority, some fistula cases are classified as complicated and can take multiple surgeries to fix.

There are more details on the day. Certainly testimonies of the women to share and inspire you. But for now, I just wanted to say, I clearly see the inspiration behind the work that TERREWODE and their volunteers do. I will work this last week and a half with a renewed sense of motivation.

Well last week was a pretty standard week in the office in Kampala. Worked on some things that needed to get done before coming to Soroti this week to run some workshops with fistula survivors, community volunteers, and retired district leaders/law enforcement officers. On Friday, I met up with a friend from OSU who was in Uganda visiting his girlfriend, now fiance. He's been in Uganda about a month but arrived shortly before I headed to Soroti the first time so we never got the chance to meet up. We decided to meet on Friday and so I went with Eric and Irene to the Ndere Cultural Center. We watched a dance troupe do traditional dances from different tribes and regions of Uganda. It was entertaining and SO NICE to have a social outing. They kept asking what I do at night, where I've gone, what I've done, etc...and they were pretty shocked when I said I really haven't been doing anything social because I live with my preceptor and her family and traveling alone as a young white woman isn't really the safest. Anyways, I got to hear about the whole ordeal of Eric going to meet Irene's family in the village and the traditional way of requesting a hand in marriage. It was a big deal...and this wasn't even the formal "introduction." I also got to hear about his bout with malaria and how just a week ago he almost died as the care he was getting at the first hospital was so incredibly horrible that they had to leave with IV drip in hand and jump on a boda and get to another hospital. When he arrived his blood pressure was so low and he was so sick that it was a bit frightening to hear about. Then the rest of the evening and next day I was all of a sudden concerned with malaria whereas before I figured sure it stinks to get it but you won't die...well  not true, which I guess I knew but somehow I think I'm invincible. Anyways, back to the evening. So we come out of the show and I know exactly where we are because we pass there on almost a daily basis. And so we flag down some bodas and I tell Irene we want to go that way...but since I wasn't sure of the names of different places and I had told her Kira (which was right but unfortunately there are many different places "Kira" could be), she was certain that we had to go back the other way. So we arrive back in Ntinda (a section of Kampala I've come to know fairly well as it's where the office is) and I say ok, we need to go this way. And Eric and Irene both insist that we hop on a matutu going to Kira Rd. And they also say they are certain that once we arrive, I will know where I'm at. I say well ok I guess so and we hop in. I should've stuck with what I knew. Anyways, we get out a little while later and Eric says, well the good news is we're in your neighborhood. Can you get us home from here? And I said, well unfortunately yes I know exactly where we are and it is no where near where we want to be. So we start walking back. Catch a matatu back to where we came from (and went this "short cut" way through back "streets" and were a bit confused until another passenger assured us we were indeed going to Ntinda). So then I tell them the way we need to go and we start walking and Eric says, do you always walk to work? And I said oh um no it's still far from here...aren't we catching more bodas? They were a bit hesitant because bodas are more expensive than public transportation (matatus) but it's harder to navigate on a matatu when you're crammed into the seats and can't tell where you are or where you're going or when you should get off. So I assured them I would pay for the bodas. Because at this point it was after 10 pm and Irene had called Alice and told her I was confused because it was dark. So now I was worried that Alice was worried when there was no reason to be other than the fact I was out riding bodas all around town at 10 pm. Anyways, we finally flag some down and the drivers all laugh at us as Irene is insisting on lower rates. I however knew just how far they would have to be traveling and knew that they weren't being entirely unreasonable. Somewhat, yes, but not entirely. Anyways, long story short (or not so short at this point), we finally made it home. I think Irene and Eric were a little shocked about how far it was, I paid the drivers, gave Eric extra money to get home, and collapsed into bed. Except not tired probably due to the adrenaline of the past 2 hours attempting to get back home.

Saturday was a nice relaxing day at home. Didn't leave all day but just hung out with the kids as Alice and Livingstone were out, did some report writing so that when my internship report is due to OSU the day I get back in the country I will hopefully have already completed it,  and read a lot. I brought a deck of cards with me so now the favorite activity is as soon as I get home and they've given me 5 minutes to breathe, the kids come knocking asking if I want to play a game. We've been playing a lot of go fish. I can't get over when Emma says, "Auntie Lauren, do you have ace?"...because ace is not pronounced ace here...the way the vowels are pronounced entirely change the meaning of what he's asking me. And yes, I do laugh every time.

Sunday, Alice and Livingstone went to the village and I was to wait for the driver and take the kids to church. At breakfast, Alvine ate 7 sausages. When I say sausages, I mean 8 inch long hot dogs. I was a little disgusted. And disturbed. Because she is encouraged in her appetite and unhealthy consumption of certain things. Oh well what can you do. Well church was at 10. Driver came around 10:30. So we went to church an hour late. Flexibility. That's what it's called I guess. Or I guess that's what I have to learn to be while here. In the afternoon we went to their aunt's house for a small gathering as she was confirmed/baptized earlier that day and then Alice, Livingstone, and I went to a show at Theater La Bonita. It was...interesting. It was entertaining from what I could gather but at the same time, it went from 7-11 and was mainly in Luganda. The little English that was thrown in and just context clues were enough to help me get most of it. But, it was an interesting experience to see what shows/movies are like here. It's a combination thing...some of it takes place on the screen, some takes place on the stage. It was kind of neat the way it was meshed together. So we come out of the show exhausted and knowing we still need to pack because we're scheduled to leave in the morning for Soroti. And the car (that has just returned from the shop) doesn't start. We figure it's because there is no gas. So we pay a guy to push the car so it's facing the other direction down hill and we coast all the way down this big hill and into a gas station. We don't make it to the pump so Livingstone is filling up a gardening can with gas and bringing it over to the car. Well, two cans later and the car still isn't starting. So Livingstone jumps on a boda and goes and gets the car he keeps at his office. We try jumping it. Still no luck. So finally, we all push the car off to the side and go home in the other. We arrive home a little after midnight, pack, and fall into bed.

