Home sweet home!!!

After a month away from home the last of our mission team arrived at the Sacramento Airport after 32 hours of flying and layovers.  Other than a few naps on the plane we were awake for over 48 hours and were so glad to be headed home to a comfortable bed.

We take so much for granted here in the USA, and we don't stop to enjoy all that we have because few of us have seen the world that lies out there for many more of God's people.  I believe we should be happy with our success as a society, but should also remember that we are called to love one another.  Taking the time to learn about people or other cultures and appreciate them for their uniqueness is a very eye opening experience that each person should have.

We were able to have an impact on so many lives during our time in Uganda.  We may never know if the seeds of hope, encouragement, learning, sharing and caring will ever germinate in the people we touched, but our hope and prayers are that we changed some lives.  

Physically we are all worn out and ready to adjust back to the comforts of our homes, our foods and our wonderful family and friends, but emotionally we will be forever changed by our experience.

Today is our last day of our month in Uganda.  We have said our goodbyes at the orphanage and at the worksite.  This morning we packed up our clothes (what we didn’t donate), our souvenirs and our great memories and left Mityana.  We traveled to Kampala for a little last minute shopping then headed off to our favorite restaurant Java Cafe’ for an american styled lunch.  We met up with Pastor James and his beautiful wife, Lillian to say our goodbyes to them.

We left Kampala early in the afternoon to avoid the traffic we had two weeks ago when we took the women to the airport.  We did pretty well, the traffic wasn’t too bad.  Before we go to the airport we stopped at the Lake Victoria Hotel for coffee/tea.  This place was definitely the nicest facility I have ever seen in Uganda.  We sat up on the second level lake view terrance and enjoyed the company of Wycliffe, Vincent and Hamid.  We had a great time talking about our time in Uganda and watching those three characters poke and joke with each other.

We arrived at the airport terminal at 7:30 and our flight was not until 11:30.  I can tell you that there is not much to the Entebbe airport so we sat in the cafe and watch CNN for a couple hours before they said to head to the secure gate area because the plane was going to be leaving early!!! Yeah, those wood chairs we killing us.  But, alas early in Uganda time really means it might be on time...so as scheduled we headed out at 11:30 for our 8.5 hour flight to Amsterdam.

All three of us were tired and had plans to sleep on the plane as we flew through the night, of course with the help of modern medicine we all did get some sleep.

We woke up and had breakfast as normal, but there was something hanging in the air.  We knew this was our last day on the project and we would be say goodbye to several people that we have become fast friends with.  At the site it was work as normal; lets move, lets get things done.  We still worked on the roofing timbers as some of the team finished the concrete floors in the building.  We are sad that we won’t see the roof on, but at the same time very proud that we have accomplished much more than we started out to do.  The construction will continue until the money is expended after we leave.  There is still much more to do and we could use another team with two weeks to help finish it completely.

God didn’t want long sad goodbyes so just as we were about to wrap up for the day He brought on a huge thunder, lightening and heavy rain storm.  We had our quick goodbyes to the people of the village and headed for the safety of our van.  Heading back on dirt (mud) roads in the heavy downpour with 9 sweaty rain soaked bodies added a final touch of excitement to the end of the work day.

We got back to the hotel for a quick shower and change of clothes because we had plans for the evening.  The rain has completely stopped and it is a beautiful evening.  We headed to the Mityana Baptist Church where Harry spoke to a group of about 20 young men and women.  He told them about setting goals and finding a way to achieve them.  It was inspirational to watch the youth taking notes and really wanting to know how they can succeed and reach their dreams.  Several of them said they wish they had more time to learn more and to have us there to help them as they plan.  Wycliffe said he wants to have a future session where we could spend the day giving a seminar to youth; there is such a need.  

We headed back to the Enro Hotel for a special dinner with some of the friends who have been with us during this mission.  It was great fun with lots of laughter and joy.  We have found that the people are so warm and friendly and truly care about us.  We definitely have made several great friends and we will miss them dearly.

