Medical Clinic

As promised, here is the first of a few blogs posts about my time in Uganda! There were so many things that I wanted to post about and pictures that I wanted to share, but often, getting to a computer that had decent internet access was a challenge! There was an internet cafe in Mpigi town (the town closest to the village where I was living) so I attempted to get access once or twice a week. But often, after walking 15 minutes, hiring a boda boda to take me in to town (about a 10 minute ride), and waiting to get on a computer, I would open my first web page to find out that the internet had gone down, or that the power had gone out, or that the internet was so slow that it was going to take me an hour to load one picture on my blog!! But at the same time, it was nice to not feel so attached to computers and the internet...I learned that it is actually possible to go more than a day without checking my email!

The primary reason for my trip to Uganda was to do some work with the medical clinic that is offered through Peace Portal Community Church. Using funds from Peace Portal Alliance in Canada, the church in Uganda offers a one day per month medical clinic as a community outreach. The goal of this clinic is to demonstrate the love of Christ in a very practical way to the surrounding community. As the clinic is only offered once a month, it is designed to treat non-emergency conditions...the kind of things you would go to your family doctor or a walk-in clinic about. In Uganda, people tend not to go to the doctor for minor conditions, especially since they usually have to pay for the drugs that they might need. The Peace Portal Clinic offers the drugs free of charge, so it is very well received by the community and it helps to prevent minor health problems from becoming larger problems!

I spent some time with the pastor that oversees the clinic as well as the doctor to find out how the clinic has been going over the last year, and to begin working on some plans for how the clinic can be changed and improved. Overall, I was really happy with how things are going, and it was encouraging to see how much can be done for so many people with a relatively small amount of money!

Here are some pictures of the medical clinic...

The pharmacy area...

The nurse giving medications to some of the patients...and
Patrick (the one with headphones in) helping out!

The waiting room!

Goodbye Uganda!

Hello from Swaziland! I’m here for a week visiting my cousin and her family (husband and their four boys) who are serving here for the next two years. I figured that since I was already on the continent, it only made sense to stop in here for a bit before heading home!

So my time in Uganda has come to an end, unfortunately…I would have loved to stay longer, but at the same time I am also looking forward to coming home. When I came I wasn’t sure if I would come home in August, and was prepared to consider staying here longer, but I definitely am feeling that Canada is where I am supposed to be for the next little bit! So while I will be sad to leave Africa (I love it here), I know that Canada is where I am supposed to be this fall and I am looking forward to discovering what the next few months will have in store for me!

But there are definitely more stories still to come from Uganda…lots happened during my time there that I haven’t yet had a chance to blog about! So to save you having to read one really loooong blog post, I will be attempting to update my blog over the next few weeks with shorter posts about different things that I had a chance to do…the medical clinic, going on safari, more stories from the 10 acres, and some reflections on my time in Uganda! And I’ll also be putting my pictures up on Facebook once I am on a computer with a decent internet connection!

This trip has definitely been a great experience for me, and I am now starting to process how I can and should live when I return home to Canada. As this is my fourth trip to Africa, I know that I could very easily just fall back into “normal” life in Canada and it could be just like it was before I left…but that is what I really don’t want to do! I still haven’t quite landed on how this is going to look…so it will be an interesting journey for sure. Thank you also to those of you who have been praying for me while I was in Uganda…I really appreciate it, and God has definitely answered your prayers on my behalf! So thank you again!

So, more to come in the next few weeks…and I will see you soon! I arrive in Vancouver on August 14th at about three in the afternoon, so feel free to give me a call anytime after that! Take care!

Baby Fashion Show

The children’s homes here in Mpigi house 52 kids. While the target age for the kids here is 3 and older, there is one baby who is about 14 months old who is living here as well. He was rescued from a difficult home situation, and the kids and the house moms here love having him around! His name is Zwa, but the moms have renamed him Mokisa, which means “fortunate one”. They feel like this baby has been given a second chance at life, so they felt that this new name was more fitting! It has been great to see Zwa grow and develop in the time that I have been here…he is definitely starting to thrive in this new environment.

However, Zwa didn’t have many clothes when he came here, and most of the donations that we get are for older kids. When I was in Kibaale, I found a bunch of second-hand baby clothes for sale at the market for 500 shillings each (that is like 35 cents). So I picked up a few shirts and shorts for Zwa.