Monday we get up early and head to the office to get a proposal done and sent before we leave for Soroti at 10. Well by 2 we figured we weren't making it to Soroti as the car was still in the shop from the night before. So instead we just worked all day but somehow it went quickly so I didn't mind. Tuesday morning I woke up to what sounded like plastic bags rustling in my room. I couldn't figure it out at first but finally recognized the sound from other nights...insects flying about. So I carefully get out of bed and turn on the light to find a good number of things flying around. I was wondering what I had done wrong to end up with so many bugs in my room that night. And then I leave my room and realize it's not just my room that has the problem, but the whole house. And then I look outside. And am in absolute shock as to the swarms of white ants that are everywhere. In addition to the white ants, I am greeted by Aidah, who is collecting the white ants to fry up (apparently they're quite "sweet"). Later Emma comes out and helps collect while in his pajamas. As we leave the compound, we see a good 8 children standing at the gate with their little mugs waiting to come in and collect from our house too. It was pretty funny. All these kids collecting and here I was dodging them all morning and keeping my eyes wide open for any that come at me. I think I need to post a few pictures just to get the point across as to how many there were...(I know, of all things in Uganda to post pictures of).

Anyways, we were going to use the public bus to get to Soroti but finally just borrowed a car. And so we piled into the car for the trip. And that's where we are now. In Soroti. That first night Lydia (Alice's niece) and I walked around town and I got stared at. However, we soon discovered I fit in better than she did because she was wearing pants (which women in Soroti don't do) and I was in a skirt. Therefore I was culturally appropriate and therefore I fit in better despite my white skin. Ok maybe not really but it made me feel a little better. It's not like Kampala where it's not AS shocking to see a white person. In Soroti, it's just pretty shocking.

Wednesday we held our first workshop with the home-based maternal health care volunteers. It was an enjoyable day. So nice to be doing something other than office work! And especially nice to meet the men and women who are the front line of TERREWODE, the ones who really make the programs a success. Without them, the organization couldn't do what they do. I don't understand how besides the 5 staff in the office, the rest of the organization is volunteers. I have come to see over the last few days how problematic that is...it's great, but it's also a big issue (which I guess I knew seeing as outside incentive for volunteers to keep going is kind of missing).  I actually wanted to ask the volunteers at this particular workshop what kept them motivated. I should have. But I think just by listening to their perspectives on things and the issues they were bringing up made it clear enough. They are just passionate about the work. Passionate about maternal and child health. Passionate about restoring the dignity to these women. That's all I can come up with. You have to be passionate to continue volunteering for something like this. The HBMHC volunteers are the ones who go house to house looking for fistula patients. They are the ones who are mainly in charge of patient identification and pre-counseling. They also are the ones who are out there promoting basic maternal and child health on a daily basis. Anyways, I led one of the sessions of the workshop--just introducing and briefly going through the right to health and obstetric fistula training manual that I have been working on. When I first got up and started, I said maybe two sentences and then paused and everyone started laughing and someone yelled something out. And so then I'm up front unable to talk because I'm laughing because they're all laughing at me and Stella (TERREWODE staff) comes over and makes me a pointer out of paper so I can use it while I speak...I said, wait, this is what they wanted? I thought for sure they were laughing because they had absolutely no idea what I had just said and they either needed someone to translate my english in to the local language or my english into their accent of english. Instead Stella says, "they say you're speaking like a machine. That's why they laugh." So, now I know, I speak like a machine. I tried to slow down a little after that. I can't master their way of speaking or presenting things. It's so different than ours. I just can't pause every other sentence and say, "are we together?" or "isn't it?" ...nor do I think I will ever be able to say, "and the women's rights are what?"....long pause that I still don't understand if you're actually supposed to answer or just let the suspense build. .."violated". That night Lydia and I went into town for dinner and we were talking earlier about feeling out of place and sticking out and not liking being stared at everywhere I go etc and we're sitting in this little restaurant and in walks 8 mzungus who sit down in the same room as us. So now Lydia is the only Ugandan, she turns to me and whispers, "now I feel like the foreigner." it was funny even though I assured her we were both the foreigners because the other white people weren't from the US.

Thursday was our second workshop with the Dignity Watch Society Forum members. The DWSF is made up of retired professionals--mainly men--in the communities where TERREWODE works. The workshop was vastly different from the first day as the roles and responsibilities of these volunteers are different. The are more there to ensure protection of human rights for women and children. They are to keep their eyes and ears open for human rights violations in the community and do something about it when they occur. It was an interesting day. Not as lively as the first day but a lot of good discussion. The members brought up many case studies from situations they had faced in their communities and were unsure of how to proceed. The day was just full of discussions...brainstorming and dialoguing over what to do in certain situations.

