Outbound

Well as the old song goes " I'm leavin' on a jet plane don't know when I'll be back again ( yes I do)
My bags are packed, I'm ready to go, standing' here outside the door"  etc, etc.

This is just a partial collection of my Ugandan stuff. Seems I have things here, in Australia and Houston. Sometimes it's hard to remember what is where.

For example if you opened my purse you might find currencies of many different countries. I also have 3 phones with chargers and internet USB sticks to use wireless in Uganda and Australia.



Toady I begin my journey back to the U.S.A via Australia. I will be traveling through Ethiopia, Thailand, Malaysia and finally Australia. I probably won't blog for a while so I can rest, get over jet lag and enjoy time with my parents. Glad you have been with me thus far, check back in a few days.

The Nile Retreat

Yesterday the Aid Sudan team/family drove roughly 2 hours east of Kampala to the town of Jinja. Just outside the town is the place that is thought to be the source of the Nile. In 2008 I went to the actual site but this time my visit here has s different purpose. It is the first Aid Sudan Retreat for the staff on this side of the ocean.. Our Executive Director, Peter, is with us.

We gathered for a team meeting in this bungalow while the children played nearby in and around the pool.

Afternoon tea was a highlight with chocolates and cookies from the U.S.

Here's the early morning, misty view of the Nile that I can see from the porch in front of my tented room.

I was here in June 2011 before they dammed the river. Sad, no more sounds of the falls below to help lull you to sleep. Lots of frogs noises last night and also monkeys jumping on our roof!

As I sit here and have some quiet time the view I have is the photo above.
Aaah! So relaxing.

Breakfast on the porch overlooking the Nile, monkeys playing in the trees above, sipping African coffee.
 The world out there is a long way away.

Sunday morning drive

Hello again. Bet you all thought I had fallen off the face of the earth. Well I have resurfaced briefly with some updates and tidbits of information.
Yesterday as I drove to church I saw a funny site that reminded me of back home in the U.S.A.

Well not quite Walmart as I remember it, but good try.

There are other stores here that are take offs of places in the U.S, for example Chicken Tonight is Uganda's version of K.F.C. although again, not quite.






Another thing that I saw on my way to church that wasn't funny and I don't have a photo unfortunately, was when, due to traffic problems, a boda (motorcycle ) driver thought it would be okay to go the wrong way up the street. He was between me and the median. He drove up to my driver side window and said "Hello Muzungu". I was just flabbergasted and said "what are you doing?" After discussing this with friends we decided this statement could be used a hundred times a day in all situations.

Well, I just drove on as it's just another one of many incidents that make life shall we say " interesting " here in Kampala.

Elephants and giraffes

The question today was what to do with my time until my 8:30 pm flight tonight? After listening to conversation last night over dinner I decided to pursue visiting an elephant orphanage and a giraffe center.

As it happens a group of people also staying at the Mayfield had the same idea. We were a diverse group. There were 3 young women, 2 from U.S.A and 1 from U.K. who minister at Smile orphanage in Uganda. Next was a couple from Florida with their 1 year old ( actually today is her birthday). They are doing final preparations before going to work in Juba, South Sudan. And lastly an Irish woman with her 6 year old daughter. The young girl spoke English, Arabic and Gaelic. She was a delight. This family is based in Khartoum.

We shared the cost of a van with driver and set out about 15 kms from Nairobi to reach the elephant orphanage in time for the daily feeding of these babies between 11- 12.

We all assembled behind a rope and the workers at this haven led 8 elephants out for feeding. All the elephants are less than 2 years old. Once they reach 2 they are released into the wild.

They actually drink from a bottle. Their formula is not unlike a human baby's. It is specially imported from the U.K. They can't have cows milk as it makes them quite sick and they could die.

Let me tell you, they can down a bottle in no time!

Here's the baby of the babies. So cute!
The cloudy appearance of the photo is due to the red dust the elephants were blowing over themselves. The little one had to have help with that so the workers shoveled some dust on him.

