Walk of shame out of Auschwitz

So this week we were scheduled to go to a youth camp about an hour away from Kampala from the 28th til the 2nd.  We packed, got ready and headed out to the middle of no where. The camp was being held at a college. I'm not sure if it is a running college or a run down college. If it was still running I would be surprised because it was in horrible shape and if there was one that looked like this in America, it would be shut down immediately. They lied and told us they had toilets there, so we would actually go. But of course we get there and there is no running water at all. So no toilets and no showers. Squattys are the worst invention ever and so uncivilized. There is only so many days that you can hold it until you just can't and are forced to use it. You can smell the stentch as you are walking up to it. And if you are in there more than 30 seconds, you are about to die. I had a jacket sprayed with perfume zipped up to my forehead and it still killed me every time. Us girls decided to use the bathroom early in the mornings and at night when no one was around and pee in the school courtyard. Yes. I have peed in a college courtyard. REBEL. Showers were bucket showers and their stalls had no doors, so that was a definite no. So for 2 and a half days we stuck it out. Complained little...ok maybe alot, but only to ourselves not to any of the management. We joked and said it was like a concentration camp or prison. We were confused on what we were doing there since we weren't technically leaders and we weren't campers. There were only 5 of us white girls there so we stood out like marshmallows in hot chocolate. It was definitely uncomfortable for us, especially sleeping on the floor with inch thick foam mattresses and ants crawling all over you.
                      Ugandan's also go to bed really late and wake up very early. The first night, they didn't have dinner until 11pm. Of course we had already went to bed because we couldn't wait any longer. The food was also a little redundant. We got tired of rice and beans the first day, so when they kept serving it for lunch and dinners, we refused to eat it and ate the little food we brought. So the mzungus went to bed early, woke up late, didn't eat or shower or use the bathroom,and stayed in our room all day, so the management realized that we were extremely uncomfortable and asked if we wanted to go home. We stalled to say yes but inside we screamed YES! NOW! So finally after careful consideration, we decided to go. We felt so shameful for leaving. We were supposed to be helping in this camp but we had no idea what to do and were extremely uncomfortable. It's not the Ugandan's faults at all, this is their culture, we just aren't used to it. We felt like wimps, but we never asked to go home, that should count right? Once we got back home we reunited with the toilet and hot shower and it was AMAZING! Never take it for granted!! The sunsets were amazing though and on the last night we were there we went to the roof of the dorms and watched it set.
                  Last week a few of us girls also decided to go on an adventure to the equator. It was definitely an adventure getting there and took about an hour and a half of driving but we made it and it was so cool to be standing in both hemispheres at the same time!

Merry Christmas!

These last few days have been extremely hectic. We spent 3 days at a village about an hour away from Kampala. It was my first time going to the village, so I had no idea what to expect. We stayed in a "motel" nearby. We joked that it wasn't even considered a star hotel, it was a triangle. There was a tiny room with a double sized bed with a mosquito net, and a wall separating the "shower", there was no running water in the town so it was a basin shower. Not to mention squattys which I was terrified of. We each had to share a room with someone so sleeping was very squished. We had dinner at a "restaurant" a few doors down that I'm not even sure is considered a restaurant. It was a room with 2 plastic tables and chairs and a t.v. which was so magical to us since we haven't seen one in forever. The room was only lit by the tv and a green light bulb hanging from the ceiling. In the corner a rat dwelt and I saw it often. We even came back to one of the rooms to see a bat on the floor. Besides the scary accommodations, it was a nice time. The village homes were spread out so we had to walk a lot but we definitely got to hang out with the families and present the gospel to them if they didn't know who Jesus was, or remind them of the true meaning of Christmas if they did. We also gave them some gifts including soap, rice,sugar, noodles and salt. In the afternoons we had a children's program for all the village kids at the main area of the village. We had close to 150 kids come and we sang songs with them, played games, did a puppet show and had crafts. Every time our van was going through the village, kids would come running out of their huts waving with both hands screaming HI MZUNGUS! It was great. I definitely got tired of smiling and waving, but it was well worth it.


Now it is Christmas morning and it feels like every other morning here, except that it is storming and  I am going to make eggnog french toast for the group and then we are going to open gifts and watch Christmas movies and spend the rest of the day cooking for our large meal tonight. Merry Christmas everyone! Let us not forget the true meaning of Christmas!!

Ugandan's celebrate Christmas close to the way we do, they decorate their homes, hang lights, get a Christmas tree and sing Christmas carols. But Ugandan's don't put focus on the gifts because they can't afford gifts for each other. They spend their Christmas at church praying and putting all the focus on Christ, as it should be. Most people's gifts here are new clothes for the church service.

