Social Justice is messy!

Here is my email that I sent to my family and friends after my first trip to Mexico City.  It is a blessing to be home, but what a rollercoaster of emotions.  As
many of you know the boys will be moving soon, DEC 1!!!!, to the
village of Bombo.  Abby and David have worked for several years saving
the money, looking and now building what will be the permanent home of
API.  A labor of love.  Several people warned me that not all of the
boys would want to move to the land.  So before I left I tentatively
asked Abby, "What will you do if a boy runs away?"  "Bring him back
home of course!  So I left her and began to pray that I would not have
to face that situation.  On the day before I left, a boy ran away.
Abby talked with him, David talked with him, Alex talked with him.
But he refused to come back.  Why?  Here is where it gets really
messy.  Both of his parents were killed in the area around Bombo.
Trauma.  So my heart broke some more.  I then went to a conference in
Mexico about healing from trauma.  Trauma victims do not make rational
decisions, much less little boys.  How can something so very right,
moving to a village away from the slum, with gardens and animals and
flowers be a bad decision or be seen as a bad decision by the person
it is designed to help?  Before you make any decisions here is another
situation that I saw firsthand.  Is it wrong to not allow drug use in
a hospital or a hospice situation?  No, of course not. Then I met
Elisa, a 20 year old drug addicted woman dying alone, dirty and sick
from HIV, refusing to give up her drugs and choosing to stay on the
street instead of being in a hospital.  Well that is her choice.
Hmmmmm, yes but wait, she witnessed the brutal murder of her mother by
her father and was herself abused.  She left home at 12. moved to
Mexico City ended up on the street with all that is involved with
that.  Her choice? mmmm  Now it seems messy.  The truth is that being
just and doing what is right is hard messy work.  Work I am loving and
hating at the same time.  Getting back to the boy, to make matters
worse for him, he tried to poison his grandmother in the village.
Those of you that know me well, know I like to fix things.  Well there
is no easy fix for this one.  Can this little boy still come "home"
with us to API?  Yes, but we can not make him.  And more pointedly, I
can not make him.  I have no legal right to make him do something that
he refuses to do. I didn't even get all of the answers from experts in
the field.  Abby and David are doing everything they can to encourage
this boy to come back.  He comes to the street programs sometimes and
he is back to living in the slum Kivulu.  When I saw Elisa a Mexican
doctor was trying to wash her matted hair with lice rid shampoo and
she was refusing that too.  The doctor told me that they had taken her
to the hospice unit of the hospital twice and she had always run away.
 They could not make her stay.  So Blanca one of our team members
gently washed her hair and talked to her.  We gave her a blanket.  I
tried to feed her.  In the end, Blanca got lice and Elisa was still
alone on the street. Had she felt the love we had for her?  The love
that Christ has for her?  When I see this little boy, I will join Abby
and David in trying to love him back home.  Messy business.  I opened
my heart to these boys and got it broken, not by them, but by the
broken, messy world that we all live in. Come quickly, Lord Jesus!
Even as I yelled at God and cried many tears, life went on.  Abby and
David adopted two more boys, boys that hopefully find a shelter in the
storm in the API family at home in Bombo.  Dec.1-4, I will go back to
Mexico with Blanca to teach the first group of leaders how to use
Mending the Soul to heal from trauma and abuse.  We will go and visit
the street kids and bring them Christmas stockings.  If Elisa is still
alive, Blanca will love on her some more and I will do my best to get
out of "must fix the world" self and love her as well.  December 29 I
will land in Uganda once again.  Abby and David will be back here
telling many stories, seeing family and resting.  I will have the
awesome opportunity to love on those kids again!  Those women again!
Lord please help me to not be consumed in fixing, but on serving,
loving and empowering.
For more information on Social Justice, but no neat tidy little
answers, I encourage you to read: When Helping Hurts, Mending the
Soul, The Wounded Heart, and check out Bob Kerry's last four messages
at www.moonvalleybible.org
Thank you all for praying for me and the entire ministry of API.  It
really is worth the mess

