Keeping busy!

Hello from Uganda! I'm loving life here so far...and things are going better than I expected as I plan for the medical clinic! There is a very strong desire from the church to get this clinic going, and they already have a lot of the groundwork done. And today I can actually upload pictures, as the internet seems to be cooperating!



On Tuesday I had the opportunity to meet with the women of Mpigi to talk about health...there were about 40 of them, and we had a very lively discussion! I was impressed with the level of knowledge that the women had about the prevention of various diseases...it seems that they have the knowledge (ie. they know to use a mosquito net to prevent malaria), but they are lacking some of the resources necessary to actually do this (most of the women don't have mosquito nets, and can't really afford them). It was a really beneficial time, though, and I feel like I have a much better picture of how life is for the women!

On Wednesday I went to the Mpigi Health District offices with Michael...we met with the public health inspector, and dropped a letter off with the director of health services. We are trying to keep the district informed about what we are doing, so that potentially in the future they can use our facility.

Here is a picture of my room (which is going to be the medical clinic)!


This is a picture of my room with the newly constructed wall, dividing the doctor's area from the pharmacy/nurses area.

This is Wasswa, playing. Wasswa and Kato are a little bit bigger now, and they talk a little more than they did last year! (wasswa means older one, kato means younger one...all the twin boys in Uganda go by wasswa and kato!)

Kennedy and Cissy are getting water from the tap near the water tank.

The kids are sorting beans in preparation for dinner.


Today I took a taxi into Kampala with Pastor Alice and Alice Masambe. I was definitely the only mzungu (white person) on the taxi...fortunately, the taxis I took today only had 17-18 people in them, and no animals! (you can see up to 24 people crammed into one taxi). Once we got to Kampala, we took a boda boda (motorcycle) through the city, which was a little crazy...Kampala traffic is very unpredictable, and the bodas just zip in and out. By the time I got off, my eyes were stinging from all the diesel exhaust and dust in the air!! We then visited a few of the pharmacies to get their price lists for medications. After this, we made our way back to the taxi park, which is where pretty much every taxi in the city leaves from...again, I'm pretty sure I was the only mzungu in there. Alice and Alice stayed with me, and none of us got run over by any taxis, and we all made it home in one piece with all of our belongings!!

So that's a little bit about what I have been up to! Uganda is a beautiful country, and the people here are very welcoming! I have been impressed with their integrity as well...two of the men that we hired to do the construction on the medical clinic have come back to us to either return extra money that we gave them for supplies or lower the price...incredible!! The next couple of days will likely involve a trip or two back to Kampala, and getting an order ready for all of the medical supplies.

Hope things are well with all of you, and I will be in touch! Take care!

Here are Wasswa and Kato, drinking from the water tap! (You can see the medical clinic in the background...)

Getting stuff done...

Things are well underway here on the 10 acres! My time here kicked off with church on Sunday morning, which apparently had way more people than normal and much more energy because I was there... And of course, during the service, I had to get up and bring greetings from Peace Portal Alliance to the church in Mpigi. Michael then told the community that I now have a new name - Masawa Rebekah, which means nurse Rebekah in Lugandan. I was hoping to keep a lower profile than that in these first few weeks, but that's not the way it goes here!

Today, we have hired a few people to finish the construction inside the medical clinic...we are adding a wall, some shelves, a light, and a table/bench. I am staying in the medical clinic, so now my bedroom has turned into construction zone with people in and out regularly! Things don't happen slowly here...once we say that we need something built, someone shows up on the property within about 15 minutes and is ready to start work within the hour. Today, the light has already been installed and the wall will be complete before dark.

I also took a boda into town and met with the doctor who will likely be working in the clinic, and we had a very positive meeting - he seems very thorough, and very personable. Tomorrow I am going to meet with some of the women of Mpigi and have a discussion with them about health in their community...this information will help as we plan the clinic.

So that's a little update on how things are going!! I am getting used to sleeping with geckos and mice and spiders running around my room, and I am also starting to get used to the noise of Uganda...the birds, bugs, and other wildlife make much more noise at night than you would think! I am hopeful that tonight I will just see geckos and spiders, as one of the guys working on the property killed a snake that contained the mouse that lives in the medical clinic (or so I choose to believe!!)

