Last Post from Uganda

What a roller coaster ride. First I had a flight, then I was bumped, and now I have a flight again. So I am here at the airport and patiently waiting. I am so very excited to share with you about the work here in Africa. It is a heartbreaking and heartwarming work. Abby came with me to the airport to see me off and then got a call this morning that the official (mayor) of Kivulu (the slum) was not going to allow the street kids to sleep at the church. He said they were dirty and were little thieves. Uncle David called Abby and he told her that the man probably just wants money. It is almost funny to think that the mayor would be calling the street kids dirty and thieves. The slum is filled with drugs, prostitution, open sewers, and violence. But it is not surprising that he would want money. The suitcase that we filled with supplies for the kids is now filled with beaded necklaces. The sale of those necklaces funds well over half of what Abby does. So please buy a necklace! I met the young men that make the necklaces. Five of them sleep in a one room apartment. Several don't know how to read but would like to learn. They are former street kids. So they have gainful employment and Abby can fund so MANY different things. I will post more pictures once I get home. I have some truly special pictures that I know you will be blessed to see. Last night when Uncle Julius and Uncle David went down to the church to give the street boys some warm tea and a bun and to pray with them one of the boys wanted to use a cell phone to make a call to Abby. So David called Abby and one of the boys wanted to especially wish me a safe journey and for God to keep me safe. Very humbling. Because I feel like he was really praying for all of you too. May God give us the heart to help hurting people wherever we go; whether it is in Phoenix, Paraguay, Shonto, Uganda or whever He has us at the time. God bless you all and I will see you soon.

pictures

The pictures in this post are from my trip to Uganda. You will see the church that sponsors the street programs, Grace Fellowship. You will also see a boy sitting and listening to a Bible story. He is sitting on his bed...a piece of cardboard. You will see the beds where the boys sleep in the Kivulu house. Triple bunk beds with mosquito netting. There is a picture of a toilet.You will also see a picture of the youth Pastor preaching to the street boys with their dinner waiting for them in the corner. There is a picture of the market and the last one is a young man making beads to be sold to support the street programs.

trip home cancelled from VOLCANO

Well, I am certainly glad I bought travel insurance. The volcano in Iceland has spread ash all over Europe and British Airways is not flying and the rumor is two weeks to clear the ash. S I will be re booking probably with Emirates Airlines and going to Dubai. At least my clothing is pretty modest. But I may have a number of weird stops. I went to church today with Abby and Moreen. It was good but I really miss Bob's preaching. So like I tell of the volunteers, "flexibility is the name of the game in ministry." So I am getting a big spoonful of my own advice. I went to the market today and bought some videos for my trip. We also bought some new videos for the boys. They got August Rush, The Blind Side, Hachiko, and some animated videos. They love August Rush and she got a translated one for them. If you think about it it is sort of an Oliver twist type story. They can relate to a boy searching for his parents. The DVDs cost a dollar and most are current. They are legal videos here in Uganda, but I wonder about the US. Actually I am PRETTY sure they are copies. Especially since I saw the guy copying them, ha!
Yesterday we took the boys from the street to a big soccer field. The game was boys vs staff. they really had fun. One of the boys found a tiny little kitten and wanted to give it to me. My heart just melted. The street boys gave Abby a kitten and she named her Aslan, like the lion out of The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe. The kids have led such a violent life, she encourages them to be not only be kind to each other but also animals. Both houses have dogs. The house here in the slum has the sweetest dog. Spoiled rotten and he loves the boys.
I can't wait to see you but I don't know when that will be.

