Random thoughts...

Wow!  I'm super bad at this blogging thing!  Its been over a month since I've even attempted to blog!
Sorry, please forgive me!  I'm sure no one has been waiting eagerly for my next post...(well maybe just my Aunt Kathy!  LOL!!)  I can't even begin to remember what all has been going on!  Let's see what can I say???

Well, I've been here for over 3 months now!  Sometimes I feel like I've been here forever.  I mean that in a good way!  Kind of like I've always been here and there is nothing abnormal with the fact that I'm living in Uganda.  I have 5 more months here and I'm sure it will pass by so quickly.  Probably faster than I would like it to.  The thought of returning to America and going back to work, well, I don't think about it!  God alone is in control of what the next 5 months and 5 years hold.  So, I will just sit back and enjoy the journey.

I really miss home and my family and Taco Bell. LOL!  Yesterday was Easter and although I really enjoyed my Ugandan family and church, I thought so much about all of you guys.  Easter is pretty similar here in Uganda with the exception of their is no Easter Bunny, no Easter Egg hunt and no Easter baskets.  Mom and my sisters prepared a big meal and after church many people came over and enjoyed the meal with us.  We had chicken (I saw the chicken being chased down, caught and being butchered!) rice, matooke, cabbage, potatoes and soda!  It was great.  I did miss ham and deviled eggs though!  Today is Monday and in a little while we will be going back to church for a Worship Rally!  Our worship team at Kampala Church has been practicing so hard for months for this event and I am so excited to be there! 

Let's see...what else...  Oh, I've eaten goat meat a few times now...still not sure what I think about it!  LOL! One of my favorite meals here is cabbage, potatoes and spicy sausage!  My mom here is worried that I'm not eating enough because I'm loosing weight and my clothes are getting baggy!  I have tried to explain to everyone that me loosing weight is a good thing!  LOL!  Seriously, any body image issues that I had in America are totally gone here.  I've been told I have a fine figure and that most people want my figure!  LOL!  I'm totally serious.  A boda boda driver told my friend that he didn't believe that I was white and that I must have some black in me because he has never seen a white with such a fine figure.  Oh, I laughed for hours about that one and still to this day it makes me chuckle!  In all honestly its very freeing to not have to worry about my weight and how I look.  Now to just bring this feeling home to America with me!!! 

Work out at the school has been very busy!  April 25th will be the close of the 1st term.  There are 3 terms in a school year.  We have finally gotten the enrollment mostly squared away and we have around 1101 students this year.  We also have our first Primary 7 class this year!  Primary 7 is the last year of primary school before they go to Secondary school.  So we are eagerly waiting to see the results of their exams and what kind of marks they will get.  That will be a good indication of how well our school is teaching the students! 

I really want to take a course in Luganda at a local language school here. Luganda is the language in this area.  I'm learning a few words here and there but not as much as I would like.  I have contacted the school to find out when the course is and how much money it is.  Although I think it will be pretty expensive, like over $2000, so I may not be able to do it.  So, I will wait to hear back from them before I make my decision.    Learning the language would really help me with everyday life here!  Although at the school they are instructed to speak in English a lot of the younger ones don't speak much English.  Not to mention that they speak British English so sometimes even though we are both speaking in English, we can't understand each other!  LOL!!

Okay, I think that's it for now.  I love you all and miss you all like crazy.  Sorry, no pictures this time!  Maybe next time I will post all pictures!

Life in Uganda

So, I've been living in Africa for almost 2 months now... I've been living in Africa for 2 months!  Wow, sometimes it hits me and I can't believe I'm here and other times its as normal as breathing. I'm in Kampala for the weekend and its always a time of reflection and relaxation for me.  My weeks are filled with routine and if you know me, you know I thrive on routines!  My day starts around 6:30am or 7:00am, just depends on what time people start coming to get water, which is right outside my bedroom window, which is also why it wakes me up!  Its a great alarm clock!  I'm at the school by 8am and usually check in at the clinic with Nurse Betty first.  After chatting with her for a few minutes, I head over to the school office to work on my projects.  Right now my projects are all centered around student enrollment and figuring out which kids have reported to school and getting all the information straight for our sponsors back at home.  This year so far we have had around 130 new students enroll. Add that to our over 1000 from last year and we are almost to 1200!  Once I'm done with my projects, we should have a better idea of the numbers!  Its a blessing to be around these children.  Some are very used to me and some still just stare at me and call me muzungu.  Which I've heard translated to wanderer but is a term that is used for white people.  At 10:30am the bell rings to signal that its break time and I head over to the clinic.  In all reality the bell is an old tire rim that is attached to a tree and is banged on with a rock or brick!  The kids have 30 minutes of break time, kind of like recess.  I love hearing them outside the clinic window.  During this time the clinic is open for kids to come in and be seen if they are sick.  Most come in with complaints of fevers, headaches, coughs, colds, abdominal pain and wounds. After the bell rings they head back to class and I go back to the office.  Kids can still come to the clinic during class time but, they must have a note from their teacher.  Kids always come without them so I am learning to be tough and send them back for notes!  When I'm in the clinic by myself I find that more kids come, Nurse Betty says a lot of them are just making up things to come see me!  So I make sure I give lots of hugs and love and not always drugs!  LOL!  At 1pm the bell rings again to signal lunch, which is an hour long, so I head over to the clinic again and take care of the kids.  After lunch I head back over to the office and there I stay until we go home which is anywhere between 4-6pm!  That's my routine!  Next week, I think 2 days a week I will start doing a Bible study with some of the older girls, details are still being figured out.  I thought you might like to see pictures of the clinic!