Sorry, no pictures...and unfortunately, no facebook...the internet connection doesn't really allow for that! Hopefully I can upload some pictures when I go into Kampala on Wednesday or Thursday. Take care, and I would love to hear from you by email!

In Uganda!

I arrived in Uganda early today, with no diffculty...Jeff and Shannon and Michael Masembe were all there to meet me at the airport, and then we spent some time shopping in Kampala before heading back to Mpigi.

Lots has changed on the 10 acres, which is awesome to see...a few more buildings, and lots of gardens planted. And, of course, more kids, as the second children's home is built. The third children's home is well underway, and we should be welcoming about 20 more kids within the next few weeks.

Picture uploading is going to be a bit of a challenge due to slow internet, but I will try and post some as soon as I can!

Starting to say goodbyes!

I started saying goodbyes to people tonight...tonight was the last young adults event at church before I leave, so there were quite a few people there this evening that I now won't see until July. I am saying goodbye only for a time, since I do plan on coming home at some point! However, I know that the experiences I will have when I am away will change me...so the person that says goodbye now is not going to be quite the same person that says hello in July. This is a good thing, I think...this trip is going to stretch me in new ways, and although it won't be comfortable I am confident that I will grow because of it. I have this sense that I am going to be changed profoundly by this experience, which is both exciting and scary at the same time.

Tonight I am realizing the importance of community. I am travelling to Uganda alone, and will be met by Jeff and Shannon when I arrive. I will be staying on the ten acre property with them, working alongside them but still working somewhat independently on the medical side of things. It is hitting me tonight...without the prayer support of my community, I am alone...the task I have been called to do is impossible and overwhelming and daunting, and will not succeed without prayer and without the support of community.

I feel convicted by all of the times I have said, "I'll pray for you" and then haven't...by the times I have listened but haven't really heard, by the times I have offered support but never followed through. Community...caring for one another...listening and hearing...sharing each other's burdens...definitely not easy. I am also so appreciative of the people who have taken the time to listen to me, to pray for me, and to support me...there have been many of you who have offered these things to me in this period of preparation, and for that I am so thankful!

Two weeks and counting...

Things for Uganda are starting to come together!! I am two weeks and a day away from taking off...I keep telling myself that, but it hasn't really hit me yet that I am actually going. People keep asking me if I am ready to go, and I feel more like I am...my physical preparation is pretty much complete (just need to put everything into my backpack), planning for the clinic is about as complete as it can be at this point, and Jeff and Shannon have agreed to pick me up at the airport when I arrive in Uganda, so it's all good!

I have a cool opportunity to do a couple other jobs/tasks while I am in Uganda, which I am excited about! I am involved with the Centre for International Child Health at BC Children's Hospital, and our group has a partnership with Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda. Right now, the partnership is focusing on improving the education of Ugandan medical students (future doctors), and I have the opportunity to meet with the head of the nursing school at Makerere to talk about how we can also support nursing education...basically, the goal is to help improve nursing education so that will in turn lead to better health care and therefore better health for Ugandans! (if that makes sense...)

The other thing I get to do while I am in Uganda is be the contact person and local "expert" on life in Uganda for a group of undergraduate students from UBC! (little do they know I am far from an expert, but oh well!! At least I have been there before!) The students are coming over to do some type of dental education...I actually don't know much about what exactly they are doing (I think they will be singing lots of songs about brushing teeth, etc). I have been asked to meet them at the airport, help them find a taxi, show them around Kampala, teach them how to barter/negotiate prices on food and stuff, and do a bunch more things which I have yet to be told about!! This "little favour" for UBC is turning out to be a bit more involved than I thought it would be, as it will take up a couple of days of my time, but it should still be pretty interesting! Fortunately, the only cost to me will be time...UBC is footing the bill for the rest of the stuff. I met the students who are coming to Uganda earlier this evening, and they seem cool and pretty confident, so I think we'll have fun. This was totally not an opportunity that I was looking for, so it will be cool to see how God uses this experience during my trip!

Now it is time for sleep! Tomorrow I think I need to make some space to be quiet and rest, and begin to prepare spiritually for this trip...this has been my biggest challenge as I prepare to go. Somehow, the physical preparation always seems easier for me to do! I know I will be changed and challenged by this experience, so I want to be ready to hear and to be obedient...