The Uganda I know

Yesterday I had a very interesting experience.  I was at the women's program and teaching a Bible study on Romans 8:28-39.  I have been focusing on freedom in Christ and our identity with Him.  Many Christians know Romans 8:28, but few read beyond that point.  So we read together and then had a time for discussion.  Our English teacher Maureen told us about her mother dying of AIDS in 2001 and how that was the experience God used to call her to Himself.  She explained that through that tragedy, she believed and started walking with Christ.  Another story was much more chilling.  A carpenter in Kampala was cutting some boards and accidentally cut off half of his pinky finger.  Some time later he went back for a visit to the village and was ambushed by some "traditionalists".  They carried him to the local witch doctor to be offered as a sacrifice.  But when the witch doctor saw his finger he refused to sacrifice him because of his flaw.  He wanted a perfect sacrifice.  So loosing his finger was used by God to spare his life.  The story was amazing but got me thinking about the things I have read, seen and heard about village life.  I was helping one of the boys in the house, Kataregga, with his homework.  There was a part in the science section about making sure that you never take candy from strangers.  (good advice) but then his textbook went on to say that the reason why is that you might get caught by a witch doctor.  This was his textbook!  I had heard he reason why women pierce one of their babis' ears is so that they will no longer be perfect and unsuitable for sacrifice. But in the back of my mind I thought, "Naaaah."  Well guess what? Yeaaahhhh! All this to say, that is not the Uganda I know. The occult is alive and well in Uganda.  Human sacrifice still exists.  Tribal wars and rivalries still exist. Here in the city I see extreme poverty and extreme wealth.  I have walked through the part of Owino where they sell stuff for witchcraft, but I have not experienced it first hand.  But I need to keep in mind that the women have and the boys on the street have.  Isn't it interesting that the witch  doctors want a perfect sacrifice?  Jesus Christ the perfect One sacrificed once and for all.  Pray that the women and the boys will be able to loose any associations they have that are negative and break the bondage caused by a belief in witch doctors.  Help me remember that even though I may see a Mercedes Benz on the street, there is a dark underbelly that I know little about and they need to see the love of the only truly perfect One as well!  

New Home and a New Perspective

Last week I moved into a room  in an apartment that Abby and David Kakeeto rented close to their house.  It has two bedrooms, a kitchen, a sitting room, and indoor plumbing.  I love having an indoor sink.  The apartment is located over the garage of a wealthy Ugandan. The view is wonderful and I even have a small balcony.  The timing of the move was perfect as well.  I am trying to get settled before I go back to the US in October.  This week we will be buying a computer and setting up a real office.  I am nervous and excited.  I really want to go home.  AND I already have plans for when I get back here as well.  These last few weeks have been pretty stressful for me as they were too busy and I got way behind in my sleep.  I love the quiet here at the apartment but I also miss the constant movement and noise of living with the 16 boys.  I had an interesting thing happen on Saturday.  I took Emma (Emmanuel) with me to Kampala city to run some errands and I took him to lunch.  We were getting phone repaired.  Emma said something to me and he called me Jajja (of course) and the man said, "Jajja?  Is this boy yours?"  Emma looked up at me and waited for my reply.  I said yes and he just burst out in happiness.  The power of being part of God's family together, makes our bond even closer.  I don't really call the boys "my boys."  I stopped feeling like people were "mine" when Jeff was so sick, close to his death. My prayers changed from "Please heal him" to "Please don't let him suffer" to "Father, he is Yours not mine, You love him more than I can imagine, your will be done in his life."  Something inside me changed.  It was peaceful but also bittersweet.  Even my daughters and son are not really mine, they are the children that God blessed me with and gave me the privilege of being their mother.  I remember when I admitted to someone that even today I have a hard time praying to God about healing people physically.  Not that God isn't good, because I know He is.  Not because he isn't all-loving, because He is.  But because he knows the end and I don't.  For me it is acknowledging that God has ALL of the power to heal, and in His sovereignty, sometimes He chooses not to heal.  I can pray with all confidence for God to heal broken hearts and give spiritual healing.  But healing for AIDS, cancer, etc?  God may not answer that prayer the way I want him to. There is peace there but for me it came at a cost. Two of the women in our program are not doing very well.  I pray for their hearts, their minds, their souls, their families and when I say Father your will be done in the life of these women and in their bodies, a lump comes to my throat.  Missionaries are not supposed to feel that way are they?  How does that relate to Emma?  Because I was encouraged by him and seeing the sweet smile on his face and the pride in his eyes when I acknowledged him to a stranger.  Thank you God for Emma, thank you for the women, Rose and Gertrude.  Thank you for making us family.  Thank you for making us yours.  Father, your will be done in all of our lives! Amen!