Today (Friday) was the third workshop and it was with the chairpersons of the women's groups. TERREWODE's structure is confusing. Brief explanation: TERREWODE works with the women's groups in the sub-counties of Teso. These women's groups (also have male members) nominate 1 male and 1 female each to represent them as HBMHC volunteers. Then, TERREWODE in conjunction with the women's group have selected 10 influential retired professionals within each subcounty to act as DWSF members. So these are the main groups of volunteers that TERREWODE utilizes, though there are others as well. Anyways, today we had 20 women who are the leaders of their women's groups in their communities. And boy was it ever lively. They were feisty individuals. It was fun. I can see how it would be stressful or overwhelming for TERREWODE as these women know what they want and what they need from TERREWODE in order to do it...they are sincere, wonderful women...but TERREWODE is trying to get them to take more ownership of the programs and to come together as their group and solve some of their own challenges rather than always looking to TERREWODE to just hand them the answers on a silver platter. Resources are a big issue and as frustrating as it is for the women, I'm sure it's even more frustrating to the staff of TERREWODE sitting there listening to them complain about needing this and that. Part of me agrees with them, they are volunteers doing quite a lot of work and it would be nice and wonderful if TERREWODE could meet some of the needs. Because TERREWODE is extremely fortunate to have them. At the same time, I know TERREWODE is working hard to get funds for the programs as well as to try and get the funds for the requests that the women are making.

After the workshop we went to the hospital to visit 2 fistula patients. One was a patient that I had met before when I went several weeks ago. The day I had gone, she was being prepped for surgery in the afternoon. Today, she was doing well and will probably be discharged soon. She was sitting up and seemed strong despite her old age and tiny stature. It was a bit difficult to see her sitting on her plastic mat without any bed sheets. She is a woman who has held on to hope, despite having lived with fistula for 40 years and despite the fact that none of her children could find the time to come assist her in the hospital or even visit. The other woman that was there had had surgery earlier today and you could tell she was a bit uncomfortable and in pain. It was good to see the TERREWODE mamas (founders) and staff interacting with the patients. The TERREWODE staff based in Soroti spend lots of time in the fistula ward of the hospital, acting as caretakers for the women who come without anyone to help them. Some of these women are all alone...and TERREWODE staff are dedicated to the point of sleeping in the wards with the women to attend to their needs. Because in hospitals here, doctors and nurses don't take care of you, you are required to bring someone to do that. In addition, you are to bring your own sheets, your own food, your own cookstove, your own firewood, your own everything. You can imagine how insurmountable this task is for a woman who has been abandoned by her family and isolated from her community, sometimes for decades, because of an injury she attained during childbirth due to cultural practices and a failed health system. Half of the fistula ward was filled with new mothers as the maternity ward was overflowing. We next went to the maternity ward where the beds were packed with women who had just had c-sections. The Soroti hospital is the regional referral hospital so any woman needing a c-section in the region comes there (if they're lucky enough)...and oh my goodness what a heart-wrenching scene. So many women in pain from having just come from surgery. Literally JUST. And I'd imagine pain killers aren't quite abundant. Stella was saying they finish you up and roll you out of the theater into the ward. Stella was explaining to me that the place wasn't too crowded today. Usually, you only get a bed if you had a c-section. If you had a regular delivery, you get the floor. But today, there weren't women on the floor. However, as we left the ward from a side door, there were women with their newborn infants laying on the sidewalks outside...these were those women Stella had been talking about. Those who had delivered normally and who therefore didn't get one of the few beds. I was just in a bit of shock to see the women laying outside on the ground with their tiny new family members as there were no more beds to be had in the ward. What a different world. Alice and Stella kept encouraging me to take pictures and were confused as to why I was so hesitant and uncomfortable doing so. I said if you walked into a hospital in America and just started taking people's pictures, there would be some big problems. They did ask permission for me, but still, it felt a little invasive.

Anyways, another long post. Sorry! Tomorrow we have our last workshop. With fistula survivors. Sunday we're supposed to visit health centers and maybe some women in their villages who are still waiting for treatment. Beyond that, who knows what the schedule is. It constantly changes. Flexibility. Go with the flow. It has been pretty nice just letting go knowing that you just have to do what you're told when you're told to do it and beyond that, you can't be concerned. So even when it's 9:20 and the workshop was supposed to start at 8 am and you're still waiting for your ride to pick you up from the guest house, you just shrug and say there's nothing you can do about it. Anyways, my apologies to anyone who I'm scheduled to meet when I get back...you might want to tell me to meet you an hour or so before you really want to meet. Because I'm getting used to 6 pm meaning 8:30 pm. Ok just kidding, that's one thing the culture hasn't really gotten me on. I'm still chronically ahead of schedule for everything. 

What a busy week. Its been awhile since my last entry but I haven't had any access to internet let alone enough time to sit down and type up what's going on. So be prepared for a long entry...maybe grab yourself a cup of tea or coffee and a snack before going on. I left Kampala two Tuesdays ago in the morning. Alice had never really told me a start time for the morning but I figured since I was supposed to be in town at 8, we would probably be leaving their house around 7. I was to ride into work with Livingstone where I would then meet Lindah, one of TERREWODE's staff who was assigned to escort me on the 8 hour bus ride to Soroti just to turn around and ride back the next day. Well, we ended up leaving their house in Kira at about 7:40...and getting to town about 8:30. I quickly found Lindah who had been waiting for quite awhile and we each hopped on a boda (motorcycle taxi). Me with all my luggage for the next 2 weeks and Lindah with her tiny overnight bag. And this is why I brought a hiking backpack as my luggage. You know, Ugandans carry all sorts of things on the back of bodas. Anything from a bed frame to a welded gate to a mattress and several suitcases. However, I am not so skilled and I was nervous enough just balancing myself on there. Let me tell you. Boda rides are thrilling. You are not only fearing for your life as you weave in and out of traffic but you're also having a heck of a good time doing it.

