Taking the Step

"Faith is taking the first step, even when you don't see the whole staircase." - Martian Luther King, Jr.

I can't believe I've been in Uganda for 6 months already - half of a year! Somedays it feels like I've been here forever and other days it feels like I just got here. I came to Uganda initially to teach for the Fisher family. I planned to teach for a whole school year, knowing that there was a possibility it could be shorter depending on the Fisher's adoption process. Once I finally touched down on African soil I found out the family was going to be leaving Uganda sooner than I thought. I will admit I panicked a little. Here I was, in a foreign country - knowing no one except for this family I met via Skype a couple months before I arrived. I had about 4 months to settle in, teach, and figure out my next plan. Was I going to leave when the family left? Or was I going to stay? As time went on I didn't even question leaving early. I knew the Lord wanted me to stay. My return flight was set for the end of May and I didn't want to change it.
The past two months have been a roller coster of emotions. Within this time I finished up teaching with the Fisher kids, said my goodbyes to them, searched high and low for a place to live, and visited many different organizations to find a new ministry to put my heart into. Coming to Uganda alone was hard, but when I got here I immediately felt comfortable calling the Fishers family. They welcomed me with open arms and taught me so much about putting all my trust into the Lord. There is no way I could have survived these months on my own without having them along side of me while I took my first steps into this new culture.
As time went on, and the Fishers were putting together their final days here in Uganda, I frantically ran around Jinja trying to find where the Lord wanted me to go. I needed a place to call home and also a ministry to pour my heart into. Soon, I began to doubt my decision in staying. If I couldn't find a home and a ministry...did the Lord really want me to stay - or was it just a selfish desire? I struggled with this for some time. The search for a home was a long process, BUT right in the knick of time I found a home. The Lord came through with the perfect house for rent. It was the sign I was praying for. I then felt confident that Uganda is where I was supposed to be.
Home - check. Ministry - well, not quite yet.
So, it's the beginning of January and I have a home...but what am I doing here? This is the question I asked myself for many many days. I tried my hardest to venture out to at least one organization in Jinja every day after the Fishers left. I would pray before I left asking God to tell me where He wanted me. That when I walked into the place He wanted me, I'd know as soon as my foot set into the compound. After countless tears and angry pleads, I finally found where He wants me to be. It has been in my eyesight every since I've been here. For the next 4 months I will be working with the Afyao team out in the village of Naigobya. If you recognize the name of this village it's probably because I often mentioned it in my posts from the beginning of my journey. This is the village where the Hillcrest team, the Fisher family, and I helped build the playground at St. Paul's Primary School. This school is made up of many caring teachers. I have the opportunity, over the next 4 months, to work with the teachers in teaching them English. My hope is to teach the teachers in a way that they can bring the skills into their classrooms to help aide the students. In Naigobya the main language is Lusoga, but all schooling is to be done in English. Every exam is written in English, there for the students must be fluent in reading it to be able to understand the questions. There are only a few teachers at this school that fluently speak English, the rest can speak the basics. If the teacher can't speak it, then you know the students aren't. This is why it is so important that we get the ball rolling on phonics training. School starts next week monday [February 2], which is when I plan to go and meet all the teachers. I will hopefully start teaching the following week, once I sit down the headmaster to make a schedule. I will be out in Naigobya 2-3 days a week. As for the other days, I will use them for preparing lessons, cleaning, running errands, and visiting other organizations within the area.
I am so excited for this new journey. Thank you all for standing behind me through this time of transition. Your prayers have been a huge blessing!! If you have any further questions about my time left in Uganda, please ask! I would love to share.

Grace & Peace,
Kendall

Achy Breaky Heart

Something hit me this past week. I've noticed it before, but seeing it again really hurts. I've never been one to be afraid of going to the hospital. When a family member or friend of mine is admitted into the hospital, I'm the first to get in my car and head over to see them. The good Lord did not give me a gift of words, and that's okay, I am more of an action type of gal. If you are in need I will be sitting next to you holding your hand, but please don't ask me to give you words of comfort/encouragement...I will open my mouth and you will probably wish I never did. Maybe I'm exaggerating little, but you get the picture.

The other night I heard news of a friend being admitted into the hospital here in Jinja. She is a guard at the compound of an organization that I often visit; she's always opening the gate with a smile. Amber, Job, and I decided that we would go to the hospital in the morning to pay her a visit. Now, the last time I went to the hospital here in Uganda, it was very hard. It was when the Fisher's brought sweet David to the hospital a few months ago, and he ended up passing away before we could say goodbye. Seeing his suffering made my memory of the hospital dismal. He was a patient in the nicest hospital in the Jinja district. Ever since then, I decided that if I could avoid going to another hospital while I'm here (especially if the others were worse than this one), I would. As I put my shoes on to go visit our friend, I thought to myself, "Oh, we're going to the hospital today. WAIT, we're going to the HOSPITAL!!" I instantly began to panic. With every step we took, my heart began to beat faster and faster. What has gotten into me? I even asked Job if he would make sure I didn't run into anything because I couldn't lift my head once we entered the hospital gate. This is not like me. What was I so afraid of? When Jesus was on earth, he was constantly surrounded by the sick and he never got sick himself. But it was then that I realized I wasn't afraid of becoming sick. It was the amount of suffering that goes on in the hospitals that really makes my heart ache. In America, you walk through the hospitals and rarely see people suffering, and I mean really actually SEE them suffer. For every 2 people there is a room behind closed doors. And for those sharing a room, there is even a curtain to block each other from seeing. 

Here in Uganda, there is no curtain. There is no closing of the door. Yes, there is a wall, but it's only about 4 feet high - almost any human being can see over to the other side. In these 'rooms' there are about 3 beds. Most of the beds I have seen are worn and torn. You have to provide your own blankets if you want to be covered and stay warm. Also, if you want drinking water - your best bet is to have someone bring you some from the nearest super market. The water available is not clean. Can you imagine that?! No clean water in the hospital, of all places. In American hospitals you can get fresh ice cubes all day long, if you want - can you say luxury?
After all is said, I guess providing your own blankets and drinking water is not too hard. I think it's manageable for most everyone. The thing that really strikes me as odd is the fact that everyone who is admitted into the hospital is advised to bring along a caretaker. Like your own personal nurse. Most of the time in America we tend to have our family members along side us through our suffering, but usually they come IF they are able to get off work for the day. In Uganda, there are no nurses available to aide everyone, so a personal caretaker should be there to help with any needs. Also, if the doctor prescribes a prescription, you have to go get the medicine from the nearest pharmacy. They don't store anything but the basics at the hospital. You even have to provide your own bandages for any wound that may be healing during your stay. Bringing a caretaker is almost a necessity since you are required to provide all these things yourself.
I'm sorry this post is a little depressing, but I think it's good for everyone to get a picture of what health care is like in a 3rd world country. Please pray for the sick and suffering, especially our friend J. I'm not sure what is in the air these days, but it seems like this is the season for the sick around these parts. And I'm sure the cold temperatures back in the Michigan is not helping anyones health either.

Thank you all for your continued prayers. Since the Fisher's are gone, and I'm not teaching anymore, I'm sure a lot of you are curious as to what I've been doing. I will fill you in in the next couple of weeks on what the Lord has been doing in my life. He is ever present in my daily life.