Africa Adventure: The closing.

Well well well. . . This is my last blog of my African adventure. I absolutely cannot believe it. I don’t think my mind can fully wrap around the idea that Uganda is not going to be my home anymore. It’s actually coming to an end, and that’s the last thing I want right now. I have developed friendships that will last for a life time. My life has been impacted by so many people. A Christian missionary once said that Uganda is “the pearl of Africa,” and I have come to realize this first hand. The people of Uganda have shown me love; the love they have for the children, the love they have for each other, and the love they have for us “Mzungus.” Out of everything I have learned here, the main lesson I have learned is to have more faith. Ugandan’s have an endless supply of faith in their lives. Whenever I get worried that a project won’t be successful or a trusted business partner won’t pull through I am constantly humbled by the faith of my peers. They never worry. They have so much assurance that life will always work out. I’ve had my fare share of rough times in Uganda and it’s embarrassing to say that at all. My “rough times” aren’t nearly as comparable to the rough times the majority of the people here face every day. . In Left To Tell… Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust, Immaculee Ilibagiza declares “He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God, and I am trusting Him. For He rescues you from every trap and protects you from the fatal plague. He will shield you with His wings! They will shelter you. His faithful promises are your armor. Now you don’t need to be afraid of the dark anymore, nor fear the dangers of the day; nor dread the plagues of darkness, nor disasters in the morning. Though thousand fall at my side, though ten thousand more are dying around me, the evil will now touch me.” With so many children the women bare, they barely have enough to feed their babies at night. My wonderful cooks have to run from their husbands for fear of being raped. It’s common for men to return home from their second families and demand sex as a payment because they are the ones who have income. My dear friend from the women’s group I work with had to run from her home to avoid being beaten to death. She is now separated from her children and has to cope with the emotional distress she has been inflicted with. There are countless innocent men and women who face challenges daily that would tear apart and knock down the average person. However, the people I have met are not average; they are extraordinary individuals and contain the faith that can empower nations.

I chose this last photo with much thought. This photo perfectly sums up my experience in Uganda. I came to Uganda as a Mzungu; a white girl with expectations who had no idea what she was getting herself into. I was an outsider to the community; I came with ideas and projects that I thought the people needed. To be honest, I didn’t really know what the people needed. I didn’t know what I needed. With time, I came to realize the people needed to get rid of their back pain. I opened my mind, rid myself of my expectations, and created a program to aid the people with their back problems. I didn’t know I needed to coach a boy’s soccer team. I didn’t know that I needed the love of 40 beautiful boys. The people of Uganda have touched my life in a way that has made me eternally grateful. Uganda will always have a place in my heart, and I can only hope I hold onto so many of the precious memories I have gained. After three months of living and surviving in Uganda, I have become a part of the community. I am one of them now. We are the same. Ndi Mufidika. I am African.

Africa Adventure: Orphanage, "I'm Malaria!," and 8 days left in Uganda

Well, let’s just say that this summer has gone lightning fast, and I can’t believe it’s almost over. I’ve been trying to scramble around and make sure I accomplish everything I set out to do before I leave. I finally made it back to the orphanage to spend time with the most wonderful kids in the world. When we got there, we found most of the kids were fetching water from the watering hole. Mind you, that it’s down this huge awful hill. My lovely Tom was carrying a huge jerry on top of his head, so I decided I would be an African and help him. We filled another, smaller, jerry can full of water and hiked them back up the hill. I can’t believe these kids do this more than once a day every day! I carried it on my head the whole way up, very proud of that, but I still looked ridiculous at the top when I was soaking wet. Definitely got a lot of laughs from that.Oh, don't think that that was the last time I made a fool of myself that day. I was talking with some of the kids and all of a sudden, a frisbee was flying toward my head. So naturally, I fell over backward with my feet flying over my head. Let's just say it wasn't a pretty site. Going to this orphanage brings so much happiness to my soul! These kids are so sweet and loving. As I was helping Tom with the water, he told me that he's thought of me everyday since I last came. "Alex I love you so much. I thought you had gone back to America without saying bye, but I knew that you wouldn't have. I love you so much, I love you like my God." I seriously wish I could adopt like 5 of these kids. That was one of the best days there. Most of us from the team came to say our last goodbye's so we had a field day with the kids. We brought water balloons and nail polish. It was a blast.

Tuesday I went out of the city on a disability outreach. Some people from the other team asked me to if I could come out and work with some of the cerebral palsy kids in their area. It was fantastic. Most of these kids had never been out of their homes before and here we were blowing bubbles and bowling. it was great.