I brought the clothes over to Suubi house to give to the house mother, Mama Rose. She was so excited! She made me go get my camera, and then we did a baby fashion show…she started putting outfits on Zwa, and then getting me to take pictures of him…it was hilarious! All the other kids were just loving it…they were cheering, and laughing, and just so happy for little Zwa. Here are some pictures of the fashion show…

Zwa posing in outfit number one…

Zwa and Mama Rose…and Zwa loving being the centre of attention…

All the kids cheering for Zwa!

Kibaale

I had a chance to spend a few days with my friends Jeff and Shannon Dyck (and family) where they live in Kibaale. Kibaale is about 120 kms southwest from where I am staying. In Kibaale I was able to visit the clinic that operates on the property, and also went on some outreach community visits. Outreach visits are when the clinic staff travel to a nearby village and provide immunizations for babies. They also go and visit people at their homes and make suggestions as to how they can improve their home and the surrounding area to help improve their health. Here are some pictures from my time in the village…

Handwashing station that they encourage all families to build…

Random guy showing me how to row a boat…

Immunizing babies!

Music Video

I got a great welcome back from all of the kids and house moms on the property when I returned from my week at Sanyu. I love living in community here – people are interested in everything that is going on, and are constantly checking in on how things are going. Pretty much every time I leave the property, even if it is just to go to the market to buy vegetables, someone wishes me a “safe journey”, and when I return everyone I see welcomes me back. I think this is something that I will miss when I return to Canada!

I spent most of last Saturday hanging out with the kids, and then at 5pm tons of people started showing up on the property. I asked what was going on, and they told me that we were going to watch some music videos in the church!

Let me backtrack a bit…when I first arrived in Mpigi, the church was being used constantly – people were singing and dancing in the church building all the time. I found out that one of the musicians from the church had written some songs and was making them into music videos. So one Monday, a producer and cameraman from Kampala came to Mpigi to film the music video. The church was packed, people were in costumes, they were dancing and singing, and trying (unsuccessfully) to convince me to dance in the video!

So last Saturday we had a chance to watch the completed videos! Everyone showed up at 5pm, and we were waiting…and waiting…and waiting…at 6:30pm we all moved in to the church to wait some more. People weren’t impatient…instead, they used the time that we were all waiting to start up an impromptu dance party! There was one little guy who was probably 4 or 5, and he was the star of the show…probably one of the better dancers I have seen in a long time! Finally, at about 8:30pm, the video arrived with the producer from Kampala and the show began!

It was great to see so many of the church community members in the videos…and whenever one of them appeared, the whole crowd of about 120 people started cheering! The videos were great…totally done Ugandan style, which is hard to explain in a blog post, but I am hoping to be able to get a copy of the DVD to bring with me back to Canada!

Music videos in Uganda…an unexpected but very fun evening!!

Here's a picture of Segawa picking up the dry laundry...

Sanyu Babies Home

Hello from Uganda!

Time is going by quickly now…I only have about two weeks left in Uganda (and then a week in Swaziland), which is hard to believe! I feel like I am finally just getting settled in to life here, and already I feel like it is time to wind down.

I spent a week at Sanyu Babies Home, which is an orphanage for babies and kids up to 3 years old in Kampala. (For those of you that know Jeff and Shannon, Sanyu is the orphanage where they adopted Mazzy from!) It was fun to spend time with the little ones, and I met a bunch of interesting people from all over the world who were also volunteering there (from Australia, the UK, Holland, Norway…)

Here are some pics of my time at Sanyu…

The little babies… Playtime...

Meal time…

Out with new friends…

A challenging word...

This past Sunday at church, I had the opportunity to hear a very challenging message from Pastor Geoffrey. Geoffrey is one of the full time pastors here at the church, and as I write this, he is spending the day in the church in prayer for the community here. Geoffrey, his wife Rose, and their three kids Esther, Isaac, and Praise live here on the church property. Here is a picture of Praise:

So this is the text that Geoffrey preached on:

2 Corinthians 8:1-4
And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.

He also used a couple of verses from Proverbs:

Proverbs 28:27
He who gives to the poor will lack nothing, but he who closes his eyes to them receives many curses.

Proverbs 21:13
If a man shuts his ear to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered.

Geoffrey’s encouragement to the congregation was to give from what they had, following the example of the Macedonian churches that were joyfully giving out of their extreme poverty. Listening to this message in a church full of people, many of them unemployed, or single parents, or elderly and struggling to meet the needs of their grandchildren, or parents who can barely afford the rent of their dirt hut and school fees for their children definitely got me thinking!! It is one thing to hear a message like this delivered from the comfort of a North American church, but in this setting I found this word much more challenging to hear.