Lauren

Busy Busy

           Time goes by so fast here. Most of the time I don't even know what day it is. I didn't even realize that Christmas is next week! We got our "Christmas tree" up and decorated, it's not exactly what you would call a Christmas tree, but we made it work and put ornaments and lights on it. We also started to decorate the house. We are all getting good at making Christmas crafts because of all the parties we have had and had to make the decorations out of the stuff we had. Because time goes by so fast, I apologize for the lack of updates, but all the other team members only blog once a week, so you guys are lucky! The team and I are guests and the entertainment at an up coming camp at the end of this year, so yesterday we went to a local park, that was really pretty and we discussed and practiced skits that we were going to do. We waited and waited for our ride when some of us decided that we were just going to walk home(which is really far) so of course I joined them, and it was a gorgeous walk, the scenery was breathtaking and then it got bad when we had to climb I think one of the biggest hills in all of Africa. It was definitely a work out and something I will NEVER do again! We even beat the car back.
                   Today, we were fairly busy. We started our day off with going to a babies orphanage at 7:30am. This was my first time going to this project so it was definitely an experience. One of the team members bought diapers for the babies so we didn't have to hold them while they were all wet. When we got there, we scrubbed the floors for the women and then after played with the children. And as usual they said, they were all wet. We put diapers and new clothes on them and then played with them. One of the things I unfortunately witnessed was that because the babies don't wear diapers, or underwear, the carpet in the room has wet spots on it from urine, and kids were lining up to lick it off the floor. I guess they were that thirsty, which really broke my heart. But all the kids had so much fun and were so full of life. I don't know how anyone could abandon any of these kids. After that we had some down time and then went to the slums. There, we decorated the houses of those who wanted Christmas decorations. We then played with the kids and sang songs with them. The slums were also sad, because the "houses" were one roomed and made of clay and and scrap material. But 3 people put their lives in Christ's hands today and we are all so thankful for that! On our way home we were all witnessed to seeing a goat give birth. Only in Africa...
                    Our guard to our house lives on our property and I guess adopted one of the stray dogs that came by. Stray dogs here are like stray cats at home. There is so many of them, and no one takes them in. I don't think people even have dogs as pets here. Maybe only a few wealthy ones. So of course, the dog lover that I am, I had to see this dog, and brought it water. The neighborhood people that were outside our gate said that she only drank soda! I offered her some water but she didn't take it. She only licked it off my hand. She later came in our gate and just laid down in the backyard where I just loved on her,  I named her Amina(Amena?) Not sure, but it's what the kids here say after they pray.
                 Sorry for the lack of pictures lately, my camera has decided to quit working, hopefully only for a short while, so I will be borrowing the pictures that the other team members take.




Lauren

Sorry I have not written in awhile, the power has continually gone off for the past few days and then internet has not been working. These last few days have been pretty fun and relaxing. Friday we were supposed to go to a children's home but that got canceled, so us girls decided to go out to the town for a bit and after that went straight to the children's Christmas Cantata at Watoto Church which was amazing. It was a play and musical put on by the children's ministry and it was phenomenal. On Saturday there was a sponsorship party at our house, so all the kids who have been sponsored through Empower A Child are here and we are giving out gifts, food, candy, having worship and other things for the kids to do. BUT of course something always has to happen, and one of the American girl's expensive camera was stolen. We looked high and low and I ended up accidentally catching the kid who stole it, who also stole some other stuff from other people. He apparently got caned pretty bad which I am glad I wasn't around to see or hear. But he is no longer in the sponsorship program and ran away from the guy who was going to bring him to the police. He said he was an orphan and probably about 15 or 16, so definitely old enough to know better especially to people who are helping him. Although they told us we had 2 weeks off(which none of us were happy about) we have projects now all this week and from the 22nd to the 24th we will be staying in a village and sharing the gospel with the people there. Definitely a good way to spend the days leading up to Christmas. Although it's sad not being home, it wouldn't be a sacrifice if it didn't mean anything to me, and Christ is DEFINITELY worth all the sacrifices I could make. We got our "Christmas tree" today which is kind of a joke because it definitely just looks like a branch from a tree, but we are going to make it work and decorate it this week. I have decided that I am NOT going to go on a Safari because they are so expensive, and any money I have left over or that people donate will be given to Empower A Child, or one of the places we minister too. I will have to pray about it, but if you want to send crafts, gifts, money and more for the children, let me know and I will make sure it happens.


