Some Updates

We’ve posted about three specific baby boys who have faced some health challenges in their short little lives. Thank you for praying for them.

Baby Blessing is off and running, taking at least 100 mls of formula the last few times Mama Sherry (aka Cheryl) has fed him. He was transferred out of the isolation room to the infant room, where he joined four roommates, on  Friday.  He’s very curious and is  loving being where there’s a little more activity  to be a part of.


                 Blessing


Baby Edwin came home from hospital on Thursday. He is doing much better but still needs to be watched closely and still requires aerosol treatments.  We don’t have an updated picture of him but here’s a cute one of him taken the day before he came home.




                 Edwin

 
Baby Darius is improving slowly. He is still somewhat weak, still requires IV antibiotics and has difficulty feeding. However, his infection seems to be clearing and he is much brighter. After I fed him today he almost smiled, but not quite.


                 Darius



You may remember that on our arrival we learned that one of the security guards had just lost his wife and newborn baby. Bosco returned to work today. He was to have returned sooner but he and his children have all been suffering with malaria. Please pray for him as he continues to grieve and adjusts to the challenges of being a single father to three school-aged children.

Ready...Set...Go!!!!

Here is a sampling of the activity at Sanyu's new playground today. There is still some finish work to be done but the children couldn't wait any longer to try it out. 

We'll save the story of how it all came together for another post. 

We’re Not in Canada

We have daily reminders that we are not in Canada. Thought you might enjoy hearing about a few.

You have read here before that one of our challenges here is getting across the street. Well Cheryl and I think we may have found a solution - we need to get a goat. A few days ago we walked to the grocery store and on the way back we watched 9 goats walk down the street and nonchalantly make their way to the other side while all bodas, taxies, buses, etc. gave them the right of way.  Why won’t they do the same for us?



One average afternoon we suddenly heard an unusual sound among the regular street noises. When we went to investigate,  there was a souped up car with a muffler like we’ve never heard speeding up the street across from Sanyu. It spun a quick 180 and sped back down and kept repeating the act. It didn’t take long for a crowd to form to take in the entertainment. The people would fill the street to watch it coming, then disperse to the sides as it approached. This went on for about 10 minutes before the event was over.

Another day on the same street we watched a small herd of goats (maybe the same ones we’d seen a couple of days before) being chased down the street by a little boy. They were able to lose him by making a sharp right turn on a side street.

A  couple of nights ago I was sure I heard babies crying in the rooms of the adjacent section of the guesthouse and thought they must have had to bring some of the babies over for some reason. It was dark so I went back to my room to get my glasses so I could go help them. I stepped outside to walk the few steps to the next door and could see the forms of two animals in the dark, about the size of raccoons facing each other in a noisy confrontation that sounded just like crying babies.  I turned and went back to bed. 

The next morning I asked Joel, the operator of the guesthouse, what they would have been and he said they are rodents. After some research we determined they were probably cane rats which can grow to be 17lbs

As I’m writing this at 10:30pm we heard a thud outside our window. An avacado just fell off the tree. 

Nope, we’re not in Canada!

...but maybe that’s where my font went. 😏

Visiting Nurses

This afternoon we walked to the local hospital to visit Baby Edwin and Mama Jesca. We were happy to see how well Edwin looked.

 He was taken off oxygen this morning and if all goes well tonight he will likely be discharged tomorrow afternoon as soon as the medical bills are paid by Sanyu. Once he returns to the home Mama Jesca will have some days off to rest.

Mama Jesca has had her prayers for Edwin answered. When he was at his worst on Sat night she opened her bible to Mark 10:13 and laid it by his head. The verse says "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." She prayed and prayed that God would not take his life and told God he would be well cared for at Sanyu.

 After we fed and bathed Edwin Mama Jesca went for a break. Edwin 'talked' to is for 30mins non stop, cooing, gooing and smiling.

We prayed for Baby Edwin, Jesca and the other children in the room before we left.