Mid July 2011

Yesterday was one of the days that make me want to cry for so many reasons.  The schedule got changed so the women are coming to Hope House on Friday.  So I stayed home to work on receipts.  I got a frantic call from Caitlyn saying that I needed to take some boys to the clinic.  She was at a soccer field in Kampala with 150 street boys and a team from South Carolina that are doing a VBS (sort of).  So I hopped on a boda and sped over there.  Two of the boys were VERY sick and two others had nasty eye infections.  I took them to the nearest clinic, in a taxi with an uncle.  Scary place.  Fairly clean but I didn't see any sterile needles.  One boy got a Malaria meds injected right into his vein.  It took her five times.  The other boy got four meds including Cipro and two other antibiotics that I didn't recognize.  Plus Malaria meds to take.  The bother boys got antibiotics and eye drops.  while I was waiting to pay I leaned on what I thought was a wall and fell backwards and landed flat on my back.  Everyone at the clinic started to panic and wanted to give me an injection and I am almost crying saying no, I have my own pain killers, please no. The boys are all saying get the injection jajja.   It really was pretty funny. So we took them back to the VBS.  Everyone took their meds and I started to do medical care.  Nothing like doing medical care on street boys to put a little back pain into perspective.  The worst part is their feet.  Most of the time, they have no shoes so their feet are covered with sores, ingrown nails, and jiggers.  Jiggers are a little insect that bores into your feet and makes a mess.  The boys just love having some personal attention.  I did that for an hour or two and then when everyone was finished I started to leave.  And ran into a low beam with my head.  REALLY Gina!  God must really need to teach me a lesson, I know I am hard headed but can't I learn an easier way!  I went home.  Took a Valium, and started to rest.  Abby called me and asked me to please get some sun glasses for the two boys that had eye problems.  So back on the boda and down to the nearest market Nattette.  It is about a mile away, usually I walk, because I love the walk, but not today.  Got the glasses and five big puffy coats for our boys and three pillows.  You KNOW you need big puffy coats when it gets down to a chilly 70 degrees. HA!  I had bought five others last weekend so almost every boy has one.  I also bought 6 "jumpers"  hoodies in American English.  Feeling great because of the Valium.  Go home.  I haven't been home 15 minutes when Amanda comes in crying and doubled over in pain.  Drop everything, get another boda go to The Surgery (that is the name of the clinic where we go)  She is on fire and crying!  Got there she had to wait about 30 minutes but then she saw a doctor.  They did an ultrasound on her and ran all kinds of tests. She has a fungal infection but they could not find the source of her pain. She has a pic line in and we are going back today.  (Only tylenol and Ibuprofen for me today!)  I also looked up the clinic where Embasy people go.  So I told her the next time I am taking her there.  It is called Kampala International Hospital. So God put my back pain in proper perspective for me.  I needed that.  Truly was feeling sorry for myself.
May God never have to use a 2x4 on you to get your attention.  I love you all!