They rolled in a pit of mud and even played with a soccer ball. They were like small children rolling around, nudging each other and having a good time.


We all learned a lot about the center. It's
an interesting story so if you would
 like to learn more please go 
to this site:

The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust: A Haven for Elephants and Rhinos

www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org                                                                                                                         

We then drove to our next stop a few kilometers away. 

See www.giraffecenter.org/ for additional information. It's a sanctuary that was started to save the endangered Rothschild Giraffe. 

We got there in time for lunch so grabbed a bite to eat together while we watched the giraffes interact with other visitors. When it was our turn we were given a hand full of specially formulated pellets and then went eye to eye with a giraffe!! Wow, what fun.       

It was certainly a strange feeling having a giraffe tongue on my hand! 

                                                                                          

                

Up, up and away!

The day dawned like most others in Tonj except today was the day I was leaving.  I was having mixed feelings as I did last minute packing and checking that I wasn't forgetting anything. I was glad to be going back to what has become the norm ( if normal is even possible in Africa)  but sad to leave people that I enjoyed ministering alongside.
I have seen God do mighty things since I have been on the In Deed and Truth compound and memories of my time here will not soon fade away.
From time to time permanent staff of the IDAT team goes on a little R & R. Many of the people are from Kenya so Esther and Pritty were on the flight as well as Pastor Joe and Nancy who have tirelessly taught local pastors for the past 2 months. IDAT ministry head, Sabet, also flew out to attend to family matters in Nairobi.

Our initial flight to Rumbek was a short  20 minute hop away. This is the same place I drove 2 hours to on Monday only to find the flight canceled. After dealing with visa issues we loaded up again bound for South Sudan's capital, Juba.

On the ground in Juba we parked amidst relief organization planes such as Doctors without Borders, U.N. World Food Program and Oxfam.

South Sudan is very reliant on aid due to the effects of years of war and the on going struggles as this very new country gets on it's feet.

We changed planes and settled in for the direct 3 hour and 20 minute flight to Nairobi.

A view of the Nile River in Juba

Although 3 hours and 20 minutes doesn't sound that long it can seem like an eternity when the turbulence is persistent.
Our MAF pilot ,whose wife and child were on board with us, commented he had never in his 6 years of flying in this part of Africa known such a sustained, rough ride.
 It wasn't like where it is so bumpy you have to raise your hands to the ceiling of the small plane to steady yourself so as to keep from bumping your head above you, but still hard to deal with. ( I have enjoyed those rides too)
 I was very glad I took an anti motion sickness pill.

Anyway, we landed just before 4 pm. I checked into the African Inland Mission (AIM) guesthouse where my son and I stayed in December. I enjoyed a wonderful meal and got to know 2 families at the dinner table. AIM guesthouse also known as the Mayfield is a hub for missionaries all over East Africa. I love hearing stories of what God is doing in many parts of the world.

Compare and contrast

Over the last month you have learned a lot about me and mission life here in Tonj, South Sudan.
You may or may not know that my profession for the last 35 years has been that of a nurse. My last job was working 3- 12 hour shifts per week at a very busy and intense cardiac unit in Houston. As part of the intermediate care team I was responsible for taking care of up to 4 patients.

 Many of these patients came to me from the ICU where they had spent one night post operatively following open hear surgery. I was accustomed to the latest in equipment and technology. I had a computer on wheels that I took to the patients bedside whereby I could access all kinds of information pertaining to diagnostic tests, medicines and treatments etc.

Things have been, well shall we say, slightly different here. That's an understand of course.

The photo on the right is the very narrow walkway through the clinic. Exam rooms are off to each side. Sometimes it gets jammed up in here with patients, families and staff trying to pass each other. The bench at the far end is where the patients line up for the doctor once they have registered.

The pharmacy is located around the back, so typically the patients walk through here and out the back to get medicine.

It's amazing to think of all that takes place here. If only walls could talk!

Now you can see where I have spent a lot of my time. This room is mostly used for doing dressing changes. Many times wounds have to be opened up and sometimes sutured up.

