Clinic and Timtuk

After a wonderful breakfast of Mandazi's ( kind of like New Orleans beignets) juice and fresh bananas we gathered for early morning devotional. We met under a thatched roof and sat in a huge circle. I think there were about 20 or so of us. We sang in English, Arabic and Dinka. Well I say we, but you know I just have the English part down! Today Andrew shared a word of encouragement with us. After devo time we sat and talked with Sabet and Suzy to figure out our goals for the time we will be spending in Tonj and then off we went to help in the clinic. The clinic can see around 100 patients a day. We all got assigned spots and some received some quick O.J.T. I got to be a floater. I helped in changing dressings, took some temperatures, registered patients,sat in with the Kenyan and American doctors and also learned about about the role of the midwife and pre natal care. During the morning a man was brought in screaming and thrashing. He got some medicine to calm him and then was treated for malaria. It turned out he had cerebral malaria and died later in the week. Reality is harsh here and death is very much a part of life. Sorry for the oxymoron but it's just the way it is. They mostly only treat on an outpatient basis but at times, since there is no where ,they keep patients for extended periods to treat. I met 18yr old Isaac today. He is so sick with multiple problems.
After lunch Sabet drove us to the community of Timtuk. We specifically wanted to talk with the women and asked about their daily lives and struggles. I was deeply impacted when a dirty,torn green bucket was set before us. This was the drinking water for the community. It was sickening. We all watched from a distance as a mother gave the water to her toddler to drink. They get the water from an almost dry well. It is a hand dug well only about 20 feet deep. They pull water up with an old can tied to the end of a rope. It's hard not to get these images out of my head. Water is a basic in life, or it's supposed to be.
Before I forget the community bestowed on our team Dinka names. Since cows are the center of life and community in the Dinka tribe we were given cow names. At first this may seem offensive but it's actually an honor. My name is Kerrie YOM. This means a cow with grey on it's head. Wonder why I got that name???

We left the cool morning air of Kampala behind and flew through some thunderstorms into Sudan. After approx. 4 hours of flying with a couple of stops included, we landed in Tonj and were warmly greeted by Sabet Kuj. Please see the In Deed and Truth web site to learn about this amazing family and their ministry. We were all very tired so took short naps and then Suzy, Sabet's wife showed us around the compound that was our home for 8 days. The building above housed all six of us women. 4 of us in one end and 2 at the other end. You can see our lovely surroundings. We have all dubbed this place the Tonj Mahal. This is my 5th trip to Sudan and I have never stayed anywhere like this :-) In the evening around the dinner table we met all the staff. There are Kenyans, a nurse from Sierra Leone, an American doctor, American midwife and of course Sudanese from a few different tribes. We just know it's going to be a great week.

Sudan bound

Today was a crazy day,shopping, packing and organising plus sending out frantic emails to my family who have all kinds of things going on in their lives. I shopped for fruits and vegetables as requested by our host in Tonj, Sudan at In Deed and Truth. Peace, the Henderson's house helper, came with me to advise on fair pricing and to assist with carrying 8 kilos of tomatoes etc!! It was a fun time. About 6pm the local Aid Sudan team comprising, Kerry, Bob and myself went by bus to Entebbe. We settled into a guest house for about 4 hours and then went over to the airport to meet the team that were supposed to arrive at 01:15. Unfortunately K.L.M did not inform anyone that the plane was going through Kigali, Rwanda and was not arriving until 03:15. So we waited....
Finally back at the guesthouse at 4:30 to allow the arriving team to shower and organise their bags for Sudan. Breakfast was at 0600 and then we all set off up the road for a 45 min drive to Kajjansi airport where our Mission Aviation Fellowship (M.A.F.) plane was ready to fly us into Tonj via Arua which is where we cleared customs. Needless to say we all had a little cat nap on board our flight in the Caravan ( type of plane)

Happy Mothers Day

I was wondering how my first Mother's Day away from my family would be, but it was a really lovely day. After church one of Aid Sudan's families ( the Hendersons) treated me to lunch at a great restaurant on a terrace that overlooks the lake you see in the background. I ate baked Nile Perch cooked in a white wine/mushroom sauce with mixed vegetables on the side. Yummy! I was able through Skype, to talk with my children, grandchildren and my mom and mother in law. Hope each of you moms reading this enjoyed your day also.