This morning we went back to the Kiwumulu Orphanage to say goodbye to the children and the teachers who have touched our hearts.  Although each of these almost 100 children have lost both of their parents it is heartening to know that they are being cared for and loved each and every day.  Little David, the sweetest boy is HIV+ and has hope of a decent life at the orphanage.  The house mothers, teachers, aides, and administrators are all warm and friendly and truly care for the children.  It was sad to say goodbye, but we are encouraged by their work.

We headed to the building site and found out that the delivery of rock needed to complete the concrete floors was delayed as the truck was in the shop being repaired.  Thankfully the roofing timbers had been delivered and the crew worked on connecting the boards to each other to be able to span the entire building.  This is a slow process using a hand say and metal strapping.  Some of the workers had their last day on the job today so we gathered them all together for a photo.  There were several young men who are struggling to make it in this very hard life of Uganda, but we tried to pass on as much knowledge and advice as we could and left each of them with a bible.

We have one more work day tomorrow and will say goodbye to the project without completing the roof.  We leave knowing that they will be able to pay for the materials to get the roof done.  We will still need to raise additional funds for the doors, windows, furniture and the solar panels.  There is still work to be done to finalize the building past this point and we will be praying for God to show us how that will be done.

Today was a great day, everything seemed to go our way.  Our good Lord was making up for our blah day yesterday.  All our workers were on site today and everyone seemed full of energy.  We all go going on projects and there seemed to be a rhythm in our efforts.  Great team work and this morning's work laid out the rest of the day.

Just as we were cruzing along we discovered we were out of water.  Our only water source is 1 mile away down the hill to the lake.  As there was this animated discussion (all in Lugandan) I figured out what the problem was.  Henry, the sand and rock truck driver, was suppose to be here with more supplies and he was going to be our transport for our water jugs.  The workers were not stalled, they took the 12 jerry cans tied them to the back of two motorcycles and headed down to get water.  Way to go guys!!!  

Just as the motorcycles returned with water, Henry arrived with our cement bags and the re-bar we needed, but also to our joy the truck was packed full of the timbers we will use for the roof.  You can imagine how excited we were to see that lumber; this means we will start the roof structure before we leave.

As we have done for the last several days we and the workers loaded up in the van for our trip back to Mityana. Harry (Prince Harry) has become our front seat occupant and waves and yells out to all the kids as we are driving.  The kids love running toward us yelling hi or bye mzungu (white person) so Harry makes a big deal of it and the kids get so excited.  Dennis, I and the workers all get a huge laugh every day as he bring a little joy to each of the little lives.

Dennis is still seeing patients, but unfortunately many are infants and we are completely out of medicine for infants.  He is still able to help the older children and adults to some extent

We are all growing very tired of the food.  It is better than last year, but it is just the same every day and it is not something that we would normally eat.  The only exception is the pineapple.  We are devouring every one we can find, they are so good!!!

We have been thankful for the emails with encouraging thoughts for us and for the hope we are helping provide for the people in the village.

Off to a slow start and not as efficient as we would like, but we did make some progress.  Building the forms for the arched entrance to the porch took way too long.  Harry and I are very frustrated at times at the lack of planning and job assignments.  Too often workers are sitting because other workers didn’t think ahead and prepare the next task.  I’m trying to remember we are here to help and serve, but we also want to teach them.  Harry is really wanting to move faster, we are praying for more patience for him.  We all know he means well, but we are not going to change their way of doing things in one short month.

Dennis continues to see patients, about 25 or so today.  He is seeing the same things; fever, cough, congestion, back pain, and worms.  Most are children.  He believes that their lack of a solid immune system is the root cause.  They do not have a balanced diet; much of is is carbohydrates with little vegetables or protein.  Much of this is due to eating what they have always eaten and not trying to eat things with good nutrients.

We are planning our wrap up coming on Friday.  We want to get back to the orphanage to say goodbye and have a final dinner with Wycliffe, Pastor Abdul and the others.  We were hoping to have the roof on, but it is not looking promising at this point.