Here are some things I have been thinking about following this message…
-do I give joyfully?
-what does it mean to give as much as I am able, and even beyond my ability?
-is giving a privilege for me?
-how should I respond to the cry of the poor?

This message will definitely keep me thinking for a while!!

And just so you can see that I really am in Uganda…here are some pictures of me with the kids, playing...you guessed it…memory!!




And one more picture of the kids playing taxi...using some leaves and ropes tied together and some sticks!

That's all for now! Take care!

Hospitals and taxis...

Hello from Uganda! It has been an interesting week since I last posted, so I will try to fill you in on what I have been up to.

One of the things that I wanted to do while I was here in Uganda was to develop a better understanding of the Ugandan health care system. As most of you know, I have been involved in the planning and oversight of a clinic here on the church property in Mpigi, so I wanted to gain a better understanding of what health care services are available here, and how the clinic at the church fits into the bigger picture of health care in this area.

Here’s a bit of a side note…just so you know what I am referring to when I say Mpigi! Mpigi is the name of one of the many districts in Uganda…similar to regions, such as Metro Vancouver, in BC. And also in Mpigi district is Mpigi town, where the market, internet café, taxis, and other shops are located. Mpigi town is about a 10 minute boda boda ride from the church property, which is in the village of Ziwangwe (not sure if that spelling is even close to correct, but you get the idea!)

So, step one was to meet the woman in charge of health care services in Mpigi District, Dr. Ruth. I had emailed a contact from my trip last year, and she had let Dr. Ruth know that I was coming. After a couple of awkward meetings with Dr. Ruth at the Mpigi Ministry of Health offices, which involved a lot of waiting and a lot of long (and for me awkward) silences, I had in my possession a letter of introduction to the in-charge at a few different health care centres around the district, so that I am able to go and see the facilities.

So the first place I went to visit was Gombe Hospital, where I have spent 3 days during the past week. Gombe Hospital is about a 45 minute taxi ride from Mpigi town. So the first morning, I showed up to the taxi stop at about 8 am. Taxis in Uganda are vans that are designed for 14 passengers – two up front by the driver, and then 4 rows with 3 seats per row. However, it is extremely rare for a taxi to only carry 14 – average is probably closer to 22, and often even more than that. And that is not counting babies and kids, bags of produce or animals, and other random supplies that people need to transport. And the other thing about taxis in Uganda is that they don’t leave until they are full…and full for the Gombe taxi is at least 18 people. So unfortunately, that first morning, I was one of the first people to arrive. So I waited…and waited…and waited for the taxi to fill, and by 9:30 the taxi finally left. Along the way we continued to pick up people, cramming them into every available space in the taxi. It was the same story pretty much every day that I went…although one day was especially bad, as I had to sit with my knees practically to my chest as there were two large rolls of sheet metal underneath the seats! Oh, and did I mention that I was the only mzungu (white person) in the taxi?

This is a picture that I took while I was sitting crammed in the middle of the taxi…

Anyways, I survived the taxi trips to and from Gombe (going home was not usually quite as bad, but still was pretty full!) My first day at Gombe was spent at the HIV outpatient clinic and touring the pediatric ward, and I spent the next two days at the maternity ward. The midwife that was working there, Christine, was very friendly and helpful, and I learned a lot! On the second day, I was able to see two births, which was great!
Hospital care is definitely different in Uganda compared to Canada!! For example, the pediatric ward has a typical nurse patient ratio of 2 nurses to 40 patients. The maternity ward is about the same. However, families are involved in much of the patient care, so that is helpful. The maternity ward does not have any running water, so water is stored in big barrels and scooped out as necessary. And there is definitely a lack of resources throughout…for labour, each women is expected to bring her own plastic sheet to cover the bed where she will deliver, as well as sheets for the baby to be cleaned off with after delivery. And after the baby was delivered, the midwife turned to me and said, “In Uganda, we improvise.” She then ripped the cuffs off of her latex gloves and used the bits of the glove to tie off the baby’s umbilical cord! Yet overall, in spite of a lack of resources, I was very impressed by the care that was provided to the patients at the hospital. The other birth I got to see was a C-section…but I’ll spare all you non-medical types the details!

So that’s a bit about what I have been up to since I have been here. And although life is very different here, I am learning a lot and definitely being challenged by what I am experiencing …both in the health care system as well as in daily life in the community. But I’ll save all that for another post, since this one is getting long!

Thanks for your emails and comments…I love hearing what is going on back home! Oh, and for those of you who have been on trips to Mpigi previously…the people here have definitely not forgotten you (pretty much daily someone asks me if I know how someone from a previous trip is doing), so if you want to send a message of greeting to anyone feel free to do so through me…they would really love to hear from you!

