Sorry I haven't been updating much. I have been posting photos but haven't taken much time to write. This week, we haven't done much ministry yet. We have just been settling in and learning about the culture here.
The first day we went to the music school and the market in Jinja. It was then that I learned that Ugandans walk very slow. Francis and Rachel led the way and I kept finding myself walking in front of them, then slowing down so they would go ahead of me, but then they would just slow down more. I think they just aren't in a hurry to get anywhere and that's what they do. I'm learning this week to slow down! They also speak so quietly. I'm often asking them to repeat themselves, and often if I lean in closer, they only get quieter. Lyzette is not quiet, though. She and I stay up too late talking and having a good time and I definitely have no problem hearing her! She is originally from the Congo, and she says they are not as quiet as Ugandans.
At the market, I was also reminded that if I wave the wrong way, that I'm actually saying "come here". Working on my wave. Now I just put my hand up most of the time and don't move it at all. It's safer that way. I do have balloons and stickers in my bag in case I accidentally call some children my way.
Day 2, we went to the home for the young mothers. We met Joan, Percy, Sylvia and Victor. I got to spend a little time with them and the babies and give them some diapers. I am going to be teaching the girls to crochet every Thursday and Stephen and I will do some Bible Studies with them on Wednesdays. I look forward to spending more time with the girls so I can get to know each one better. I will be meeting two other girls, Suzan and Damalie tomorrow. They are transitioning out of the home and working on becoming more independent. Damalie's baby has been sick so I'm going to see if I can help with that and we will also be buying some supplies for her to make soap. She will be selling the soap to help support herself and her baby.
Day 3, we went to Kampala to look at drum cymbals for the new drum set that Stephen brought. On the way there it rained. Within less than 10 minutes the streets were already flooding. Most of the bodas and all of the people walking get out of the road and take cover against the walls of the buildings and they wait for it to quit raining. After going to the music school, we went on to Entebbe to pickup Erica and Riley, two young ladies from Alaska. They will be here for 2 weeks working with Lyzette in her Woman in Crisis Ministry. On the way to the airport, the van broke down. Jeff called the mechanic and the mechanic had to drive from Jinja to Entebbe to fix it. (that's a 3+hour drive). So Jeff got on a boda, rode to the airport and came back in a taxi. (all in under 10 minutes). We rode in the taxi to the airport and got the girls, then Jeff stayed with the van while we rode back to Jinja. The traffic was pretty wild in Kampala. There is no organization at all, except that you drive on the left side of the road. that's about it! There are a lot of people begging and trying to sell things to people in cars when we're waiting in traffic. Halfway through the drive I just couldn't stay awake anymore and fell asleep. Stephen says that a few people came up to the window and tried to sell things to me but I just slept right through it! Once we got into Jinja, Lyzette met us in town(she rode on a boda), and she rode back to the house with us. Gracie had prepared us a wonderful dinner of chapatti, beans, fish and potatoes.
Thursday and Friday were more quiet days and we stayed around home more. I took some hats to the mothers at the home and we went out to eat for lunch.
Saturday we went on a boat ride on Lake Victoria. That was pretty fun! We saw some monitor lizards and a lot of birds. We went to the source of the Nile. We also went to a place where they have reptiles for people to look at. Reptiles are disgusting to me, but I did hold a tortoise and a little turtle!
We went swimming at a resort in the afternoon which was pretty fun. Stephen threw Dave in the air multiple times and he loved it. There were little monkeys running everywhere around there. They were so fun to watch. The kids were enjoying it until one ran right at Shammah. She started to cry so we were done with the monkeys after that!
Today we had church. They definitely get into the music and dance a lot here. It was a lot of fun! This afternoon we had no plans and Stephen and I wanted to ride a boda to town, so Lyzette called Peter to come and take us. He dropped us off in town and bought us "air time" on the cell phone that Lyzette gave us. When we called Lyzette to tell her that we were done, the phone wouldn't work so we had to just pick a random boda driver to take us home. We asked him to take us to "mpumudde" which is the name of their neighborhood. I have practiced that word SO MANY TIMES and I keep getting it mixed up but I think we pronounced it correctly to the boda driver. When we got home, Lyzette and Jeff both asked me at separate times what I told the boda driver...they wanted to know if we said it right. Of course I said it wrong to both Jeff and Lyzette. They just laugh and then tell us the correct way again. m -poo-moo-day.
Random things that I noticed about their culture that are different than ours...
They move slower
They speak more quietly
They say "yes please" when you call their name or after you order food at a restaurant
They have multiple ways of saying hello or greeting people. I'm still trying to figure all this out, it's complicated to me. One is a quick one that you say when you don't have time to talk or don't want to - it actually translates to "well done". The other way to greet people is like good morning, how did you sleep? or good afternoon/evening or how are you? Most people here have greeted us with a "how are you?" (I have no idea how to spell it so I am not trying to right now!) I really like that about Ugandans, most of the time they actually want to stop and talk to you, they care about how you are doing. Like I said before, Ugandans are not in a hurry, so they take the time.
