Unpacking

The task of unpacking is now under way. One by one items are being removed from our luggage; one by one each piece of luggage will be emptied, zipped up and returned to its place of storage. 

And one by one each memory and experience is being unpacked from our hearts - the excitement of that first midnight visit to the home and the joy of being enthusiastically welcomed by the surprised mamas; the relative solitude of hanging laundry on the lines to dry under the hot African sky; hearing the children greet us by our Ugandan names; the privilege of helping to provide the gift of clearer vision to those staff who needed glasses; the heart-warming and heart-rending feeling you get when you walk along holding the stump of an arm of a little girl who has no hand to hold; the joyful chaos that results when 30 or so toddlers see, for the first time, their new, fun and colourful beds...

The list goes on, and unlike our luggage which will be emptied within a few days, the unpacking of our hearts will be an ongoing process. And a strange process it is. It seems our hearts grow fuller as a thought or experience surfaces and gets unpacked. It's a process that can be both painful and therapeutic. The things we unpack may bring a smile or a chuckle over some cute or amusing incident or they may bring tears or anger at the injustice of the suffering of vulnerable children. 

No matter what we unpack, though, we remain in awe of the resilience of the children and the dedication of the staff at Sanyu Babies' Home.  And we are amazed that God has blessed us to serve there and to be welcomed into the Sanyu family. 

This blog not only allows you to get a glimpse of what we've been up to in Uganda, it has also served to help us debrief. Thanks for your support, your interest and for being part of this journey with us. 

"Bed"lam

The day finally arrived for the cribs and toddler beds to be delivered.

For several hours it was a whirlwind of activity as old ones were removed and the new ones brought in. Some were put together outside but when the rain started, it was a parade of carpenters, Sanyu staff and volunteers marching in with various parts for assembly inside. 

We were very grateful for answered prayer as a local ministry "Rafiki Africa" chose today to do an outreach project by volunteering at Sanyu. They were so helpful with all the work involved. 

One by one the staff became aware of what was happening. It was touching to see their excitement and to receive their unending expressions of gratitude. 

And then there was that moment when the children came in as the assembling of the toddler beds was being completed and the real "bed"lam started. There were shrieks and shouts and laughter as they ran and jumped around, hardly knowing what to do or where to go first. 

Bedtime was wild and chaotic but we went over around 10pm to check things out and the children were nestled all snug in their beds. 

We hope you enjoy these pictures that help tell the story of what God has accomplished through the support of so many. 

The Many Sounds of Kampala

These are some of the sounds we hear from our room at the guest house.

Horns of buses, cars, trucks, taxis, bodas
Sirens and loud speakers from emergency vehicles

Roosters crowing, any time of day or night
Hens clucking
Whip-poor-will

People talking, shouting and laughing mixed with Lugandan conversation

Babies crying
Ibis (birds) that sound like babies crying and in some parts of Uganda are said to quiet crying babies
Children playing

Traffic police blowing whistles
Crickets
Kitten meowing
Rain on tin roof
Thunder
Brakes squealing
Call to prayer from mosques

Helicopters
Planes
Music
Singing
Preaching

"Pafra"
Sweeping of african broom
People walking or running past our window
Marching Bands in the street playing

Shuffling of feet
Motorcycles
Souped up cars

Doors banging
Coughing
Gas powered grass cutters
Pied crows cawing

Train whistle and wheels on tracks
Car alarm
Chopping of wood
Whip- poor-will
Construction sounds

Imagine hearing many of these at once.

Tonight we will post about the Great Crib /Bed Adventure.

Together We "Can"

Sometime after our arrival here in Uganda, I was scrolling on Facebook and came across a CBC headline that caught my attention. The article had been "shared" by a friend and was about recyclables in New Brunswick. 

I clicked on the link. It was astounding to learn that $4 million in refunds went uncollected in the province last year when people chose not to redeem their recyclable beverage containers.

During the past few weeks we have been immersed in an environment that makes us keenly aware of the world's inequalities. We are surrounded by the poverty of a developing country. And every day we see the faces of 50+ little ones that, mainly as a result of that poverty, have been neglected, abandoned or discarded. 

These are the precious children who have been rescued from appalling circumstances and are being lovingly cared for at Sanyu Babies' Home. This is the place God has called us to. This is the place where many of you have so generously helped to make a difference. 

You have read about projects which, as a result of that generosity, we have been able to fund together - cribs, glasses, medical care... We are constantly amazed at how God is able to stretch and multiply the shillings at our disposal. 

