We are coming home!! We leave from Uganda on Friday afternoon and arrive in Charlotte on Saturday night. We are so excited!!!
Happy Birthday Joshua! We love you so much and can't wait to see you. Just want you to know you are now officially the firstborn son. As of yesterday you were the only child. Can't wait for Edith and Derrick to meet their brother and future sister-in-law.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Blog from Ekissa that I wrote
"Jesus said let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
Matthew 19:14
We started our day out at Mercy Home to lead a VBS for the children of Bweya. The morning began with singing and dancing, led by the 4 African college students that we have been fortunate to have with us all week. They connect with the kids in such an amazing way. It doesn't hurt that they also speak their language! I think for the majority of us participating we would have estimated that we might have 50-100 children but as the music started the shelter area quickly filled and we had over 300 children and parents there to hear about God. It is such fun to watch the enthusiasm and love that children express to God even in such a dry dark place as Mercy Home.
I am sitting in a very familiar place having written the blog for the trip in December except this time I was looking through very different eyes.
We had a plan for our day and what we thought would happen but God had his own plan. We would all be touched in one way or another either personally or by watching our friends. It is easy to enjoy and connect with children-they are funny, cute, carefree. These children are also that same way but they are also very hungry for something deeper. Many of them have parents that are trying hard to care for them and then there are some that have no one and nothing. God has a way of placing those children in the hands of the one he knows will stop for just that extra second and realize their need. I saw this happen with Mark and Mercy.
Mercy is a precious, petite girl who smiles and you immediately smile back. I kept noticing her at Mark's feet. As the morning went on I would see them interacting and before long her little hand was in his almost constantly. I knew that he was growing to love her. That may sound strange to some but you see I recognized this immediately because in December this was happening to me with Edith. It is a beautiful thing to witness. Mark was here serving with ekissa (Mercy in Llugandan), at Mercy Home and he is now caring for a little girl named Mercy. It is so amazing how God can orchestrate such small details so that we might recognize him at work.
Steve and I are in Uganda finishing up the legal process of adopting Edith and her brother Derrick. On this very day we received the visas for both children to allow us to return home with them. We officially became their guardians.
All of us are along with the ekissa team participating today. Edith's older brother, Asharuf, is a 8 year old boy who lives at Mercy. They were both so excited to see one another. Even though many of these children are separated from their family there is still a deep sense of commitment to one another. We were serving lunch to all the children and parents. When Asharuf was receiving his plate he immediately recognized that his brother and sister were not eating. He passed his plate to Edith so she would have something. He may not have even in days but yet he was sacrificing his lunch for them. He also stuck by them all day rather than having fun with the VBS activities. We finished the lunch time and the kids began playing in the yard of Mercy Home. It was so awesome to see all these kids having fun and laughing.
The afternoon went on and we all knew it would be time to leave them. Having left Edith in December I knew what a hard time Mark would have when he had to finally part from Mercy. And I also knew that this might be the last time that Edith and Derrick would see their brother Asharuf. I had no idea that he might be aware of this reality. As we were leaving he began to hold tight to Edith's hand and my heart grew extremely heavy. How were we to leave this young boy here alone with no one to take care of him? What would we say? How is Mark going to let go of the hand that he had been holding all day? As Edith was yelling out to her brother "Goodbye Asharuf, I love you." and Mark was hearing the tiny voice say "Come back Mazungu." the tears began and I believe that inside Mark and I are still crying. But we also know that God will provide for these kids as well as provide for us.
How it will all turn out for Ashuraf and for the relationship between Mark and Mercy? We don't know. I know that when I came in December I certainly didn't come with the intentions of adopting. God does have a plan and for that I am grateful.
When we let go and let God have the reign of our hearts it is easy to love with the depth that only God can provide. He simply loved us first.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Misc Pictures
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| This picture and the one below is of a family that we stopped to give silly bands to. Apparently from the look on this little guy's face he has never laid eyes on a mazungu! |
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| This is Uncle Abbey and the kids! |
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| This is Mercy Orphanage |
Day 23- almost over!!
Good Morning my friends-
I am sorry for the delay in my updates but we have had sporadic power and water for the last two days. The city rations both at them anytime they want. It appears today is going to be okay. Just the trials of living in Uganda.
