Christmas Worship

While my family was here we all got to participate in worship on Christmas Day at our church here in Mbarara. Kaleb played the guitar for worship and then mom, Kaleb, and I sang Silent Night for the offertory. Dad preached while Enoch, one of our helpers in ministry, translated for him. We had a joint Runyankore/English service for Christmas.

African Wildlife

We had the chance to go to a couple of game parks and see some animals. Here's my brother Kaleb and I on the boat ride at sunset at Queen Elizabeth National Park where we saw tons of hippos, crocodiles, buffaloes, and birds (and when I say birds...I mean birds I think there are more birds here than in any other country in the world; there are more than 600 species in this park alone!). Then we got up for a morning game drive an saw this beautiful sunrise. These are baboons we saw on the side of the road before entering Queen Elizabeth. We saw the zebras at Lake Mburo National Park near my home.

Village Celebration....

During December I had the chance to go to two friends' introduction ceremonies. When Ugandan's get engaged they have to have a big ceremony in the bride-to-be's home village where she introduces her fiancee to her family and friends. Here I am with the groom-to-be, Benon (one of our national pastors in Kampala) and some other co-workers from Kampala (Claudia, Rebekah, and Christy). We are all wearing 'African wear'....I am wearing my traditional Banyankore (the people here in Southwest Uganda) dress. It was definitely an experience traveling to the DEEP village. At one point we were driving inbetween people's mud huts and on little dirt paths. And of course any village experience is not complete until you partake of traditional food, which unfortunately I paid for the next night. I awoke the next night the sickest I have been since I came to Uganda with some bad food poisioning! Thankfuly after a few days and a round of antibiotics I was back to normal. Unfortunately food-borne illnesses is just a part of living in a 3rd world country....but I think it will be a while before I eat local food again!

Perfect and Just in ALL His ways.....

This week I have been spending a lot of time on the 'Toto' ward (Pediatric ward). I have been trying to help feed an abandoned premature baby (we called her Hannah) at the hospital. She was born at 32 weeks and was now almost a month old, but only weighed about 2.2lbs. There was no one to feed her because the mothers do that, not the nurses. I tried to come to the hospital as much as I could, but she was still being underfed. She got sick earlier this week with diarrhea and dehydration so they put an NG tube down so we could feed her. She needed IV fluids but they rarely give them cause there is no one to monitor it. 

Unfortunately this morning when I went to feed her she wasn't breathing and there was no pulse. She must have died several hours earlier. It was so sad. I just don't understand what happened, but we had tried everything we could. She was just too weak and needed more intensive care. I have absolutely no expertise in pediatrics, let alone neonates. Yet the doctors would often ask me what I thought they should do. 

One day I found another neonate dead in the bed beside the baby I was caring for. No one knew who she was or where she came from! I guess she was abandoned. Then another day I looked over and saw that one of the babies was completely 'blue' in the face...she wasn't breathing! Thankfully she had a pulse though. The other nurse with me was like, "now what do we do?" I said go get me a bag mask so I can give this baby some oxygen! Thankfully the baby began breathing on her own after giving her some 'breaths'. I never thought my first 'Code' experience would be in Africa! And let me tell you nothing in nursing school prepared me for nursing here!

I could tell you so many stories, but all I can say is we are so unbelievably blessed in America. It's so sad to see a baby die that in America probably would have made it with proper treatment. The other nurse who was helping me care for the baby this week was a Muslim. I tried to tell her that we have to trust God in these situations, but I thought how can someone like her really rest assured knowing God is in control when they don't know the one, true God? Seriously if I didn't really believe that God is sovereign and in control of all things just stepping foot in the hospital here would be too depressing. It's still hard to see little babies or even adults with HIV/AIDS suffering from lack of proper medical care, but I can have peace knowing that God is in total control. A Ugandan friend gave me a Christmas card today with this verse which I found very comforting...."The Lord is your mighty defender, perfect and just in all His ways." Deut. 32:4  That is why we can Trust our Lord!

'A Father to the fatherless'

Lately we have been getting many abandoned babies and children at the hospital here. There are always some every month because this is the largest hospital in the region, but the last couple of weeks we have had 3 children left at the hospital. Maybe this is because the holidays are approaching? 