Can you imagine what He could do with $4 million dollars?

If your recyclables are being sent to a landfill or if you're not currently using the refund from your redeemable items to help some other charitable project, would you consider Sanyu Babies' Home? For those who use the redemption centres in Quispamsis, Hampton or Sussex, it's easy. Just advise the attendant that you would like your refund donated to Sanyu (the orphanage in Uganda). We have had this in place for some time and can assure you that we do receive the donations and it has been helpful in funding the projects you've read about. If you don't live in one of those areas but would still like to be part of this effort, feel free to contact one of us and, after you have received your refund, we'd be happy to make arrangements to collect it. 

The leadership of Sanyu has great vision for its future, and for the future of each child they nurture here until that child becomes part of a "forever" family. Sometimes it's the simplest things that can turn vision into reality. 

So as you consider what to do with that empty can or bottle please think of these little faces. 

Every nickel can make difference!

Project Updates

Our time here is coming to an end. It is hard to believe we have been here nearly a month.

The projects are being completed...another round of eye exams were done today with glasses to be delivered on Monday. The staff are so thankful.

There will be several things happening on Monday. It will be chaotic but very exciting.

Most of the cribs and toddler beds will be delivered and assembled on arrival. All of the new mattresses will be delivered too. Before that old cribs have to be moved out.

The children will need to be cared for in the classrooms while the work is done. We will be off in all directions trying to capture the process on our cameras.

Please pray for lots of volunteers to help. Most of the staff have no idea about the project.  We expect they will be overjoyed.
Monday night should prove to be so much fun as we tuck the children into new beds!

We have asked for a quote to have storage cupboards built in the sorting room that we cleaned. They will be built after we leave.

God keeps stretching the donation funds so we keep looking for practical ways to help the mamas and children.

One of the toddler boys named Favor was adopted today. There was a big cake for everyone! We had short notice about it and missed seeing him go. It is often hush hush.

The update on Ronald is he is improving with the medication and rest. He is limping less and his beautiful smile has returned.

That's all from Kampala tonight. Stay tuned.

A Day of Unplanned Adventures

"In their hearts humans plan their course but the Lord establishes their steps." (Proverbs 16:9)

We started our day with a plan - go with Barbara and driver Ronald to do some Sanyu shopping, be back when the mobile eye clinic came to do exams on the remaining staff who weren't here to have them done a couple of weeks ago and spend some time helping and playing with the children...but things didn't quite go as planned. 

We were to head out at 9am to get the shopping done. However, the Sanyu pickup truck had a dead battery. Oh well, just a 45 minute delay while Ronald changed the battery and we were off.  Road construction meant we had to take a rather lengthy detour but we finally made it to our first stop and Barbara negotiated a good deal on our purchases. Off to the next stop. No glitches.  

Stop number 3 was totally unintentional when the engine died while we were in heavy traffic.  So Ronald, who has been suffering from a very painful hip for a week opened his door, got out and began pushing the truck. Once he got it coasting, he jumped in and turned the ignition. It gives a whole new meaning to trying to jump-start the engine. No success but we were able to coast across a couple of lanes of traffic to get pulled off in the entrance to a hotel.  We were close enough to a mall that we 3 girls could walk to complete the shopping while Ronald went to get some water for the over-heated engine.  We were able to limp back to Sanyu with no further difficulties. 

Now sometime between stop 1 and stop 2 I received a text from Jackson, the coordinator of the eye clinic to say the doctor had been delayed at the hospital and the clinic at Sanyu, which was to start in about 45 minutes, would have to be postponed until tomorrow. This was especially disappointing as several staff had made arrangements to be there on their day off.  Oh well. Some things are out of our control. 

Before leaving in the morning we had asked Ronald about the condition of his hip. He revealed that there had been little improvement but he had been directed to a clinic, however the treatment they suggested was very costly. We wanted to help provide some relief so we both felt we should try to help cover the cost of treatment today. As we watched him through the morning, it was clear he was miserable with pain. 

Upon our return to Sanyu we looked more closely at the costly treatment and felt it was a very questionable plan since no conventional treatment had yet been attempted. 

We agreed to cover the cost of an X-Ray and as he was about to head to the hospital on a boda, we asked if he'd like us to go with him. He didn't hesitate to say "yes". So Ronald got on a boda and we walked the short distance to the hospital.  He was already in the X-ray department when we arrived (he had been given the slip last week but hadn't been able to get the X-ray done).  We sat with him as he waited his turn and then we waited until he was given the result (including the film which he was given to keep). 