We have done many things since my last post. We attended the service at Ggaba on Sunday and it was great. I was aware that Pastor Robert wanted me to speak just a few words to them but Steve wasn't aware that he would be called on to speak as well. He looked for a moment as if he was going to throw-up but when this culture asks you to speak or eat you do it. He did a great job and Derrick thought it was so funny that he got to use a microphone. He just giggled. For the rest of the afternoon Derrick used a water bottle as a microphone and said at the top of his lungs (like he had seen at the service) Hawawuyah- Amen (Hallelujah) It was so funny to watch him. He raised his hand and closed his eyes...at least he was listening!
The service is held at Mercy Orphanage temporarily until we can build the church on the property. Mercy Orphanage is a horrible place where mostly boys are housed. It is really a blessing to them that the service is held under their shelter so that some adults will at least be there on a regular basis. This is the home where Edith's oldest brother, Asharaf, lives. When they saw each other both their eyes lit up and Edith ran to him. She didn't leave his side the rest of the afternoon, holding his hand the whole time. Steve and I both cried..it was the sweetest but saddest moment I have seen since we arrived. He has a great smile and gentle eyes. He is determined to be about 8 years old but I feel like he is more like 10. He went into his "room" area and was searching through piles of clothes to find something that he could wear to the service. Ugandans believe like the US used to, that you need to dress up to attend church. He was just looking for two socks that matched. His room is drab tan moist concrete and there were 8 bunk beds in there with very very thin mattresses and clothes hanging from a string across the ceiling. There is no power or water. There was a man cooking them a lunch in the metal part of a shovel ( which conducted the heat of the coals) in the corner. They were eating poshu (grit like substance) and what they were not eating the chickens, dogs and kittens were getting off the floor. I can hardly stand to look at this sight. I had visited here in December and I thought it was important for Steve to witness what some of these orphanages look like. It is unbelievable that there are children that actually live here day to day. Even more remarkable that they can have any sort of smile or positive attitude under these circumstances. Asharaf followed us to our car where they said goodbye. We gave him some food we had in our backpacks and he seemed very grateful. We will also need a sponsor for him as well. We have made sure to confirm to Edith that we will take care of him and make sure he has food and clothes. She was very sad when she left him. We will get to see him tomorrow when we participate in a VBS for the kids of Bweya village. She asked me while putting her to bed if we could send an airplane here to get him so that they could all be together..even Eddie. It is hard to imagine that in her 4 year old mind that she can even understand this but she does because she later told me that she had really nice clothes and he was looking and looking for something to put on. She said "Mommy he had a girl shirt on." I am not sure who felt more sad, Edith or us, for having to leave him there. We have identified him to Pastor Robert so at least someone can keep an eye on him and his condition.
We attended the worship with O'Brien, a college student that we sponsor. It has been nice to spend time with him and get to know him. He is so serious about his education and then returning to do social work in Kampala. He is hoping to work with the orphanages. He took us to meet his mother. She cried and hugged Steve and I like we were long lost family. She kept saying bless you bless you. She has raised 5 children alone and O'Brien has commented several times how strict and hard she was on them. Her discipline and love has apparently worked. Three of the five kids have attended a University and one is in the Ugandan service. They all went to school from grade school to University level through sponsorship programs. They live in Uganda and visit her regularly. She invited us into her 2 room cement home and immediatly fell down on her knees to the floor. That is a cultural response but one that makes you want to do the same. I joined her and she spread out a mat and served us sim-sim, nuts and black tea. We had just eaten lunch but it didn't matter. It reminded me of my dear MawMaw, when she said here eat this you just did it. What is so endearing is the "mom" was serving us something that is special and a treat to them. She didn't partake and sent the rest of the sim-sim home with us. Sim-Sim is a very tiny seed that almost tastes like sunflower seeds. They were actually delicious and I have eaten the rest of them. "Mom" kept telling us how thankful she was to have her son be able to finish school and then when we left she called me "Mom O'Brien" and hugged and kissed us again. She was wonderful and I told O'Brien I would like for her to be my grandmother. She had a gentle spirit and a puffy body that was easy to hug.