Saturday in Uganda

Today is Saturday. I have spent the last few days in a whirlwind. I was able to go to the house in Senge. It has about 15 boys. It is away from the city in a village. The boys can wander around a little bit and interract with the community. They also have their own gardens and were proud to show them off to me. This home is run by African Hearts. I have spent most of my time in the Kivulu house, located in the Kivulu community (slum). It is a dangerous place with prostitution, drugs, pornographic movie houses, and it is filthy. The boys here live in ahouse with a large wall around it and a small dirt patch in the middle. No-one, and I do mean no-one enters or leaves without permission. The gate has two locks. So the boys live the majority of heir time here. All attend school, but their break just began for five weeks. This is not a big space for 15 rough and tumble boys.
I have been able to do lot's of things with the boys, both in the Kivulu house and also the street kids. I caught a head cold. I am good as long as I don't get lice too. The street boys I guess don't find me very threatening and they always want to sit close to me, or hold my hands when we walk. How could I possibley tell them no? So I may not be able to be around our kids for a while when I return if I am being treated for lice. For the last few nights I have joined Abby and Uncle Julius as they bring hot tea to the boys on the street before bedtime. I carefully watchd a boy unwrap a dirty plastic burlap type sack and spread it on the ground, then pull out a clean one and crawl into it like it was a sleeping bag. He also had a piece of cloth that he covered his chest with. The bag only went up a little past his waist. But the boy next to him slept on a ratty piece of cardboard with no covers at all. Such a heartbreak. I also was able to visit the older boys, 17-19, that make the beads. They are too old to stay at the church so Abby rented them a small room and they make beads all day. The guys were asking Abby if they could make and sell necklaces with seeds in them but she said they might not sell, but I bought it and paid a premium price. Over $1.00. The other boys were clucking their tongues at him. I think they wished they had necklaces to sell the rich Muzungo. I took some pictures of the older boys to show you. Abby also let the boys open to gifts that Bob and Cathy, their sponsors, had sent with me for their birthdays. i took pictures of that too. The sent to buckets of Legos. What boy doesn't like Legos? Today I went to the market again to buy Sunday shirts for the boys. We really picked around to get the best ones. We brought to boys with us, Peter, the oldest and Katarenga, a new boy at the home. We took them to lunch too. A special treat. So when we went to look for the shirts Peter fell in love with a Boy Scout uniform. So I got it for him and then Katarenga saw one too, so we got that for him. I can't wait to see them wearing their shirts.
They will be testing all of the boys for HIV. So far all of the ones at Kivulu are clean but they are going to test the street kids as well. Three of the boys currently have malaria and are being treated. The clinic charges are a big part of the budget here.
So I asked Abby how we could most help her. Would she like a team to come out or money and she didn't even hesitate and said money. Then she told me about her dream to buy 10 acres and build a home in a village not too far from Kampala. Then she would take all of the boys away from the slum and give them a real home. The bill for that...$110,000. Land is not cheap here. But she already has a great staff. Her best friend here in Uganda, Moreen will be a house mom. David and Julius will be the house dads. They are all such amazing people who really love the kids.
I could barely leave the boys sleeping on the ground at the church, so I don't know how she does it day after day. Only God can give strength for that.
I may not be able to leave to come home on Monday because of the Volcano. London is not accepting ANY flights because of heavy ash in the air. So pray that the ash will seperate.
I love you all and I have felt your prayers.