Anyways, my good Ugandan friend, Patience who is a nurse has been looking after these abandoned children on the pediatric ward. (Sometimes babies that are abandoned are just left to die because there is no one to care for them....it's not like America where the nurses would ensure the baby was taken care of. Patience and another kind-hearted nurse have just taken it upon themselves to care for these children). One is a premature baby weighing just 2lbs (we are calling her Hannah), another was a child that we think was a couple months old but was only weighing 6lbs (Marie), and then this big guy you see on my lap...we called him Emmanuel, and we think he is about 1 1/2 years old. 'Marie' had been sick on the ward, but was recovering and discharged so we decided to take her and 'Emmanuel' to a 'babies home' in Ibanda, about an hour from Mbarara. 'Hannah' is still too small to be moved so we will be caring for her on the pediatric ward, taking turns feeding and cleaning her, until she gets a little bigger and we can also take her to the babies home. Patience, Scarlett (my teammate), and I took the babies and when we arrived at the home (which is run by Catholic nuns) they told us that 'Marie' was still too small/sick to stay there. They have a limit of 25 babies (up to around 3 years old) and they were already at 30 children. We told the sister that we had no where else to take 'Marie'...if we took her back to the hospital she would just be exposed to more infection and even there there wouldn't be anyone to give her the attention she needed. We felt like she was very malnourished and just needed proper feeding and care. Finally they decided they would keep her.

So we took a tour of the 'home' to see the other children. It was so sweet to see their smiling faces as the older ones would run up and 'hug' our knees, but also so sad to hear the stories of where these babies had come from. One baby was found abandoned in a pit latrine (like an outhouse)...the baby is ok, but is now blind. Can you imagine leaving your baby to die down in a hole in the ground where people use the toilet? It's so hard for me to understand how people can be so mean as to abandon poor, helpless babies. There are so many children in the world who need a home. 

After our tour it was time to leave our own 'babies'. Even though I had only spent a morning with Emmanuel...he really touched my heart. He was so quiet and almost sad-looking. I wonder where he came from and what his life was like? When I said goodbye to him and walked away he started crying! It was all I could do to keep from crying. I wanted to take him home with me! But I know they can take care of him better than I can at this stage in my life. So we left our 'babies' in the care of the sisters and most importantly in the hands of the Father. I kept thinking of this verse as I was with these children..."A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling." Ps. 68:5 Unfortunately, we found out later Friday evening that 'Marie' passed away. It's so hard to see young children like her suffering due to neglect, but God's ways are so much higher and better than ours and we can always trust Him...how truly great is our God!

Isn't he precious? I just wanted to take them all home with me! :) 

I've been living in Uganda 1 year!!!

Today marks my one year anniversary of living in Uganda. In some ways it feels like just yesterday I got off that plane, and then some days it feels like I have lived here FOREVER! All I can say is God is so faithful! I've gone from waking up with a nauseous 'pit' in my stomach to being able to actually function and enjoy living here (some days) :) Look here at Christy's website for more details of those first days in Uganda. (Which by the way without her those first 2 months would have been even worse...I thank God for sending me with Christy).

There were seriously some days that I didn't know if I was going to make it or not. Even though I had been on several short term overseas trips....visiting a 3rd world country for 2 weeks and actually living there are two totally different things. I really feel like my supporters' prayers help kept me here! Thank you all. Seriously it means so much to me, and I can 'feel' your prayers. People often ask me if I knew what was 'in store' would I still have come to Uganda....and I have to say 'yes'. Even though the first 6 months were some of the hardest months of my life, without them I wouldn't have come to learn of God's love, sovereignty and faithfulness the way I have. Of course it's easy to say that now that those times are over, but then again only God knows what is in store. When I first came here I thought I could never live overseas long term, but the more I am here the more I wonder how I will ever go back the American life after living in Uganda. But not to say that I won't be extremely excited to go home when that time comes :) When I think about all I've 'survived' (food poising, learning how to cook from scratch, a jigger in my toe, flipping my truck and numerous other car problems, learning how to drive a stick shift on the opposite side of the road (which I think by the way makes more sense than the U.S.), living alone in a big house, and a lot of other things I would never have done in America) and all I've learned (about myself, how to speak a little Runyankore, care of HIV/AIDS patients, how to work with people of a totally different culture, and so much more) I feel like I am a completely different person at times. It's been a year I will never forget that's for sure, but my time is far from being over....I still have 10 months left! More crazy stories and adventures to come.....

