MEMORIES with Carleigh in Uganda!! FABULOUS!!!

I have NOT had time to add photos to last summer's blog!! SORRY!!!  But thought I'd go ahead and post anyway!! My time with Carleigh and the Ottawa Team (Dianne Jamison, Patti Good, Sue Koestler, Anna Schmidt, Beth and Rick Mangold) was just incredible!! We laughed so much and were awed by what God has done through MANY generous people!! It was my privilege to serve in Uganda with them!!


In early July, 2012, Carleigh joined a team from PED as they headed for Uganda!  I had arrived two weeks earlier with the team from Ottawa so I was really excited for Carleigh to join me!! I had said good bye to the Ottawa Team a couple days before. We had accomplished so much in the previous two weeks and I was pumped to introduce Carleigh to life in Uganda! I was certain the experience would change her dramatically! (who can see precious children from Uganda and NOT be moved!!!)

Her flight was delayed in Nairobi for several hours due to various problems with the airplane. This set me on edge but I was willing to wait for the issues to be dealt with before she made the final 1 1/2 hour trip to Entebbe!! It was great seeing Carleigh as she and the others entered the airport. They were all exhausted, but we eventually made our way to the awaiting vans and headed to our destination.

Working at St. James Primary School was a real workout!! The PED team trumped me with their youth as they worked tirelessly to improve the school facility! The concrete was skillfully mixed on the classroom floor, getting water from a nearby stream. Applying the stucco-type plaster to the classroom walls proved to be more work than we expected. The 'plaster brothers' were pros and gently encouraged all the team to the fine art of flipping the plaster. Standing on the somewhat rickety scaffolding made it even more tricky!! We were quite impressed that the teachers worked tirelessly in their school dresses!! Talk about devotion and hard work!!

Another team worked to level a floor for the future sewing room. It was back breaking work!! But there were smiles all around as everyone laughed and worked diligently to accomplish as much work as we could. DID I MENTION ALL THE PRECIOUS CHILDREN WATCHING THROUGHOUT OUR TIME THERE??? Kids were everywhere--playing on their limited playground equipment or kicking soccer balls around. One afternoon, we walked quite a distance to a large field for a wild, very competitive game of soccer--PED VS the children!  Carleigh and I played with the children and watched them participate in the same games the kids in the USA play!  It was a great afternoon. Even though language was a barrier, SUCKERS broke that barrier!!!

The most fun Carleigh and I had was the day we spent time with the kids at Glory Primary School and met all the families we have assisted the past 4 years. GPS students greeted us at the end of the road to the school. Precious GLORIA was the first to meet us---she and Carleigh embraced and it was a great moment!! We marched the quarter mile to the school where we were seated in front with Gloria for the speeches and entertainment. The weather was perfect! Earlier in the month, the Ottawa Team and PED had painted the lower portion of the school and library, inside and out. Plus, the community had repainted the walls a beautiful light blue! LOVELY!!   Carleigh was able to talk to the students about her life as a college student, etc, which was translated by our friend. Milton took lots of great photos. Dancing is always included and we danced to our heart's content!!! (embarrassingly so!!!) Of course, the ladies had prepared a delicious, simple meal for us which we enjoyed eating in the cool classroom. I am so grateful that none of us has EVER gotten ill from the food we have eaten in this very rural area!

We toured the school and the library, dozens of kids in tow.  The special quilt was displayed in the library and looked beautiful! I was able to speak to the various classrooms we entered to encourage the students to always work hard and get as much from their lessons as possible. Their goals can be attained with an education! The Ottawa Team had brought money for the church floor so by the time Carleigh and I left, we were able to witness the work on leveling the floor. Rocks of various sizes were distributed all over the floor to level as well as possible. Then, concrete was mixed and spread and poked through the spaces around the rocks. Such a primitive way to do the work, but it seemed to work for them!!! They are such hard workers--they just need the opportunity to do so!!

Visiting families was the highlight for Carleigh and me!! We had purchased cross necklaces for all the girls so we were eager to distribute those!! We walked to Gloria's home from GPS and she  was especially pleased to receive her necklace. Maybe not as excited as getting COOKIES--a favorite!! Gloria presented me with a small weaved basket that she had made which was just beautiful!! We are hoping to assist her in developing this skill with additional training! That seemed to please her!! Dianne and I had noticed earlier that Gloria has gained lots of weight and it was determined that the cooks at school know that she's my special friend, so they have overfed her!!! I am afraid of health issues because of this additional weight!! The thought of a Ugandan dieting just seems wrong!!!  he he!!!

I had visited Margaret with Beth earlier in the trip and had told her that I would return in 2 weeks with Carleigh. When we arrived, she was outside her home, busy making a large beehive to sell.  Nine of her 10 grandchildren quickly gathered to see these 2 white women who had come to visit!! During our conversation, I asked Milton asked how old she was, Margaret quickly reported that she wasn't sure, but she knew she was 10 years old in 1939, which makes her birth year 1929, the same year as Mom!!! MARGARET IS 84 and raising 10 grandchildren! We were totally amazed by this! We had brought her some simple gifts of food and she sang some traditional songs of gratitude which warmed my heart and brought tears to our eyes!! She often reached for us to touch our face and arms--it was quite emotional.  As we were leaving, we wanted to take a photo of Carleigh with the children. (one was absent) This photo is my very favorite picture from our trip!! How sweet of all the kiddos!!!

