I Love Lugazi

Today was so great!  (I feel like I say that everyday).  But it really was.  We spent most of the day at Musana.  It was so wonderful to meet the women and see what they do.  I few of them couldn't come today because either they were sick or they had a child very sick.  A lot of people are having malaria (at least that is what they are being told they have) and other fevers.  It's making us even more committed to getting this health curriculum going so we can help them prevent illness and have stronger immune systems to help fight disease when they do get sick.  They women welcomed me with a welcome song and by the end of day had given me a Ugandan name- Kirikumwino (pronounced Cheerycumweeno).  The ki in Lugana is pronounced like chi so they thought that was great that I spell my name with a ki (they didn't know that until after they gave me my new name).  One of the ladies babies, Nicole, turned 1 yesterday so we celebrated with mini bananas and fried dough.  So delicious. After the women went home we talked with Pastor Francis (Melissa's Ugandan dad) about health and nutrition in Lugazi.  He is such a wonderful man with such a refreshing understanding of helping people.  He has a wonderful heart.  I'm excited to get to know him better.  On Sunday he and his wife are going to have lunch with us along with the new missionaries that will be coming to Lugazi. We went up to the hospital after Musana to see one of the women who was there with her little boy Elvis who was not feeling well at all.  Hopefully he doesn't have Malaria.  We finished off the day getting some fruit at the market and eating some local food.  It was pretty good-beans, rice, sweet potato, posho, and matooke.  Lots of starch :) -we're hoping to fix that in our nutrition curriculum.  Tonight Davis and Yoseph are coming back over to perform a song for us.  I can't wait!

P.S.- did you know that Kobe Bryant plays for the Rakers?

Wonderful Sunday

Church was so fun today.  We went to Jinja to attend the branch there.  We caught a taxi-van and rode up along with a man named Charles and two of his kids.  He was baptized back in 1993, just a year after the church had come to Uganda so he is a pioneer here.  He is so faithful.  Some weeks they can't afford the taxi ride to church, but most weeks he can get there.  The great, exciting news is that next Sunday they will be organizing a branch here in Lugazi.  What a blessing for Charles and the town.  

Melissa is in the primary and today was the primary program.  It was so great.  I love that no matter where you are in the world, the church is the same.  The kids were so cute and were typical primary kids.   During the last hour I went to young women's so I could deliver some letters from the beehives in my ward.  It was so fun for the girls to receive the letters, see their pictures, and try some candy. They wrote letters back and sang a song for them.  I can't wait to show the girls.   

Tonight Melissa's Ugandan brothers Davis and Useph ate dinner with us (they are 16 and the sweetest boys ever), along with her Pakistani neighbor Yasir.  It was hilarious.  We were all joking around and having a great time.  I've met such wonderful people here.  I can see why Melissa came for a month and ended up staying 8.  

People

Well, the 28-hour journey to Uganda was long, but I met some great people along the way.  Kathry sat next to me from Amsterdam to Uganda.  What a sweet woman.  She lives in LA studying theology and hopes to be a chaplain in a hospital.  She was headed home to Kampala to spend a month with her husband.  They were married last July and had only spent a month together before she had to go back to LA.  And what makes the story even crazier is that she had only met him by phone before they got married.  Her pastor knew him and had suggested she meet him via phone.  They got to know each other and he went to meet her family here.  They really liked him so they decided to get married.  So she was engaged to him before they had ever met in person.  They are a beautiful couple and hopefully he can get a visa to go to California. 

I also met a man from Guatemala-Julio.  He and his team were on their way to Congo.  It’s his second time.  The first time he came was 2 years ago but could only stay for a couple weeks because his wife was having twins.  But now he’s back again and planning to stay for the whole mission-9 months.  I asked how his wife felt about him being gone for so long and he said it’s hard but that she understands how important what they do it. 

Waiting in line to get a visa at the airport I met a girl from Ireland.  She was just flying in to run the marathon here and then going back in a couple days.  She is an actress and spent some time touring through the US.  So random but so awesome.

I've gone to Uganda

I'm sitting in LAX waiting to go to Uganda via Amsterdam.  2 long flights ahead of me? Yes.  Worth it? Most definitely.  A couple weeks ago I decided to visit my old roommate Melissa who has been in Uganda for the last 8 months.  in 2009, she and a couple other girls started Musana Jewelry (click HERE to see). Not only has Musana been a great way to provide an income for these amazing women, but Melissa is committed to helping them change their lives.  Part of their employment includes classes on things from budgeting to health.  Melissa has a masters in public health and is in the process of writing a health curriculum that can be continued when she is gone. I'm going to do some nutritional assessments and help write that part. Of course we have some adventures planned as well.  I'll try to keep this blog updated while I'm gone.

 

Happy Mother's Day

SOME OF THE REASONS WHY I LOVE MY MOM

she loves my dad unconditionally

she supports me in all my crazy ideas

she would do anything for me

she loves her kids

she's always happy to see me

she puts others' needs before her own

all the costumes she's sewn, 

rides she's given,

homework she's helped with,

and performances she's sat through

she's a committed person

and hard worker

she's taught me to be honest,

reminded me to "have fun and be good,"

and shown me how to serve

and the list goes on

I LOVE YOU MOM!

Day 2 at Montrouis

We got up early this morning do go out fishing.  Well, attempted fishing anyway.  The water was beautiful and so were the sights.  So glad we did that.  We got back to shore a bit late and sprinted to throw on our scrubs and head back to the orphanage.  We did a clinic for the community, about 70 in all came through.

These guys had to catch the bait before we could attempt to catch some fish

Amazing water!

One of the two sweet boats we had

Tired of waiting

Work of Art Orphanage (formally known as Poor Children's Orphanage)

We went up to Montrouis to see how everything is going at Work of Art Orphanage (the orphanage we spent 2 days at last year).  We did a clinic for all the kids at the orphanage/school and the caregivers.  It was a pretty smooth morning.  Then we headed off to Indigo Beach for a little R&R and some fun.

Wanted to bring this little guy home

We are awesome

Beautiful sunset

RAM

A few of us went to see RAM play at the Olaffson late last night.  It's a famous voodoo rock group.  It was actually pretty fun and not as crowded as we thought.

Food for the Poor

Lynda, Paul, and I went out to Food for the Poor Orphanage to finish the Care Giver's School.  We had a fun morning racing through topics to help add a little education to what these fabulous care givers already know.  It was my first time at Food for the Poor and I was very impressed.  The compound is an oasis.  It was so peaceful, bright, colorful, and had a positive feel to it.  The care givers seemed to really love what they do and were happy.  Those that attended our class were attentive and inquisitive. Food for the Poor is dedicated exclusively to children with disabilities.  It's heartbreaking to see.

With Steevenson, our interpreter

The graduating class

They gave us a very yummy meal as thanks

Passing out fleece dolls

Leogane

We went out to Leogane today to do a clinic at Lamb Center Children Home.  We saw about 66 kids and 12 of the adult care givers.  Part of the team will come back out tomorrow to finish up with the care givers and see some kids that will be driven over from another orphanage.  I was in charge of height and weight and graphing those numbers on growth charts to leave with the orphanage.  The kids looked really pretty good and healthy.  I did a nutrition assessment of their meal schedule, which already looked great.  Miriam had made sure that the kids were now getting three meals a day instead of just the one they were getting when she arrived a month ago and every day had at least one serving of dairy (not common from what I've seen).

The ride home should have only taken 45 minutes, but because of traffic it took 2 and a half!  At least we got to really take in the surroundings.