So we get to the bus park and I don't really know what I was expecting but as soon as you hop off the boda (actually, before we were quite there we had guys jogging alongside of us asking us where we were heading), you are flooded with men wanting to take you to the right bus (probably the bus line they work for). And we enter this crowded "parking lot" of a good 25 coach buses all lined up and people bustling all about and we're following this guy and avoiding getting hit by buses starting to move and we finally get to our bus, pay the man who helped us find it, pay the drivers for our seats, and hop on. We made fantastic time. So, we were a bit early and just got to sit in the bus (to make our long drive even longer). I was pretty excited though for the experience. And very grateful that Lindah had to come. She didn't mind too much either. Not that the ride is particularly fun but I think she was really looking forward to 2 days out of the office. She let me have the window seat and I just enjoyed watching 7 hours of the country pass me by. I'm honestly not sure I've ever sat so still. There wasn't really any room to move so I pretty much sat in the same exact position the entire time.

We stopped frequently for people to get off and new passengers to get on. Our first time we stopped in a little town a flood of people came running at us with grilled bananas and cassava, chicken and beef on sticks, sodas and waters...all sorts of things. The were all pushing against the side of the bus and trying to sell their goods and it was absolutely insane. I wanted to take a picture so bad because I found it hilarious but figured they probably would not appreciate a picture being taken by a mzungu who had no intention of buying anything from them...especially the meat they had been carrying around on that skewer for who knows how many hours. Anyways, this occurred several more times throughout our trip and it continued to be just as funny to me. Well, at least for the next 4 hours or so. Then it just became kind of annoying. At one point we pull over on the side of the road and people start pouring out and heading behind bushes. Lindah looks at me and asks, so do you want to use the bathroom? Women were heading to the left of the bushes and men were heading to the right. Kids were just kind of going on the side of the road. We both decided we could hold it the next 6 hours. Personally I was afraid I would get out to go and they would leave me behind by mistake. That would be disappointing. Emerging from the bushes only to find a deserted roadside.

Well, by God's grace we made it all the way to Soroti. And in great time. 7 hours instead of 8. Which is one reason why it's by God's grace we made it ok. Maybe it's the conditions of the roads, maybe it's just being on a huge bus, but it sure felt like we were booking it. The roads were good for the first part of the trip. And then slowly got worse and worse. But, weather conditions were good, the roads were dry, and we never got stuck. I kept the window open the whole time even though the air was moving so fast it was literally flapping my cheeks and eyelids but it was either that or suffer on a stuffy crowded bus. We get to Soroti and call Moses, the CLIDE team leader. CLIDE is the organization that the Timothy Retreat was with. After some misunderstanding as to where we were and where we were telling him we were so he could pick us up, he found us. And was extremely welcoming. Bought us some water and took me to get settled in at the Starlight Guest House where our team would be staying. We decided it would be good if he just let me relax for the evening and he would pick me up the next morning.

The evening was good. I was starving because I really hadn't eaten all day and the lunch I ordered when I arrived at 5:30 ended up coming at 8:45 at night when I finally decided they had forgotten and was getting into bed to sleep and forget about being hungry. The next morning at the dining room I met a man named Julius from International Aid Services. He sits on the Policy Team in Sweden for the organization and was staying at the Starlight with the regional Program Manager and the Country Director. They were working on water, sanitation, and food security...pretty cool. They were leaving that morning otherwise I would've requested to sit and talk with them some more! International news was playing on TV and they had an interesting special on mental health and depression. They were talking about stigma and traditional care and task shifting. Really interesting and really relevant to a project I had done last term on mental health in Uganda and South Africa.

Well when Moses arrived to pick me up for the day, he got out of the car and I thought he was going to shake my hand to say good morning but instead gave me this humungous bear hug. I was totally not expecting it but man did a hug ever feel good. It just felt so comforting. I didn't really know I needed that until then. He looked at me and asked how my night was and if I was able to relax and stuff. And then said, you look so refreshed! And then he started laughing and apologized as he said I looked much better than I had yesterday when he first met me. No surprise there. Towards the end of the bus ride I had taken a tissue and wiped part of my face to see the damage. Let's just say the tissue was dark brown with only a light wiping of my cheek...I decided to not continue wiping my face and instead just leave it as it was...otherwise I would probably just make it worse. It was good (?) to have someone be so honest...tell me how I really look.

Anyways, he picked me up and after some brief stops we headed to the flying school to wait for the rest of my team to arrive. The flight was delayed so we were able to sit and talk for awhile. It's incredible how easy he is to talk to. I felt so comfortable and so at home being with him. It was a blessing after having so much trouble over the past month establishing any sort of connection with people. He told me about the civil war in Soroti that occurred around 1990.  I knew about it because the effects of it played a big part in fistula in the region but no one had ever told me the stories of it. And here I was hearing it from a man who had lived through it. I know I don't fully understood even a small portion of what happened but from what I do know, it was an awful time. The scars are still in the minds of the people here though peace has returned to the area and healing is taking place. The details are difficult to swallow. You wonder how things like this could be happening in such the recent past. I don't know why it is surprising to me but I was pretty shocked listening to him. At the same time, so thankful that he was telling me.

Well, a little while later, a small plane landed and out emerged Steve, Laurie, Arlene, Bethany, and Sam. And boy was it good to see them. I couldn't stop telling them how excited I was about their coming and it was great to catch up with them and hear about their travels and answer their questions about my time so far in Uganda.