I forgot to mention that last weekend consisted of Eye Camp. It was incredible. We screened over 1000 people and gave over 150 eye surgeries. It was so amazing to see people from the villages we work at, and to be apart of this amazing opportunity for them. What I did, was give vision tests to all the people who came into the hospital. Sometimes it got a little tricky when the older ones were illiterate, but somehow we were able to work around it.

The soccer boys had an awesome lesson this past week. We had an overall hygiene lesson incorporated with disease awareness. I had a couple ther volunteers come and help me with it. It was one of the funniest things. When they arrived they shook all the boy's hands. Little did the boys know that they had peanut butter on their hands. At first they didn't notice, but then they could feel something really gross. They were still trying to be polite however, so they would turn their back and little really confused at their hands. What we were trying to demonstrate with the peanut butter, was how easliy germscan be spread by simply shaking hands with each other. That's why it's very important to wash their hands. After we told them to get the hands out of their mouths and stop licking the peanut butter, oviously defeating the purpose of the lesson, we set up a hand washing relay race. The boys had so much fun. We ended the lesson with a game of freeze tag. Some of the boys were dressed up in different colored shirts so we had those ones be "The Disease." The diseases were supposed to go around and try to give the rest of the boys a disease. We told the boys that it's easy to catch disease but if they follow the sanitation rules we taught them then they could be better protected. As I was assigning the diseases, a bunch of them were getting really into it. "I'm Malaria!, I'm HIV!" Not that those are really passed by shaking hands, at least they were learning something. It was great.

On Wednesday we lost 14of our volunteers. It was one of the most depressing days here thus far. Even though it was a mad house every night with 24 people camped together, we were all so close. It was so hard to say goodbye to all of them and accept the fact that this amazing adventure here in Uganda is soon coming to an end. I only have 8 days left here in Africa. I'm desperately trying to shake the thought from my mind. This next week I'm just going to try to make the most of every minute I have. It's weird to think that I only have one more blog to post before I leave here.

Today I took my Saturday to watch the boys play in another game. They lost unfortunately, but I'm hoping they will learn from this experience and become better players because of it. Tonight we're having a movie and game night with the boys from the team and the members of TYOM. We decided to watch Sherlock Holmes because of the fighting and the fire. They won't understand any movie we show them, so this should be entertaining enough.

I'm trying to wrap up my projects now. I need to make a manual for the back program so I can give it to a few of the groups I work with and I'm still trying to get sponsors to committ to the team. It's a process but I think someone will bless us with a sponsor.

Well, until next week, for the last time I'll be writing from Uganda....


Heidi: Happy Birthday on the 27th!!! Yay 21!!! I love you. PS, I'm pretty sure you need to fill me in on whats going on in Provo..... Can't wait to see you in Rome!!! I can't believe all my dreams are coming true : )


Chad: I can't believe you're home. Don't feel shy to send me an email, with all this free time on your hands...