still in Uganda April 9

Today is Wednesday and the rainy season has started in Uganda. Monday night it started to rain and it rained HARD for a couple of hours. Most of the city can handle the water but here in the slum it is really muddy. I went to the market with Abby and Uncle Julius. (remember uncle is a term of respect here). I remember hearing once that all of the clothes from Goodwill and Savers that did not get sold were baled and shipped to Africa. Well I can now say with complete confidence that it is absolutely true. We went shopping for clothes for the boys in the street programs. Abby drives a hard program and was able to buy 65 pieces of clothing for about a dollar a piece. We barely made it back to the house before it started to rain. We rode motorcycles, bodas. At some points I honestly had to close my eyes but we made it back safely! I bought an African outfit in the market with Abby's and an Ugandan woman's help. I will wear it to our dinner on the 24th. Most of the money I brought I have been using to help Abby. I want to go back to the market and buy an outfit for all of the boys in the house. If you would like to contribute to this, simply write a check and attach a note that says Uganda. You can buy a complete outfit for under $5 less than the price of a Starbucks. (no pressure or anything-HA) I also know the word for white person, it is Muzungu . I heard it a million times in the market today.
I am trying to understand the culture and religion of Uganda. It is probably 85% born again Christian. The next major religion is Islam. The Catholic church is not held in high regard here and is not considered Christian. There is a very small amount of Mormons. There are Bible verses written on all of the Taxis and on many walls.But polygamy is alive and well here. Don't ask me how that fits in. Over 80% of the people are under 30 years old. War and AIDS have taken a heavy toll.
The Ugandans say that politicians are corrupt. I know many Americans would say the same thing about our government. A man tried to pick pocket me but was caught by the police. He was severely beaten in front of me. I think I should have said thank you but I was simply frozen in disbelief. Uncle Julius pulled me into the taxi and we sped away. He explained to me that thieves are considered the lowest of the low here and are not tolerated.
So what is Abby and the Ugandan team doing here? They are helping (loving) as many of the street boys as possible. They may or may not have already heard the Gospel but they definitely have not experienced love. The kids in the slums have it better, and when you see the picture you will wonder how?, but at least they have some sort of family. But these boys wander the crowded dirty streets, huff a cheap type of airplane fuel, and become thieves. And you know what the people think of thieves. in addition to being fatherless, the boys in the Senge house have all been physically and sexually abused. When God says that He is a Father to the fatherless, who but us can be His loving arms here on Earth?

A few Days later in Uganda-April

In Arizona it is lunch time and here in Uganda it is 10:30 PM. I have had a couple of truly amazing days. Sunday we went to a church, Calvary Chapel, that has an American Pastor. This church spoonsors a program called Front Line and is a ministry to street children. They have a lot of British and American volunteers come and help. They seem to stay anywhere from four to six months. It takes that long to aquire a little Logandan and to gain the trust of the kids. We took the kids from the house to church with us. We then went to lunch with some Ugandan and American and British leaders. That afternoon we went to the pool with all of the boys. They had so very much fun. Just like all kids do on a hot afternoon. They boys really consider themselves a family and the Ugandan men that are counsellors at the home are their mentors. The boys call the men Uncles and the women, like Abby, Auntie. They call me Jajja which means grandmother. I am honored. Then Sunday night we went to the orphanage in Senge. It is run by African Hearts. Abby volunteers with them. They are a Ugandan group that works with street boys too. But it was late when we arrived and I wasn't able to really meet the boys. The next morning they left early to go to school and I was still sleeping. We then returned to The Kivulu house, the safe house, in Kampala. I spent the afternoon using the wonderful facepaints that you donated with the street kids, but they had to bathe first. I really had fun and they did too. Monday, Wednesday and Friday they have a program for the kids, they have a short school lesson, then they feed them, play games with them and tell them a Bible story. The boys can also get soap, clothes and recieve medical care. Then tonight I told the Bible story to the boys. I watch thirty or forty boys curl up on cardboard, or a plastic burlap sack to go to sleep. Some had towels or sheets, but they all layed on a hard dirt floor. But at least it is safe. Abby has hird two guards to watch them. Tonight she had to remind them to not sleep. One of the boys gave me a bracelet to wear. I will wear it with joy. I ate posho and beans for dinner, the same thing the boys get almost every night. They had pineapple and they shared with me. Generosity in the midst of great poverty. It just goes to show that poverty of the purse does not mean poverty of the heart. Please pray for the boys and Abby and her team both Ugandan and American.