He took us to the guest house and allowed us to have a few hours to relax and for the team to freshen up. Sam and I decided to go on a walk and then met Okoche Simon Peter Jesse (no, I didn't forget the commas...that's one person. The naming system here...it's just too much to even try and understand). We talked with him for a long time. Really sweet guy. One of the older Timothy students that would be attending the retreat later in the week. After several hours we headed to the CLIDE office and met a lot of the staff. It was a great time. By that night, I already loved them and felt blessed to be with such an awesome godly group of men and women. The team headed back to the guest house for a bit and I headed out on a walk with Dr. Moses. It was pretty dark by the end and flashes of lightning was our only light. It was enjoyable. He was telling me about his family and how his second child (who is 5 but is the size of a 2 year old. Absolutely adorable.) was born in the US so even though both of her parents are Ugandan, she isn't and has to be filed on dependency paperwork until she turns 18 when she then has to either apply for a visa to live here or she can choose to live in the states). It was weird to me that his daughter wouldn't be a Ugandan. Anyways not sure that was important. I just found it interesting.

That night we had dinner with the staff at their office. There wasn't any electricity (it had gone out earlier in the day and just never came back) so we spent the evening with them sitting in the dark with little lanterns around to see by. It was a good and enjoyable time of fellowship. I couldn't stop thinking how blessed I was to be with them. And how much it reminded me of being in Kenya. Surrounded by people whose faith is clearly integrated into each and every aspect of their lives.

Thursday was pretty laid back. We met at the CLIDE office in the morning for their staff devotions and then had hours upon hours of orientation. Great information but between the team being totally jet lagged and sitting in a hot stuffy office listening and taking notes for hours, it got a little long. Later in the day we were paraded around to different district leaders' offices and even the police department. Moses said the police chief appreciates when he knows about visitors to Soroti. It was a little intimidating to enter into the police office. They carry such big guns. It just doesn't seem like a place you want to willingly put yourself in. But, we think it also gives CLIDE a good reputation with authorities if Moses takes us to see all these people. Besides, everyone seemed genuinely happy that we visited them. The district leader even told us we were an ok bunch as we weren't the ones who had colonized them. Also assured us our safety while in Soroti as 6 Americans is a big group and he knows if even 1 American is hurt on foreign soil that our government would be landing in Soroti the next day...somehow I think he over estimates on that one...

Well, this is going to be a long post. I'm sorry. But it's been two weeks and so much has happened. However, I will just talk generally about the week from now on rather than go day by day. Because I think that would bore you. Especially since it bores me just thinking about having to type it out.

It was a good week. Tiring in a lot of ways. I was walking down the hall the other day and just started cracking up. Sam was looking at me like I was nuts and soon Bethany caught up and asked what she missed. Sam said he had no idea that I had just started laughing. Basically...you know you're a little tired and starting to lose your mind when you begin to laugh at absolutely nothing. I could not stop cracking up and nothing had happened. In fact, the only thing that had even been going through my mind was how ridiculous it was for the workers at the guest house to leave every unoccupied guest room door open all day because by the time a guest does get there at night, the room is full of mosquitoes. The first night I think I killed 13 or so. I'm pretty good at catching and squishing them with one hand...I know, something to put on my resume. Point is, that thought...apparently I found it funny. Funny enough to laugh out loud and continue cracking up...and it's not even mildly funny. Anyways, I said I would spare the day by day details so I should probably spare you nonsense paragraphs like this.

So the kids were supposed to arrive for the retreat on Friday around lunch time. Well noon came and went. And so did one, two, three, four, five, six...and then around 7 pm, kids started to arrive. As it was getting dark out. These kids had spent 7 and 10 hours traveling to get there. They all came on trucks. Think cattle trucks. All standing up and packaged in the open back like sardines. Others were riding in Dr. Val's truck...stuffed inside and out. They all started pouring out of the vehicles and running to the bore hole. No wonder. Those poor kids. And not only that, but Elder Zachary (the man who translated the entire Bible from original texts to Ngkaramojong...took him 23 years.) rode standing in the cattle truck along with one of the teachers who had her 1 year old with her. I can't imagine traveling that long in those conditions. It was one of those things that you would be like, wow this is so cool! What an adventure!...for the first 20 minutes. But 10 hours…!

Anyways, their late arrival kind of messed up the schedule and put us behind from the very beginning. Which made some aspects of the retreat really stressful. And just plain unpleasant to try and accomplish...such as distributing name tags to all 175 students, asking them questions to ensure that their information is correct, and taking their pictures. This process ended up taking 3 days to get through. It's tough with the language barrier. And with the way the kids change their names from year to year. Everything moves that much slower. It was good to finally get that straightened out...we were excited thinking that now we will be able to really get everyone's names...unfortunately, few actually wore their nametags and even fewer wore them so that their names faced out. I don't know why but they seemed to like to wear them backwards. Oh well.

The retreat was overall a success. Typically CLIDE holds 2 separate retreats for the Timothy students and splits them primary and secondary school. This year, for a variety of reasons, they decided to hold 1 retreat with all of the students. So it was super busy and go-go-go all the time. It seemed normal to me coming from Chelten missions trips but I think the team here felt it was too hectic and not enough time to themselves nor enough time getting to know the students. The combination retreat though had a positive effect as the primary kids could look up to the secondary students and the secondary students could act as positive role models and take some responsibility for the well-being of the primary kids.