Early July 2011

This month has flown by. I have been busy doing some new things that are so exciting.  As you may remember the other missionary, Amanda, and I and shared the responsibilities for Hope House, the program for prostituted women.  Amanda has been training me to be able to buy the jewelry from them to send to the US (harder than it seems-HA) Last week was my first week of going solo.  This means that Amanda will focus on the street boys and I will focus on the women.  Because of my age, it is a really good fit.  I started teaching them salvation through faith alone two weeks ago.  So many churches here teach a conditional salvation, you do well and God will love you, you mess up and he no longer cares.  For women who have prostituted themselves out of desperation and misery this message is very damaging.  Actually it is damaging for anyone!  Also I spend lots of time with our boys at home.  As you know I have really bonded with the older boys.  I would love to begin counselling them on becoming men of God and I think working with Uncle Steven would work.  If you have any suggestions of curricula that would be awesome, or even a good place to start.  These boys have been exposed to such horror.  Many have been sexually assaulted and all have had to deal with rejection and abandonment. Please pray for me as I need wisdom.  We have a summer intern here named Caitlyn.  We all call her Cate.  She is 20, from CA and a barrel of laughs!  Some of you know that I had the bright idea to take a couple of college courses while I was home.  Since I don't have formal training in counselling, or childhood trauma I needed to take some basic courses.  I took Abnormal Psychology and Race and Ethnicity.  In my mind I thought I would easily be able to finish either before I left or shortly after returning to Uganda.  WRONG!  Needless to say I took a two day "holiday" at a guest house in Kampala and finished my coursework.  We have both internet and electricity problems in Wakalyga where I live.  But I am done.  The courses were actually really interesting.  

One of the fun activities that I have been doing with our boys is cooking with them every Saturday morning.  This coming Saturday I am going to make noodles and sauce and coleslaw.  I know, odd combination but I only have my local market to purchase supplies.  The boys love it!  I love it too!  I serve them tea and we all try my creations!  HA!  

Thank you so very much for praying for me for my bronchitis, I am almost completely over it!  For me four weeks is a pretty short run!  

Today is computer training for the women.  I have been teaching them how to use a keyboard and how to get familiar with the computer.  Then after the lesson is over I take three women out to lunch.  We have a restaurant that we walk to that has good local food.  Last week I bought medicine for several of the women who had the flu.  HIV and the flu are NOT a good combination.  I want you to know this: that YOU are the ones that make that possible.  Every time I can show love to the women or to the boys it is because of you.  "We" bought Bibles for all of the women.  We take them to lunch.  We buy them medicine.  We make fun little meals every Saturday morning.  Thank you!  

When I teach a Bible study or counsel a boy I know that I am covered in prayer by MANY people who love these precious souls also.  Thank you!

On a very fun note before I close.  I was at Owino, the HUGE market filled with used clothing and other items, looking for school shoes for the boys.  I came across a woman selling sandals and she had a pair of Birkenstock sandals, in my size and they were RED!!! Of course I bought them.  A small thing that made me so very happy.  Nice shoes with a good arch and in a color that I love! 

Thank you again for all of the love and support that you give me, the women and the boys.  May you feel Christ's grace, mercy and compassion in a new and fresh way every day!

Mid June Update

I hope this day finds you doing well.  Last night we celebrated the birthdays of two boys, Shafik and Kataregga Derick. We had so much fun.  Birthday cake, popcorn, pineapple, and soda.  Today is Amanda's birthday so she was a part of our fun as well.  The boys are all doing well.  None are sick although we have gone through the Flu and Malaria.  The boys have been back in school for almost a month and most seem to be doing well.  Some are still struggling with reading.  It is hard for them because they are older than they should be.  Big Bashir is almost 16 and he is in P-5, fifth grade.  But he has a great attitude..  The majority of our boys are in P-3.  The school does not provide ANY books so I have been buying them books to use.  That will allow them to work better at home.  They are very diligent with their homework.  We have had a team here from Colorado and they came and spent an evening with us.  52 people!  

The most exciting news is the progress that we have made on the house. The walls are roof high and they are framing the roof in.  They have dug the toilets and have laid out the foundation for the kitchen,dining room.  We are very excited about that.  The other news as far as the boys are concerned was culture day yesterday.  We bought all of the boys the traditional long white tunic, called a kanzu.  The boys would have also liked to have a suit coat to wear over it, but at least they had a kanzu.  Amanda, Caitlyn (the summer intern) and I went to the boys school and took them treats during lunch.  They were excited and embarrassed all at the same time.  Not too many families come with three white women.  Davis and Emma had no embarrassment whatsoever.  They wanted to take us all over, show us where things were and hang all over us.  It was really sweet.  I took them Ugandan Moon pies, a new pencil and a pack of candy coated gum.  The gate guard at the school was so drunk he could barely talk in Lugandan, to say nothing of English.  I guess you have to do something to make the time go by faster.  Several of our boys got in trouble for fighting in school, and I wanted to say that maybe if the school guard was sober, he could have stepped in.  But I think we got it all worked out.  Our counselor is going to start going to the school and seeing the three boys that are struggling, during their breaks.  All of us want to see the boys succeed and are doing everything possible to make sure that it happens.  They have all come so far from when Abby originally took them in off of the street.  Like all of us though, they have not arrived yet.  Keep praying!