On the way out the door we noticed the verse from Mark 10 was painted on a wall in the Pediatric Ward. Interestingly enough, the Holy Spirit led me to use that verse while sharing devotions with the staff today.

Thank you for your prayers for Edwin and Mama Jesca.

Baby Darius

This morning we discovered that a new baby had arrived at Sanyu last night. We don’t know the circumstances that brought Darius here but we know he is now safe in the care Sanyu Babies’ Home. Please pray for Baby Darius as he is sick and requires IV antibiotics which are administered by the two nurses on staff.
Today, in a light rain, I walked with Nurse Caroline to the local hospital with Darius to have some blood tests and get some oral medication. Though little is known about him, the midwife who saw him was gathering as much information as she could. When it came to his age, Nurse Caroline provided an estimate of 3 months. The midwife then turned to me and asked me to “assign” him a date of birth. It was a unique and sad privilege but Darius now has my Dad’s birthday - January 20th.
The walk back was very wet so I covered Caroline and Darius with a rain poncho I’d stuffed in my purse for the messy and slippery return trip.
Welcome to Sanyu, Darius! You’ll be well loved and cared for here.

Imagination

No pictures with this post. You’ll have to use your imagination...just like Elizabeth.
Elizabeth is not quite 3 years old. Today as I was sorting clothes she and 2-year-old Ethan joined me. Elizabeth had a piece of paper approximately 1”x0.5”. She had Ethan stand in a specific location then held the piece of paper in front of her face and said, “Ethan. Say cheese.”  She repeated this several times.
Not long after, she held the same piece of paper to her ear and said, “Allo” and told the person on the other end of the line quite a story...but I couldn’t decipher any of the words.
Later in the day she had Solomon sitting in one of the seats in the dining room, pretending to feed him lunch using a small straw she had found.
Toys may be limited and luxuries non-existent but with a good imagination you can have all kinds of fun.

Day out with the children!

Today we ventured out with 17 of the children for a day of fun.  The children were invited to go to a sponsored day of children's activities.  Fun was had by all.  The children were falling asleep on the bus coming back to Sanyu.  There were a lot of firsts for some of the children that we would take for granted in Canada.  Bouncy castles, swimming in a pool and even a ride in a bus.

Some of the Mamas even got into the bouncy castle action.

Picnic lunch

The children didn't know what to think of the bouncy castles. They soon caught on! Lots of squeals and giggles.

The children loved spending time in the pool. There were a few that refused to go in.

Baby updates

Thank you for your continued prayers for
Edwin.  He remains in hospital on oxygen and now has a stomach flu.

Blessing is doing much better.  His fever has broken and he is starting to get some chubby little cheeks.

Stay tuned for more blog news.

Playground Update

Many of you have probably been wondering how the playground equipment project is going. Well, it turns out it’s a bit more of a project than we expected and it is progressing well. We’ve been to the “store” that sells the equipment and decided on some pieces. However, due to issues with tree roots, water drainage and soil erosion there is much more preparation work involved than we realized. Andrew has been working long, dirty days with Michael and Sebastian this week digging trenches, mixing and pouring cement and laying bricks. The children are enjoying watching as the work progresses. But what we really look forward to is seeing their reaction and watching them have all kinds of fun when they get to enjoy the final result.

Farewells

Oli Otya? (How are you?)

It's been a very busy day here at Sanyu.

Two of the children were reunited. Now there are 48.
4 yr old Rachael went to live with her biological mom and an aunt. She is in a pink dress with matching pink shoes.
Here she is saying goodbye to some of the Mamas. She was very sullen.

Rachael was named by Mama Rachael who is in the dark blue uniform. Today is one of mixed emotions...happy and sad.

3 yr old Naome was reunited with a grandmother. She left without us knowing.

Baby Blessing has a fever and pain today and needs prayer.

Baby Edwin remains in hospital on oxygen.  Please continue to pray for him. Muriel aka Mama Maureen walked to the local hospital with Rachael, one of the Sanyu mamas, to briefly relieve Mama Jesca who is caring for Edwin. We may visit them tomorrow and give her another break.