It is our day of rest after working hard all week.  We attended the morning bible study and worship service at the Mityana Baptist Church.  It is always inspirational and lively during the 3+ hours we are there.  The people are all so warm and welcoming it is a joy to be with them.

We went to lunch after with Wycliffe, Pastor Abdul, John and Hamid.  We went to the New Highway Hotel for a change of pace, but the food is similar to our hotel.  We had great conversation and really enjoyed our time together.  We said good-bye to John as he is leaving for Seminary.

Wycliffe took us to the Ttanda Archeological site, which to say the least was curious.  It is basically an historical site where they have found 240 holes in the ground.  They appear to be about 3 feet across and some are very deep and interconnect underground.  It is not know how or why the holes are there, but there are certain people who believe that it is the location of certain spirits.  People come to worship these spirits and  to place spears (different types for different reasons) to the spirits.  It is really similar to idol worship with food sacrifice.  Very odd.

It’s Saturday, the end of the work week.  The King of Buganda came to Mityana last night and there was such a celebration that the King had to get our and walk through the gathered crowd just to proceed down the street.  It was amazing to see such joy and inspired hope in the faces of the people.  What a difference from last year when we were caught up in the civil unrest riots prompted by the President’s actions.  I think the extreme joy for the King is also a message to the President that he is not doing the peoples will as the King does.

The King oversaw the start of the King’s Tournament, a soccer event where different county teams of the Buganda tribe play against each other.  We had to drive past the soccer stadium on our way back to the hotel and the roadways we so packed with people it took us over 15 minutes to go 200 yards.

At the worksite we completed all the walls to final height and just started on the front porch area.  I’m still hopeful for a roof, but look back at what we started with and am amazed at what we have done.  We arrived believeing that we would only complete the first half of the building which we started last year, but we have completed the structure of the entire building;  what a blessing God has allowed.

We continue to make the contacts to ensure the operation of this clinic is maintained after it is up and running.  The building is just the structure, we need the people to provide the services and this will be the main focus on the future missions.  So if you or anyone you know has experience in medicine, dentistry, optometry or has a true servant’s heart please pray that the next mission will be filled with those that can help.  Those who want to be builders, don’t worry there is still plenty of work to be done too, so set your hearts on coming with your skillful hands.

We were up early and headed out to the worksite before 8; Harry does not like to waste one minute.  As we drove through town we saw very elaborate decorations and banners for the King.  It is a larger celebration this time since he will not only stay the night in town, but he will oversee the kick off of the King’s cup soccer tournament.  The people in this region and tribe of Buganda, love their King and honor him greatly.  I believe they would like to have the King be more than just ceremonial and an advisor to the President, they would like him to rule their region.

I had received a call from Pastor James saying that he was headed to Mityana and was looking forward to meeting with us.  We were out at the clinic and he said he wanted to see it, so he drove out to us.  He arrived with his wife, Lillian and a US Navy Pediatrician , Sharon.  They were excited to see us again and really wanted to see the clinic building.  As we toured the building Dr. Sharon and Dennis had a few more patients to treat.  Sharon graciously comes to Uganda when she has leave saved up and assists Pastor James at his church; they met in San Diego when Pastor James was there visiting her church.

We continue to build on the clinic and have reached the final height of all the outside walls, except for the porch which will take a little more effort.  It is truly amazing how much we have gotten done in less than three weeks time.  Our hope is that we have the roof on before we leave at the end of next week.

We are hoping that others are inspired by our work and that we have made some connections with others to bring medical missions (and some more construction)  to this clinic.  We will be a great resource to the area and basic medical attention is so greatly needed.  Even people with basic knowledge of medicine can be valuable to the people here.

We praise God for watching over us, keeping us safe and healthy as we do His work.

We were up early, had breakfast and left for the site before 8 am.  We are all raring to go.  We picked up some workers as we went.  There was a light rain when we arrived, but not enough to stop us.  We set up a line and move an entire truckload of bricks by throwing them like a bucket brigade...there are a lot of bricks in a truckload!!!  But, what a great way to wake up or muscles.