Some prayer requests are:

1. pray that the counselling will help the boys release their anger

2. pray that they will continue to improve in school.

3. pray for the construction of the home in Bombo

4. pray for the health of the boys and staff

5. praise that the boys' behavior has continued to improve over the last month

6. praise that God has provided all of the funds for the house in Bombo  

Very Early June Update

I figure by the time I get done with this e-mail it will be June 1.  May has just flown by.  Things are going well here.  I have a nasty case of bronchitis, but I am taking cough medicine and a good antihistamine.  I went to the doctor and they drew blood to check and that was fine, so it is probably viral.   I stayed home from church on Sunday and Monday I spent most of the day  in bed watching movies.  Today I went to town to go and mail some letters and to pick up a few things.  Then I came back and went back to bed.  The cough medicine has codeine in it, so it makes me pretty sleepy.  The boys are doing well, they all went back to school on May 23.  The street program is going well also.  I have REALLY enjoyed being with the ladies.  I have been doing a Bible study with them and teaching computers.  I have five keyboards and three laptops so for the last two weeks they have been learning how to manage with the keys.  Tomorrow should have been their first day on the computers, but I am too sick to go.  They are HIV positive and I don't want to give them my bug too. I have also been taking a couple of ladies to lunch on Wednesdays.  So fun. One of the ladies, Beatrice, has a baby that is a week older than my grand-baby and I get to love on him!  One of the older boys from the street got picked up in a riot in the slum and put in prison.  I went with Amanda and Uncle Abdul to try to get him released.  He is out but has to report back in June.  I have decided that I never want to go to jail in Uganda.  It seems funny to me that all of my years of working with kids in AWANA  are now turning into a blessing for the boys.  When we go to Grace house, an orphanage for 50 street boys, Amanda tells a Bible story and I sing and explain the story.  Those that know me well, know I can't carry a tune in a bucket but I do know a lot of kids songs!  There is a former street boy, his name is David-I call him Bead David because he runs the program for making the paper beads, has been hired for the summer.  Bead David is a great young man and loves the boys so much.  He asked me to come and share with Amanda to their little house at night.  Two tiny rooms probably 8 X 15 feet each, no electricity, dirt floors, no mattresses, only cardboard.  There are 40 - 50 boys that sleep there.  So now I have a new audience to sing to.  It is so very humbling.  I don't know how I managed to get such a great assignment!  

While I was in Phoenix I spoke to a Bible study that included Adam Mick the former youth pastor at MVBC.  His Bible study folks were so awesome.  They contributed money and along with another couple of people I came to Uganda with just over $200 dollars to buy a sewing machine, treadle of course.  Here is the cool part... I bought it on Sunday from a guy who works at another orphanage, Uncle Abdul.  Someone had donated it to them and no-one had ever used it.  .  They now can use the money for something that they really need and after I bought some needles, thread, oil, and a couple of spare parts I have about $5.00 left.  God is so good!  I will be using the machine to fix all of the uniforms for our boys, fix clothes for the boys living on the street and hopefully it will be used to train some of the women at Hope House (our program) to sew.  Even a few of the boys are interested and maybe one of them will end up being a tailor!

Two Saturdays ago I made french toast for all of the boys for breakfast.  Last week I made pancakes.  We had so much fun.  I have some photos that I will post on facebook.  This week I am going to make fried rice with sweet and sour sauce.  One of the people from my church, MVBC, gave me money to buy every boy a Bible.  They now have their very own Bible.  I have pictures of that too.  (My camera is with Uncle David right now-but watch for the photos!)  