Andrew has been busy working on the playground project all day, everyday since Tuesday.  Progress is being made. 2 men from Sanyu have been assigned to help him.  People are curious about the project.
Stay tuned for updates.

Jodi, Muriel and I walked a km to the Optical Unit we have dealt with each year and made a donation of over 30 prs of glasses. They were very grateful.

And now it is time to say Sula bulungi!
(Good night)

Prayer Request.

This blog is a prayer request for little Edwin.  He is only three months old. He was taken to the hospital this morning.  He has been diagnosed with bronchitis and he will have to stay at the hospital for at least five days. For those five days he will be on oxygen.  There will be a Mama from Sanyu staying with him during his stay. 

This is a picture of Edwin being snuggled yesterday.

Blessing

Today I'll share about the smallest child here at Sanyu. His name is Waswa Blessing. He is 3 months old and weighs just a bit over 6 lbs. He is a twin. He and his brother were admitted to the government hospital along with their mother. A caregiver has to stay with whoever is admitted.  There was no care giver for the babies and they became malnourished. Sadly Blessing's twin did not survive. In the midst of all her troubles the mother abandoned Blessing.

He stayed in the hospital until he was brought to Sanyu 2 weeks ago. He is so tiny and thin you can count his ribs. He has very long fingers and they say he will be a tall man. His legs are about the circumference of my thumb. Blessing is very bright and alert. He looks around when he hears noises and will look you in the eye and sometimes give you a nice smile.

It took me a few feedings to figure out what he likes. The formula must be warm at all times or he won't drink it. We have to keep
warming it up. He likes to be cuddled close. That's not a problem!!! He is so curious that if anyone other than the person who is feeding him talks to him he stops sucking.  Currently he is fed every 2 hrs around the clock and it sometimes takes 30 mins. The Mama's appreciate our help because that frees them up to do other things.

Blessing is gaining weight. Yesterday he had his first haircut. His hair was pretty long and wild in the back.  Now it will grow in better.

I took a picture of him today and then I showed it to him.  He actually looked it all over with great interest.

Here is my new buddy, sucking his finger and holding onto his blankie! Isn't he handsome!

Vroom. Vroom.

Motorized vehicles are fascinating to children around the globe. Today the children of Sanyu were a captive audience as several of the guys, including Andrew, did some repair/maintenance work on the driveway in front of the guesthouse using the truck that belongs to the home. Then, as a bonus, a boda arrived to add to the entertainment. Vroom. Vroom.

Our trip to the Farm.

The internet has been unreliable so we haven't been able to make many blog posts.

We were up for 6am. It was raining when we left but it cleared off and became a very hot and sunny day. It was in the high 20's by the afternoon. The day was spent getting acquainted with the farm and doing some of the weekly tasks.

-looking after pigs
-water collection from a swamp 2km away   from the farm
-cultivating
-spraying fertilizer and insecticides
-trellising passion fruit vines
-thinning fields of corn

The farm is nothing like a farm we would have at home. Everything is so lush and green. The land seems to be very fertile and the crops seem to be doing well.  The farm is larger than we thought it would be. They have fields of sweet potato, maize, beans, irish potatoes.  Everything on the farm is done manually.

Andrew and I will do another post on the farm and our travels to and from the farm.

Kampala at 6am.

Passion Fruit Flower

Jackfruit

Inside the jackfruit eaten on a banana leaf.  We all had some of this delicious fruit for our lunch.

Our Day

This is a synopsis of our day. We didn’t all do all of these things but it gives you a general idea of what a day here is like. 

• Early morning meeting with the director to share developments on both sides of the world and discuss plans for the days ahead. 
• Meet with a local engineer about some structural issues.
• Have some one-on-one snuggle time with the smallest babies. 
• Hang some laundry on the clothes lines. 
• Do personal laundry. 
• Rescue personal laundry just before a downpour. 
• Help feed the children lunch. 
• Help clean the dining room after lunch. 
• Hold infants while they are given immunizations...some received 3-4 injections. 
• Spend the afternoon entertaining the children in the sandbox and the rest of the play area. 
• Wipe as much sand as possible from clothes, skin and hair. 
• Help feed the children supper. 
• Help with showering the children. 
• Sweep the dining room floor with a 2-foot African broom. 
• Wash dishes. 
• Eat a delicious meal prepared by Joel. 
• Communicate with folks at home. 
• Shower. 
• Drop into bed. 