I am going to visit her tomorrow after we finish our VBS. I will take her picture so I can put her on the blog.
Monday we visited the US Embassy for our final interview. We arrived at 1:30 and left at 4:30. It went well and we can pick up the kids visas on Wednesday. We are trying to find out information about a flight home and how quickly that can happen. I almost can take a sigh of relief knowing that I am seeing the end of this part of our journey. Now that the ekissa team has arrived it has made our stay more enjoyable. We are not able to join them on all the missions opportunities because it just wouldn't work with the kids. We are all getting to go tomorrow so we are looking forward to that.
This morning I received a much needed sign from God. I was talking to Sarah about adoption and how it had been as well as what our future will look like. Her advice is priceless with two adopted children of her own. As we were talking Derrick woke up and called to me from the other room..."momma." I knew it wasn't Edith and Derrick has called me that when Edith has, but not to actually call FOR me. It was the sweetest sound I have ever heard. I knew in that moment that this would be okay and that I can do this. I have to admit that these days have been hard on many levels. We are really beginning to learn about the kids and their likes and dislikes. It has been tiring to say the least and at times I have wondered what in the world we were thinking. But there are moments now that I know why we have adopted these two sweet children. They make us smile, laugh, look at life differently and will definitely keep us active. Besides I have realized that when God asks you to do something specific it is for an amazing reason.
It is not about Steve or me anymore but about giving these two children an opportunity to have a good, secure life in a family where people love them and take care of them.
I will post, if I can, as soon as we know flight information.
We are almost home!!!
Love-
Steve, Debbie, Edith and Derrickey
I am sorry for the delay in my updates but we have had sporadic power and water for the last two days. The city rations both at them anytime they want. It appears today is going to be okay. Just the trials of living in Uganda.
We have done many things since my last post. We attended the service at Ggaba on Sunday and it was great. I was aware that Pastor Robert wanted me to speak just a few words to them but Steve wasn't aware that he would be called on to speak as well. He looked for a moment as if he was going to throw-up but when this culture asks you to speak or eat you do it. He did a great job and Derrick thought it was so funny that he got to use a microphone. He just giggled. For the rest of the afternoon Derrick used a water bottle as a microphone and said at the top of his lungs (like he had seen at the service) Hawawuyah- Amen (Hallelujah) It was so funny to watch him. He raised his hand and closed his eyes...at least he was listening!
The service is held at Mercy Orphanage temporarily until we can build the church on the property. Mercy Orphanage is a horrible place where mostly boys are housed. It is really a blessing to them that the service is held under their shelter so that some adults will at least be there on a regular basis. This is the home where Edith's oldest brother, Asharaf, lives. When they saw each other both their eyes lit up and Edith ran to him. She didn't leave his side the rest of the afternoon, holding his hand the whole time. Steve and I both cried..it was the sweetest but saddest moment I have seen since we arrived. He has a great smile and gentle eyes. He is determined to be about 8 years old but I feel like he is more like 10. He went into his "room" area and was searching through piles of clothes to find something that he could wear to the service. Ugandans believe like the US used to, that you need to dress up to attend church. He was just looking for two socks that matched. His room is drab tan moist concrete and there were 8 bunk beds in there with very very thin mattresses and clothes hanging from a string across the ceiling. There is no power or water. There was a man cooking them a lunch in the metal part of a shovel ( which conducted the heat of the coals) in the corner. They were eating poshu (grit like substance) and what they were not eating the chickens, dogs and kittens were getting off the floor. I can hardly stand to look at this sight. I had visited here in December and I thought it was important for Steve to witness what some of these orphanages look like. It is unbelievable that there are children that actually live here day to day. Even more remarkable that they can have any sort of smile or positive attitude under these circumstances. Asharaf followed us to our car where they said goodbye. We gave him some food we had in our backpacks and he seemed very grateful. We will also need a sponsor for him as well. We have made sure to confirm to Edith that we will take care of him and make sure he has food and clothes. She was very sad when she left him. We will get to see him tomorrow when we participate in a VBS for the kids of Bweya village. She asked me while putting her to bed if we could send an airplane here to get him so that they could all be together..even Eddie. It is hard to imagine that in her 4 year old mind that she can even understand this but she does because she later told me that she had really nice clothes and he was looking and looking for something to put on. She said "Mommy he had a girl shirt on." I am not sure who felt more sad, Edith or us, for having to leave him there. We have identified him to Pastor Robert so at least someone can keep an eye on him and his condition.