So a typical day was for us to be over at Light Secondary School by 8 am for devotions with the kids. By this time, they had already been up for several hours, exercised with the group, and cleaned up. After devotions we would head to take tea with the teachers and staff while the kids would take their tea outside. We tried to mix with them a little but it was difficult given the lay out of the venue and the way in which we were treated as honored guests.

After tea, we would head to either the primary or secondary teaching session depending on the day. The theme of the retreat was peace and the topics covered peace with God, peace with others, and peace within ourselves. The CLIDE staff and some pastors that had come led the sessions and they were great. Just good at speaking and relating to the kids. Much better than we were with both the language and cultural barriers. Each day we also had small group discussions which we were each assigned to lead. This was the dreaded part of my day. My primary group didn't really speak English (and surprisingly I couldn't speak ngkarimojong)  and although we had a translator, it more ended up that the translator just kind of carried the group along. My secondary group was impossible to get to speak. I had a few students who would participate and carry the conversation...which was good because I could only say so many things before I was so flustered at the lack of response that I ended up with nothing else to say. There were some very awkward moments of silence as we all stared at each other. I think part of the problem was that there was such a wide range of understanding in the group. Secondary groups encompass S1-S6 plus those in university. So you have a span of a good 6-8 years of education levels. The kids in the lower levels of the group didn't really understand English and we didn't have translators for secondary groups so I just felt like a failure. Totally inadequate to lead. Facilitating discussions isn't my strong point even in America. It was that much more difficult in Uganda. Needless to say I was glad the last day when they cancelled small groups.

After small groups came lunch. Which was always delicious. Abundant food. Too much. Never go hungry when I'm here. Then there was another session, this time usually encompassing both primary and secondary students. These were some great talks. One was on HIV and AIDS and the guy who presented it was awesome. He's a member of the CLIDE staff with a wicked sense of humor. Very entertaining. And very explicit of a talk. And you think, I'm not sure primary kids need to hear this. But then you think about how young kids are when they are starting to have sex and you think, well, maybe it's good for them. It was good. Informative and held attention very well. At points, I was despising my white skin that so easily gives away when you're feeling embarrassed. Lucky Ugandans. They don't blush. At the end, Judith, another CLIDE staff member stood up and shared her testimony. And what an amazing testimony she has. I had goosebumps on my arms and tears in my eyes. She started out by giving a brief overview of her family. And then told us she was 61. And unlike most people who hide their age, she is proud of hers. A few years ago, she had a party to celebrate 20 years of being HIV positive. She has lost her husband, a child, and a grandchild to AIDS. But she is strong and doing well. She knows she is positive...she is not on any medication...and she has never been sick because of it. She is healthy and strong and is an incredible inspiration. What a blessing to hear her share her testimony. It was so powerful.

Another one of the joint sessions was on love and relationships. Anne (CLIDE staff member) gave the talk and then we were to split up into our discussion groups and go over some questions. As if the other small group talks weren't awkward enough, these ones got to be about sex and relationships. At one point, I saw Bethany and Laurie walk on by and I was so jealous that they had somehow gotten out of it. Apparently Laurie noticed when she walked by that I was trying to lead the group on my own and went and found a CLIDE staff person to come and assist me. Thank goodness. I was so thankful when Orono showed up. I didn't know he had been forced to come but it was good to have a married man (and a pastor) be able to speak to this subject. I could say some things of value but I think his input was vital.

The final joint session was on career guidance. None of the mzungus attended in order to not take up seats for others but I stood outside for a bit listening. Then one of the CLIDE members came out for something and on his way back in beckoned me to come in. And I knew I was walking in at the perfect awkward moment as the speaker had just finished talking about mzungus. And the color of our skin. And how none of us chose to be born in America and how none of us chose to be white people. Just as none of them chose to be born in Africa and into poverty. Talk about feeling like you just walked into a room full of people who had been talking about you...oh wait. I practically did. But it was good to sit and listen. Unfortunately I don't think he ever actually got around to talking about career guidance which sort of defeated the purpose of having the talk but oh well.

After these sessions, we typically had sports. Sports Outreach is a ministry group that tries to teach Biblical principles through games. I enjoyed participating. No surprise there. Again I was the athlete of the group and really the only one who actually wanted to be out on the field from our team I think. Though Sam seemed to enjoy it too.

Then came tea. And dinner. And hanging out with the kids having 20 of them surrounding you saying "take my photo" or trying to teach you Ngkaramojong on top of Ateso. Since being in Uganda, I have been taught a little bit of 3 different languages. Talk about confusing. Especially at this retreat as you had students from different regions with 2 main languages. Laurie's one small group had kids of 4 different languages...how you handle that and expect everyone to understand what's being said is beyond me.