Lauren

Children's Hospital

Today was great. Or I should say yesterday since it is after 1am here. It was great for many reasons. Mainly because we got to go to a children's hospital today where we threw them a huge Christmas party. The kids at this "hospital"(which is almost like a single story hotel) is full of kids with broken bones etc.We aren't usually aloud to take pictures because there are kids with deformities, but because it was a Christmas party, we were aloud to. So in the pictures below, you will see what it is like to be a child with a broken limb at a "hospital" in Uganda. All the wheelchairs were also extremely rusty and looked ancient. It was so sad to see most of them because they were all so little but a lot had screws sticking out of their legs that had gauze on it. It looked so painful. One boy, who was full of life had a long bandage on his arm where the gauze was all soaked in blood. Others had limps and pretty much had wooden sticks for crutches. Some had leg casts that had a boot on it that was made out of an old tire and strung together. We sang songs with them and did a puppet show, passed out gifts and then provided sodas and some snacks. After that we just danced. (I didn't, I don't dance.) Ugandan's LOVE to dance and I am the complete opposite. Seeing the life and smiles on these kids faces makes all the sacrifices I am giving up, worth it. Completely. Us missionaries live and practically survive on the smile from a child who is in pain. It's why we can get up every morning in a third world country, away from family and familiarity and do what we do. It's through Him that all things are possible. The rest of the day was relaxing. A few of us went to a local "movie" store, where they sell pirated movies for 2,000 shillings, which is about $1 each. So I got a few...We then went to the grocery store which was across the street and got some essentials (ice cream and cookies) and then walked to this shack that is right next to our house where they sell sodas(in glass bottles) and got a few. If you bring the bottle back, it's less money when you buy a new one. Tomorrow we are going to Remand Home, which is pretty much a juvenile detention center for teens. We will also be putting on a large Christmas party, so for the last few hours, us girls put on Christmas music and made decorations to take tomorrow. We will be there all day with them. Usually our projects last for a few hours and then we have the rest of the day free, but tomorrow is an ALL DAY party. They say that we have dance competitions(which I am not too thrilled about) and the teens almost give us a talent show and show us what they like to do, whether it be sing, art or dance.Oh, and today was also great because I experienced my first African thunder storm! (btw,just like an American storm).

I couldn't tell you her name because it was so long, but she stuck with me and wouldn't let go of my hand

Jajja's home and Christmas Decorating

Sorry no post yesterday, we had a meeting in the morning to figure out the week and then had the rest of the day off where we just hung out. A few of us then caught a taxi to the craft market which is pretty much like a flea market but African style. It was amazing and I got lots of gifts for almost nothing. They figure that because we are white that we have money so they hike the prices up, so you have to really negotiate, which is not my strongsuit but I got really good deals o things.The power went out for about an hour and we all just sat around talking and used our laptops as lights. Technology... Today was the first day that I actually got to work with kids and  it was so exciting! We went to Jajja's home which I believe in a boarding home? Not quite sure, but there was kids of all ages. After we drove through the slums of a nearby subburb we arrived at the boarding house and pulled up to a huge iron gate with an 8ft high concrete wall that was topped with broken bottles for protection. The kids and adults greeted us with hugs right away and were so ecstatic to see us. We first sang songs to the kids and danced with them and introduced ourselves and the kids. We then played a game on decorating christmas trees. Where 2 teams had a kid be the christmas tree and in 10 minutes see who could decorate the kid the best and at the end we would vote at the end. The kids really ejoyed that. We then told them the story of Jesus' birth and then sang more songs. After that we passed out candy and presents and the kids all lined up patiently to get their 2 pieces of candy, silly bands and crayons with a small coloring book. They then showed us where they lived and the place was similar to were us missionaries are living now, but ours is a more westernized house. We left and a lot of the neighborhood kids came and waved to us. All the kids here love us mzungos and love waving to us. We got back around 11am and had lunch which was beans and rice for the first time since I got here( I was expecting that for lunch everyday) and it was actually really good! Our cook here is supposedly new and she makes amazing food. The house keeper came today and because kids are on vacation from school, she brought her son Luis, who is 5 and such a ball of energy. He was so much fun to play with and loves the American missionary, Craig, and will follow him around anywhere. Luis loved my little laptop and played with it and the buttons for awhile until I had to pry it from his hands. I then took a nap for a little while, had dinner which was sausage and chips(french fries) which are AMAZING here and I am obsessed with them. We are going to a childrens hospital tomorrow and putting on a Christmas party. So we just spent the last few hours making decorations and playing Christmas music. I really thought I would miss Christmas this year but everyone who is here is also sad that they are missing it so we are trying to make is as good as possible by playing Christmas music, making decorations for the house, cooking traditional meals that our families make and most likely watching ALOT of traditional Christmas movies (Griswalds family Christmas!) We will also be doing a secret santa sort of thing. Tomorrow is going to be really fun because we are putting on the Christmas party for the disabled children and feeding them. This is one of he homes that we are not supposed to take pictures at because the kids do have deformities but they said tomorrow would be ok because it's a party. So stay tuned for tons of pictures tomorrow!