I have found a new friend, one of the street boys named Joel.  He is new to the street, about 16 and wants to be with me all of the time.  He got beat up pretty badly his first or second week here and he got taken to the clinic by Bead David.  One of his eyes was really damaged and he had drops that were a steroid to reduce swelling and an antibiotic to fight infection.  No-one wanted to give him his drops so I did.  I have put thousands of drops into kid and adult eyes.  I guess the drops did it because whenever I am there he wants to hold my hand and talk to me.  His English is pretty good.  His story is really sad, they all are.  But not many boys want to share with me so soon.  Joel has though, and I am honored.  

The work has begun on the new house on the new land.  They have been digging trenches for the stem walls and clearing land.  Still no water or electricity but the ball is rolling.  The plans are so very nice.  I was supposed to go to the land this week to take pictures and to look it over.  I will be going to the land with the teams who are here to help us build so I need to know the way.  I have been there several times but I have never really paid attention to HOW to get there.  But I am too sick for that too.   Hopefully later on this week.    I love you all so much and I thank you for wanting to read my rambling posts, but most of all I thank you for your prayers. 

Vacation in Rwanda-Genocide Memorials

Just a few thoughts from my time in Rwanda.  If you would rather not read about the genocide, I won't be offended if you stop right here and close this post.  No worries!  I have been looking forward to coming to Rwanda for over a year.  As a Believer, and a spoiled American it was easy for me to be lulled into thinking that people are basically good and that Christians are even better.  I knew somewhere in my heart that it wasn't true, but God always seems to need to use a 2 X 4 over the head with me to get my attention.  Going to the memorials yesterday was my 2 X 4.  I knew I needed it and I was right.  The UN claims that more than 800,000 people were killed in the main genocide that lasted roughly 100 days in 1994.  The Rwandans estimate that 3 million people were killed during the five years that led up to it and the years since.  I kept hearing in my head, "the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, who can know it"?  And that time clearly illustrates that.  These were not atheists or non-Christians killing Christians, this was Christians and Muslims killing Christians and Muslims, over race.  We went to the National museum first.  It contains a number of mass graves for 250,000 people with more remains placed there even this year.  It also has a museum with pictures and artifacts.  Next stop was the Ntarama site.  Here in the church over 600 people were killed. The skulls of many of the people are displayed on shelves behind the pews and in the children's church building (approximately 10 feet by 20 ft) there is still blood on the wall where they smashed the skills of the babies and children. You are not allowed to take pictures inside any of the buildings, but I will be posting on my facebook page some from the outside.  The last site was Nyamata.  Here in this church and in the area surrounding it 10,000 people were killed.  The church was packed with people, primarily women and children and old people, the men were outside trying to defend the church.  That is why so many were killed at that site.  They have left all of the clothing from the people in both churches on the pews in heaps.  Dirty bloodstained heaps.  At the Nyamata site they also have two mass burial grounds and one is an open crypt that you can enter and they have displayed the bones from all of the people who died inside of the church.  Mostly skulls and long bones.  I wrapped my fingers around one of the skulls and it was about the size of an eight to ten year-old. Sobering, the evil that Satan can do in and through our weak human flesh.  The worst part though was watching testimonials and reading the lasting effects of that 100 days.  Thousands of homes were burned, thousands of people were left maimed.  Thousands of women were raped.  Thousands off orphans were left. Millions of hearts were left broken. All because of sin.  The Rwandan government is working hard for racial reconciliation.  Those brave Believers who are working in Rwanda to bring Christ's love, forgiveness and healing need our prayer every day

What happened to make so many people easily remember the first part of the great commandment and yet forget the second part? On a personal level, do I forget that second part, to REALLY love my neighbor in the sphere of family, friends and "enemies" that God puts in my path?  I was reminded in a fresh way that loving God is easier than loving others, apart from His love.  I am not so different from the murderers in Rwanda.  I need Christ to fill me with His love every day and I need to submit to His will.  If I stay stay in Uganda for one more month or ten more years my job is really the same.  God may change the place where I am but my heart needs to be His every day.  

Thank you for praying for me,the staff, the women, the boys, and the street children.  God is using our hands and feet to Love others and to preach the Gospel.  I love you all.

