Week 3 Part II

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Forgot to mention how much urine is around in my life as of late. Last night, two little ones urinated just where they were seated or standing during class. Everyone still sat around it and when they sort of cleaned it up it was just mopped around. But people don’t care if there is urine around – they walk right into it! I have to say, this is the first absolute gross thing I have experienced here. Believe me, I ran and put my shoes on when I saw that! I washed my shoes when I got home, for sure. Same applies for today at Tegot. Another little one urinated…not to mention I think there was feces around too. The kids are barefoot, walking around and sitting in it or near it! It blows me away. Remember, no Huggies here!

My mommy met the American side of Team Gulu…she even took a picture of us over Skype.

I’ve picked up a few phrases here: everything is “somehow” and you say “sorry” for everything…like when someone else drops something, you say, “sorry!”

I need to make sure I have a generator when I move out of the hotel. No electricity = very dark.

Rainy season is still here – actually, fully here. Wow. My pink gollashes just might make a showing tomorrow!! Have to find a way to trek through these red rivers and ponds! Yes, it is red. Ha. Good thing our van has shields around the windows! (They are like visors that hang over each passenger window to guard the rain, dust and wind. Pretty neat after you get used to them.)

Luke 7:36-50.

First, the Pharisees invited Jesus to dine with them. Second, they didn’t give him water to wash his feet. Third, a woman washed his feet with her tears, hair and perfume. Walking the streets of Gulu and the roads of Tegot my feet turn a nice shade of orange due to the ground everyday – it reminds me of self-tanning lotion gone bad. It is VERY dusty here. And then, when it is raining, your feet are nothing more than muddy, orange, squishy feet. There is nothing better in the world to come home and wash your feet up to at least your knees (my skirts definitely pick up the rest!). Truly, nothing feels better, more refreshing and wonderful. So I can relate when Jesus appreciated the woman washing his feet when the Pharisees didn’t even offer. I mean, they invited him…they should have done that at least to make sure their home was clean! Come on now!

Here is how I am applying it – I don’t want to just invite Jesus in my heart; I don’t want to just be surrounded externally with His presence. I want to be all out faithful enough to wash His feet with all I have – even if it is my tears…believe me, I can weep a storm if I think of all He has done for me! I want my internal heart to be external actions. I don’t care who is around or what people think. Because I know how it feels to have clean feet. He does to…that’s why He is willing to do the same for us. Wow. What a Savior.

Praise God Barbara’s head wound is looking better – not as swollen. She will have a nice scar. I am just worried about the long term emotional affects – a little leery on the exact story...still. PG, Scovia’s wounds on her leg looked better…not much, though…but I will take victories when I can. I had to pick off a fly from one of the wounds. If I didn’t love her so much, I don’t think I could have cleaned, put ointment on and bandaged it for her. That disgusting. I just wish I had a van FULL of first aid supplies to help these babies…from wounds to eye infections it is a daily thing for Tegot kids that no child I have met in the U.S. has ever had to deal with like this.

African time is real – even for Americans who have to abide by it. Slow start to the day, but I was able to make some neat contacts at breakfast this morning with an organization that does education and health care. They are actually interested in possibly partnering up. Today alone, I made three contacts with organizations that are interested in what we, ECM, do and possibly partnering. Wow.

Although I really enjoyed being with the children today, I truly enjoyed my little adventure in the village. Melissa and Sarah were teaching the unschooled children today and I didn’t have a job to do. So Mary and I left to go meet and talk to the parents of the village. We found Concy, Scovia and Felix’s mom, Margaret, and started chatting with her and her friend. They were shelling Simsim and talking. I wanted to spend time with them, so I asked if I could shell with them. So we shelled Simsim until we were done. Boy, is it work! My thumbs hurt from prying and shelling! We did get it all done though with the help of other ladies who came by to see what I was up to. They don’t think I can do the work they do…I am going to prove them wrong!! After halving the Simsim, you let it dry. After drying you just have to hit it and the little sesame-like seeds fall out easily. Then you have to grind it to make paste – this I was promised by Margaret I will get for my “hard” work, which is D-E-L-C-I-O-U-S! So I want to be in on the process. I do have to say, I want to be able to walk alongside Tegot families as much as possible. I don’t want to just do it for the adventure of it I want to do it because I want to be part of their daily lives.

As I am typing this, I received a text from Simon. He isn’t doing very well. The staff here have been hit VERY hard with illness, especially, Malaria. We believe he has this. Tomorrow we are going to take him to Lacor Hospital. In general, we need the Gulu team to be healthy! Please pray for our health!!