 
 
 

The TICC Clinic



Our exam and treatment table/area.

 Treatment and exam area

 Our laboratory area where we do Malaria and HIV testing.

 Go ahead and be jealous nurse friends...this is all the charting I have to do!

 Our desk...This is where I eat lunch and every time I think to myself... "I shouldn't be eating in a patient care area!"  LOL, some habits are pretty ingrained!

 Our everyday stock of medications that get used on a daily basis.

 The entry to the clinic, I make the kids come back to my desk because I can't hear them through the glass!

 

 

Hopefully that gives you a better of one of the places I spend most of my time!  I love this little clinic and the work that I get to do there! Until next time just know I love you all and am thinking about you all too!  I'm missing home but this is quickly becoming home too!

 

What I'm doing...

So, you know I'm in Uganda, and you know that I'm loving it here and that may be all you know!  Well, sit back and read on, I'll tell you a little more...

I'm working/volunteering at a school called Toggo International Children's Center (TICC) in Toggo, Uganda.  No, I'm not in the country of Togo but, rather a small village about 2 hours from Kampala.  TICC was started by Pastor Steven Trint, who is from Uganda and is the director of the school.  Pastor Steve, or dad, as I call him works hand in hand with my church, Bridgeway Christian Church to make sure that the kids in Toggo have a chance at a future with an education that is far above what they would get in the local government schools.  Education is the key to breaking the cycle of poverty and giving the kids the best chance at a bright future.  The school started in 2010 with less than 100 children and now in 2015 we have over 1,000 children!  God has truly blessed this school!  In the 2 years that I have been a part of missions to the school I have seen the growth and blessings first hand. 

The school has children ranging in age from 2 1/2 years old up to over 18 years old.  The older boys tend to not tell us their real age, they are just happy to be getting an education!  Each year we add another class, or grade into our program.  So, this year we will have our first graduating class of Primary 7 students.  That would be like the equivalent to graduating from Jr. High or Middle School.  After Primary school, they go on to Secondary school and then on to University.  Our goal at TICC is to eventually start a Secondary school also so our students can continue on with an excellent education.  We also have a boarding section at TICC.  The older students are required to board because of the rigorous program and the length of their school day.  Other kids who board do so because they live to far to walk to the school everyday or because their home situations are bad, for lack of better term.  TICC works hand in hand with a non-profit called Yaaka Afrika to provide sponsorships for the kids so that they can attend school.  I have 3 beautiful children that I am proud to sponsor! (If you want more info about sponsoring a child, feel free to ask me more!!!)

That tells you a little more about the school but, what am I doing there?  After all, I'm so not a teacher!  As you can imagine with the number of students that we have, many get sick and so we have a working clinic at TICC.  I'm working in the clinic with Nurse Betty, she is from Uganda.  She is actually more of a Nurse Practioner.  She is pretty amazing and I know I will learn a lot from her.  I arrive at the school around 8 am and help in the clinic where needed.  Since we just completed our first week of school we were busy with doing health assessments.  Last term we had an outbreak of measles, mumps and chickenpox so this term we are screening for those things and sending the children home right away to get them out of the student population and keep the rest of the students and staff healthy.  Day to day we deal with a lot of students with wounds, a lot of students with colds and flu, a lot of students with headaches, stomach pains, fevers and the ever constant Malaria.  School has only been in session one week and I've already seen quite a bit.  Some things of course I can't share but, imagine where I am and imagine an issue that faces many people here and you'll probably understand... 

That's just one of my jobs at the school.  When the clinic isn't busy I will be helping in the office on behalf of Yaaka Afrika working on updating the children's information for the sponsorship program.  It a tedious but fulfilling job that I enjoy!  Third, my other project will be to lead a Bible study with a group of girls at the school during their lunch break.  We are still working on the details of everything but, for now that is keeping me busy!  Each day is a little different and a lot the same.  I love sitting in the clinic with the windows open and seeing and hearing the kids playing.  They have such joy!  I hope that helps you understand what I am doing here a little better! 