When we visited Anthony with the Ottawa Team, I was saddened to find him lying on the ground, covered in dirt, all alone.  His clothes were quite ragged and colored by the red soil. It broke my heart. It's not that he isn't loved because he is loved dearly by his family. He seemed content to be free and able to enjoy the outdoors.  We had brought him many nice clothes, which we immediately put on him, making him smile!! The Mangolds and I wanted to gift him with a therapy ball to keep Anthony from contracting. We had a mini-therapy session with Anthony and Mom, showing her exactly how to use the ball.The wheelchair has broken and is no longer used which was disappointing---only because I know how useful it was for the family and Anthony's mobility! We are hoping to get something more durable for the future!

It would be hard not to fall in love with Anthony once you meet him---and that's just what Carleigh did! Looking into those big brown eyes and observing his mischievous smile makes for an immediate bond! We had brought him and his family gifts of food which are always greatly appreciated. We also brought Anthony bubbles and a couple toys. He loves to be teased!!!  The family is in desperate need of sponsorship. We are praying that we can find someone who would be willing to assist this amazing family!!

The afternoon we went to see Peter was a bit rainy! Milton and Carleigh lugged gifts from the car to Peter's home and he wasn't home!!  We spoke to his family and Momma went to find him! It was a wonderful 'homecoming' when we saw each other again. He had borrowed good chairs from his mother for us to sit on outside his mud hut. He looked so good, considering his terrible elephantiasis! Unfortunately, his sandals are broken and he is barefooted most of the time. We must help him get new shoes made to fit his enlarged feet. He smiled widely when introduced to Carleigh! Our time was short, but we were able to give him gifts and receive the letter that he had written to us. He asks for health assistance or help with a business start-up in the nearby trading center. He feels that a bicycle would help him also. We will see what we can do to help this sweet young man!!

The Ottawa Team thoroughly enjoyed meeting the James Family!!! I had purchased MANY clothes for the family that Carleigh was bringing. We did purchase food items that we knew the family would enjoy. Meeting the 5 children was emotional--James, 18, Enid, 18, Clovis, 16, Silvia, 13, and little Derrick, 10. I believe it was hard for them to totally comprehend the extent of our commitment to them! Derrick held onto me for quite some time--he thinks it's pretty neat that WE have a Derek also! Enid and Anna hit it off greatly!! The children are orphans who have lost their parents to AIDS/HIV.  I believe James and Clovis had same mother, Silvia and Derrick had same mother, and Enid had a mother--all had same father. At one point, Enid, who is fluent in English, told me that she doesn't remember what it is like to be loved by a mother!! So sad!!! But now she has MANY women who will show her  LOVE and AFFECTION!! We praise God for this opportunity to shower love on this family!

Anna Schmidt, an avid Ottawa 4H participant, gifted the James family with 5 goats, a raised goat pen and food and veterinary service for 2 years! Plus, they were given a bicycle. It was a wonderful celebration of love as we gathered around this wonderful family. They had 'given up' on a better life and felt that maybe God had deserted them! Enid, the oldest girl, was fluent in English and was able to converse with all of us. At a later date, she was able to read from a bible that we brought them.  It was determined that three families would continue sponsoring this family--with that money, a new home would be built as well as a more suitable enclosure for their pigs! This is a huge boost for them!! We envision that in only 2 or 3 years, they will be totally sustainable, as we feel the older children (Enid, James and Clovis) will be finished with their education and will be able to get jobs to help with the other siblings education. They are so very grateful!! I've never witnessed so much smiling!!

Carleigh and I spent quite a bit of time with them. They are such a humble, hard-working family. It is such a joy to be their sponsor and call them our family!

Paul and Teresa have moved into their new home!! The transformation in their lives is just unbelievable! Earlier, Dianne and I actually PUSHED DOWN THEIR OLD HOME!! It was replaced by another beautiful mud hut (started by their son) but completely finished off quite nicely with stucco and painted blue!! They now have a new enclosed kitchen and latrine. The Ottawa Team was able to build a sidewalk and safety guide railing for our nearly blind friend, Teresa, that leads out the back of the house to where Paul works on his pan repair jobs. Meeting Carleigh was an emotional moment as Teresa ran her fingers over Carleigh's facial features. SWEET!! Teresa just talked and talked while Milton translated! She obviously loves all the attention she has been getting lately and having another guest at her home was special. The day was finished and we could barely see as we departed these two precious friends. It has made Dianne and I sad to see them 'get older' through the years but we look forward to the times we get to spend with them!!

Leaving Uganda is always so depressing to me!! As much as I want to get home, it makes me sad to say good-bye to Milton, the Cooks, Harriet, and our families in Namyoya and Kahondo and all the children. But, God willing, we know we can see them again!! My relationship with them in Uganda helps me see clearly what God has designed me to do, and for that, I'm grateful!!