The last full day of the retreat it poured almost all day long. So we spent many hours all crammed into the same room sitting hip to hip on the small wooden school desks. It turned into a 4 hour long praise, worship, testimony, and prayer session. It was great as the kids were all handing in slips of paper with their name on it so that they could be put on the agenda of getting up and sharing...it was like a talent show. Kids getting up to sing. Kids getting up and doing comedy acts. Kids getting up and dancing. It was entertaining. And at the same time I thought they were nuts. To willingly subject yourself to getting up in front of a room crammed full of people and singing solos...i wish I had their confidence. Then a boy got up and began to share his testimony. And it launched us into a couple hours of intense sharing and prayer. This boy's story was tragic. And the awkward part was kids were talking during it and laughing as he is sharing things that should make you sick. It's a different culture. I remember asking in Kenya why kids laughed during people sharing things that aren't funny and I can't remember the explanation but it was the same type of situation. He shared so much and as he was choking through sharing about his suicide attempt (or almost attempt as he was prevented from following through by God's grace) the kids were giggling. Anne, clearly shaken, got up and began to talk to the kids about how this wasn't a laughing matter. And then proceeded to tell of other Timothy Students the program had lost through suicide. I can't describe the atmosphere or what happened from there. It was so intense, so powerful, so full of emotion as a good 15 or so kids came forward to be prayed for after Anne said that anyone who had attempted suicide needed to come forward and be prayed for. As I watched the kids come forward, it struck close to my heart and before I knew it I had tears just streaming down my face. What a powerful time. Others shared throughout the next few hours and each time, Anne would get up and call all students in similar situations and facing similar circumstances to come forward to be prayed for. The rain prevented us from going out for sports, but what a blessing that rain turned out to be.

Well the kids left on Wednesday after many goodbye speeches. Wednesday afternoon we debriefed with our team and Ken, a young 12 year old boy who is not a Timothy student but who befriended the team several years ago. We were told about this Ken kid who would just magically appear everywhere the team was. Well how true that is. He finds out when we're going to be in town and then he finds out where were staying and then he follows us. It's a little weird...but also endearing. Give it a few more years and it probably won't be so cute anymore. Anyways, Thursday the team headed to one of the student's village to see his family and I stayed back and Moses took me to the Soroti TERREWODE office. I had talked to Alice several days before (when she called Moses and told him she was expecting me back. He asked when. She said soon. He said how soon. She said "like today"...that was Tuesday. Uhhhh…) and found out she was no longer coming to Soroti to meet up with me. Instead, she was thinking I could just meet up with Stella (another staff member) and meet some patients at the hospital. And then travel back by bus on Friday...luckily she agreed to my suggested option of just waiting to travel back with the team on Saturday.

Anyways, I go to the TERREWODE office and Stella and I walked across the street to the hospital. It was pretty interesting as she showed me around the campus and talked about the different wards. I was able to meet 3 current patients, 1 patient who was back for a check-up, and the head nurse of the fistula ward. It was pretty awkward as I felt like I was totally intruding but at the same time they seemed to like having a visitor. I just wish the language barrier wasn't there. One of the women spoke English very well so she kind of helped me along. But I still felt uncomfortable. Unfortunately just as I was starting to feel less uncomfortable and out of place and just as we started to laugh a little, Stella asked if we could leave. So we went back to the office and sat waiting for Moses to return to pick me. I was a little bummed that my time with TERREWODE in Soroti was pretty non-existent since Alice wasn't coming and our plans were all cancelled then but I figured, at least I had Masaka to look forward to. And then Alice called. And told me Masaka was cancelled because our US visitors were in Tanzania when they heard about ebola in Uganda and decided not to come. For those who haven't heard, yes there was an ebola outbreak in Uganda but it is on the other side of the country and the authorities did a good job at isolating it quickly. So I'm not in danger. There hasn't been any spread and besides the initial deaths, I think they have it under control. Anyways, I was so sad as I thought I would now be spending my last 3 1/2 weeks in the Kampala office. But, much to my surprise, Alice told me that I will travel back with my team to Kampala on Saturday and later in the week, she and I will travel back to Soroti together. This will give me the opportunity to do some field work with programs here...which would be GREAT to see and be a part of. I know I can't fully trust the plan and that it will actually happen but it better...because I have already told CLIDE that I will be back and am planning on spending a little more time with them. At least a visit.

Moses picked me up a bit later from TERREWODE and we headed to the CLIDE office. I got there a couple hours ahead of the rest of the team so I sat outside and talked with James (another staff member) for hours. We had started a conversation a few days before...he was giving me marital advice...and never finished. So we had a great in-depth conversation and it was just really nice to sit and talk and hear his view on things. He's a pastor here and has been married 23 years. Has 6 kids. Has some great wisdom to share and is someone who is full of joy. ALWAYS laughing. This big hearty laugh. And when he laughs, everyone laughs. Because you can't not. Thursday night we had a closing party put on by Arlene...what a wonderful and funny lady. I have really enjoyed getting to know her and her sense of humor. In fact, the whole team dynamic has just been really great. We also had a goat roast. It was actually really good. To be honest, I'm not a fan of goat in any sort of way but the way they cooked it actually made it taste pretty good. Every time I'm eating a meal that I'm not really too big of a fan of (usually involves meat), I think about how good it would be if Phil were here. Because I think he would really love all the food and truly enjoy eating the variety of protein sources...and then I could dish my meat onto his plate when no one is looking (there are other positives to him being here too of course).

Friday was our goat distribution day. The team had received a financial donation to be used by CLIDE and it was decided that goats would be bought for their revolving goat loan program. They partner with local churches so that community members see the gift not as coming from Americans or rich white people but from CLIDE and the local church. The church selected 50 orphans and widows to receive goats. So we had a whole presentation and ceremony and then the distribution of the goats and pictures of each child with their guardian and their goat. CLIDE staff were there treating and medicating the goats before they left. So the way it works is the goats belong to the church but are given to the individuals. The first kid that the goat produces is given back to the church. And then the original goat becomes owned by the individual. And the kid that was donated to the church is then given out to another orphan. Hence the revolving aspect. CLIDE talked about one woman who had been given a goat and from that was able to eventually get a cow as well as material to construct bricks to build a house for herself...a small gift that can truly make a difference. We also were able to visit Lake Kyoga. That was fun and we were definitely a spectacle as people from the entire village ended up out on the rocks just staring at us as we looked at the lake.

