An African Adventure

As many of you know, my sister came to visit me here in Uganda for about 3 weeks. The first week she was here, we were busy running around Jinja. Over the 2nd two weeks that she was here, we were busy running all around Uganda. Last weekend we had the opportunity to venture up north to Soroti. I was SO excited for Maddie to get to Soroti and meet our brothers and sisters there. After a weekend north, we then headed to western uganda for a Safari!! It was so exciting! We headed out to Murchison National Park on Thursday morning. It was a three day adventure. We booked the safari with a organization called Red Chilli. We stayed 2 nights at their rest camp in the park.
The first day we drove about 6 hours from Kampala to Murchison National park. We finally reached the park and went straight to the top of Murchison falls. During the reign of Ida Amin in the 1970's the name of the falls was changed to Karabrega Falls, after the King Kabarega of Bunyoro. Since the fall of Amin, the falls took back the name of Murchison but is still sometimes referenced as Karabrega falls. It was so beautiful! We took a small hike to a couple outlooks, then we walked back up to the top of the falls. It is said to be one of the fastest moving falls in the world because if it's small gorge.

After our hike, we all loaded in the van again and headed for the Rest Camp. At the camp Maddie and I shared a tent. It was a permanent tent with actual beds inside [pretty luxurious for camping!]. We went to bed quite early since we were tired from the travels. At about 3:30am I woke to some sort of animal outside of my tent. Slightly freaked out, I sat up slowly to look out my window... It was a giant hippo! He was RIGHT next to my bed, gnawing on the grass - very loudly, I might add. I so badly wanted to take a video to show you all proof, but I was afraid the light would shock him and he'd charge into my bed. Hippos are not known to be the nicest of animals, they actually cause many deaths here in Uganda. It was quite a surprise, there had to be at least 5 of them around the camp that night. I finally fell back asleep for a couple hours, but then had to get up to go on our game ride! This is what Maddie and I had been waiting for all week! We had to load the van early so we could make the ferry across the river. If we missed the river we'd be really delayed for our day.

Our van for the 3 days

The ferry we took across to the other side for our game ride.

We finally got across the river around 8am, and hit the trails. As the sun was still rising over the plains, we saw many different animals. Many different species of antelopes and birds.

Then we saw the infamous buffalo. As we were driving, our tour guide got a phone call - it was his coworker informing them they spotted the lions. Many people go on safaris here in Uganda and never see a lion. They are a rare sighting. There are rules on having vehicles off the trails, and the lions tend to stay far from the tracks. As we kept driving, we spotted the lion, but not just one we saw 2! They were brothers, and soon they were to be the leaders of the pack. As time goes on, they will have to fight for the leader position, but for now they are loving brothers. [I imagine that's what Scar and Mufasa were like before Mufasa received the big man position] It was all so exciting. They were literally right next to our van, just playing and lounging around.

After we saw the lions we kept venturing - all I really wanted to see was an elephant and time was a ticking. We saw some beautiful giraffe. They are really such an amazing creature - the way they walk is so magical, actually everything they do seems magical to me. Even the way they eat.

Maddie and I

As time went on, we finally had our first elephant sighting! There were 4 by the water. Since it's dry season, they spend most of their days by the water; bathing and soaking to stay cool. We were nearing the end of our game ride through the park. We headed back to the camp for a lunch break. After lunch we then headed out on our boat ride. We road the river for about 3 hours and saw many many hippos. And we saw more elephants! I can tell you all, hands down, the African elephant is my favorite animal on this planet. They are so majestic. We seemed to be very lucky - besides from seeing the lions, we saw an elephant laying down and we also watched one swim.

Overall, the safari was such an amazing experience. I can now cross "Go on an African safari" off my bucket list!

Yesterday we traveled to Entebbe to drop off my sister at the airport. It was a sad day, though I am so blessed to have had her visit me for the time she did. Now I will have someone at home who can relate some with my life here in Uganda. 

----------------------------------

I want to leave you all with a couple prayer requests: 

-Safety for everyone traveling during the holiday season. When we traveled to the airport yesterday, traffic was awful and people were driving crazy!  

-The Fisher family. Pray that their adjustment back in the states goes well and they can feel peace during this crazy time. 

-Everyone away from family during Christmas - whether it be missionaries, those in the armed forces, the street children, or those who simply can't make it home for certain reasons. For me, being in a completely different culture and climate during this month has been a challenge. Please pray that the Lord can wrap his comforting arms around all of those separated from family. 

-The Calvery Chapel family, Mamma Bev, and all my brothers as Pastor Jesse passed away last week. A loss is never easy. He was loved and admired by many. 

----------------------------------

I want to thank you all for your continued prayers and support. I appreciate every one of you. I pray that you all have a blessed Christmas and New Year! May your holidays be filled with joy and laughter. 

Sending my love to you and your family.

