Jigger Clinics/School Supplies/Games

We drove to a school to run a jigger removal clinic, hand out school supplies, tell bible stories, and play games with the kids. So many kids at this little school.

 

Don't know what a jigger is? Ready for this? Its a small flea like bug that lives in the dirt. You can't even see it when it lands on you. If you don't keep you feet and hands clean, these little things bury into the skin (usually in the feet and fingers) and grow. They will multiply in the skin quickly. They feast on your blood. The bigger they get, blisters and infections occur. Sometimes resulting in losing the toenails and fingernails. It's extremely itchy and painful. Most of the time, when children get them, they are not removed. We came in to remove them.  

 

These ladies are ready to start removing jiggers. This is where the donations of medical supplies came in. THANK YOU!!

 

Here are a few of the children

Setting up for the clinic.

She is ready to get started!

Thank you for the flip flop donations! We are able to give them shoes after the jiggers are removed. 

Washing Feet

Also cleaned up and bandaged opened wounds of all sorts. 

 

She was a little scared but was comforted and given sweeties

Removing Jiggers. These children are tough. Rarely saw any shed a tear while we are digging in their feet and hands. 

While the rest waited to be treated. We sang, danced, told bible stories and had a puppet show. 

 

Tug of War game. The Muzungus against the Ugandans.

Dance Game

 

The School House

Handing out school supplies

Peeking out at me from in between the boards of the school. 

Children's Party

Catching up on some of my blogging (: A few weeks back a team from Canada threw a party for the Sonrise Children, Mirembe Girls, and the local Village Children. Big success! They planned for 100 kids, around 300 came!

Bubbles!

Jumping Ropes

Face Drawings (:

Canadian Stickers Anyone?

The hit of the party. So much fun!

The majority put the stickers on their heads.

Cat, Cat, Mouse (Duck, Duck, Goose) with Water Balls

Snack Time! Juice and Popcorn for everyone!

They enjoyed the snacks and games!

Transitions from the Old to the New Church

The church has moved! This is a huge blessing. The church was growing and we were losing space. Everyone was not able to fit under the shelter and were sitting on the ground around the shelter. Through prayer, we decided to move the church off the children's home land and to another lot down the road where more people can see where we are. We ordered the tent in town for the new church. While it was being made, the church went on a few day fast to pray over that land and tent. After much prayer, God said that was not the land the church needed to be on. Found another piece of land 2 lots next to the baby home for less rent and the perfect space! Praise God! The tent was finished and being delivered. Last Tuesday the tent started going up. Thursday the old church was being torn down. Bittersweet moment.

The Old Church - a few weeks before our 3 year anniversary

Here is the process of the new church being built

Taking a break...

My favorite picture

The chicken family that roams the church yard

 

 

 Here it is!

And taking down the old....

We would like to thank everyone who prayed and gave financially for us to buy the tent and rent the land! It is a blessing to be here and we have room to grow. This Sept. 1st was our first Sunday in the new church and we had a good turn out. Had 8 visitors and a couple people came to know the Lord that day. Thankful for a pastor who teaches the Word.

Languages

Ok, so I am learning the languages. Thought I would share with you a few of the basic words/phrases that I am learning. If you ever come to Uganda you will know them too! (:

1st language I am learning is "Lugandan". It is a tonal language, the change in the pitch of a syllable can change the meaning of a word

2nd language is. "Lusoga". That is the language that Ivan, Damali, and the majority of Ivan's family speak.

I might eventually learn a bit of "Swahili" one day. Most of the aunties speak it.

Lugandan:

Oli Otya    (Oh-Leigh-Oh-Tea-A)    - How are you?

Bulungi     (Balloon-Gee)    - Fine, Thank you!

Tugende   (Too-Gan-Day)  - Let's Go

Gyendi      (Gen-Day)   -  I'm OK

Weebale   (Way-Ba-Lee)   - Thank you

Kale           (Caw-Lay)  - You are welcome

Wangi       (Wan -Gee)  - Pardon?