Farmer's Day Out

Today Andrew and Jodi traveled with Barbara and some Sanyu staff to work at the farm. They left at the crack of dawn and returned late afternoon. They will have lots of stories to tell in the near future... stay tuned for their blogpost about the trip. They're too tired to share it here tonight.

Muriel and I have been busy reconnecting with the staff and children.  Some of the older children actually remember us from last year. When we asked Sam what our names are he looked at me and said "Allo bubbles!" That is what he associates us with. Allan, who is the presently the oldest child remembered that Muriel's name is Mama Maureen

We have some truly sad news about a Sanyu security guard named Bosco.  In 2016 he and his wife lost a baby. They were currently expecting another baby soon but last week Bosco lost his wife and their unborn baby due to complications from maternal hypertension. The Dr's tried to save the baby but it had died in utero. Bosco and his wife had 3 other children, 2 school aged girls and a boy in nursery school  The funeral for both mother and baby was last Friday.

Please keep Bosco, his children and their extended families in your prayers, that the God of all comfort would be their peace and provider and sustainer.

Thank you for praying for the team too.

We arrived at Sanyus Baby Home at midnight last night.  The drive from Entebbe to Kampala was quite an eye opener. Many times during the drive to Kampala I just had to close my eyes and pray for calm and that we would get there in one piece.

We were busy on our first day here. We unpacked and went shopping for groceries. Muriel and Cheryl warned us about walking and crossing the street.  Andrew and I didn't think much of it until we had to actually do it.  There are very little traffic rules here, no traffic lights and no road signs.  Combine that with a million bodabodas that drive on sidewalks and in ditches and you half a typical Kamala roadway.....chaos.

Andrew and I had a chance to get acquainted with the children and the massive amount of care and work that is needed each day. The children and staff are so welcoming and they all want to great you and know your name.

It is off to the farm with an early start at 6am.

Jodi

Plans, Partners and Projects

We're now in the midst of finalizing last minute details as we prepare to embark on our fourth trip to Sanyu Babies' Home...well, at least it will be the fourth trip for two of us.  Cheryl and I, once again, look forward to renewing friendships with staff, seeing if we can recognize those children who are almost a year older since we last saw them, and meeting the new people (children and staff) God puts in our path.

Speaking of new people, we are very excited to be able to introduce you blog-followers to two new members of our team (I guess you can call us a team since there are now four of us:).  Andrew and Jodi Giberson live in Kingston where they raise their three girls.  We have been blessed to have their interest and support since we first began this crazy journey.  We're so grateful for the commitment of this family and excited to see what plans God has to use and bless them.  We also look forward to having Andrew and Jodi post here in the days to come to share some of their thoughts and experiences.

There are other new and exciting changes that have transpired since our last trip.  With the help of many friends and supporters, after much prayer, discussion and collecting of information we are now able to offer tax receipts to anyone who wants to donate to the work as we partner with Sanyu in helping to meet the needs and improve the circumstances of the children in their care.  We are very grateful to the congregation of Bloomfield Baptist Church for their willingness to officially make this part of their ministry.  If you would like more information about making a donation please contact one of us directly or leave a comment here and we'll connect to provide you with details.

We have several projects in mind to consider as we meet with Sanyu's director to determine priorities and feasibility once we arrive.  One project that we have already discussed and plan to proceed with is providing new playground equipment. What they have/had has been well used and much of it in various states of disrepair.  Compounding that, it became further damaged during construction of a new security perimeter wall over the past year which also required removal of some large trees. We look forward to keeping you posted on the progress of this exciting project.

Thanks for following us once again here on the blog and for being part of the journey through your interest and prayers.