Orphanage

Hi, everyone! First let me apologize to those of you who are following for my extreme lack of posts and general neglect of my blog. I was in Northern Uganda, Kitgum, for three weeks where internet was unreliable, so was the electricity and running water. My patience was challenged continually just living and working there, so the last thing I wanted to do was wrestle with extremely slow internet and blackouts. I apologize and pray that you have not lost hope in me. I’m still here!! I just wanted to play it safe and not have an excuse to throw my computer at a turkey.

My time in Kitgum was truly amazing. I have never been more challenged, broken-hearted, frustrated, and happy all in the matter of 3 weeks. Let me first just say that I am going back, and if anyone wants to join me, let me know! J

We were doing work with Bringing Hope Project, which is involved in HIV/AIDS prevention, awareness, and aid. We met with volunteers that do the home visits of the HIV/AIDS patients and I was shocked that these people have volunteered their time to go into their communities. Many of the volunteers are suffering just as much those who they visit and they may lose a whole day in their gardens to time spent doing house visits which may mean that they don’t eat that day. Also their “incentive” for doing this work is 3 bars of laundry soap a month! They gave me such a picture of selfless serving that I ought to be doing for those in need that I so often do not do.

While we were in Kitgum, we got involved in an orphanage called Kitgum Infant Care Center. Visiting there may have been one of the most rewarding and challenging parts of my practicum experience. There are so many children and all of their clothes are so dirty and many of the babies are covered in flies or are sitting in their own urine. The children there are all supposed to be under 3 years old, but there older siblings often come and look after them; even still there are so many and only 6 paid staff members. I got a lot of information about the center and found out which of the children are sponsored and which are not, and what the needs are. We met a woman who is part of a Calvary Chapel ministry that has taken the center under its wing so to speak, there are many ways to help and give through them or on your own. Please let me know if you would like more information and I will gladly give it to you.

I am just going to ramble for a second about the babies who stole my heart. There are 2 month old twins and they are so so little. One of them is really sick and has trouble breathing. They both are extremely underweight and the sick one is not very responsive, so he seems to be behind developmentally. One the last day we visited, I met their grandmother who was there visiting, and she asked me to take them home with me. It was heartbreaking. She said, “You are going to Kampala, and then you come back and take them.” So my parents might be getting two adorable Christmas gifts J. 

There are two young girls with whom I also fell in love. Grace is 6 and her mom was a rebel with the LRA so the government killed her on returning from Sudan when Grace was 2 weeks old. Now no one will take her because she is a “rebel child” (I’m sorry, that is really not a PC name). There is another girl, Sheila, who is 5 and they tried to integrate her back into her village when she was three (as they try to do with all of the children) and left her under the care of her uncle. He beat her mercilessly, they found her covered in blood and eating out of the garbage. At three years old, can you even imagine?! Now she has these huge, awful scars on her legs, but she is the most beautiful girl with so much joy and spunk. Here is a picture of the two girls. Shiela is on the left and grace is on the right.

I have so much more to tell, but I realize this is getting really long. I will blog more very soon. But please please pray for these children. God is good and gracious. I thank Him for His love and miraculous healing. He is teaching me so much about Himself and His heart for His people, especially those who suffer. 

 

Foreign soldiers, dirt runways, and turkey poop...

On Friday, a group of us traveled to Kitgum. It was quite an ordeal. We got onto a bus and drove to Entebbe and arrived a half an hour before our plane was supposed to take off. We had a bit of a panic but security was frighteningly easy and quick to get through and we were by our gate in no time. But of course we got there and they didn’t know when  outr plane was leaving and seemed a little unsure if there was a plane going to Pedare. Oh, also, fun story. There was a huge group of Bangladashian soldiers who I am assuming have not seen women in a long time because they were relentlessly taking our picture. Even after I told them that it was enough they tried to sneak pictures through glass windows. They were shameless. We ended up getting on our plane 2 hours late and we were escorted out to this rinky-dink plane that I am surprised even made it off the ground. I slept the whole ride, I think mostly as a way of coping with shear terror.

The story gets even better. We start to lower and there was nothing around but fields. And I mean NOTHING. We landed on a random dirt runway with not much civilization in sight. Then the plane took off and the car that was supposed to pick us up was not. Then some little kids started coming out of the bush. It was exactly like in the Wizard of Oz when the munchkins start to slowly come out to look at Dorothy when she lands, except for these were Africa children looking at 4 stranded crazy white people with big bags of luggage. I’m sure we might as well have been aliens.

Eventually our driver came and we eventually ended up in Kitgum. The same night we went to a Crusade and saw the Lord heal some people who were previously lame, blind, and deaf. The power of God is so stupendous and so present still to perform miracles. Our Lord is truly amazing… I don’t really have any words to properly covey His wonder. So I will stop there.

We have not really had electricity and Internet has been near impossible to get onto. So I apologize for the lack of blogging. Sunday morning we I woke up to the sound of children singing praises to Jesus (can you think of a better start to a day?!) and there was church service happening in our backyard. We spoke with a woman who was American and has been working at this orphanage for a year and has welcomed us to join them in anything they do, or just go and spend time with the children and love them, they do not get enough of it. I am so excited. God is so faithful to create divine appointments.

Oh yea, today I also washed my clothes by hand for the first time in my life. The things we take for granted! J

We have turkeys in our backyard. They are quite possibly the most ugly birds on the planet. One left a big disgusting green poop on our doorstep. Yay, Thanksgiving!!