We attended the worship with O'Brien, a college student that we sponsor. It has been nice to spend time with him and get to know him. He is so serious about his education and then returning to do social work in Kampala. He is hoping to work with the orphanages. He took us to meet his mother. She cried and hugged Steve and I like we were long lost family. She kept saying bless you bless you. She has raised 5 children alone and O'Brien has commented several times how strict and hard she was on them. Her discipline and love has apparently worked. Three of the five kids have attended a University and one is in the Ugandan service. They all went to school from grade school to University level through sponsorship programs. They live in Uganda and visit her regularly. She invited us into her 2 room cement home and immediatly fell down on her knees to the floor. That is a cultural response but one that makes you want to do the same. I joined her and she spread out a mat and served us sim-sim, nuts and black tea. We had just eaten lunch but it didn't matter. It reminded me of my dear MawMaw, when she said here eat this you just did it. What is so endearing is the "mom" was serving us something that is special and a treat to them. She didn't partake and sent the rest of the sim-sim home with us. Sim-Sim is a very tiny seed that almost tastes like sunflower seeds. They were actually delicious and I have eaten the rest of them. "Mom" kept telling us how thankful she was to have her son be able to finish school and then when we left she called me "Mom O'Brien" and hugged and kissed us again. She was wonderful and I told O'Brien I would like for her to be my grandmother. She had a gentle spirit and a puffy body that was easy to hug.
I am going to visit her tomorrow after we finish our VBS. I will take her picture so I can put her on the blog.
Monday we visited the US Embassy for our final interview. We arrived at 1:30 and left at 4:30. It went well and we can pick up the kids visas on Wednesday. We are trying to find out information about a flight home and how quickly that can happen. I almost can take a sigh of relief knowing that I am seeing the end of this part of our journey. Now that the ekissa team has arrived it has made our stay more enjoyable. We are not able to join them on all the missions opportunities because it just wouldn't work with the kids. We are all getting to go tomorrow so we are looking forward to that.
This morning I received a much needed sign from God. I was talking to Sarah about adoption and how it had been as well as what our future will look like. Her advice is priceless with two adopted children of her own. As we were talking Derrick woke up and called to me from the other room..."momma." I knew it wasn't Edith and Derrick has called me that when Edith has, but not to actually call FOR me. It was the sweetest sound I have ever heard. I knew in that moment that this would be okay and that I can do this. I have to admit that these days have been hard on many levels. We are really beginning to learn about the kids and their likes and dislikes. It has been tiring to say the least and at times I have wondered what in the world we were thinking. But there are moments now that I know why we have adopted these two sweet children. They make us smile, laugh, look at life differently and will definitely keep us active. Besides I have realized that when God asks you to do something specific it is for an amazing reason.
It is not about Steve or me anymore but about giving these two children an opportunity to have a good, secure life in a family where people love them and take care of them.
I will post, if I can, as soon as we know flight information.
We are almost home!!!
Love-
Steve, Debbie, Edith and Derrickey
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Saturday of Week 3
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| On a boat at the mouth of the Nile River |
Hi Everyone- I am going to try to download some more pictures but it is taking a long time so I will just start with that one. We had a great trip to Jinja on Thursday. Not only was it the day we found out we had been officially approved but there were some beautiful sights to see. We were on the Nile with Moses! (our driver)
Friday we moved to the house where the ekissa team will join us really late Sunday night. I got a text today to say that a little bit of home was headed my way and it was right. Steve and I are both so excited to see some familiar faces. We also have some additional supplies being brought to us which will be great. I can tell you that physically Steve and I are beginning to feel the wear of living here. The diet especially. We have both had bouts with stomach issues. Tonight when we were getting ready for bed we found out we have NO water. Last night we had no hot water. The town is rationing the water supply. Thank goodness I gave the kids a bath before dinner-all you have to do is step outside and you are covered with a red dry dust film so you can imagine at the end of the day how dirty they both are.
