Saturday was a HUGE Soccer game for Uganda. It was against Kenya, and whoever won got to move on to the African Cup. Unfortunately it was a tie, so Uganda will not be moving to the next round. But the traffic in and around Kampala last weekend and especially on Saturday was ridiculous. It seemed as if EVERY taxi was filled to the brim and EVERY BodaBoda (Motorcycle taxi) had 3 people on them. Everyone was wearing Uganda team Jerseys and Blowing Vuvuzuelas (a long horn used for sporting events). On Friday night people started buying their Vuvuzuelas, and they started partying from Friday night all the way through Saturday night… Even at 3am, you could hear them blowing the vuvuzuelas… I don’t think many people got much sleep that night :o)
Sunday was Uganda’s Independence Day. They do not celebrate like we do though. I’m told it is because so many people are unhappy with the government right now, that they don’t feel the need to proudly celebrate the country. It hasn’t always been that way, and people are sad about it. But one day they hope to be able to feel like really celebrating!
Today was another record for me in the taxi… 27 people! That included the 2 men that had to stand on the outside of the van and hold on while we were driving!
News from the school… I guess life is going on as normal here. I am still adjusting, but thankfully the kids are all warming up to me. I LOVE the kids in my class. They are such good kids, and they are doing pretty good considering the language problem. Honestly if Pastor Robert were not volunteering to come every day to interpret for me and the kids, I think we would all be “Lost”.
I’m still trying to learn Luganda. The parents and especially the cook are putting pressure on me to learn it fast. And it does not help that they do not slow down to teach me, they always say things very very fast. For those of you who know me, you know that when it comes to learning languages it is definitely NOT my God given talent! Ha Ha Ha
Some of the kids know my name, but they don’t used it… my class calls me Madam… but all the other classes (about 70 kids at school) still call me “Muzungu” which is their word for “White Person”.
2 times last week I had to walk down different roads than normal, and then it was a whole new set of kids that had never seen me before. I felt like I was in a parade where I was waving from one side to the other side and back again as they all yelled from their doorways “Muzungu! Muzungu! How are you?!?!?!?” To which I reply very slowly “I’m fine…How are you?” Then they giggle, and yell to their friends to come say hi to me :o)
I feel like I’m getting settled in as best as I can right now. But just when I feel like life is seeming semi normal, reality hits me again. I have 7 kids in my class… only 2 of them own a pair of shoes. Some of the kids have scabies, but cannot afford the medicine to treat them. One kid itches so bad that he now has big sores on his arms because they are taking off the tops of the scabies. Sadly I have had scabies before, and they are soooooo itchy and uncomfortable! I’m not quite sure how someone gets a “Boil”, but one of the little 3 year olds has one right on his forehead…. Oh it looks so painful! My student Sendegeya had a terrible sore on his finger last week. He said he got burned while doing something… It was very questionable though because it was a small circular burn that went so deep it was like a little crater on his finger. It makes me nervous, because I have heard that some parents use “Burning” their child as a form of punishment… I can only hope that it was honestly an accident from him playing around near a fire or something.
Last week, I bought 4 loaves of bread to take to school. The village does not have electricity, and no one has an oven, so for people in the village to get bread, they have to go into town which takes an hour of walking and then paying to ride a taxi… needless to say, people in the village rarely ever get bread. So as we passed out their porridge the other day, each child received a piece of bread as well. They were very happy and said thank you… later, some even came and found me to properly say thank you…In Uganda, but more so in the village, when a child is thanking, serving, or formerly greeting an adult, they get on their knees in front of you to say it out of respect. I would never expect my nieces and nephews back home to kneel in front of me to say thank you. It is a hard custom for me to get used to, but every time they do it, it reminds me of what a big culture difference there is between us.
On a happy note:
Baby Crystal is doing much better. The Pneumonia is gone and she is back to her happy and healthy little self. Thank you for everyone that was praying for her! Ronnie and Ritah really appreciated the prayers for their daughter!
Pastor Robert told me today that 2 ladies that came to Church at the school on Sunday accepted Christ as their Savior! It is so wonderful to hear that! Another lady is really considering it as well. Please pray for her that she will still feel confident and open to it next Sunday. And Also prayer for the new Christian ladies from Sunday as they learn to change and adapt in a village that is primarily Muslim.
There are things such as a small playground which would be nice to have for the kids, or even toys at the school to play with on recess. Right now, there is not a single toy for recess. There are rocks, sticks, and grass to play with. The other day one of the kids brought a plastic bag filled with grass and tied into a ball so the kids could play soccer. I have seen that in pictures or on TV, but this was the first time to see it in person.
The more I work with Global Hands of Hope, the more I see the desperate need over here. In the states, we think of our needs being the newest trendy clothes, shoes, music, cell phone, etc. I know, because I have, and still think that way most of the time.. lately my need seems to be electricity. I feel like I’m lost when there is no power… sometimes even for days at a time. In Africa, when they say there is “A Need” for something, it is usually for basic necessities for life or education. We are working on some project Ideas for Global Hands of Hope, mostly for the school. I will list some of them here because I would like to ask you for prayer. Please pray that we can figure out how to make these project ideas become a reality to better the lives of the kids here in Bukeka. The kids did not ask to be born into the situation and lifestyle they live in. It is the hand that was dealt to them. They deserve to have a childhood, a brighter future, and a life filled with joy. The school is called Suubi Children’s Center. In Luganda the word “Suubi” means “Hope”. And that is what we want to give these kids. Hope for their future…. Please continue to pray with us on behalf of these amazing little lives! Thanks!
Love, Alicia
Project Ideas for the school:
Toys and games for the school during recess: YoYos, Jump Ropes, etc.
Fun Pencils, stickers, flash cards, etc. Some supplies can be bought here, but others can’t.
60,000 bricks are needed to build the new permanent school. 1 U.S. dollar can buy 16 bricks.
A Cow for the school. If we can get a cow, then we can use the milk to put into the porridge to give the kids the vitamins that their bodies so desperately need but they do not get. The cow will cost around $320.
Child Sponsors. $35 for school supplies, shoes and a uniform and then $10 a month for school fees. This will cover costs for school and helping provide salaries to the Ugandan teachers there.
Food program. We would love to be able to provide more than just porridge for the kids. Since most of them do not get food at home, we would love to eventually have a food programs where the kids can have porridge in the morning, and a meal or rice or Posho and beans for lunch before they go home from school. This costs about $10 per month for each child.
There are more Ideas for the school and also for the community, but we will post those prayer requests when we get to think through them a little better.
Thank You so Much for continuing to pray for Us all the way over here in Uganda. God is doing some amazing things! I’m so Excited to see what He has in Store! Have a Great week and God Bless!
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