Does the Nile run through America?

A few days ago James and I were able to spend a couple of days in the slums. First we went to the Grace Fellowship Primary School. We asked how we could help and they told us they had a class that needed someone to teach them. They gave us a book with a little lesson about “People and their Nationalities”. You never really realize how strange English is until you try to teach it. If you are a native of Uganda you are a Ugandan. If you are a native of America you are American. So if you are from France you are Francean then, right? Wrong. We went over this for a while, drilling all the strange nationalities into the kids heads. French. Congolese. German. etc. Eventually we had been over the lesson twenty times and they were getting it. Now what? They didn’t tell us anything else to teach. I asked what time the class was over. They told me one thirty. It was barely twelve. Time to improvise! I asked them if they had any questions about America. They had plenty! Who is the President? Which part are you from? Are there mountains there? Does the Nile run through America? Once that last question was asked I realized they had no idea where the U.S. was. I found a picture of a world map in the English book and showed them. Then a little girl raised her hand and asked if we could teach them about God. Yes we can! We brought out a book of Bible stories and James read one aloud as I brought kids up and got them to act it out – sort of like puppets, I moved them around as the story unfolded. They loved it! We did the prodigal son and then got to explain to them about God’s unfailing love. Finally it was time for them to go to lunch. James and I said goodbye and left to go find Pastor Nelson, who pastors Grace Fellowship. We ate lunch with him and then went to the street boys’ home, where about fifty boys sleep every night. We hung out with the boys for awhile and then it was time for devotion. We sang some praise songs – they were mostly in Luganda, so really we listened as they sang praise, and then James and I told them the prodigal son story as well. We got them to act it out and had one of the “Uncles” (the older guys who watch over the boys) translate to make sure everyone was getting it. Afterward, they went around and told what they learned from the story. It was such a blessing hearing what they had to say. After this they ate dinner and everyone went to bed. Between sleeping on the floor and waking up at six as the boys do everyday, I didn’t get much sleep. We returned to the school in the morning and this time they wanted us to teach math. Now, I am horrible at math. Horrible. But I tried my best and we got through it. Then we read the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Such a great story of faith! After that they sang some songs for us and it was once again time to go. We told them goodbye and went to where they have the street boys’ “program”. These aren’t the same kids who stay in the home – those kids are in the school. This is another group of about fifty more boys who are still sleeping on the streets at night. We taught them some English, parts of the body, the prodigal son story, and they made necklaces from string and tiny beads - all the while we're under a tin canopy and some of the hardest rains i have EVER witnessed are falling around us. After this it was time for them to eat. We told them goodbye and got a taxi back to our house. It was an incredible experience, and I can’t wait to go back again next week and continue to teach them, learn from them, and show them God’s love.

Finally here!

So, after a frustrating (to say the least) 24 hour plane ride with way too much to carry and two small crying children, we have arrived safe and sound in the beautiful country of Uganda. Matt picked us up from the airport and we all rode in a big van back to our new home, equipped with barbed wire fence/walls to keep out all kinds of things that roam at night. The first day we mostly slept. We were EXHAUSTED, but once we woke up we walked down to the local supermarket and had dinner at a little cafe where I tried fried nile perch - which couldve passed as catfish in my book. Our sleeping patterns are all thrown off, so all of us have been waking up in the middle of the night, either to comfort crying children or just because our bodies are telling us it's daytime and we should be out and about. I'm ready to shake the jet lag for sure. The second day we got a driver to take us into town. Traffic is incredibly exciting in my warped opinion. Boda bodas (motorcycle versions of taxis) weave in and out of vans and land cruisers, horns are constantly blasting, and you're always JUST avoiding a crash. That's high quality entertainment in my book. After picking up some supplies and eating lunch at a mall called City Garden, we got to head into the Old Kampala Slums. This was by far, my favorite part of the trip as of yet. Before we could even get out of the car kids were running next to the windows, peering in, or they were climbing on the back of the van yelling in Lugandan. Once we got out they were pulling us this way and that, climbing on our backs, shaking our hands, pounding our fists, throwing up high fives, or just hugging us. They were so energetic and SO HAPPY. James brought a soccer ball which was a really good idea. These kids were ALL about some soccer. One kid tried (and failed) to teach me some simple phrases in Lugandan. A lot of the time it's hard to tell whether the kids are speaking English or Lugandan because their accents are so heavy, so when they're switching back and forth it becomes pretty fuzzy as to what they're saying and in what language. Regardless, it was fun to hear them say a phrase, me repeat it, and them laugh at all the mistakes I was making. After we stood around meeting/talking/playing with the kids for a little bit, they took us down a little alley of homes made of scrap materials. We were shown a small room where they made wooden crafts to make their living. We were told that fifteen boys would sleep in this tiny room everynight. I didnt think fifteen people could stand in the room, in fact four of us were standing in it and it was crowded. I couldnt imagine having to sleep with fourteen other kids in there. I might not have to imagine for too much longer though! Jamie told me and James that we could come stay a night with the boys sometime if we wanted to, we opted to stay a week instead. This means we would bring only water and fend for food just like they do everyday. I can't express how excited I am for this opportunity. It will be the ultimate walk in someone elses torn ragged shoes. After hanging around, playing soccer, laughing, and taking countless pictures of the kids so that they could see themselves on the screen, we left the slums and drove back to our house. That night we were all up at some point between 12-6am, so we slept in again. When we woke up we went and found the church that we will be attending on Sundays, it's in walking distance, which is nice. Later on me and James decided to go out and explore a little bit. We walked a few miles down the road, stopping in little makeshift shops and talking (as best as we could) to people. Walking down the road, everyone is staring. They don't see many white people. It was incredible to me how these people would be staring with these serious, hardened expressions, and then I would smile and nod at them and all of a sudden their faces would just brighten up and they were grinning and waving. Some are friendlier than others of course. We spotted a soccer game in a makeshift field and decided to check it out. As we walked up into the crowd of onlookers we got a lot of funny looks. They were all pointing at us saying "Mazunga!" (Lugandan for white person) and then muttering to their friends and laughing. It wasn't hostile necessarily, but it wasn't quite friendly either. We watched for a little while and then headed back down the street. When we got back to the house the power was off again. Not a surprise. We're getting used to it though. Harry Potter Uno helps pass the time. Thats all for now! I will blog again soon!

Anticipation.

So, the money is here. God's wallet is big and generous. I have most of the things I think i'll need...or at least I think I do...I'm sure there will be plenty of things I forget, but that just adds to all the excitement. I have my new 35mm lens so I can take nice pictures of all the adorable children and beautiful people I will encounter. My sister Hannah and her husband Micheal bought me a Kindle and I have somewhere close to 70 books on it, and my little brother is going to trade iPods with me, meaning i'll have 80 gigs of music as opposed to my 8 gigs - so the 16 hour plane ride shouldnt be too bad. I truly love all the people I'm going with, they are all so incredible  and I cant wait to work with them to make a difference in the lives of these Ugandan people. Everything is here...everything is fine...I just wanna get my hands dirty! Bring it on Africa!