Any time that anyone gets back home (family members or guests) - whether they were gone 20 minutes or 20 hours, they get told "welcome home" or "welcome back home". I really like that, I think it's super sweet.
Ugandans apologize a lot. I am so clumsy and every time that I drop or spill something or run into something, someone tells me that they are sorry. I continue to reassure them that I am just fine and that this is normal, I do these things all the time. I told Jeff that he's going to wear himself out apologizing to me!
Deodorant... a lot of Ugandans don't use it. I guess it makes sense that deodorant is not a priority when many of them can barely afford clothes or food. I am getting more and more desensitized to this, though. The first few days I was thinking "wow!", but I'm betting in a few days I won't notice it anymore. Luckily, the family I am with does not have this problem :)
Bodas ( motorcycle taxis)- these are everywhere. I am amazed at all the things that they can balance and carry on these!
They have a little sink in the dining room. That totally makes sense so the kids just wash their hands real quick before they eat. Or if you eat something that's more than a napkin can take care of - like chicken wings -you can just get up and wash your hands without leaving the dining room. I like it!
alright, that's all my random thoughts. I have a long week ahead. I start my first class tomorrow. I've never taught banjo before so I'm nervous, but also excited. These kids have never seen a banjo before so they are all happy to learn it. I will also be doing ministry with Lyzette this week, too. I will post some photos on here soon for those who may not have facebook. if you do have facebook, you'll see more. Please pray for me and Stephen this week as we start our lessons and also for the rest of the team from Grace who are serving in Kampala right now. Thanks!
Sunday, June 7, 2015
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
My first few days in Uganda
This is our second day in Uganda and I love it here! It's so beautiful. The city is a little bit crowded and crazy. Cars, taxis, motorcycles, bicycles and people everywhere. We saw a man driving with six or seven mattresses balanced on his motorcycle!
After a long journey here we got here at about 11 pm on Monday night. As soon as we got off the plane the humidity was overwhelming. It was so warm and stinky in the airport, too! One of the first people we saw when exiting the plane was a big old woman in a maroon dress. She was wearing gloves, a gown and a mask ( like a nurse with a patient on contact precautions would wear) and spraying each person's hands with sanitizer as we went by. We then waited in a line and gave them our health screening form and visa paperwork. The health screening form was to see if anyone has ebola symptoms. They took our temperature then we were able to go get our visas.
Once we got all our luggage, we went outside where the Bandelmans and Kasigwas were waiting for us. We loaded up all our luggage and the instruments then went our separate ways. Karla, Laurie, Craig, Brandon and Travis are all in Kampala with Brian and Shelly Bandelman. That is a one hour drive from the airport. Stephen and I are in Jinja which was about a 2.5 hour drive. It didn't feel like a long drive to me after hours and hours on those airplanes. Lyzette and I talked the whole way. She is so sweet, I really like her!
We got to the house and unloaded all the stuff and they gave us a tour of the home. Then we prayed together, thanking God for our safe trip. We all sat and talked awhile. Then Stephen said he had already seen three geckos in the house. YIKES! so far I have only seen one. Jeff and Lyzette say they are harmless but I'm not a huge fan! So far, the only other critters I have seen are small bugs, nothing huge or scary!
I slept four hours, then got up and unloaded all the banjos, talked with Lyzette in the kitchen while she made breakfast. She made boiled potatoes, hard boiled eggs and toast. We had chocolate soy milk, mango juice and coffee. I then woke up Stephen with the "rise and shine" song so he could come eat breakfast with us all.
After breakfast we took the drum set to the school and met some of the students. Francis and Rachel took us to the market in Jinja. That was pretty interesting. There are a lot of clothes and shoes, pruduce, meat, fish and household goods. After that, we had goat and chips at a local fast food restaurant.
After dinner we went to their youth group that they hold at a community hall. They call it My Youth Talk. They did about 5-6 songs. The kids were all singing and dancing. The energy and the presence of God in that room was incredible. There were also some younger kids out on the porch watching through the windows singing along..they were too young for youth group but they come to listen from outside. The message was really good as well. I had a hard time staying awake near the end since I haven't had much sleep!
We got to bed at a decent hour last night and I feel much more rested today. We went to the music school today and Stephen set up the drum set. Tomorrow we will go to Kampala to see if we can find new cymbals for it. After we go to Kampala we will go to the Entebbe airport to pick up two girls from Alaska who will be doing a 2 week mission here.