Arrival In Uganda April 7

Today is Saturday and I am here in Uganda. I spent my first night here at the safe house (Half way House) for the boys who are off the street and attending school. There are 13 of them. I also attended a program on Friday for the street boys. They played games, heard a Bible story and had a nutritious lunch. Kampala is a bustling city filled with motorcycles, walking people and Toyota minivans. The streets at one time were paved but have never been repaired, so they are a mess. The colors and smells are vibrant and pungent. The people friendly and the weather warm and humid. I have already taken some great photos and I will try to post some later. I am sort of in a hurry today as Abby and I and some of the Ugandan staff are taking three boys to the zoo. This is a VERY special treat that they earned. One boy consistently keeps his bed neat and clean and takes good care of himself, one was the top of his class in school, and the other is the most self disciplined. Abby and the staff were thrilled to see the items that I brought (that the church gave). They were the most excited about the soccer balls, pumps, and art supplies. Note to self...Abby likes foo-foo tea and coffee! HA! Tonight I will be going to the Senge house and stay there for at least a day or two. I am excited to see another part of Uganda. The Safe house is truly a refuge in the storm. It is located in a slum surrounded by trash, bars and violence. They lock the doors tightly and regulate who can come in.
Abby bought all of the boys athletic suits (pants and t-shirts). They were thrilled! The three boys are, of course, wearing theirs to the zoo. Tonight we are taking all of the boys swimming and I will try to videotape as much as I can.
I love you all and I will write more when I can

Here is the post from London April 6

Well, in typical Gina Orr fashion I missed my flight to Entebbe, the airport in Uganda. Don't even ask me how I did it. Just keep in mind that I was in the airport for over three hours and still managed to somehow miss the flight. A word for the traveller like me, reset your watch as soon as you arrive at your destination and don't count on things being like they have always been before. HA The five boxes I am carrying arrived safely in London. Because I missed the flight they security system wanted me take the boxes OUT of the airport. The next flight to Entebbe was two days later! I was able to rebook my flight, re-que the bags and with the help of some very friendly BA staff find a reasonable hotel. The hotel was a bed in a box. Weirdest thing ever. Just room for a bed. No window, no sheets, but it did have a private bathroom. It cost me $30 to take the taxi there and $35 to spend the night! But what is the word for missions...flexibility. And despite the good advice of Dave Ramsay, I would say always carry a VISA, for emergencies. By the time I rebooked my flight it was almost midnight and I was considered a "risk" . I had to be escorted by a member of security at all times. I must look threatening. But the people at the desk were so very nice. I told them that if they ever got to Phoenix, I would take them to dinner for Mexican Food. To my surprise I found that they both HAD been to Arizona. So I gave them a business card from the church and told them to call me if they came back.
Wednesday in London I walked around all day. I saw the sights and spent 3 hours in the National Art Museum.
It is now Thursday and I had to leave my hotel at 11:00 and my flight is at eight. I came very early to insure that my boxes were on their way as well. All seems to be in order and I have explored the terminal and found that I could shop at Prada, Gucci, and Coach. On the other hand I think I will have an Americano at Starbucks. I am enjoying watching the people. What a diverse group. It is wonderful! My phone doesn't seem to want to call anyone, just as well since it is so expensive. But texting is only 35 cents. You can text me at 602-326-5025. I have a 22 hour layover on the way back that includes an overnight. I am considering staying at a hostel here, the chairs here are quite uncomfortable for sleep. And my pillow did not make it through security Tuesday night. Keep praying that the trip will still be a blessing and encouragement to Abby despite all of the problems. Take care everyone

here is an old post-April about my trip to Uganda

On my way to Uganda tomorrow. I leave Monday, April 5, at 7:20 at night on a direct flight to London-Heathrow. I will then have an eight hour layover and get on a plane to Uganda. I arrive there at 7:30 on April 7. Whew! The purpose of this trip is to investigate the efforts there in Kampala and see if that is a project we would be comfortable partnering with. I will be visiting Abby Tracy and her Ugandan co-workers as they minister to street children. My prayer is that I would be a blessing to Abby and the whole team, and I can't wait to meet the kids. I have all of my clothes in a carry-on and I have 5 bags! The bags have clothes, school supplies, and fun stuff like soccer balls and art supplies. I am also taking bandaids and antibiotic creme. I will be returning to Phoenix on April 20. I am hoping that I will be able to use this blog to communicate with you all. If not, I will definitely update it as soon as I get back. So check back often and pray for the ministry in Uganda.