 It's been great seeing patients over the course of a month, for example a man that was shot in the neck the day I arrived came to see me today for care.

His neck wound is almost completely healed, he just needs to work on increasing the level of activity and range of motion in his arm.

Let me introduce you to Peter. He has been my helper in changing dressings and of course my translator. Like many Dinka men he is very tall.

Peter is very new to the healthcare world so I became his teacher on many things. It's hard sometimes to translate certain meanings and then of course medical terms add to the difficulty. Peter helped me learn patience.

I learned how to say sorry in Dinka or maybe it's Arabic ( Malesh! ) Don't know if that's the right spelling but I had to say it often as I took off dressings from painful wounds.

One of my patients today said I did a good job with her dressings. She is only 14. She has an open, ulcerated site on her lower leg. Explaining good hygiene was part of my work. I would ask first if they had soap at home and then explain how to wash with soap and water.

This was especially important with foot sores. You can't imagine the people that came with weeks of crusted dirt on their feet. We had many foot baths in the dressing room!  It's things like this that are so very different from my job back in Houston.

Many things are done the old fashioned way, but they work. No fancy computers or technology. It would be great though to have an ultrasound machine.

It's been my pleasure and privilege ministering alongside the staff here. They do an amazing job day in, day out and then some.

False start

Well I just thought I was leaving South Sudan today, but I guess I was wrong. Part of missionary life is being flexible. I also have to remind myself T.I.A. ( this is Africa)

The journey started off around 9 am.  The vehicle and driver were hired at my expense.We first had to buy fuel and then when people realized we were going to go to Rumbek, approximately 2 hours away we were like a magnet attracting would be passengers. I think we ended up with 5 adults and 6 children, including a one year old with no diaper or underwear on and finally, the kicker, 2 live chickens!!

The chickens squawked loudly when the ride got rough. It was a good reminder, lest I forgot that they were there!

The drive was only 2 hours each way, but the road is not paved and this being dry season, it makes for dusty travel. The outside temperature is over a hundred so the window stays down to catch the hot breeze.  I hope you are getting a picture here.

The thing that slowed us up beside the bad road with speed bumps in the villages, was herds of cattle and endless goats crossing the road.

There were people out walking along the road and lots of children who spotted my white face and called out" kawaja" (foreigner/white person)

Once at the airstrip I went to make sure of the flight. The attendant informed me there was no flight today. Like a fool I repeated "there is no flight today"? The only flight coming in was unloading and  then going on to Chad. No thanks.

We made some phone calls and it was decided that we would go back to Tonj. First, we had some nice, hot tea. This is customary. It is served with about 4 teaspoons of sugar.  I was thinking maybe by some  miracle it would help counteract the sweat pouring off me.

Now, before the return trip we had to buy fuel again. In the photo you can see how fuel is most commonly sold. It comes from a big tank and local vendors fill 5 gallon plastic containers, then load them on carts and push them to various locations. It is poured from the container via a cut off soda bottle into your tank. Fuel cost 7 Sudanese pounds a liter. ($2.69 U.S, $2.49 Aust.)

Some scenery along the way

The only incident along the way was on the return when the local police wouldn't let us through the rope that marks the beginning of a village. He pointed to a non existent mark on the ground and said the vehicle should have stopped there. We apologized and backed up 5 feet. He was really wanting a bribe but we said sorry a few more times and he lowered the rope.

So here I am back at the compound. Looks like I may go out on Thursday, so stay tuned for the next update.

Nutrition and Malnutrition

The other day when I was over at the government hospital I noticed a World Vision sign so I went over to see what they were doing.

The building looked fairly new. No one appeared to be around so I peeked in the door to find 9 clean beds awaiting patients.

I found out later that this is where people who suffer from malnutrition are brought for treatment.

 It interesting to note from the sign that Korea is a financial supporter.

When I walked out to the back of the building I discovered several mothers with their children, ranging in age from infant to toddler.

I loved the little guy taking his bath in a basin. Other than the protruding belly he looked fairly good.