My 'Charlie Brown' Christmas Tree....

It's really hard to get in the 'Christmas spirit' when it's hot outside, you don't see Christmas decorations up in stores, or hear Christmas music on the radio. We've had a couple of Christmas gatherings lately with other people who are also serving in Uganda where we have sung Christmas carols, but I can't hardly do it cause I feel like it is a joke...like it is Christmas in July or something! So this week I have been trying to get in the Christmas spirit by listening to Christmas CD's, and I asked my teammates to get me a Christmas tree in Kampala. They brought it back today and it came in a skinny little box. When I pulled it out and started pulling the 'branches' out we couldn't help but laugh at the little tree. I just kept thinking of Charlie Brown's Christmas tree....poor little thing.

So we turned on the good 'ole Amy Grant Christmas CD and got to work. Anna enjoyed dancing around to 'Rocking Around the Christmas Tree'. After some tugging and twisting of branches, Emily and I untangled and strung on some lights. Now the 'little guy' looks a lot better. This was at my teammate's house so I haven't set it up in my living room yet, but maybe I will try to tie on some ribbons or something since I don't have any ornaments. I know it's not the weather or the decorations or the music that make 'Christmas' Christmas, but it's amazing how much those things help you feel like it's Christmas. I'll keep trying but I sure will miss a good Kentucky Christmas this year....

Refugee Camp

This week I went to Nakivale, a refugee camp, about 1 1/2 hours south of here towards the Tanzania border. People staying here are refugees mostly from Rwanda and Congo. We have 3 very strong churches within the refugee camp and then 3 others in neighboring villages. So we met here to elect officers for our church association's women's committee. Here are the elected officers. The chairman was elected from
our Runyankore service in Mbarara. The meeting took about 5 hours (nothing is ever in a 'hurry' in Africa) and we had to translate between several languages....English, Runyankore, and Kinyarwanda (spoken in Rwanda). Other languages used there are Kiswahili and French. It was really good to meet some of the ladies from some of our village churches. We hope to come back here and do some training with the youth at the end of December and then some health teaching with the women next year.

Here is a picture of the biggest church within the refugee camp. The church is on the right and someone lives in the small house connected to it who watches after the church. There are branches on the roof in order to keep the tarps and roofing from blowing away.




This is inside the church. They have 'Merry Christmas Jesus is the Savior' written on the front wall year-round. The benches on the right are made from mud like the rest of the church. It's really encouraging to visit this church...they are so 'on-fire' for the Lord. Their pastor is a refugee from Congo. They work one day a month out digging in the fields and sell their produce to raise money to use for the church 'up-keep'. I guess when you have everything taken away from you like these refugees you learn to really depend on the Lord for everything and truly worship Him for His faithfulness. I've got a lot to learn!

As we were waiting for the meeting to start Aloyious (pastor of our Runyankore service at church and Words of Hope counselor) and Barry (my teammate) came in with this small set of 'horns' and said they were from a bug that had died. They said the bug was a bout a foot long and came out in the night and would feed off people like a parasite. I was like, 'yeah right', but Aloysious insisted that these bugs were out in deep villages like this one. Since I had never been here before I thought that maybe it was possible these bugs existed and I didn't know. So Aloysious told me to take this picture and show my family/friends back home and he put them on his head like the horns of the bug would be. After taking the picture they started laughing and I found out the truth...these horn looking things fall from trees not from a bug! They always find such joy in 'picking' on me! :)

Isn't she precious?! This little girl was all smiles as she sucked on her plastic black 'grocery bag' (known as a cavara here...they are everywhere and causing a huge sanatation problem as everyone litters here) and hugged a Bible. Ugandan kids and their ability to sit for hours upon hours never complaining or causing trouble continues to amaze me! They don't have toys or crayons or 'things' to keep them entertained. Then I think about what all we have to do to keep our American children entertained, why is that? And really it must not just be Ugandan children but African culture in general because this child is a refugee from Congo.