Steve and I had the opportunity to go on Friday and visit Bweya-the area where ekissa will be doing the mission work. I was so excited to show Steve where Edith had lived and where we worked in December. We met with Mr. Robert-he is the gentleman that ekissa bought three acres from. It is also the sight where the future church will be constructed. Robert is a jolly man who has an amazing smile. I was so excited for him to show Steve the way he farms. He has a fully functioning farm with 9 dairy cows and many chickens. All of these animals are located in about 1000 square feet. It is in his back patio area and is all concrete. I know this sounds really bizarre but he has done this in an ingenious manner and it is clean and very organized. He uses all the natural resources he has around him for feed. The waste from the animals is being used for bio-fuel to cook and heat with. His farm was chosen as a test site for the bio-fuel and he was so excited that he had been the given the opportunity. He is very aware of the ever shrinking tree and land resources that Africa has available to them. He let me help his son milk a cow which I had never done and then he knocked some fresh mangos out of the trees in his yard and we enjoyed those. (That just might be the cause of my stomach issues). We left there and visited Bweya Children's Home where we will be apart of a medical mission on Monday and Tuesday. They house around 80 orphaned children. He said that 90% of his kids have no family at all.
We had a nice afternoon. This was the first time that we had been away from the kids. The Ggaba house where we are staying has lots of young kids that belong to the helpers at that house. I met them all in December and the kids were thrilled that they could stay and play with them. I have to admit we were excited to be by ourselves for a few hours! They greeted us both with "Mommy and Daddy" and ran to us when we returned so they missed us as much as we missed them.
Today we enjoyed having Edrine with us to play with Derrick and Edith. Edith was sad to see him go tonight and keeps questioning about his coming to America. Derrick doesn't show much emotion but I have noticed that when people come around from his "old" life he tends to stick close to Steve or me. I think he must not understand that he is not going with them. He hesitates to hug on them and generally wants us to hold him.
We were all exhausted from last night. Ggaba church holds an all night prayer vigil every Friday evening. Our room faces the church and with the windows open at the church and in our bedroom for air circulation it sounded as if we were in a concert hall. The loud drum beats and chanting lasted until 4:30 this morning. Steve and I hardly slept at all so this day has been especially hard. At one point we were laughing hysterically at nothing. Edrine and Edith were trying to tell me that they wanted something from upstairs and I thought it was "bug" spray. Of course Derrick follows them upstairs and as I was trying to make sure that he "hit the hole" in the bathroom I turned around and they were taking their clothes off. They wanted to take a bath not put on bug spray.....That shows how our language differences can confuse everyone....I sent them back outside. Two young men from the church came over and we visited with them most of the afternoon.
Tomorrow morning we are headed to Bweya to attend the church service with Pastor Robert. He is the minister who is helping to build the church with ekissa. He was originally holding the services in a chicken coop but they have moved to a facility at Mercy orphanage. Edith and Derrick's older brother (Usher) is at this home so I am sure they will be excited to see him. I have to speak about what we are doing here and about the upcoming mission week. I am a little nervous about that.
We go Monday to the US Embassy so we will know more about when we can head home. We are beyond homesick and ready to be home. Please pray for our health as we have both battling some stomach issues. We don't want to get sick here I can tell you-
Happy Father's Day to our Dad's- Wish we could be there to celebrate! We love you!
I will try to send some pictures tomorrow when the computer isn't so slow.
Good Night!!
Debbie and Steve
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Halleluijah! Thank you God! We are approved!!
Who would have ever thought that we would have been riding in a boat at the mouth of the Nile River when the attorney called to tell us that we had been approved. We were all so excited and relieved. Now what? Well we go the attorney's office in the morning to pick up the stamped approval and then from there we go to the US Embassy on monday morning to drop off our paperwork and then we go back on monday afternoon at 2:00 for our official interview.
We are having a fun field trip to Jinja today and are actually eating lunch at the Jinja Hotel on the Nile!
Wow I have forgotten I was in Africa. We are eating a buffet lunch (still traditional african food) but by a pool and it is gorgeous. I am typing this while a monkey eats my trail mix off the ground about 5 inches from my feet. Derrick and Edith on on the swings so it feels safe. Actually it just ate out of my hand. That was amazing.