I'm doing well and loving being here.  Of course, its not always easy.  I'm in a place that is so different from what I know and there is a major adjustment curve!  The kids and their joy and happiness makes it all worth it.  Okay, I'm kind of out of words and just want to be off the computer!  I love you all and if you want to stay in touch, Facebook Messages is the best way.  I don't have wifi out in the village and service can be spotty.  Okay, that's it for now!  I'm off to take tea...

And then there was one...

I've been thinking about updating my blog for a while now but the problem has been that I don't know how to explain everything that is going on or that has happened.  So, I'm just going to start typing and see what comes out!!  Ready???

I've been in Uganda for about 18 days now and it feels like so much longer than that, I mean that in a good way!  My arrival in Uganda started with laughter because there was a miscommunication and no one was there to pick Gordy, Tonya and I up!  We laughed about it and just enjoyed the fact that we were back in a place that we consider home!  It was more funny to us that once we got a hold of our family here, they thought we were pranking them!  LOL!  The rest of the team came in later in the day and then we started right into our leadership conference at Kampala Church.  Kampala Church is the church of Pastor Steven Trint who we have a very close relationship with.  This is the church that we work hand in hand with for every mission so its always like coming home! During the conference leaders from area churches came to worship, pray and hear messages on being Leaders in These times. The conference ended on Dec 31st with an all night prayer and worship service.  It was awesome to bring in the new year focused on my Savior instead of on myself.  What a year this has been already!

After the conference we left Kampala and headed out to the village of Toggo.  Toggo is even more like home!  Its a small village about 2 hoursish from Kampala where our school is.  This is where I feel most comfortable.  While in Toggo we started holding a 3 night crusade in the nearby town of Kapeeka.  It is a place that is dark and steeped in hate.  We could palpably feel the spiritual oppression.  The first night Gordy preached and no one came forward to receive Christ, they were too scared.  It wasn't until the American team left that many people started coming to receive Jesus!  The second night, the feeling was so different, it was as if a veil had been lifted and there was joy starting to poor back into the town! 

Once the crusades were over, we focused on our Kids Camp in Toggo at Toggo International Children's Center.  It's a giant VBS and the kids love it!  I finally preached!  I love these kids, so many of them are my heart.  I really enjoyed getting to know a few new kids as well as see ones I have known for a while!  I got to see my Agnes!  She is so shy with me but finally came and sat on my lap for a while.  She is beautiful and I am looking forward to being with her for an extended period of time!  I also saw my boy Fred, although he is a twin and I can't tell them apart so I just make sure to pay attention to them both!  LOL! 

So, Kids camp was over our team headed back into Kampala.   I felt so happy knowing that my time was not over!!  I was sad to say goodbye to my team but so ready to get on with the work that God has for me here!  The first day after everyone from the team had left was pretty hard but I just have to remind myself that I am with family here!  I just have to get over feeling like the only one here because that isn't true.  The Trint family is my family, I call them dad, mom, sister, brother, niece and nephew and that is what they are!  They take such good care of me too! 

So, I'm still in Kampala and resting up at the moment.  Monday I will head out to the village and start working with Nurse Betty.  I am really looking forward to that!  I will miss my family but I will be surrounded by family there too and all my kids!  How could I not be happy!!!!!!  I think you may have to pry my away from this place with a crowbar! 

I haven't taken many pictures but these are some of my favorite!!

Laynee, Tonya and I on the way to church.

Brandon and his dear daughters, and a photobomber too!!

 

At the beach for William's birthday!

Courtney, she is quickly becoming someone I love more and more and I cherish her friendship!

William, my nephew, is Ben and Courtney's son who they are adopting and hopefully he will be able to go home soon with them!  Until then, I get to take awesome pictures with him!

Laynee, one of the most beautiful people I know!  This girl is such a big piece of my heart, kind of like a daughter, sister and best friend all wrapped into one.

 

 

I could really use some prayers to stay healthy and whole!  So far I've fallen too many times to count, the last one being yesterday and I really twisted both ankles!  Its a little hard to walk today!  Also, last week I stepped on a nail, thankfully I had good shoes on and they deflected the nail to just the side of my foot.  I'm trying to keep it clean!  Also, the bugs seem to love me and I am covered in bites!  So, pray for God's protection around me!!

 

I love you all and will do my best to keep up with my blog.  Once in the village I wont have wifi so I'm not sure how often I will be able to post.  We will just have to see...

 



 

Can I bury my head in the sand?????