This is a picture of the white birds known as 'enyangi' that fly among the cattle here. These white birds are where I get my local Runyankore name...'Kenyangi'. I had never seen so many of these birds together before. They are supposed to be a pure spottless beautiful bird. Not that that's why I was named after them (my language teacher just gave me the name). But they are pretty special because they fly among the cattle and cattle are VERY important to most Banyankore people. The drive to the refugee camp was very pretty although very rough....it was the deepest I had ever gone into the bush.

Happy Thanksgiving!

This is my first time ever not celebrating Thanksgiving with my family. No pumkin pie or turkey for me today :( Although I did enjoy some good sweet potatoes with marshmallows thanks to a great care package my Aunt Diane sent me (Thanks again Aunt Diane)! Being away during the holidays is always hard; probably the hardest thing about this 'job'. But even though I can't look outside and see the beautiful fall colors, hear the laughing of my cousins as we watch Christmas Vacation Thanksgiving evening, smell the cooking of the 'big feast' at Aunt Julie's house, taste the yummy pumpkin pie my Mom made, or feel the cool November Kentucky air I can praise our living God from whom ALL blessing flow! 

There are really so many things to be thankful for, but these are just a few I m praising Him for today....

-communication (phone, email, instant messaging, mail, blogging :) It has been such a blessing to me while I have been away from family/friends. Can you imagine life without it?!

 -The Bible...to think God loved us so much he gave us His very word to guide us in this life we live 

 -health (the ability to walk, run, work, see, hear, taste, smell, feel, think) as I see people everyday suffering physically I am reminded how often I take for granted my own well-being

 -friends who have become 'family' to me while I am serving in Uganda 

 - My Salvation -God sought me even when I was not seeking Him...without Jesus' atoning work on the cross there seriously wouldn't be any hope in this world! -clean, safe, warm shelter -why am I so blest to be living where I do and not in a 'slum' area of Uganda? 

-Food-I have never had to go to bed hungry while so many people go to bed hungry every night! 

-God's Sovereignty-He has a plan for my life and has ordained my days before one comes about! 

"Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, you are very great!" Ps. 104:1 How could we ever praise Him enough?!

"Well, I'm Jiggered!"

Now I understand the origin of this British slang phrase. Last Saturday I noticed a small swollen area on my small toe by my toenail. It itched and was tender, but I thought it was just a bite or blister or something. I figured it would just go away with time. This week off an on it would itch and hurt, but I didn't think about it too much. I'm always getting strange bumps from insect bites here. Well, today I was doing home visits and it began to itch a lot so I asked Evas, the Ugandan nurse I work with, to look at it. She looked at it and said, "Kari you have a jigger!" 

I had heard of 'jiggers' because my friend Christy in Kampala, Uganda had one a several months ago, but I think hers was on the bottom of her foot and I didn't really know what it was. I learned today that a 'jigger' is a parasite (like a tick, chigger, or a flea) actually it is a flea and what happens is the pregnant female flea burrows under the skin, sucks blood, swells, and releases eggs. They typically infest the foot area because they cannot 'jump' very far. I asked Evas what I need to do and she said it has to be removed along with the eggs! So we went to my house where I gave Evas a sterile needle and some alcohol pads and she proceeded to dig out my 'jigger'. Let me tell you....this was not a pleasant experience. As she opened the nodule, she saw the eggs, but getting the actual jigger out was not an easy process.

Finally after some time, blood, and pain she removed it and I saw the little pest! It just looked like this hard, small white thing covered in blood. My toe is wrapped up now with antibiotic ointment, but it still hurts some. I kept asking Evas if she was sure she got it all and all the eggs...she says she did. I sure hope so cause I don't want to go through that again! I asked Evas how I got this 'jigger' and she said she didn't know cause she had never even had one! It is usually common of dirty people that live in the village especially children who go barefoot! I know I am not DIRTY, and I wear sandals everyday...I don't go barefoot. So who knows. But I told Evas, "thanks...I guess I need to start paying better attention to my hygiene!"

Happy Birthday Bubby!