Grace & Peace

Jigger Clinic

I finally had the opportunity to go on my first outreach jigger clinic with Sole Hope. I was very excited to see what exactly went down at one of these. The best thing about it being my first time, is that I got to share the opportunity with my sister! Yup, my sister has joined me on African soil for about 3 weeks. I could not be more happy and blessed to be able to share these experiences with her! - We have a lot of exciting things in the coming days, but I'll post about that later :) - So back to the jigger clinic. We set out for the Sole Hope Outreach house around 9:30. On top of the regular scheduled staff, there was another family who was volunteering for the day. We all crammed into 2 vehicles and hit the road. We went to a village about 20mins away, still in the Jinja district. We arrived and there were people of all ages surrounding us. We set up the cleaning area, removal area, and the shoe giving area. Maddie and I, and our friend Johnson took foot notes, while Amber helped transport kids from the cleaning area to the removal area. We sat behind the jigger removers and had to record where each jigger was taken out. Each person had a sheet with their name on it and it had a picture of two feet and two hands. We had to put a dot for each jigger, in the end we would count them all up and record any other notes if needed.

Maddie taking footnotes for Duncan

Me taking footnotes for Lillian and Peter

Johnson taking footnotes and talking with little man [whom Johnson named Robert VandenBerg :)] 

The man who I was taking footnotes for in the picture above (far left, in the brown) is 18 years old. On this day he had 237 jiggers removed from his feet, hands and his left elbow. 237! That is a lot of jiggers to get removed in only a couple hours. Lillian did a great job removing. He was one of the worst cases in a community based clinic. They have had some cases at the outreach home that have had more than 400 jiggers. When a case becomes any worse than the man on this day, they bring them back to the Outreach home to live and monitor as they remove and let the wounds heal. This man will be staying in the village, but Sole Hope plans to check up on him this week and they also plan to spray his home for jiggers. He has had a constant battle with jiggers for a while now. If you were to look at his feet you can see scars from previous jiggers. We pray that with a spray of his home and an education on how to protect himself, he can become jigger free.
I am so thankful to have such an awesome God lead organization right down the road from us. It was an honor being a part of the organization for a day. If you want to learn more about jiggers and what Sole Hope does, click on the link below. It will take you straight to Sole Hope's website. Happy learning!

Click here to check out more about Sole Hope

Conquering Jinja

After a few weeks of riding a roller coster, I have finally come to some flat ground. About 3 weeks ago, I packed up all of my belongings and was ready to hit the road. The Fishers are nearing the end of their time here in Uganda so it was time for me to get out on my own and find a place to settle into.

I took one of my bags, and headed over to Sole Hope Guest house. This is where I resided for about 2 weeks. It had been a great accommodation for me during the transition. I am very blessed to have a place like this right down the road from the Fisher's compound. Although I would have loved to move into my 'new home' instead of moving to a guest house first, I had no choice at this time because - well, I had no home. I was going through many emotions. Some moments I was feeling very confident in what God had planned for me, then other times the devil snuck in and made me doubt. It was frustrating, because the whole time I knew God was with me, but when the devil attacked I just couldn't fight the feeling of defeat. Over this period of searching, I've had about 4 different living options, but all of them seemed to fall through right at the moment I thought I had found 'the place'. One house in particular, seemed like a perfect match. It is a small, 2 bedroom house, on a walled-in compound. A quaint house with a big yard, perfect for just a couple people. It was the 'perfect place'. BUT, as soon as I seriously inquired about the place I found out it was taken :(. I was crushed, but not even 24 hours later God worked His magic and the house was available! I am so excited to start this new journey, in a new home. I must admit - I am very excited to decorate! I am so blessed to have found such a perfect place, and I am so happy I waited for the right opportunity. Here are just a few pictures of the new place.

The new humble abode 

The compound 

Living room

My bedroom

Not only have I acquired a new home, I have also gained a pretty sweet roommate. One of the girls I had befriended over the last 2 months has decided to fulfill her calling to stay in Jinja a while longer. Amber has a gentle spirit, and I am so excited to learn from her over her extended stay! Serving along side of her is going to be such a knowledgeable and rewarding experience.

I want to thank you all for praying for me during these changes, I could not have made it through without them. As for ministry, I am not quite sure what I will be doing over the next couple of months. I will still be serving for the Fisher's for the next week and from then I will be praying that God opens up doors for ministry.

Prayer Requests:
- My sister, Maddie, is 'leaving on a jet plane' tomorrow to visit me in Uganda for a couple weeks! :) Please pray for safety and easy traveling.
- The Fisher family. Pray that the adoption process can get finished up this week. They plan to fly home in 2 weeks, but that could create problems if the adoptions are not complete by then.
- Amber needs some prayers as she is talking with the airlines trying to change her return flight home, being in Uganda (with slow internet) this makes things very frustrating. Pray that she can get that all figured out soon so she can have peace about staying longer. Also, for guidance as she decides where the Lord wants her to minister during the next 3 months.
- Ministry opportunities for me. I have no doubt that this (Uganda) is where I am supposed to be, but I just want the Lord to direct me and put me where He wants me. I want to serve where/who He wants me to. Pray for listening ears and open eyes.

I hope you all enjoyed your Holiday weekend with your families. I am so thankful for the family and friends I have here in Jinja. For the first time ever I enjoyed a Thanksgiving outside under the blue skies and sunshine. Thanks to our dance party with the kids, I was even sweating a little. It was a wonderful day, full of laughter and memories.

May God bless all of you as this crazy holiday month continues. Slow down and enjoy the season.

Love you all!

Grace & Peace