Today we went to the girls' home. There are four young mothers and their babies. I had fun holding the babies and talking with the girls. I brought some cloth diapers for them and they seemed to like them. I will be spending more time there and will be teaching them how to crochet.
Thank you for all your prayers and I will continue to keep you all updated.
After a long journey here we got here at about 11 pm on Monday night. As soon as we got off the plane the humidity was overwhelming. It was so warm and stinky in the airport, too! One of the first people we saw when exiting the plane was a big old woman in a maroon dress. She was wearing gloves, a gown and a mask ( like a nurse with a patient on contact precautions would wear) and spraying each person's hands with sanitizer as we went by. We then waited in a line and gave them our health screening form and visa paperwork. The health screening form was to see if anyone has ebola symptoms. They took our temperature then we were able to go get our visas.
Once we got all our luggage, we went outside where the Bandelmans and Kasigwas were waiting for us. We loaded up all our luggage and the instruments then went our separate ways. Karla, Laurie, Craig, Brandon and Travis are all in Kampala with Brian and Shelly Bandelman. That is a one hour drive from the airport. Stephen and I are in Jinja which was about a 2.5 hour drive. It didn't feel like a long drive to me after hours and hours on those airplanes. Lyzette and I talked the whole way. She is so sweet, I really like her!
We got to the house and unloaded all the stuff and they gave us a tour of the home. Then we prayed together, thanking God for our safe trip. We all sat and talked awhile. Then Stephen said he had already seen three geckos in the house. YIKES! so far I have only seen one. Jeff and Lyzette say they are harmless but I'm not a huge fan! So far, the only other critters I have seen are small bugs, nothing huge or scary!
I slept four hours, then got up and unloaded all the banjos, talked with Lyzette in the kitchen while she made breakfast. She made boiled potatoes, hard boiled eggs and toast. We had chocolate soy milk, mango juice and coffee. I then woke up Stephen with the "rise and shine" song so he could come eat breakfast with us all.
After breakfast we took the drum set to the school and met some of the students. Francis and Rachel took us to the market in Jinja. That was pretty interesting. There are a lot of clothes and shoes, pruduce, meat, fish and household goods. After that, we had goat and chips at a local fast food restaurant.
After dinner we went to their youth group that they hold at a community hall. They call it My Youth Talk. They did about 5-6 songs. The kids were all singing and dancing. The energy and the presence of God in that room was incredible. There were also some younger kids out on the porch watching through the windows singing along..they were too young for youth group but they come to listen from outside. The message was really good as well. I had a hard time staying awake near the end since I haven't had much sleep!
We got to bed at a decent hour last night and I feel much more rested today. We went to the music school today and Stephen set up the drum set. Tomorrow we will go to Kampala to see if we can find new cymbals for it. After we go to Kampala we will go to the Entebbe airport to pick up two girls from Alaska who will be doing a 2 week mission here.
Today we went to the girls' home. There are four young mothers and their babies. I had fun holding the babies and talking with the girls. I brought some cloth diapers for them and they seemed to like them. I will be spending more time there and will be teaching them how to crochet.
Thank you for all your prayers and I will continue to keep you all updated.
Tuesday, May 26, 2015
Four more days!
I can't believe it's almost time! I've been planning this trip for over a year now and it's finally here! I have been getting all kinds of questions about the trip so I'll give you an overview of what we're doing and answer some of the most common questions I've been getting. We leave Sunday at 7:40 a.m. We will fly to Boston, then London, then Entebbe. We'll be on the planes for about 20 hours total, not including layover times. I am not excited about this! If anyone has any good suggestions for a book to read, let me know.
Altogether, there are 7 people going on the trip. Once we get there, Stephen and I will be going to Jinja with the Kasigwa family. I will be teaching banjo at the music school and also helping w/ Lyzette's ministry called Hope for Women in Crisis. I'll be teaching some young ladies how to crochet. I will be there for 7 weeks. Stephen will be teaching drums and he will be there for 6 months. The rest of the group (Karla, Laurie, Craig, Brandon, and Travis) will be going with the Bandelman family to Kampala. Our church has supported the Bandelman family for several years so it is great for some of our church members to see firsthand what they are doing in Uganda. The group will be there for 3 weeks serving w/ the Bandelmans. I'm not quite sure what they'll be doing and I look forward to hearing about it when we get back home. Some of the team will also be going on a Safari. I can't wait to see their pictures!
I will be posting pictures and updates while I'm there but probably nothing too in depth. I want to be in Uganda while I'm in Uganda, rather than on the computer and internet.