Getting started always seems to be an interesting process, no one seems to have the plan, but everyone starts doing something and some how it turns into an semi-organized process.  Harry and I get together every once and a while and encourage each other that it is their culture and processes that we need to accept and that we can choose our reactions and attitudes to be positive and to be the servants that God sent us here to be.

Dennis had a few patients, but not like the prior 3 days.  He took the opportunity to walk from the site with John and Hamid to the lake and hand out worming tablets to every person they could find.  Intestinal worms are a huge issue in the villages and is easily cured.  The bottle of 1000 tablets cost less than $10 and a dose should last for 6 months.

We ended the day at about 5:45, everyone dead tired from the long day and so much physical work.  Back at the hotel we talked with some of the Peace Corp teachers who have been living in some of the villages for the last year.  They all had great stories of their time so far and all seem to be looking forward to their next year in Uganda before retuning home.

Oh, I forgot to say Wycliffe was at the site for a short time before heading to Kampala for business.  He brought us a package of Kit-Kat bars.  It was such a treat to have some chocolate and a taste of home.

Gaining interest in the area

We are seeing the need for this medical clinic in so many ways.  Today the District Health Officer came to look at our building and was very excited to see the building and was amazed at our progress.  He was intrigued that Dennis had a line of people waiting to be seen.  As we explained that we purchased the medication out of our own pockets, he assured us that he had medicines available for our clinic.

We have made more progress on the time consuming concrete header beams and got a couple more walls up to their final height.  We are praying that it is in God’s plan to begin the roofing structure on Saturday. 

Dennis saw about 70+ patients today.  Some come for explanation of their illness, others for coughs, fevers, malaria, etc.  It is so difficult for him to see people that should go to a hospital for treatment and all he can do is strongly encourage them to go.  They have a real distrust of the hospital and they know it will cost them money that they don’t have.  It really is a sad situation.  The medications are readily available at the pharmacies in Mityana without a prescription, but these people have no financial resources to buy them.  This medical outreach by the Mityana Baptist Church is such a blessing for so many and we are praying that once the building is ready we can arrange a continual or regular presence of medical personnel, equipment and medicine.

We had a late afternoon rain storm that dumped buckets of rain on us, we all fled into the church for refuge.  Harry and I were swarmed by the kids wanting our attention.  Harry had a group playing the drums and singing and I had a group teaching me Lugandan while I taught them English.  Once it let up the site was too flooded to work so we left at 4:30 PM; very early for Harry, he expects to stay until 6PM no mater what.

We started out this morning with a stop in town for some supplies.  Harry and I went to the hardware store (definitely not a Home Depot!).  We bought a brick trowel and two 12 meter tape measures; it cost us 16,000 schillings!!!! (that is about $7.00 American).  Dennis went into the pharmacy for supplies.  You can buy any medication without a prescription.  He bought a 1000 count Amoxicillian, cough syrup with Codine, and a bunch more meds,  When it was added up it ended up being $35.00 American.  He will be able to address the issues he saw yesterday.

The stage of building is not where you see a lot of progress, but there is a ton of work going on.  We are framing the header beam, installing the rebar, bucket filling the forms with concrete.  Did I tell you this is all hand mixed concrete on the ground with shovels and hoes?

Both Harry and I had lots of prayers for patience and understanding as we watched them building in a manner that is not efficient and often multiple steps to get one thing done.  Harry did succeed in getting them to make one change on the rebar which helped speed things up a little.

Dennis had a large crowd again for his medical clinic, but could only see 48 people before he was completely out of supplies.  People were coming from great distances to seek treatment for illnesses.  There is such a need here for basic medical care and knowledge of how to care for themselves on basic illnesses.

The food is a blessing of nourishment, we just wish it were more of what we are used to, we have had the same thing for each meal for every day we have been here; except the burger on the way to take the women to the airport.

When we got back to the hotel tonight we had a surprise, a group of 46 Peace Corp volunteer teachers joined us for dinner.  As you can imagine it was not too quiet in our small dining hall...I think there were only 2 empty chairs.  I sure hope they are all tired and go to bed early, because I am.