Week one in Uganda

My two month break was wonderful.  I was able to meet so many new people and get all of the boys "special friends".  Every boy in our home now has two families that are supporting him in prayer and help.  The boys love receiving letters (don't all kids).  I wrote to them all twice while I was back in the US.  I was able to tell stories at MVBC for all of the services in March.  I also spoke to several Bible study groups and of course to all of the great kids at Moon Valley!  But really the time went by too fast.  I was anxious to get back to see the boys but very sad to be leaving my family. In early March what I had originally thought was going to be just a visit to Vangie and Josh in Colorado ended up being a moving trip as they moved down to Phoenix. They are staying in my house.  Scarlett, my oldest granddaughter is really at a great age, 19 months.  She is talking and of course mimicking everything she hears. Ruby was born in early March as well and she is cute as a button.  I was able to get sod laid at my house and we were able to enjoy it for a few weeks before I left.  I spent many fun hours with my precious friends and family.  But still I knew I wanted to return.  So as the temperatures were rising in Phoenix I left for Africa.  I arrived on May 8, Mother's Day.  I was greeted at the airport by a group of the wonderful women from our program and Amanda.  Too fun!  Monday I started back to work.  A Perfect Injustice expanded the programs to the street kids.  They hired three additional Ugandan young men to help. One of the young men is named is Abdul, he is a youth Pastor and works at a home for boys.  The other two were street boys themselves, David and Lawrence.  They were bead boys.  They are all such sweet young men.  They now do something with the boys every day except Saturday.  Monday Wednesday and Friday they have a full program that includes a mini clinic, (bandaids and ibuprofen), a lesson, a Bible story, games and a meal of posho and beans.  Tues and Wednesday the program includes medical clinic, a Bible story and porridge (porridge is dilute corn flour, water and sugar).  Amanda runs this program and their is another missionary from Chicago named Cara who works with her.  I did medical with her and told the Bible story one day.  Friday was jst one of those days.  It started with me taking Peter to the hospital with swollen lymph nodes.  I was afraid that he had strep throat.  I did NOT want that to be passed around the house.  Then I went to the street program.  Amanda was already doing medical.  Laying on some plastic on the dirt was a little boy named John, 3, crying and covered with flies.  So I picked him up and found the guy who usually takes care of some of the boys in Kivulu, Robert.  Robert is a woodcarver and he exploits the boys by training them to carve and then not paying them and he is known for beating them and smoking weed in front of them.  Great Huh! But none-the-less John stays with him. So I gave him a bath and Robert gave me some clothes for him and I took him to the clinic.  The poor baby just clung to me. He had a very high fever-malaria.  They gave him IV fluids and medicine.  Some of the best $18 I have spent in a long time.  After that I left little John with Robert and went to find Amanda.  She had taken another VERY sick little boy, Yahayah, about 8 to the hospital.  He had typhoid fever.  I got to hold him too while the nurse tried 6 times to find a vein that would not collapse to give him an IV.  Amanda went to get him some clean clothes and I sat with him.  He was eating a piece of fried donut called a mandazi.  And he wanted to share with me.  I almost cried.  Generosity in spite of such a horrible life.  Saturday we went to a play put on by a school and took ten of the street boys.  After the play, one of the boys, Richard started spiking a fever and had chills...typhoid as well.  Amanda took him to a clinic and then spent the night with him there.  Amanda truly is gifted in working with the boys on the street.  Sunday I took another boy to the clinic because he fell and I think he broke his wrist. Oh brother!
But I have done some fun things as well.  I went to the market with a couple of our boys from the house and we had lunch out.  I also went out to lunch with Amanda and Cara at an Ethiopian place.  I also ordered a desk for myself and a new chair.  I have had a great time hanging out with our boys and uncle Alex.  I really missed them. I bought the boys a couple of new movies to watch: Rio and Megamind.  Both really cute movies.  Several people donated money specifically for a sewing machine and I can't wait to go and get it.  I haven't used a treadle machine in a long time.  The boys on the street and in our house have SO many clothes that need repairing.  I also replaced a lock on a door.  Funky, but it works.  I brought a few tools.  I just can't imagine living without at least a few tools.  I need a few more and I will start to collect them as I go along.  This leg of ministry is six months long.  I return to the US on October 28.  Thank you all for your support!