I'll never forget the day mom told me she was going to have a baby....I was going to have a brother or sister! I was so excited...I had thought I might be an only child forever. You were like my own little 'baby' because of our age difference. I loved helping take care of you, and I wouldn't have had it any other way. I thought you were the cutest little boy ever with your bleach blonde hair running around calling me 'sissy'....

But you are now a handsome 15 year old young man....a well accomplished musician, student, and athlete. I am so proud of you Kaleb and thankful to have you as my brother. I wish I could be there with you on your birthday today, but know that I am thinking about you in Uganda. Can't wait to see you here in a month (and mom & dad too)! Love you... 

Sign my Guest Map!!

Hey friends....scroll down on the right side of my blog and click on the 'globe' icon to sign my guest map. Place your 'pin' on the state/country you live in and leave me a comment. I want to see who all visits my website :)

It's now possible for you to leave a comment on my blog even if you don't have a blog account. All you have to do is click on the 'comments' link under my pictures/post and drop me a note! Also if you have a blog or website let me know...I am always glad to learn about new blogs to 'check out'.

Mukama Asiimwe!

Praise the Lord! Today there were 5 ladies baptized from our Runyankore church service and one guy from our University student/English service. Here is Aloysious (who is leading the Runyankore service) with the ladies that were baptized today! This was the first time I had attended a baptismal service here at our church. God is really doing some amazing things through the Runyankore service that started about 4 weeks ago. Today we had over 40 people worshipping! Please remember Aloysious (he is studying at our Bible school here in Uganda) as he leads and seeks to teach the truth. And pray that God would build His church here to His glory!

A Must Read....

People have been telling me to read Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers for a while, but I struggle to finish books especially ones over 400 pages! But let me tell you I could not put this book down! I think I finished it in 3 days...which is amazing for me. Every believer (male and female) should read this book. A retelling of the book of Hosea, this book brought me to a greater realization of God's amazing redemptive and underserving love for me. 

Just think...we were dead in our transgression and sins (Eph. 2:1) and by nature objects of wrath! (Eph. 2:3) Yet 'at just the right time, when we were still powerless' (Rom 5:6); 'while we were still sinners, Christ died for us!' (Rom 5:9). 'He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.' (Titus 3:5) 'He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.' (Ps 103:10) 'As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.' (Ps. 103:12) 'He lifted me out of the slimly pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth...' (Ps 40:2-3) He has given me a new heart....removing my heart of stone and giving me a heart of flesh! (Ez 11:19) Even if we are faithless...'He will remain faithful' (2 Tim 2:13). "Praise the Lord, O my soul and forget not all his benefits-who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion!" (Ps 103:2-4)

First Ugandan wedding....

This weekend I went with my friend Patience to my first Ugandan wedding. I know I have been here almost a year and haven't experienced a wedding yet! It was a Catholic wedding and a fellow faculty member at the university with Patience. I felt weird going because I didn't know the people, but Patience said it was no big deal plus she didn't want to go alone. So the wedding was supposed to begin at 2pm. We arrived at 2pm exactly only to find no one in the church! We thought we had the wrong place, but one of the nuns told us no we were in the right place, but the wedding party just hadn't arrived yet. So we walked around and waited. Finally about 2:40pm they finally arrived and the bride walked down the isle with her family (like mother, counsins, aunts, uncles, etc) walking behind her. My favorite part was when some of the bridesmaids walked in about 10 minutes later....they were late and missed their only part in the wedding! We were given programs of the ceremony, but they didn't seem to follow it at all. A lot of it was in Ruyankore so I didn't understand what was going on until everyone started getting up and going with money to the bride and groom. I thought they were giving money to them, but Patience said no it was like an offertory...at a wedding? So I had to go up there and give some little money to these people and I didn't even know them! I just said, 'congratulations' and walked away. I bet everyone wondered who this white girl was. The ceremony was very impersonal as the priest did all the talking. It was definitely different than our weddings 'back home'. But she was a pretty bride and as you can see this couple was a more 'well-to-do' Ugandan couple.