Equator

Last Thurs I was invited to drive to southwestern Uganda with a friend who works with Living Water. We visited the tiny town of Ntungamo. It was 6 hour drive from Kampala. Lots of interesting things to see along the way. Actually saw a small group of zebra and a few Crested Cranes which are the national birds of Uganda. The scenery reminded me a bit of Central America, very green, lush and tropical. As you can see we passed over the Equator.

1980s

Thought you might get a laugh from this post. Tonight was the annual 1980s party. The photo is the Aid Sudan team like you have never seen them before. Not only was everyone outfitted in fashions from the 80s but we had music relevant to dance to and watched a power point of news during that time period. Each of us had to submit a photo of ourselves so that the guests could try to identify people. It all made for a fun evening. I was rubbing shoulders with Madonna, Boy George, Poison, and Don Johnson from Miami Vice to name a few.

I've got wheels!

Yeah! today I bought my first Ugandan vehicle. I had been wondering what car to get and how I was going to go about it, but as always God was one step ahead of me and had it all planned out. The car was purchased from an Australian family, so you know already I was happy with the deal:-) Michael had been a mechanic in Australia and had taken great care of the car. He was the second owner and the first owner was also a "muzungu" This is a big plus as it gave reassurance that the car had been properly maintained according to western standards. The price was another bonus as it was not nearly as much as I had budgeted. In case you cant tell from the photo it's a Mitsubishi Pajero. 2 door, diesel and automatic with 4 W.D. So important here. I set off this evening for my first drive to a friends house on the other side of the hill. I found out I am not really keen to drive at night. People here drive with their headlights on full or high beam. It's blinding. I had to stop a few times until they passed. It's hard to see local people walking on the road due to their skin color and the fact that there are no street lights!!! Anyway now I can get out and about as I need to. When you are driving in your vehicle say a quick prayer for me as I negotiate the local territory.

Happy Easter to all my family and friends across the world from the U.S.A to Australia and now Uganda. I am writing this blog late afternoon on Easter Sunday. I am 7 hours behind Australia and 8 hours ahead of Houston. It's been a very "normal" and "usual" type of Easter Sunday. By that I mean we went to church to celebrate Christ's resurrection and victory over death. After church a group of 17 friends gathered at "Le Chateau"to enjoy Easter lunch together. We ate steaks, fish, vegetables and salad much like some of the foods all of you reading this might have enjoyed also. I have discovered that it's really nice sometimes to do things and go places that have more of the "at home" feel to it. Makes you feel like you are not that far away from what you have known all your life and that living in a world that is so unfamiliar just disappears for a little while.
By the way the Aid Sudan team for Uganda is sitting in the forefront.
Enjoy your day, wherever you are!

Boston marathon

Today I walked the Boston marathon! Yes, I did walk and not run, but I was in Boston. Right outside the gate of the home I am staying in is a village named Boston. My walk was probably a lot different than those who ran in Massachusetts. The weather for one thing I am guessing, was a lot warmer. The sun was bright in the lovely blue sky. I walked on the dirt road, watching out for all the large pot holes and kept a mindful eye on passing cars and motor cycles. While I was watching what was going on around me I was being watched by the neighborhood. You see the road through the village is flanked by many stores. There are lots of fruit stalls, some charcoal stands, a cobbler, and a cell phone recharging place, just to name a few. If you don't have electricity you can come and get your phone recharged. As I made my way along, many children came out to shake my hand or just call out hello "Mzungu" That means white person.
I made my way through the village and then up a very steep hill. You can see it in the attached photo that I took from the balcony of the house. My destination was the 3 towers you can see on the left of the photo. What a view! There's an interesting mix of modern homes with indoor plumbing and electricity and those families who live in one tiny room with no amenities. You will also note the green leafy plants and trees that are so abundant here. Well that's all for now. I'll keep blogging and you keep checking on my updates.

Hello from Makindye. That's the name of the area in Kampala that I am staying in. My brother has googled it and you can too if you would like. I'm kind of near Lukuli Rd if that helps. How about Kabalagala? Some interesting names to find. The photo you see was taken from the front porch. It's Lake Victoria. Such a pretty view. I enjoy sitting out in the very lovely weather when I get a chance. I am meeting lots of people from all over the world who have chosen to make Uganda their home for a while.