Ok back to my initial reason for blogging. I am so thankful that this part is behind us. Now comes the hard part- parenting these two precious children. It was so special when we got the call because both kids were in my lap and Edith at least knew what was going on and she was so excited.
Official Names: Edith Ann Nabakooza Shough
Derrick Serrugo Shough
We love you all and thank you for your prayers!!
Write more later-have taken some good pictures today!!
Debbie
We are having a fun field trip to Jinja today and are actually eating lunch at the Jinja Hotel on the Nile!
Wow I have forgotten I was in Africa. We are eating a buffet lunch (still traditional african food) but by a pool and it is gorgeous. I am typing this while a monkey eats my trail mix off the ground about 5 inches from my feet. Derrick and Edith on on the swings so it feels safe. Actually it just ate out of my hand. That was amazing.
Ok back to my initial reason for blogging. I am so thankful that this part is behind us. Now comes the hard part- parenting these two precious children. It was so special when we got the call because both kids were in my lap and Edith at least knew what was going on and she was so excited.
Official Names: Edith Ann Nabakooza Shough
Derrick Serrugo Shough
We love you all and thank you for your prayers!!
Write more later-have taken some good pictures today!!
Debbie
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Ruling Day
There is no ruling- the attorneys went to court this morning to be seen at 10:00 and then called us at 12:00 to say that they were to return around 2:00. They finally called back at 4:30 and said that they were to return tomorrow. The court system here is very unreliable as you can see....so we continue to wait.
We are headed to Jinja tomorrow for a field trip. Steve and I are so excited to be doing something different we can hardly stand it. It will take us about 2 hours to get there and we will stay for a few hours and then head back home. I understand that the city is really pretty and we will get to see the mouth of the Nile River. We must be back home before dusk for safety reasons so we will not be there long before we head back towards Kampala. We will take lots of pictures-sure you are getting a little tired of the kids in the bath tub and in the yard.
I tried to blog last night and the computer wouldn't let me in. I wanted to share with you a conversation I had with Florence and Teddy. They came by the house to let me see all the receipts and acceptance documents for Teddy's nursing classes. In the midst of the conversation we started talking about babysitters. They are called maids here because not only do they stay with the children they also do all the housework. Unless the Ugandans are very wealthy generally babysitters as we know them are unheard of. When she asked me how much a babysitter made per hours I said 5.00- ok so it has been a long time since I have had a sitter. Don't let this scare any future sitters for me. In all honesty I was a little embarrassed to tell her that they can make as much as 10.00 per hour. She was shocked and said she would babysit for me anytime. She shared with me that you can work full time as a maid and bring home about 30,000 shillings in one week. That equals $12.74 per week in American money. You can see why Uganda is the third poorest country in the world. It is appalling to see how 95% of the population lives here while the other 5% drive Mercedes and live in big compounds completely separated off from the rest of the people. They live in a house similar to what we are staying in.
We also had the chance to walk today with Olive to see the house that she and her sister are renting. She was proud to show it to us. It is a two room concrete building. There is a living area around 12 x 12 and a bedroom 8 x 10. The bathroom has a shower head in the wall that pours out onto the floor where the sink and toilet are. It is a 5x5 stall. The cooking area is located outside of the front door in what looks like a small storage room. If they are lucky enough to afford a refrigerator or stove it will go in the living area. The house had a bulb hanging in the center of each room and of course no air conditioning. The doors are metal with bars over them and it was bolted in 3 different areas with large locks. I asked Olive how much it cost them to live there and she said $215,000 shillings per month. ($91 US) Now you can figure with the income that a maid would make that most people can not afford to even rent a house much less own one. Olive and her sister both work full time and they are so excited to have this home. They were especially thrilled that they had running water inside and that they had their own bathroom. Most families with multiple children live in literally one room homes where the only running water is outside. The neighborhood of one room houses all use the same toilet area. We passed a man brushing his teeth outside his front door today on our way to Olive's house. It is really amazing to see the attitudes of the people here and their ability to survive with the little they had.
I have to be honest and tell you that yesterday as I was complaining to Steve that I was tired of wearing the same clothes over and over-God really convicted me. Most Ugandans are wearing clothes that someone else has given them and they have very few pieces to choose from. It is times like that when I want this experience to "stick" with me. We have so much to be thankful for and Steve and I both are reminded daily as we look around.