Here I am with Patience before the wedding. I am wearing my traditional Indian outfit that I got here (we have a big Indian influence here in Uganda). I am really thankful for Patience's friendship. She is a nurse and teaches at the university here. We hang out a lot and honestly I don't know what I would do without her here! Even though the wedding was kind of long, it gave us something to do on a Saturday afternoon.

Life in Uganda....

Sometimes I find myself complaining about Uganda....'it's too hot, the weather never changes, it's always the same everyday, they don't have this or that, the roads are bad', blah blah blah. But this past week God really showed me how blessed I am to be in such a beautiful country. There are only a few places in the world that are virtually 'green' year-round and where you can get fresh fruits and vegetables for practically nothing! And it never gets REALLY hot (over 100 degrees)hardly. God reminded me that I could be in a place like Niger in the desert or in Botswana where this time of year it is SO hot and there is a lack of water or in northern China where it is beginning to snow and there is no heat in the houses. Or even worse I could be in a place like Iraq where I hear bombing at night or Afganistan where there is persecution for sharing the Gospel. But no, I get to sit back in the rolling hills of southwest Uganda with nice rains every few days (in the rainy season) to cool things off and eat fresh pineapple (that costs me 30 cents). And not only that but people WANT to get to know me and the good news I have come to share! Sure life isn't always easy here and I know there are difficulites in living here that people in other countries may not experience. I know that I won't wake up everyday loving life here, but God really has blessed me in bringing me to Uganda. And I pray that next time I begin to complain I will remember that things could always be much worse.

Food Distribution in Nakinombe....

This past Thursday and Friday I helped in a food distribution project in a village called Nakinombe, about an hour away (where we held our medical clinic this past summer). While we were there this summer we saw that this particular area was suffering from a drought and many people were without food. A grant came through to help feed 7 villages around this area. We have a church here and the pastor was albe to coordinate everything. This was the last of 3 distributions. We distributed 30kg bags of beans and 50kg bags of posho (corn maize flour) to each family. I of course wasn't a lot of help in lifting the bags, but I tried and then helped in organization and writing names on the bags. This village is a mix of two different tribes so they don't all speak Runyankore (the language I am learning. But I tried my best and the women seemed to appreciate my trying :) One lady even gave me a bunch of the small sweet bananas they grow here in appreciation, which was very sweet. They also gave a bunch to Jared, the 12 year old son of my teammates, who came to help (he is seated beside me in the picture). They all kept commenting about him and his ability to speak some in Ruyankore. God has really been working in this village church. A Muslim man (who is still practicing Islam) came and offered to donate sand to help complete the church building! He said that, 'this church is different...you care about our people's needs'. Several people have come to know the Lord and this church (Nakinombe Baptist Church) is really growing. Praise God! Please pray for them and their pastor, Vianney.

These are the ladies who cooked for us after we distributed food all morning. They are church members. These women work so hard cooking over open fire and taking care of all their babies. I don't know if I could do it! When it was time for lunch (about 2pm) the women would bring the food inside the pastor's house for us to eat. I was the only female that came to distribute food so I felt really strange eating with all the men while the women ate outside with the children. That is the culture here....men eat first and sit at the table while the women and children eat on the ground outside or in another room of the house!

Jman Retreat in South Africa!

This past week I was so blessed to get to travel to Johannesburg to meet up with other journeymen serving in Eastern and Southern Africa. We came from Kenya, Sudan, Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana, Mozambique, and Uganda for a retreat. It was such a wonderful time of refreshment and fun to actually be with people my own age! It was really encouraging to hear other people's struggles and victories and see how God is working all over the world. It had been almost a year since I had been around peers my own age and I realized how much I miss it! Some highlights were playing American football, 'Speed Scrabble' (yes, mom I actually played Scrabble...it's a different version and really fun), worshiping together, and hearing each other's testimonies. I think journeymen are kind of like family to each other since we are alone here on the field...it's encouraging to see others who are doing the same thing as me. God was so good giving me a 'break' just when I really wanted one.

Old Friends...