Please also pray for our P7 candidates who are up for examinations to get into secondary school. It is a VERY big thing and extremely important. (There are even greeting cards made especially for examinations!!) As a staff, we bought and signed cards for all 31 Tegot Primary School candidates, even though, we only have one student who is sponsored, Concy. Education is key!!

Lastly, the hut across from my hotel fell in today. You can’t even walk into it. I know they have some small children…so pray that they have somewhere to go, especially in this rainy, cold season.

In general, if you can please, pray for Tegot, ECM, the Gulu team and direction/discernment in the ministry God is calling me into that would be sweet and much appreciated.

Friday, October 30, 2009

I’ve heard of the crusades that go on in Africa. Right now, I can hear them. Since this afternoon, there have been preachers and worship down the street at the grounds. It is very loud.

Today, started off with a plea from last night. Simon was feeling very ill – so bad, he asked us to take him to the Lacor (La-cho) Hospital. Early this morning, we drove out to the next city to get him the medical attention he needed. We waited for about 45 minutes before it opened (a half hour late!). We then waited all morning for him to see a doctor. It is a strange procedure. He went to the outpatient clinic; you first get papers sharing what the ailment is; then you wait to see a doctor. It is a very long procedure – especially when you have so many others waiting to see a doctor as well. Once he saw a doctor and got some tests done, he came out to us. We waited across the street at a little store owned by a family of a man who volunteered with ECM this past summer, Patrick. He graciously hosted us and we chilled out there all day. It was long, but we knew we needed to wait in support for our friend. We waited until 2 at the store because the doctor said for Simon to come back at 2 to get the test results. Well, we waited more until like almost 3:30. This time we waited in the hospital with him. It was so crowded with so many issues – from babies to the elderly, to coughs to broken legs. I started feeling nauseous in the cramped space so I waited outside thankfully. Eventually Sarah and Melissa were kicked out because there was no room. So we again waited at the store. Finally, Simon came out. He doesn’t have malaria or typhoid but was told to take some malaria medicine just in case. Finally, the decision was made to get some food in him…so we went to this little place next door. Interesting. Then we headed back to Gulu. Overall, my experience with the medical system here was very frustrating, irritating and testing. Oh did I mention waiting? My patience level was not so laid back as everyone else’s. I just don’t understand how there can be such advances in medical care in the world but a place that needs it so bad just doesn’t have it. I mean, the nurses even had little hats like they did in the 1950’s. It looked like it all came from the 50’s. How hard is it to invest in human resources and capital for care? Why can’t it be readily available here? Why aren’t there more nationals pursuing this? Why isn’t it where it should be? Why do so many people have to suffer?

To say I wasn’t feeling my best after that long day is to say the least. I truly felt like I couldn’t function. I had a hard time just purchasing juice, driving and paying attention! I felt like no compassion was remotely near me. I felt so disconnected to everything around me. I got yelled at by a boda driver and his passenger and threatened. I couldn’t understand why when I was in line a nun skipped me. I couldn’t muster more than a straight-pursed-lips-smile to the children in the street. Checked me email in less than 10 minutes without a conversation with Walter. I just wanted to crawl back to my room and sleep and pray for some functionality to come back. Gratefully, it worked. Woke up and read some. Now journaling…I guess it all works out.

We have decided that the next missionary who comes needs to be a doctor, to at least minister to us as Team Gulu. Oh boy!

There have been rumors that the LRA will be moving back into Uganda. They have been very active in Central Africa, Congo and just this week, Sudan. Just seeing what the after effects of the war look like in the daily lives of the city and people and how it has affected the healthcare today, I just want them to be gone. These people have been through so much. I want God to set up camp and guard the borders of this country with His forces! I don’t want the LRA to be anywhere, but I especially don’t want them here. My kids just don’t deserve to have to deal with them – AGAIN! They’ve seen their parents and siblings murdered, raped, abducted and brutalized. I think how I want the LRA to be wiped out, but then I remember, most of their forces are children! There is no win-win situation here…somebody’s child is victimized every second. Sometimes, I promise you, I feel every scream and tear at the pit of my soul and I just feel the heaviness of it all….it can almost drag your soul through the mud. This is when I need to be in the Word and be prayed up, otherwise, despair can eat your soul away. I want to feel these things but I want to release it into the loving hands of God to restore, redeem and love. I love all of these people, but the people of Tegot I especially want to protect and love with everything I have and ask the Holy Spirit to fill me even more so it can pour out even more. I want Him to fill this place up so nothing can stop His will to be done!

The people of Tegot are my family. I want no harm to be done to them. I want freedom for them. I want life. I want joy. I want safety. I want love. I want health. I want healing. I just want them to be whole in Christ. They want this, too.

I need some good worship…