Africa Adventure: Mega Fest, Lock down, and trophy thief

It's crazy to think that I've already been out of the country for 3 months now. I only have a couple weeks left here in Uganda, so I'm trying to make the best of it! Last Saturday we had our AIDS Mega Festival. There was lots of entertainment that the local primary and secondary schools provided, as well as free HIV testing. We were able to test over a hundred people for HIV! They all turned out negative, with the exception of one. I would call that a success. Unfortunately, the team had to perform our African dance to the whole crowd. It didn't go as badly as i had anticipated so that's a plus. The best part about the dance was wearing the awesome traditional clothing. This pretty much consisted of a wrap and some hairy thing that sat on my bum to make it look bigger when I shook it. I thought I did a pretty good job all natuurall, but apparently my bum wasn't quite big enough. Who knew. My boys came to the festival all decked out in their new jersey's. They looked so smart (in uganda looking smart is the equivalent to looking good, fashionable).
This week started off with a bang. Quite literally. For those of you who haven't heard, Kampala, the capital of Uganda, was bombed the night of the world cup finals. A restaurant, and a rugby field were bombed. People were gathered at these locations watching the game. The rugby field had the most casualties because more people were present watching the game outdoors on a big screen. The scary thing is, I probably would have been at that field if I was in Kampala. I was at a restaurant myself watching the game with my friends. So far there have been a little over 70 casualties, one of the victims being an American. The terrorist group who set off the bombs are from Somalia. They have come out saying that Uganda, Burundi, and Ethiopia are there enemies. I guess all three of these countries have soldiers in Somalia trying to keep the terrorists from ruling the country. Uganda has the most soldiers there, making us the most wanted target. Two more bombs were found and apprehended in Kampala since the bombings. Monday morning I woke up to the news. The whole team was put on lock down for the entire day. It was quite a boring day, but to be honest I didn't want to leave the house anyway. I was pretty terrified. Church Head Quarters even put all the missionaries on lock down. We're all safe and as of now, we are not being evacuated out of the country. Keep your prayers with us. I have a feeling everything will turn out. I'm just glad I don't have much longer here, because technically we're in the middle of a war.
On a much lighter note, the boys had their championship game this week. By this time they had shut out every team they played, so I was sure the other team had no chance. To no surprise, the game started about two hours late. Mostly, because the coaches were fighting with each other over which boys were too big to play and which boys were not students. The other coach was quite corrupt to say the least. They were up 1-0 the first half, but then it was tied up 1-1 second half when the ref called a PK. Ughh. The game ended and went straight into PK's. Unfortunately, I couldn't stay long enough to watch the very ending because it was already passed curfew by the time the PK's started. By the time we left, the boys were already crying because they missed a couple goals and were sure to lose. However, the next day we heard that they are scheduled for a rematch because the coach from the other team ran off with the trophy before the game ended. What? Good news for our boys I guess. I don't know if they'll get a trophy, but at least they'll be able to play again. That's Africa for ya.
This week I've been working really hard to get these boys sponsored, and I've had some positive prospects. So keep your fingers crossed!

Africa Adventure: Fourth of July, futbol, and gardening

To start, how was everyone's Fourth of July!? Who knew I would be celebrating the fourth in Africa? On Sunday most of the team traveled to the US embassy for a fourth of July party. It was absolutely fantastic. There was a barbecue and live entertainment. I haven't seen so many white people in so long! I felt like i was back in the states. There was a fake tattoo table and everything! Somehow I ended up being assigned to tattoo artist for all the kids who live at the embassy. At 8:00 the embassy gave the most spectacular fire work show. Afterward we all got up on the stage and had a dance party. Definitely a Fourth to remember. Last weekend I also went on a hike in the rain forest here, called the Mabira Forest. Five of us girls decided to hike it alone, with the accompaniment of my pocket knife of course. Then we decided against that and invited our guard to come with us. Great fun in the forest consists of a picnic lunch of smashed bananas, peanut butter, rolls, and huge ants that eat people.
This week has been quite successful. Tuesday I met with 16 carpenters and taught them the back program. I can't believe how much easier it is to tell a man to flex his stomach than it is to tell a woman to do it. Probably because that's what these men are doing all day; hangin out on the streets flexing their abs at the white girls as they walk down the street... These guys were really great though. They were so inquisitive and responsive. When they ask questions, that's when I know they're actually paying attention and trying to understand. i'm meeting with them next week to follow up with them, and see if they have progressed with their exercises I taught them. The musana women are moving along wonderfully with the back program. I asked each of them what kind of differences they have seen in their lives since we've started. Most said they don't have back pain anymore, one said that she can walk many kilometers now and play sports, and others said they feel more fit. It is such a blessing to see the effects the back program has made on these people's lives. I'm s lucky I have the opportunity to see some of the results.
I have made so much progress with the soccer team. I love these boys so much. Sometimes it's hard balancing being a friend, a coach, and a mother to the young boys all at the same time, but I do love every minute I get to spend with them. Last week we dug up he soccer field. After breaking a shovel and a hoe we were able to destory those huge termite mounds. It was a great bonding experience between us and the boys. The boys had to improvise getting the dirt off the field but they did their part. It looks so great. I think we all are grateful that we won't be falling over those things again. Practice this week went a little chaotic but they made up for it during their tournament on thursday. It took about 4 hours for the games to actually start. Because when it rains in Uganda, life stops. The boys were troopers though. I snuck them some corn we were given from the teachers lounge with the hopes of giving them an extra advantage. Food in the stomach is usually benficial for young athletes. Well it worked. They were awesome!!! They won 5-0! They make me so proud. The tournament is not over but I'm sure they'll go all the way. After practice on wednesday We gave a motivational lesson to the boys about how to accomplish their goals. We wrote a brief biography about Obama and read it to them. it was really unexpected, but Obama was a great topic for them to relate to. Everyone here already idolizes him, and it was convenient that hisstory matches most of the boys here. After his parents divorced at a young age, his Dad went back to Kenya. Obama never saw his father again until right before he died, when Obama was 18. His mom died as well, leaving Obama to be raised by his grandparents. I really hope these boys took this story to heart. I hope they understand that they can aqccomplish anything with the hard work they put forth. I finally got the proposal finished I wrote in order for the boys to get sponsored. Next week I'll be going around to the local businesses and banks to see if anyone is willing to join a noble cause.
Today we planted 10 gardens for a group of 43 HIV postive men and women. They are so wonderful and hard working. We transplanted cabbage, onions, green peppers, andNakati. The little seedlings were so cute; I just hope they survive. I think they will keep it up.
This weekend our group will be performing in front of hundreds of people attending the AIDS Festival this weekend. I hope our sad African dancing skills will hold up throughout the day. Wish me luck!