The best part of the retreat was seeing old friends and catching up. It was great to hang out with friends from good old Union. Laura Lee, Reema, Bethany, and I all graduated together. We caught up all the good Union news and it was so nice to be with people who knew my previous life back in school! Kind of crazy that 4 of the 6 Union grads that did jmen with me went to Africa. Then of course it was great seeing my friends from orientation as well...Ryan, James, and Carmel. In some ways it seemed like it had been forever since we had seen each other then in other ways we picked back up like it was just yesterday. Before the haircut and mustache shave...Ryan was sporting the Uncle Rico look! I guess a year in the bush of Sudan will do that do you. Go to Ryan's website to see a before picture. http://www.dinkaryan.blogspot.com

A little taste of America...

Getting to eat at McDonalds was definitely a treat. After not seeing an American restaurant for over 10months it felt so weird to see a McDonalds! It wouldn't be my first choice in America but just to be at an American fast food place was exciting. Needless to say South Africa isn't really like Africa...it's pretty much a 'little America' (just not as good :) It was so strange to see white people and not be stared at constantly! And to drive on real highways with traffic lights and everything...it was amazing! We also got to go to a real mall! I had some of the best Italian ice cream ever there! It has been so long since I have had good ice cream. It is very expensive to buy in Uganda and not as good as back home. There aren't very many flavors to choose from and especially no chocolate here :(

Rhino & Lion Park

We got to go to a small game reserve while in South Africa. I got to see several animals I had not seen on African soil before. We don't have ostriches like this in Uganda, but they seem to be all over Southern Africa...they're huge! And seeing rhinos was exciting (they were really far away; this picture was taken by a friend who had a good zoom). Now I have seen all the 'Big 5' (buffalo, rhino, elephant, lion, and leopard) except the leopard. There was a place where we got to pet lion and tiger cubs too! Even though I am not a big 'animal lover' it was a pretty cool experience. We came just before lunch so they kept trying to jump on us and 'nip' at people! These cubs are about 7 months old. Their paws were huge!

'A Beast of a Feast'

Our last night we ate at Carviore Restaurant. Men like this one would come around with pieces of wild game on skewers and slice you off a piece. I got to eat Crocidile, Impala, Zebra, Ostrich, Blesbuck, and Kudu. Even though I am not the biggest 'meat lover' I enjoyed everything pretty much except the Kudu. Here the man is cutting me off a piece of ostrich (which was one of my favorite). Zebra was really tender and the Impala had a really nice spice. The crocidile tasted like chicken to me sort of. It was a fun night...but I don't think I have ever eaten that much meat in one setting!

Here I am with Carmel and Crystal who work in Botswana. As we entered Carnivore we were greeted by this guy. I think he liked holding Crystal's hand a little too much :)

I am finally able to post some pictures...yea! So I am posting a bunch of random ones I have been wanting to put on my blog. A couple weeks ago I went to Jinja Uganda (about 6 hours from where I live) to a workshop. I was able to visit the actual spot that is claimed to be the source of the Mighty Nile River. Lake Victoria, the 2nd largest lake in the world (not including the Caspian Sea) is the beginning of the Nile's journey through Uganda, Sudan, and Egypt. It takes the River 3 months to reach its end in the Mediterranean Sea...crazy, huh?! 

Geckos are one thing, but skink lizards are another! I was sitting on my couch one Sunday afternoon when I saw this guy run from my dining room to the hallway. It looked like a snake at first because they run so fast. So I grabbed my trusty bottle of "Doom" (insect spray here that is frequently used) and chased this sucker into the bathroom, sprying it to death. It was a long process because it wouldn't die...it just kept flopping around. So I had to get the 'Doom Powder' which is pretty much poison. As you can see it was a long battle...the skink lost his tail, but in the end I won! I had to put gloves on and throw the thing outside and thought I was going to throw-up in the process. There are just some things about living here that I will never get used to!

A trip to the "Saloon"

I know...I can't believe I am putting a picture of my foot on here for the world to see, but I wanted you all to be able to share in the joy of a $2 pedicure. This past weekend my good Uganda friend, Patience, took me to the 'saloon'...that's a place where you get your hair cut, etc...not a bar in the Wild West. And yes, they do call it 'saloon'...don't know why though. It was an experience I will not forget. Of course I got a few funny looks since not too many muzungus come to an African saloon. But there's not a lot to do here in Mbarara and it was actually a lot of fun. I told the guy (yes a guy did my pedicure) to do a design. I don't exactly know what it is, but it involves white lines, sparkles, and black dots...looks pretty cool to me! Don't worry I didn't let them use any of their 'cutting equipment'. But anyways, it was sure nice and cheap. And let me tell you...when you wear sandals everyday here in this heat and dirt your feet get pretty disgusting.