Here's a picture of some of the kids playing memory...

That’s all for now…take care!!

Hanging out in Mpigi...

Hello from Mpigi, Uganda!

So, this is my second week here in Mpigi…and I am enjoying being back here. Culture shock hit me a bit harder this trip than it has in previous years, but I am starting to adjust to life here! The biggest challenge for me is letting go of my need to fill every second of time…I am learning to just be, which is surprisingly difficult at times!

I have also been spending lots of time playing with the kids on the property…they often seek me out and request, “Rebekah, game!” We have been playing the card game Memory quite a bit, as well as some dominoes…they love it! They will play for hours at a time…it is great!

Here are some pictures of the kids (they love the camera!)



Christine is one of the younger girls here. Last year she was pretty quiet and reserved, but now she is chatty and playful and is even learning a few English words!
















Wasswa and Kato are identical twins who are tons of fun. They have been living in the Children’s homes since the first home opened, and it has been great to watch them grow over the years. They are much less clingy now (some of you who have been here before may remember that about them), and they are always talking and laughing and wrestling, like brothers do!




Sandy is another one of the little guys here…he is a character, and has a pretty constant pout unless he is the centre of attention! I caught a smile in this picture…












That’s all for now…hope you enjoyed the pictures! Take care!

(oh, and Cheryl...definitely no Jungle Oats for me...right now, my breakfast of choice is Fruit Loops;)

In Uganda!

Hello from Uganda!! Today is the first day that I have had a chance to get to the internet café…so here goes my first blog post! I arrived in Uganda on Friday morning. Fortunately I was pretty well rested, as I had a chance to sleep for a few hours at Yotel in Heathrow Airport – I would highly recommend Yotel if you have a layover that is longer than four hours…so worth it! By the time we made it to Mpigi, though, I was starting to feel the jet lag…but the kids here figure that if they see you walking around, you are well enough to play football (soccer) with them! It was fun – the boys in the children’s homes spend much of their free time on the field playing, and they are pretty good (definitely better than I am, and the jet lag wasn’t helping me at all!)

I’ve been spending lots of time with the kids as I get settled in here and as I let my body adjust to the new time zone and the humidity here. On Saturday it poured rain, so I spent a couple of hours in the older girls home as we all attempted to stay dry. The girls put me through the Ugandan version of “Are you smarter than a 5th grader” by writing out their lessons from school and getting me to do them…then they would dutifully mark what I did and write a comment such as “v. good”. I also did a puzzle with them – with 10 girls working on it, the 100 piece puzzle kept them busy for a good hour! For the last two nights the girls have been putting on performances at their house in the evening – songs, dancing, and skits – it is very fun!

I am also attempting to learn Lugandan (the local language here). Most of the kids on the property only know a few English words, so after I say, “hello, how are you?” and they respond “I am fine” the conversation pretty much stops. So now, the kids walk around with me, point things out, and say “In Luganda, enkoko (chicken)”. One of the older boys, Lawrence, has started to make me a Lugandan-English dictionary in one of my notebooks – so far, we’ve covered body parts, plants, animals, and are starting some phrases like “Todduka ogya kuggwa – don’t run, you are going to fall down.” (apparently they think that is an important phrase for me to know??) In the previous two times that I have been here, I really haven’t attempted to learn Lugandan, so I think I definitely should give it a good try this time!

That’s all for now…I will do my best to get another post up in the next week or so. And no pictures today…that will have to wait for next time (and hopefully faster internet!). Take care!

Off again!

In less than 48 hours, I am off to Uganda again! I fly out of Vancouver on Wednesday night, and I can't believe how fast time seems to have gone leading up to this trip. While I think I have everything I need for the trip in my possession, I am definitely not even close to packed...that will be tomorrow's job! And I started saying goodbye to friends this evening, so the reality of leaving is starting to set in.

I will aim to update this blog weekly while I am in Uganda, so you can check here for pictures (as long as the internet cooperates) and stories about what I'm up to during my time in Uganda! And I will do my best to keep up with what is happening back home via facebook as well! For those of you who I won't have a chance to see before I leave, have a fantastic summer and keep in touch!!

Okay, off to start cleaning my room and packing...

Home...

So it has definitely been a while since I posted last, as I am now back home in Canada! The last time I posted we were getting ready for the team from Peace Portal to arrive in Mpigi. Once they arrived things got very busy, time and opportunity to get on the computer decreased dramatically, and by the time I was able to get on the computer it had been badly infected with viruses so I was unable to post! The team was in Uganda for two weeks, and then we all headed to Kenya for a couple of days for a safari debrief, and travelled home from there.