I've got a list, it seems like it's a mile long.  Normally I  love "to do" lists because I get such joy from crossing off tasks that have been completed but, today I just want to bury my head in the sand.  More things are being added to my list by the minute!  The most frustrating thing is this mess with insurance!  Somehow the fact that I would be unemployed and without health insurance didn't quite bother me, until now.  I guess I was just figuring that health care in Uganda is relatively inexpensive and I won't be in the US, so I wouldn't need to purchase insurance here.  Well, thank you Mr. Obama, now I have a headache and want to cry because I have to pay a lot of money for an insurance policy that I can't use or you will fine me!  Granted I don't have all the details yet and yes I'm venting a little but, I'm just being real here.  Not every step of preparation for this grand adventure has been fun, this is one of those instances.  Even so, God is good!  He has provided all the details up to this point.  I'm 100% confident that this is His plan for my life at this time.  So, I'm preaching to the choir here and this post is just to remind myself that God is in control and He's got this!  Philippians 4:6-7, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made know to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and you minds in Christ Jesus."  So, I'm going to stop worrying, I'm going to pray about this, I'm going to thank God for this too and then I'm going to move on to the next item on the list while I wait for His peace to wash over me and give me the strength to wade through the confusing details and information.  Also, I'm going to look at these precious faces, they make everything better and remind me of what is ahead...

Amanya, my newest love that I sponsor, he makes my heart melt.  I can't wait to get my arms around him again!

Oh, Amanya, that little look says it all!

Anges, my beautiful angel.  She captured my heart on my very first trip to Uganda and brought out the fierce protector in me.  She is my heart!

Nurse Betty and her sweet baby Jethro!  I can't wait to work with Nurse Betty, she is amazing and hopefully Jethro won't cry when he sees me this time!

 

 

 

18 days, 12 hours, 7 minutes and 23 seconds...

 

Here come the beginning of the goodbyes...

(I can already tell that I'm going to be horrible at this blog thing!  Yikes, over a month has passed since I posted anything and as of right now, I'm the only one who knows about this blog! Hahahaha!)

Yesterday was such a bittersweet day for me, it was my last day of work at Sutter Davis Hospital in the Birthing Center.  The place that took a chance on a brand new, right out of nursing school, nurse who cried in her interview!  It has been such an amazing place to start my career as a nurse.  I have had the best coworkers in the world, both on nightshift and dayshift.  I don't know if they will ever know how much I care about them and love them.  I don't know if I really understand how much I'm going to miss them!  When you work 12 hour shifts with people, they become your family!  Especially on night shift, you have to learn to trust these people completely!  They had my back, I had there's and we could get through anything together!  Even if some nights (and lately days) it was all we could do just to get through the chaos of the shift without loosing our minds, seriously hurting ourselves or our patients and walking out the door and never coming back!  Hey, we are the best place to give birth the whole wide world so we are a very busy place! 

I love how we do birth, I love how we take care of our patients and I love our patients.  It will feel really weird to not be working with laboring moms and their babies anymore.  Its all I know and I will really miss it!  Maybe God will bring me back there someday, if He does...awesome!  I miss you guys already!

So, the goodbyes have started.  Its sad and exciting all at the same time.  I have to say goodbye before I can move forward with what God has for me.  So, forgive the tears that are inevitable, I'm an emotional person.  I cry at toilet paper commercials...just that one time but, still it happened! LOL! Just hug me and pray for me.

21 days, 17 hours, 36 minutes and 23 seconds.....

Following His call...

Three years ago, if you had asked me how life was, I would have said, "It's great!  I've got a good paying job that I love, I own my home, I have a cat who likes to snuggle, I have the best family ever, my friends are amazing, and I attend the best church ever!"  I was firmly settled into adulthood and loving it! Today, all those things still remain true but, God has shaken up my life up and its not so settled anymore...LOL!  This shake up really started when I changed churches and got connected with the missions community at Bridgeway Christian Church in Rocklin, CA (my new best church ever!!!).  When I was a teenager, I went on missions trip to Malawi, Africa and fell in love with Africa.  My dream was always to go back to Africa someday in a medical capacity but, timing was never right.  When I got to Bridgeway, I heard a lot about Uganda and long story short, my dream finally came true!  I went to Uganda for the first time in December of 2012 with Bridgeway, then again in July of 2013 and July of 2014.  Needless to say, I fell in love with the people and the place!  Leaving Uganda after the last trip was utterly heartbreaking!  I had no idea when I would be back again.  God began to stir in my heart the idea of going back to Uganda and staying for a longer period of time than 2 weeks.  I prayed and talked and prayed and talked and prayed some more! I really felt like God was asking me to completely unsettle myself and follow His call back to Uganda for a period of 3-6 months!  So...I'm taking a giant leap of faith!  I'm going to Uganda for 8 months!! 

That's what this blog is about, my adventures in Uganda.  The journey to get there, the time spent there and coming home again.  Even if no one but my mom ever reads this, I'm okay with that!  LOL!  This is all for His glory!

62 days...10 hours...44 minutes...and 22 seconds...until I leave for the place that has captured my heart!