JW's are here too.....

Today is Uganda's independence day, but there weren't any fireworks or 'cook-outs'. I asked friends what they do to celebrate here, but most said 'nothing'. How sad...there's just not that 'pride' like we have back home. I think there was some kind of parade or something at the 'football' (soccer) stadium, but nothing special.

After I got home from eating local food with a friend after church today, someone was ringing my gate bell. I went out to find a Jehovah's witness at my gate. He was a Ugandan. When he told me who he was I couldn't help but laugh....JW's are everywhere! I was wondering why after all this time I had lived here he was just now coming today. After doing some reading on JW's, I saw that they don't believe in saluting of national flags (they think it's placing allegience to a nation as higher than Jehovah). So maybe since it was 'Indpedence Day' they were really trying to 'preach'. Anyways, even when I told him why I was in Uganda and what I believed it didn't scare him one bit. I tried to be 'nice' and listen for a bit (that is culturally appropriate), but finally told him he was wasting his time with me.

It really makes me sad/mad because these people are much more 'on fire' to share false teaching than we believers are to tell the TRUTH...why is that?! Most people here (even believers) haven't had very good theological teaching, so they are easily swayed by whatever they hear. Most people can't afford The Word and/or can't read so a JW who offers their 'book' free and seems to be knowledgeable are often trusted here. How long are we as believers of "The way, The truth, and The life" going to sit back and let false teachers 'win the nations'?

Words of Hope Team: L to R: Me, Aloysious (counselor), Peace (counselor), Evas (nurse), Mildred (student short term worker), and Naboth (pastor of a local church and counselor). I work with these guys everyday visiting patients from the AIDS clinic in their homes. These guys do such a great job and many people have come to know the Lord through this outreach ministry. 

AIDS clinic

This is the ISS (Immune Supression Syndrome) Clinic or AIDS clinic. I usually work at this clinic on Wednesdays triaging patients (taking weights, blood pressure, and temps) and asking them small questions in Runyankore. This clinic is growing daily. We now have over 6,000 patients! Uganda is so blessed because we receive more of President Bush's 'AIDS money' than any other country in the world. The clinic is totally free and most patients receive free drugs as well! There is still some stigma here assoiciated with HIV/AIDS, but there is so much AIDS awareness teaching going on here which is really encouraging.

Just an ordinary proposal....

Well nothing seems to be working here in Africa (imagine that)! I can't post pictures to my blog or use skype! So I will just have to tell you a funny story. Tonight as I was driving to church for Bible Study I saw a guy that comes to our church walking. I could tell he was headed for Bible study so I picked him up. As he got in the car he said, "I like you so much". I said, "Oh really, why?" He said, "You are so beautiful, and I love you." Trying to keep a straight face I said, "And why do you love me?" Then he just emphasized by saying, "I love you so much". He then proceeds to pull out a picture (or snap as they say here) of him posing beside some tree trying to look cool (which by the way is how a lot of Ugandans seem to take pictures, especially guys) and he says, "Do you know who this guy is?" I said, "Uh, yeah....you." (He was wearing the same shirt he had on in the picture). 

Thankfully the ride was short so I didn't have to engage in that ridiculous conversation for long. But when I got out of the car and he walked ahead I just starting laughing. I mean seriously, what in the world?! I know this guy's history...he needs money to finish his last year of university. So I know he's just trying to get me to help him, but come on, dude! Do you think by telling me that you love me I am going to want to help you financially? As if I don't hear, "Muzungu I love you" or "marry me Muzungu" everyday. Yeah, I could pretty much be married off in a second if I wanted to. What do they think I am going to do...run to them and jump in their arms and say, "Oh yes, please marry me?!" Can't you see me living in Uganda for the rest of my life digging out in the plantation (cause that is what the women do here while the men sit around and drink beer) and mingling posho (staple food here)? Uh....don't think so.