I'm going to try to do some more posts about the events of the past two weeks, but that will have to wait until the jet lag clears a bit and the rest of my pictures are recovered from my memory card (I am now wishing that I used film for my pictures...less opportunity for technical difficulties!) Oh well...not much I can do about it now! I do have a couple of pictures for you, though...the one above is me, Carling, and Lavonne at the Uganda equator, and below is a picture of Jamie reading with the kids as they waited their turn to see the doctor!

It's been a while!

Hello from Uganda! It's been a while since I have had a chance to post anything...it's been a busy week for sure! I spent Tuesday and Wednesday of last week in Kampala showing a group of UBC students around, and I also had a chance to meet with the head of the school of nursing at Makerere University. Then, on Friday, I went to Kampala with Jeff, Shannon and kids to relax, see the source of the Nile River (and a crocodile), and to watch Brent bungee jump!! The picture above is me and Brent on the boat that took us to see the source of the Nile. (the source of the Nile is where Lake Victoria meets the Nile River, which is actually much less impressive than it sounds! But you can't go to Jinja without going to see it!) In Jinja, we also visited Amani Baby Cottage, which is an orphanage for babies and toddlers. I almost took this little guy home with me...so cute!!

Now I am back in Mpigi, getting the medical clinic ready to go. Yesterday I went into Kampala and bought over a million shillings worth of medications and medical supplies, and today I have been trying to get it all organized...it has been a lot of work, but I'm making progress!

I am definitely getting used to the bugs and other creatures here, but these bugs are taking some time to get used to!! (especially since they look more like a crab than a bug!!) They frequently hang out by the medical centre, which is where I sleep, and this morning one joined me in the shower! Good times...the geckos no longer bother me...one is running around the ceiling above my head as I type, and I am still sitting here, so I am definitely making progress:)

So that's a little bit about what I have been up to this past week! I really appreciate your prayers and your emails/comments on facebook...even if I don't get a chance to respond, I love hearing from you! The team from Peace Portal arrives on Saturday, so you can be praying for them as they prepare and travel over here. Take care, and I will be in touch!

Hello from Kampala!

Hello from Kampala! I'm here showing a group of students from UBC around, and tomorrow morning I am going to meet with the head of the school of nursing at Makerere University here in Kampala. This post will be short, because I only have about 12 more minutes on this computer!

Yesterday was an eventful day...I went with Michael to visit the district director of health services in Mpigi, and by the end of the day the deputy director and the health inspector had come to the 10 acres to see the clinic building. This is a key step in having our clinic registered with the district, and getting Ministry of Health support for our activities. I also met with Andrew, one of the doctors who we will be working with for the clinic days in a couple of weeks, and we got a lot of planning done. Now I just need to order the supplies and drugs that we will need.

Yesterday evening, we had a hilarious time going through some medical supplies that some Finnish doctor donated to Michael a while ago. In the supplies was this old army bed/stretcher, which was all in pieces. So there I am with six Ugandans trying to figure out how this old piece of equipment goes together...it was really funny (okay, I guess you had to have been there:) The bed is very functional, but it looks like it comes straight out of MASH...quite funny:)

So that's a little bit about what I have been up to since my last post! Sorry, no pictures this time...I left my transfer cable back in Mpigi! Take care!

Hey hey!

Hello from Mpigi! Just wanted to give a quick update on how things are going over here! I'm still enjoying life in Uganda, and am getting better at remembering people's names! (it is hard, because everyone knows who I am, and I have met most of them before, so I am at the point where it is almost rude to ask again!!) Clinic work has slowed somewhat...I am working on getting an order ready for the drugs and supplies we are going to need, and I need to arrange a couple of more meetings with the doctors who we will be working with. I am also wainting to hear back from the District health services director...in order to purchase medicines, we need to be registered with the district, so I am having to wait on that right now. You could pray that this would happen soon!! Yesterday we (me, Shannon, Jeff, and kids) went into Kampala to do some shopping, and then today was church. This week I will be heading back into Kampala for a few days to meet some students from UBC, show them around Kampala, and then I will head to Jinja to see the Nile river from Thursday to Saturday (not sure if I will river raft yet...what do you think?). Jinja will be a good time to sightsee and relax before a week of hard work before the team from Peace Portal arrives!

Hopefully I will be able to post a few more pictures with my next post! Take care!

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...