Saturday we left Soroti early and started making our way back to Kampala. On the way, we stopped at the source of the Nile and did the touristy thing of riding on a little boat on the Nile and into Lake Victoria. It was enjoyable. But we all agreed we are not a fan of how the area is totally packed with tourist venues. It's kind of sad because it loses some of its beauty. We also stopped in Jinja to have lunch at a CLIDE staff member's home (Judith) and meet her family. They were so sweet and we wish we could have had more time with them. We then sat in traffic awhile and the team started getting nervous about getting to the airport...they had plans to stop in Ntinda and have dinner with a friend and then leave me with someone from TERREWODE, but that wasn't going to happen if they wanted to catch their flight. And it was so unorganized trying to get me connected with someone because if I was dropped in Ntinda, there wouldn't necessarily be anyone to meet me right away. Which I was ok with but I knew Steve and Laurie would never allow it. So we're driving along and all of a sudden I know where we are. And so I have the driver go the opposite way he was planning on. And let me tell you...I was SO nervous as he's driving along, clearly uncertain and clearly worried about time, and I'm kind of directing but also praying that I really do know where I am at. I cannot tell you how relieved I was when I managed to navigate us to Kira and then to the street on which Alice and her family live. I hope the team made it to the airport in time…I should have told Steve to call me when they did. I felt bad having them go a little out of their way and drop me but at the same time, if they had dropped me in Ntinda and had to then wait around for someone to arrive, it may have been even longer. They left me with 4 hours to go until their flight and if all went well they should've arrived at the airport in an hour.

It was a quick goodbye which was probably a good thing. It was hard to all of a sudden be thrust back into a totally different atmosphere. Last night I was missing the team and the warm welcoming environment of the CLIDE staff. They were such a blessing. However, soon, I was playing cards with Alvine, Emma, and Ida and it helped get my mind off of the drastic change.

This morning (Sunday), I woke up and decided to go running. About 10 minutes in, I pass a girl who asked if she could run with me. I was surprised but said sure! So she ran with me a couple minutes before she was too tired to keep running. So we walked on together another 20 minutes or so. She was heading to work...I finally told her I should probably turn around and head back before the family gets up and wonders where I've gone. At that point I also thought we may have been heading to church soon. Anyways, it was fun to meet her and chat as we ran/walked. She lives right near where I'm living. She's 15 (but seems a lot older) and works as a housekeeper at a hospital in Kampala. She had SO many questions about me and America. After a little while longer, I told her I really should be getting home and turned around and ran back to the house. Great start to the day.

Alice just gave me a rundown of the new schedule so here it is (for now...ha): Monday and Tuesday this week we will be in the office here in Kampala. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday we will head to the central region where scale-up of programs is going to take place and do some initial assessments. Saturday or Sunday we will travel to Soroti. And starting Monday (I think), we will start holding workshops with TERREWODE volunteers and partners. I think we will have 3 total...not sure how long we will be in Soroti or what will happen from there but I do know there is LOTS to do and some key documents to finish up in the next 2 weeks.

And for those who read the previous post and had been praying--the last of the kids finally made it home Saturday morning. Thank you for the prayers! It was definitely a challenging time for the children but we trust that God had a plan in it.

Other than that...I have 23 days until I leave...I think those 23 days will fly by if we're as busy as we think we will be. Please pray for safety as I will be doing quite a bit of traveling this coming week and weekend and for my own heart and contentment in being here...what a blessing to be with CLIDE and the team but the Christ-centered fellowship that I experienced the past 2 weeks leaves me longing for that same support for the next 3. And I probably won't be getting it. 

Hope all is well! And I hope you didn't fall asleep while reading the blog. I know it was a bit ridiculous in terms of length. But I did warn you. 

There is a long blog post coming on my last week and a half but I just wanted to send out a quick posting for prayer. Yesterday was the last day of the retreat and the kids from Karamoja (approximately 130) were put on the bus (cattle truck) to head back to Moroto. It's about a ten hour trip. Shortly in, they had a tire blow out and a little while later they had some trouble with the gears. We arrived at the CLIDE office this morning to find out that the bus had broken down 15 kilometers from the nearest town. The kids slept in a school on the side of the road and got up this morning to begin walking to Irriri (the small town). Irriri is a rough area, not a great place to stay or pass through. Moses (head of CLIDE) called someone in that town that he knows and they are fixing tea for when the kids arrive. From there, they aren't sure what they are going to do. The road ahead of Irriri is flooded for 12 kilometers. Moses said last time the road was flooded, it was waist deep. So there's little hope of passing through on foot.

Prayer is needed. There are 130 kids ranging from elementary school age to university who are out walking this morning. They left yesterday around 11 am with a small bottle of water and a sweet potato each and I imagine they haven't gotten anything else. They don't have money and so CLIDE is trying to figure out how to get money to them for both food and for finding alternate transportation.

Great is His faithfulness. We spent a wonderful few days learning about God's peace and we pray that these children will have a spirit of unity as they move forward. That they would feel God's peace to the core of their beings. That they would have peace amongst each other. That God's peace would bring them a spirit of joy even as they walk and are uncertain of their circumstances. That he would give them strength as they walk these many miles. And that God would protect them. From illness. From people who seek to do them harm. From the conditions of the roads. God hears our prayers. Please be praying for these kids and the few adults who are with them.