Africa Adventure: Safari, “the call,” and dance practice

Hello friends,

This last week has been totally awesome. I went on a safari in Africa!! Can’t believe it. We saw lots of Giraffe’s, elephants, African Kobb’s (which are a breed of antelope), wart hogs, lots of birds, baboons, and water buffalo. My face felt like it was a windshield for four hours. With my head outside of a moving jeep for that long, definitely had a few bugs splatter on my face. Well worth it. One of the most memorable moments of the game drive was when our vehicle got stuck in the mud and we had to get out. Well, while we were waiting we decided to chase after some Giraffe’s out in the jungle. As we trecked back to our car we were trying to wipe off the mud that was caked onto the bottom of our shoes. Then Francis, our guide, said, "We're in the WILDNESS, it's ok to be dirty." He was right. I have found a brand new love for the wildness. We also went on a real life Jungle Cruise!! So much better than the Disney ride. We saw lots of Hippos and Crocks, and some more elephants which you can see in the picture. Our last day of the safari we went rhino tracking. I thought we were just going to watch them while standing in the jeep again. Nope. We really got out and trecked through the jungle to find the rhinos. Before we started. my favorite was reading on the pamphlet that "if the rhino's charge, climb a tree." Right.... I'd say we were about 30 feet from the rhinos. The reserve we were at, is about 10 years old with the purpose of developing the rhino species in Uganda once again. Two of the rhinos were donated by Disney's Animal Kingdom. Go figure. We watched mother Nandi and her son Obama rest. The safari was absolutely amazing. I forgot to mention that on the first night of the safari I got a phone call at 4 in the morning. The phone call was from the family, giving me a chance to be a part of my little brother's mission call. David Joseph Panek was called of God to serve in the Mesa, Arizona Spanish Speaking Mission. He reports to the MTC on August 18th! I'm so proud of him!! I only have a week to spend with him when I get back and before he leaves. I wish he was leaving later, but he's needed so i guess i can accept that.
Life in Lugazi picked right back up when we got back from our trip. I have formulated smaller groups for the different wards in the hospital for the back program. We met with the administration group yesterday and today we are meeting with the antenatal clinic. We have been asked by a friend if we would be willing to present our back program to his fellow carpenters. So now it seems as though this back program can spread to many different professions. The people here are extremely responsive to the program and they all want to continue throughout the summer. Things are really picking up for everyone here and it seems like our days are getting busier and busier. We had soccer practice with the boys yesterday and today we are working together to dig up the field. The field has many many huge mounds in the middle of it. These boys deserve a good, flat field to play on. So we're going to use some hoes and dig it up! We are also going to plant a garden for the boys on the team who don't go to school. We thought this would give them something to do during the day, and also provide them with food, and small income generation. I'm still looking for a sponsor for these boys, so we'll see how that goes. The eye camp is just in a few weeks as well as the AIDS Extravaganza. This festival of sorts is promoting AIDS awareness to the youth. As a team we are doing some traditional Ugandan dances. Oh man. It has taken hip shaking to a whole different level. Apparently it's "still coming" for me. Well that's all for now! Let me know what's going on back in the states. Like what's on the news.

Paula: The living arrangements are a little crowded. 24 people living in a 4 bedroom house isn't that roomy. But we get by. I just have to occasionally hunt down my things to make sure i get them back. Am i eating good? Well I'm definitely eating enough. our cooks are trying to make us fat and they are succeeding. Everything here is fried carbs, so that'll do it. I love that you read my blog! I really appreciate hearing from you. Make sure you make plans with mom for when i get back and we can have a girls night out! I hope things are going well at home. Love you miss you!! PS Bon Iver, best band ever.