Here's some answers to the most frequently asked questions:
Altogether, there are 7 people going on the trip. Once we get there, Stephen and I will be going to Jinja with the Kasigwa family. I will be teaching banjo at the music school and also helping w/ Lyzette's ministry called Hope for Women in Crisis. I'll be teaching some young ladies how to crochet. I will be there for 7 weeks. Stephen will be teaching drums and he will be there for 6 months. The rest of the group (Karla, Laurie, Craig, Brandon, and Travis) will be going with the Bandelman family to Kampala. Our church has supported the Bandelman family for several years so it is great for some of our church members to see firsthand what they are doing in Uganda. The group will be there for 3 weeks serving w/ the Bandelmans. I'm not quite sure what they'll be doing and I look forward to hearing about it when we get back home. Some of the team will also be going on a Safari. I can't wait to see their pictures!
I will be posting pictures and updates while I'm there but probably nothing too in depth. I want to be in Uganda while I'm in Uganda, rather than on the computer and internet.
Here's some answers to the most frequently asked questions:
- No, I am not scared that I will get ebola.
- Yes, I have all my shots...and then some.
- Malaria meds. Check.
- Sunscreen. I have lots of sunscreen!
- Bug repellent..got that, too!
- Most of the people where I will be speak English
- I'm not sure what the food will be like. I hear there are a lot of potatoes like sweet potatoes. I will possibly get to eat goat. I recall Becca talking about a bread made from corn meal. That's all I know about the food.
- No, I will not be living in a mud hut. It is a house w/ running water and electricity. Of course, I do not expect that they have a lot of modern conveniences like we do, but I know they have some.
If you have any other questions let me know. I'm sure I'm forgetting some.
Thank you for all your prayers and support and please continue to pray for me and the rest of the team.
Sunday, May 3, 2015
The Final Countdown!
In less than one month, we will finally be on our way to Uganda! I can't wait! I have all the banjos, cases and books. I just have to get a few little accessories and pack them all up and they'll be ready to go.
We had our team fundraiser last month and we had a great time. We had a country fair and chili feed. There was chili, cornbread and mom's homemade apple crisp and marionberry crisp. Three lucky winners got to throw a pie in the judge's faces! We ended the night with a dance. We had great music performed by Jason and Phil and we had over 40 people who joined in on the dance. That was my first time teaching or calling a dance and I had a great time. I will definitely be practicing so I can do it in the future.
Other than the fundraiser, there really hasn't been a lot going on. I will keep the blog updated while I'm in Uganda so you all will know what I'm up to when I'm there. That will be much more interesting to read than this update :)
Here are a few photos from the fundraiser
Friday, December 19, 2014
Banjos Are Here!
I also have all six cases for them. I had been looking online for a good sturdy case so that they won't get damaged during the baggage handling at the airports. I budgeted for about $130 dollars each, thinking that the ones I saw online for that price were good enough. After reading reviews online and doing my research, I realized I would need to get better cases and they were going to cost more than we had funds for. I was getting pretty discouraged but I kept looking and praying that I would find something. I finally came across the Reunion Blues Continental case after someone on a bluegrass page suggested it. After reading the reviews and watching their "drop test" videos, I knew this was the case we needed. These cases were out of our price range, but I figured I would send them an email and see if they would be willing to donate some or give us a discount. The next day, I had an email from the company and they wanted to donate all six cases! These cases will be easy for the team to carry through the airport because they have a regular handle as well as backpack straps.
I am so grateful for everyone who has been helping me with this project, whether it be financial support, prayer, helping me pick the banjos, troubleshooting the travel logistics or just listening to me ramble on about banjos and Uganda. My next step in preparation for the trip is to pick out what books and learning materials I want to get for the students. I'll also be listening to some of their music to see how I can make the banjo fit in to their style. This will be a fun challenge!
Thursday, October 23, 2014
So Close!
We are so close to reaching our goal of $3,000! We just need $264 and we will have the money needed to buy the banjos and cases!
I'm so excited to be done with the fundraising phase of this project. It is definitely my least favorite thing. I HATE asking for money. I hate it... a lot. Even though I'm not asking for money for myself, I feel bad asking for other people's money.
Recently I was talking with someone about this. He said "people want to be generous and we need to give them the opportunity to be generous". I never thought about it that way. Other people want to be a part of something and I'm giving them the chance to do that. They might not be able to go on a mission trip or maybe they don't even want to, but they are able to help make that happen for someone else. Your contributions are impacting the lives of these students in the music school. I can't wait to go and be a part of this ministry next summer! Thank you to all who have supported me financially and through prayer!
As for that other $264 that I hate to ask for... you can go to the paypal button on here or make a donation in the offering at Grace Community! :)
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
New Song!
I finally have another song on my youtube channel! I've been having some issues with my recording equipment but finally figured it out and got a song done tonight. I still have some bugs to work out with the sound but it's good enough for now, I think. :)
Update coming soon!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uX303ryDmsQ
Update coming soon!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uX303ryDmsQ
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