One month from today I will be back in the United States. My time here is quickly coming to an end. Although it seems like time is flying by, at the same time I feel as though I have been here forever. In two short months I have found a home here in Jinja, Uganda. I have found a community that I love and a new way of doing things that brings a smile to my face and my heart. Don’t get me wrong, I will be ready to come home in a month, but I will also be forever grateful for the time that I have had here.
This past week we went back to the islands. I missed two days due to being sick. At first I thought it was an allergic reaction to a medicine I’m taking but realized instead that it was caused by some unknown insect bites that I got on Monday. There was some definite cause for worry as my body felt like I had the flu but I wasn’t sick. I was in intense ‘take your breath away’ pain for 7 hours straight. If I were at home I would have definitely gone to the doctor, but here the medical care is ‘interesting.’ Unless you have malaria, then it is a guessing game for the doctors to figure out what is ailing you. One of my friends went to the doctor knowing that she had bronchitis and wanting medicine, she left the doctor being diagnosed with cystic fibrosis! Oh Africa. :o)…Fortunately for me, I was able to take benadryl and began to feel better after a couple of days.
Last Sunday I went to the hospital with a group of 15 people to pray for the people there. It is hard to put into words what I saw and experienced. In Uganda there are few doctors and nurses. The need is great. Here, the patient’s families are the ones that are responsible for feeding and caring for them. If you don’t have family, you starve. If you don’t have some one getting the attention of the doctor on your behalf, chances are you will die. The family sleeps under or by the patient’s bed. Life is put on hold for everyone in hopes of getting the patient better again. I went to the Ninth Ward, which is the accident and burn unit. Most of the guys I prayed with and talked to were involved in boda boda accidents and had broken legs with rods sticking through the knees. I met a man named Joseph with some type of stomach ailment. He was there with his wife and told me of the 5 kids at home. He cried as he told me over and over again that he is the one responsible to take care of them but he can’t. He has been at the hospital for over a month now and has no idea how much longer he will be there. I prayed and shared the Gospel with 8 people…4 accepted Christ that day. I am hoping to go again to do some follow-up with them and hopefully give them a Bible in their own language.
The needs, the pain, the suffering are so evident at the hospital. So many of the practices are old-fashioned and compared to American medicine, would be seen as barbaric. We met a mom whose son’s leg was infected and causing severe problems. The decision was made to amputate, and with no anesthesia or even painkillers, they literally just cut the leg off. Women in need of c-sections have them without any pain medication at all. Women who have lost their babies in childbirth are left in the same hallway as women who have delivered healthy babies. They are doing the best they can at the hospital but its not good enough. The need is overwhelming. I felt very small as I moved amongst the hurting and the sick.
The police here are interesting. It is hard at times to know what they actually do. We asked some workers at the orphanage and they said that they check to see how many people you have in your car, others said that the police are only concerned with matters that affect government officials. Either way, there is a lot of corruption in the police force here in Uganda. A man was stabbed multiple times and was left to die outside of the orphanage’s gate. Esther went to the police with a worker and was told that there wasn’t anything they could do. The man was going to die anyway. Esther insisted that they come and take this man to the hospital. They replied that they needed money for petrol. Fortunately, Esther was insistent and they came and got the man…but all the while looking for a bribe to do what supposedly is their job. Nick was driving past the dam the other day and saw a body floating in the water. It had apparently been reported to the police an hour earlier but the police officers standing on either end of the dam had no idea that there was a body there. Crimes are often left unreported by Ugandans because the police usually accuse the one reporting the crime and put them in jail without trial.
On a positive note, the visits to the islands were once again incredible. I was able to purchase 25 bibles written in Lugandan and we distributed amongst the five islands we went to. We taught the story of Noah all week and taught the kids how to make rain using their hands, they loved it. I also taught the song “I am a Friend of God” and we danced around like crazy people. The students put so much time in preparing for our visits once again. We witnessed some incredible traditional dances and dramas and songs. There are no words to truly capture how warm and welcoming the people of Uganda are. After our first visit to Lwanika, apparently many of the orphans from the school went around saying that Mirembe (my Ugandan name) was their mommy. I have been embraced by the people here and it will be hard to leave. I hope to go back to the islands the week before I leave in order to say good-bye.
A mom of triplets, who were raised at Welcome Home and who have since been placed back in the home, came this past week needing another business loan. She successfully paid back her first loan and used it to open a small food stand. I was able to give her 150,000USH. She was incredibly appreciative. I love the concept of investing in the business loans…ideally the money will be continually reused to better the lives of Ugandans without giving handouts or charity. The people getting these loans are taught responsibility in having to pay them back and then are left with a sense of pride and accomplishment that can’t be given away but must be earned.
Bagaga Yhahaya, an 18yr old boy, came to Welcome Home looking for assistance for his family. His parents both died and he is currently responsible for 5 brothers and sisters ranging from 12 years to 2 ½ years. They were a Muslim family but when the father died they converted to Christianity. They were kicked out of their village, which was primarily Muslim and left with no one to help them and nowhere to go. I was able to give them money for food over the weekend and there are few organizations that are working to get this family some more help.
There is grandmother that a number of us are trying to help right now as well. She is looking after 20 grandchildren by herself. The oldest is 14 and the youngest is 1 ½. All of her children died of AIDS and she is left to care for the babies. The house that she was renting was sold and she was told that she had 2 weeks to find another place to live. Two days later we get a call that all of her stuff was being thrown out of the house and she had to leave that day. A few volunteers that are here from Canada went and moved the grandma and her family to temporary housing near the school where the children attend. There are a lot of people trying to help to find this woman land and work so that she can properly care for the children.
The need is immense. The workers and resources are few. Yet, everyday lives are being changed for the better. This has been a very hard, yet very rewarding two months in Uganda so far. I look forward to taking advantage of the time that I have left here to learn, to grow, and to continue to be changed.
***To view more pictures follow this link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=67067&l=1dfda&id=826780108
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