We took a picture of the kids watching Little Mermaid for the first time. Derrick lasts about 5 minutes with a movie but Edith really was enjoying it. Derrick spent the afternoon playing with my computer cord. Steve taught him how to roll it up...like this...like this... and Derrick repeated that in English the whole time he was rolling it up. He is beginning to say a few words. Steve and I are getting really good at understanding his grunts and uh uh uh uh. We have learned a few important words in Llugandan so we can at least communicate some.
We will let you all know as soon as we know something tomorrow. Please keep praying!!
Love and miss you all soooo much-
Debbie and Steve
We are headed to Jinja tomorrow for a field trip. Steve and I are so excited to be doing something different we can hardly stand it. It will take us about 2 hours to get there and we will stay for a few hours and then head back home. I understand that the city is really pretty and we will get to see the mouth of the Nile River. We must be back home before dusk for safety reasons so we will not be there long before we head back towards Kampala. We will take lots of pictures-sure you are getting a little tired of the kids in the bath tub and in the yard.
I tried to blog last night and the computer wouldn't let me in. I wanted to share with you a conversation I had with Florence and Teddy. They came by the house to let me see all the receipts and acceptance documents for Teddy's nursing classes. In the midst of the conversation we started talking about babysitters. They are called maids here because not only do they stay with the children they also do all the housework. Unless the Ugandans are very wealthy generally babysitters as we know them are unheard of. When she asked me how much a babysitter made per hours I said 5.00- ok so it has been a long time since I have had a sitter. Don't let this scare any future sitters for me. In all honesty I was a little embarrassed to tell her that they can make as much as 10.00 per hour. She was shocked and said she would babysit for me anytime. She shared with me that you can work full time as a maid and bring home about 30,000 shillings in one week. That equals $12.74 per week in American money. You can see why Uganda is the third poorest country in the world. It is appalling to see how 95% of the population lives here while the other 5% drive Mercedes and live in big compounds completely separated off from the rest of the people. They live in a house similar to what we are staying in.
We also had the chance to walk today with Olive to see the house that she and her sister are renting. She was proud to show it to us. It is a two room concrete building. There is a living area around 12 x 12 and a bedroom 8 x 10. The bathroom has a shower head in the wall that pours out onto the floor where the sink and toilet are. It is a 5x5 stall. The cooking area is located outside of the front door in what looks like a small storage room. If they are lucky enough to afford a refrigerator or stove it will go in the living area. The house had a bulb hanging in the center of each room and of course no air conditioning. The doors are metal with bars over them and it was bolted in 3 different areas with large locks. I asked Olive how much it cost them to live there and she said $215,000 shillings per month. ($91 US) Now you can figure with the income that a maid would make that most people can not afford to even rent a house much less own one. Olive and her sister both work full time and they are so excited to have this home. They were especially thrilled that they had running water inside and that they had their own bathroom. Most families with multiple children live in literally one room homes where the only running water is outside. The neighborhood of one room houses all use the same toilet area. We passed a man brushing his teeth outside his front door today on our way to Olive's house. It is really amazing to see the attitudes of the people here and their ability to survive with the little they had.
I have to be honest and tell you that yesterday as I was complaining to Steve that I was tired of wearing the same clothes over and over-God really convicted me. Most Ugandans are wearing clothes that someone else has given them and they have very few pieces to choose from. It is times like that when I want this experience to "stick" with me. We have so much to be thankful for and Steve and I both are reminded daily as we look around.
We took a picture of the kids watching Little Mermaid for the first time. Derrick lasts about 5 minutes with a movie but Edith really was enjoying it. Derrick spent the afternoon playing with my computer cord. Steve taught him how to roll it up...like this...like this... and Derrick repeated that in English the whole time he was rolling it up. He is beginning to say a few words. Steve and I are getting really good at understanding his grunts and uh uh uh uh. We have learned a few important words in Llugandan so we can at least communicate some.
We will let you all know as soon as we know something tomorrow. Please keep praying!!
Love and miss you all soooo much-
Debbie and Steve
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