Ssebo        (Say-Bow)   - Sir

Nnyabo     (Ne-ay-Bow)   - Madam

Swahili:

Jumbo  -  Hello

Changes/Meeting New People

Adjusting to the new food here. Lots of rice and beans! New Favorite foods here:

Matoke (grows like bananas but tastes like a bittersweet potato)

Chapattis (Flatbread)

Beef Samosas

Mandazzi (doughnut)

Passion Fruit Juice

Still trying to cook a bit of american style foods for dinner. Craving so many things from America! (:

They are teaching me how to cook a few Ugandan things. Best things, all the fresh fruits and super cheap! Can get a huge pineapple for $2. 2 large bundles of bananas for less than $1. That big bundle of matoke was $8.

Matoke

 

I keep sweet tea in the house but limit myself to 1 glass a day so that it will last longer! As I am typing this, my husband just brought me a Pineapple Breeze Novida Drink...another one of my favorites. If you every make your way over here, you HAVE to try one!

Meeting new people almost every day! Yesterday I met 2 people that worked at the home that Ivan grew up in. Today, met another one of his GSF (The home) sisters he grew up with. We went to a village last week that all spoke Lusoga (the language Ivan speaks). Found out that many of his mother's side of the family lives there. Met some Aunts and they were so excited to meet me. 1 hugged me so tight and said "my daughter is home"! They told me I have to come back so that they can show me how to digg for potatoes. Said I need to know! haha. Then I was at the baby home and I saw a lady come in the gate that looked just like Auntie Peace (the infant baby caretaker) and Nurse Rose (sonrise nurse). Found out it was her sister. She was introduced to me and then she realized who I was and that I was married to Ivan. She got so excited, she gave me the biggest hug and wouldn't let go. (: Kept hugging me and yelling "my daughter is home, my daughter is finally home"! It's such a good feeling to know that the family and people around here love and accept me even though I am a different color! My new siblings treat me like family as well. Love being with them. Everyone here has kept me from getting super homesick. We stay really busy too and that helps. Ivan has taken really good care of me. I love it here and so glad I can call this home. (:

Was told that I became an official Ugandan when the rat in the house was killed. We don't know how he came in. Our house is solid with no holes or cracks in the doors, walls, or windows. The only thing we could think of, it came in with the laundry from outside since it was stuck in the linen closet. Eww...The house lady noticed some wood shavings next to the closet and pointed it out to me. Told me to get a trap. when Ivan came home, I told him about it. That night we were watching a movie and I heard chewing from the closet. So I walked in to investigate. Mistake. I opened the closet door and out jumps...a RAT! I screamed and jumped on the bed and it ran under the bed. Ivan laughs at me. I quickly ran out of the room and closed the door. He can't get back in the closet and can't leave the room. trapped. Decided to get a trap the next day. The next day Ivan left to run errands and I was listening to the rat try to chew through the door and pushing the shavings under the door into the hallway. ugh. Destruction! We put the trap in the room with some peanuts and M&M's, within 15 min. Caught! Ivan grabbed it and told me to take a picture. (: I made him go outside to kill it. He killed it with a rock.  

 

Ok, enough with the rat...

 

Rainy season has just begun so it rains all the time now and when it rains, it brings cooler temps. Feels really good and I've even had to wear a jacket! Having no A/C really hasn't been too bad. On those days when its been hot I can just plug in a fan. Most of the time, when I am hot, Ivan is cold. Ugandan's get cold easily. So, I have to keep the fan pointed at me away from him. The cold showers actually feels pretty good. Don't really miss the hot water too much. It's kind of refreshing. (;

A team from the UK came in a couple weeks ago. Brought us coffee and M&M's! THANK YOU! They brought the children's home school supplies and hired a tutor! Every afternoon at 2pm the teacher comes in to teach the older children English, Spelling, Numbers, etc. I will be starting to help her with that soon. There are 9 children in that class at the moment. Many didn't know how to spell their own name. The UK team made name plates for them and we started to teach them how to copy and write it. They loved it!