They were all just sitting there with their mats and sheets spread out over the dirt. I asked permission to take their photos and they were delighted when I showed them the screen. Most people here have never seen themselves in a photo. Next time I need to bring a Polaroid.

These little tots caught my immediate attention in their matching shirts. The one in the foreground is definitely the healthier of the two. The twin in the background has some folds around his tiny hiney and that, combined with his very skinny legs, are sure signs of malnutrition. It is a common occurence in South Sudan especially at this time of year. There has been no rain now for over 4 months and of course no crops.

So you might be asking, "what do people eat?" The other day when I was walking back from the school I saw these women who started smiling so I went over to see what they had in the big drum.

It was around 100 degrees outside and I could feel even more intense heat on my legs as I neared the middle of what was their kitchen.

Inside  the drum, which was filled to about half way was a milky -grey, very liquidy type porridge. It probably had a sorghum base. Didn't look appetizing and I know it's not very nutritious. It is however the staple here. At least the mangos are starting to ripen and  that will help for a little while.

Next time you are at the supermarket and have all those choices, would you please pray for people of South Sudan.

Bush Clinic

Friday morning we loaded up the Land Cruiser with supplies. There were 6 of us, Doctor Tom, myself and 4 clinical workers. Our journey to the village of Malone involved traveling approximately 12 miles, some of which was on the "main" road and I use that term loosely, but most of it was on a dirt track. We passed herds of cows, mud huts and almost ran into several goats as they crossed our path. Finally we stopped at the clinic site located under a big, shady tree.

The patients start gathering quickly once they see the vehicle pull up. The clinical workers got busy setting up the pharmacy and registering patients. Each patient has their temperature taken and are weighed before they see the doctor.

It's hard to tell from a distance if Doctor Tom is seeing patients or running a veterinary clinic!  Cows and goats wandered about among us.

Many people, especially men, don't come to see the doctor but just visit socially under the tree. They were keeping a close watch on me so I decided to go and speak with them.

With the help of a translator I moved into their circle, sitting next to the village chief for some question and answer time.

I was asking about the problems they face. They were quick to answer. No roads, no clinic nearby, no food and no clean water.
Hmmm! What do you say to that?

Village chief is seated on the chair

After some quick thinking and sending up arrow prayers to God I thought it best to tell them about my God who is bigger than the sum of all their problems.

The Sudanese have a long held tradition of story telling. There is a 1% literacy rate so they have depended on oral learning.

 They enjoyed hearing stories from the Bible about Creation, Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham and finally Jesus. Periodically they asked questions.  At the end we said a prayer together that they might have a relationship with the One who created them and knows about all of their needs.  I know that my words are just that, words, but I pray that God who knows each and every one of those who heard would "set my words on fire" for His glory. (Oswald Chambers, "My Utmost for His Highest")

Surgery in Tonj

On Wednesday I joined the surgical team over at the government hospital to how they did things.  Improvisation is the name of the game here. Since certain items are either not available or too expensive you have to so what you have to do. Let's follow this step by step.

The IDAT ambulance brings the patient to the government hospital. It's less than a mile away. The patient is brought into the operating room after the consent is signed a they have had some IV medicine to sedate them.

 The O.R. is the room with the shiny glass window to the right of the steps. If you get close to the window and cup your hands around your face you can see in. I gave a few young boys a fright by putting my face up close to the window on the inside.

Meet Margaret who is a nurse midwife from Sierra Leone. She makes sure the patient remains sedated and is comfortable during the procedure. She is standing in the small ante room outside the O.R. It is highly unusual but you may notice there is only one door ! The other broke and can't be fixed. Oh well , what's a door?

Getting ready for the incision. It's a bit hard to tell but the light over the patient is tied onto a rod with a bandage. It flickered off and on a few times.

The doctor on the right is wearing a sterilized man's shirt ,worn backwards. Remember you have to do what you have to do.

The patient did well and no longer has a hernia. Yeah for doctors who are willing to give it their all despite the difficulties.