Then off we went to the out-patient department. Ronald seemed to know we were to go to Room 5 so as soon as the previous patient left that room we all walked in to see the doctor. Ronald spoke to him in Luganda and we were given a slip to take to Wicket 1 to "activate his number". Oops, wrong wicket. Please proceed to Wicket 11.  Then it was back to see the doctor in Room 5. This time Ronald waited willingly outside and we spoke with the doctor in English. 

Since the X-ray was normal, Dr. Deus  decided to treat him with pain reliever, muscle relaxant and anti-inflammatory. This seemed much more reasonable to us. Off we went to Wicket 9 to have the prescriptions entered into the system.  Then it was back to Wicket 11 to fill 2 out of 3 prescriptions. 

We returned to Ronald in the waiting area to tell him everything had been taken care of. We just needed to fill one more prescription at a local pharmacy and we'd meet him back at Sanyu. 

So Ronald got on a boda and we walked back to Sanyu with medications and X-ray in hand. 

So now we have one more thing to add to our list of new experiences - navigating a little piece of the Ugandan medical system. All in all, it went pretty smoothly and quickly and everyone we encountered was very professional. 

Although our day didn't quite go as planned, it is our hope and prayer that in the end Ronald will get relief from the pain we've watched him suffer from for the past week. 

I wonder what tomorrow will bring...

Paradise on the Nile

We returned to Sanyu this afternoon after 3 days of rest and relaxation with our missionary friends Laura and Ruth.

Last week we proudly ordered our first birthday cake in Uganda at a shop that we could walk to. It was to celebrate Laura's special birthday...it was called 'Black Forest Cake' but it was really chocolate cake with chocolate icing. Laura said it was the best cake she has had in Uganda.

Two of the days were spent along the Nile in Jinja. We marvelled at the sights and sounds there... a troop of very active monkeys, including their small babies, were great entertainment in the trees as we played a game of Upwords on the patio.

Men casting nets from boats on the Nile could be heard talking in their native tongue. Kayakers were seen effortlessly floating along as the current carried them downstream.

Birds of many varieties sang their beautiful songs. Groups of egrets flew close to the water on their way down the river.

We had a refreshing swim in the pool and lots of laughs as we told stories. Ugandan children called out "Hi Muzungo" from trees they had climbed as they watched us swim. Later we went to talk with them. I asked " How many are you?" as they were behind a wooden fence we had to peek through. They smiled and said "we are five of seven".  I asked their names. "Sandra, Faith, Elijah, Esther and Tressy" were their replies. They are on a school break and were in the trees picking avocados. They told us they were acting like monkeys. I said "but you don't have a tail!"

We saw heat lightening in the distance both nights. Last night, as we were sitting out on the patio of our banda looking at the stars, and listening to loudly croaking frogs, Muriel and I noticed some fire flies. We weren't able to stay out much longer as a storm approached with two good sized lightening bolts. It rained soon after.

Indoor picnics, devotion times together and missionary stories are some highlights of our trip. Thank you Laura and Ruth for sharing your stories and these days with us. You are such a blessing.

After a relaxing brunch in the banda we headed back toward the sights and sounds of Kampala.
It doesn't take long to miss the serenity of the Nile.

Back to Blogging

Sorry for the long absence. We have not had internet access for the past week at Sanyu so we're posting this while visiting friends in another part of Kampala. 

Here are some highlights from last week:

-- The laundry/sorting room has been decluttered and organized. Unusable furniture has been removed. Badly stained and tattered clothing has been discarded or, if still usable, packed to pass on to other children who are much more destitute. This part disturbs us. 

-- We made another trip to the carpentry shop. The cribs and toddler beds are about 1/2 completed and we expect some will be delivered before we leave next week. We also visited a mattress factory with Barbara and have made arrangements for those to be custom made to the proper sizes. 

-- We were able to arrange to have a mobile eye clinic visit Sanyu so staff could get eye exams.  About 1/2 were tested. The remainder will be done another day.  We understand that for many (perhaps most) this was the first time they'd had their eyes checked.  Several needed glasses.  There was much excitement when they were delivered on Friday - and much appreciation expressed. 

We continue to feel very privileged by the opportunity to spend God's money which He has provided through so many generous friends and family members. Thank you again. 

We're not sure when our next opportunity to post will be. But until then, thanks for being part of the journey and for your continued prayers. 

The pictures show staff waiting for eye exams and one of the completed toddler beds.