The first lap around Uganda is almost over

It is now February 13, 2011 and I have not posted in almost two months.  Where I live now in Wakyliga (outside of Kampala Uganda) has unreliable electricity and for some reason the Internet is hit or miss.  Every time I have tried to post it simply will not load.  Go figure!  But I write a regular e-mail for my friends and supporters and if you would like to keep up with what is happening in Africa, simply e-mail me at ginajaye@gmail.com and I will make sure you get on the list.  So when I booked my return flight to Arizona back in early November I had no idea that national elections take place in November, and who could have predicted the situation in Egypt?  But people here in Uganda are very nervous.  Rioting has been predicted from the opposition.  The current president, Museveni has been in power here for 24 years.  He is a shrewd politician but the opposition is stronger than it has ever been.  The last election, five years ago, brought some violence and much outcry of rigging and unfair practices.  Our lawyer, yes we have one, suggested we stock pile food at the boys home and stay in place during that time.  The election is on Friday Feb 18 and I am due to fly out at 12:15 on Feb. 21.  So I am going to Entebbe on Saturday and will stay in a hotel and lie low.  The boys are not even going to the airport with me, which is a ritual for them.  We have been buying food and other items and will be covered well into March.  There is a LOT of fear here and not the sense of outrage that seemed to sweep through Egypt.  But the fact that the protesters were effective in driving Mabarack out of office gives the opposition some fuel for their fire.  So how am I posting now?  Well I am at a coffee shop that resembles a Starbucks in the rich section of Kampala.  There is great Internet coverage here and the coffee is good too.  So what have I been doing?  Mostly parenting a group of sixteen boys in the home.  I have also been leading Bible study for the Women's project and telling Bible stories and singing to the kids at the street program and in an orphanage.  (kids don't care that I can't sing well, HA!)  I also try to manage the money to run the programs.  I brought a scanner/printer with me and so I scan all of the receipts for reimbursement through our mission organization, GTN.  Which is really funny because printers here are really cheap and you can get your ink re-filled for pennies on the dollar.  Speaking of pennies on the dollar, a DVD costs a dollar here.  Yep, one greenback.  In an "official" DVD store, on the street they are fifty cents.  So I have bought the boys some great movies that they have really enjoyed.  Their favorite so far was Disney Peter Pan I and II.  So I bought them the live action Peter Pan, another big hit and we rounded it off with Hook.  But the movie that has brought the biggest laughs was Beverly Hills Chihuahua.  Go figure.  I was able to get caught up on my favorite show, the closer, and I saw the kings speech.  WONDERFUL movie.  The other missionary and I had a baby shower for one of the women in the Hope House.  It is a program to give hope to former prostitutes.  They have learned to make jewelry, receive counselling and Bible studies, and have formed some new friendships.  All are HIV positive, most have kids.  Beatrice was pregnant when she started the program.  She was so surprised and the women all had fun.  I have been shopping a lot as the boys all started back to school Jan 31 to a new term and most were promoted to a new grade.  All most all needed new shoes.  Their shoes are all second hand shoes from the US that are shipped here, dyed black and repaired if necessary.  They aren't cheap by African standards and you can only take a few boys at a time to the market.  So I have gone a lot.  When I go, I treat the boys that go with me to a lunch out.  A real treat!  I have eaten some very interesting foods.  Nothing bad so far.  I have had fried grasshoppers and roasted goat.  I have had sauteed greens and boiled bananas.  I have basically had no milk for three months.  Until I came to this coffee shop I had only had instant coffee.  But I love the food and you can definitely get used to instant coffee.  Church here has been interesting.  Because I know God used a donkey to speak and allowed even me to become a children's pastor I have tried to hear God's voice wherever I am.  Sometimes it is MUCH harder than others.  I have loved being able to worship with my African brothers and sisters.  MVBC worship will be a little boring after this, ha!  Well I will try to be better about keeping the blog up to date, check out my facebook page too.  Thank you for being a part of my journey!  Love always, Gina