To see all pictures, they are posted on my facebook

Nkwagaliza amazalibwa go amalungi!

The above term means "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" in Lugandan. It is my 20th birthday today and I don't think I would have wanted to spend it anywhere else. I had an amazing day that started off with the most amazing contemporary African church. It is called Watoto and it was better than any American church I've been to. There were alot of other mzungos(white people) there so we didn't stand out TOO much. Everyone was so nice and loved Jesus. They sang all songs I am familiar with which I was really surprised. This was my first time actually out of the house since I arrived in Kampala, so to actually see the city and the traffic, it was kindof overwhelming but really cool. Traffic is beyond scary here, constantly people on boda boda's (motorcycles) and people walking in the road who DO NOT get out of the way. The city is also ALL brown, you have to drive out of the way to see greenery. After church, me and another team member went to help me exchange money at a local bank. We had to go through a shortcut which is a steep hill which I slipped on the loose gravel a few times and ran in to a few baby goats and wanted to pet them so bad! Jennifer said we are not aloud to touch the animals here because they could have diseases. So that was dissapointing for me. But we got to the bank and exchanged my money and now I am rich with 800,00 shillings. Which is actually about $400 USD. Then me and Jennifer went to a local grocery store where I got a huge thing of water for $2500 shillings which is about $1.25. The grocery store was packed and security had to scan us to make sure we didn't have any weapons and then they had to check our purses. We then crossed the extremely busy road while Ugandans asked if we had any chocolate, which we didn't and went back down the now extremely steep dirt road that led to the house. And I slipped again, while a Ugandan woman who was hanging up clothes watched and probably thought it was hilarious. "Noes before toes!". We got back to the house and just hung out for awhile. Played a game, had a "family meeting" and then decided after dinner to celebrate my birthday, we were going to go to their favorite coffee shop(which is nicer than any I've ever seen) and they all paid for me to have this amazing chocolate cake and an iced mocha. I don't know if I mentioned this in earlier blogs, but the police here just walk around with huge rifles. It's a little intimidating but I ran in to one today and he asked where I was from and said I was very welcome here. These people are so nice. Here is the website for the church I went to this morning http://www.watotochurch.com/

The back of the church

Their money 

The view from our backyard

There is no rule on how many people to sit in a car nor to wear seatbelts

"pretending" to blow out my candle

Also, someone came back today from going on a safari that the organization does. It is very costly and I would really like to do it. If anyone would like to donate please feel free :)

Lauren

Jet Lagged

So today was another restfull day. Woke up around 11am Africa time. The Ugandan team that was in Kenya these past 2 weeks came back today so I got to meet them and they are really cool. All Americans. We had a really nice dinner that included pizza(I know right?!) Homemade though. Lydia, our cook mashed the tomatoes for the sauce herself. And then we had fried talapia with this white cheese sauce(I think) on top which was delicious and then potatoes and a banana. The food here is so good and so flavorful. The rest of the day we just hung out on our laptops in the living room. They informed me that a mazungo is a white person, and we will get called that alot while we are here. One of the team members said that I will also get many marriage proposals, because they think that all Americans are rich and if they marry one they will be taken back with one and have an amazing life.(NOT!) They are probably richer than I am! One of the girls here is running in a 10k marathon tomorrow and some of the team members are going to watch her finish the race, I may tag along, or go to church with one of the other members. I have only been out of the house once since I got here, I have mainly been sleeping because I am still not used to the time. But tomorrow I will take lots of pictures I promise! About an hour ago I walked in to the kitchen where Jonah(one of the Ugandans) was washing the dishes and said," GUESS WHAT??!"and he goes," I guess nothing.." I said,
MY BIRTHDAY IS TOMORROW!!" and he says," HA ohhh you shouldn't have told me that! It is going to be the best birthday!" So we will see what they have in store. Stay tuned!

Where do I even start?

Ok, so as I mentioned earlier I am NOT a fan of flying, so my first flight to detroit, I didn't take my valium in time and as a result, during take off I just cried. But I lived. Then was my 7 hour flight to Amsterdam, which was very enjoyable beause it was a huge plane and so it was very smoothe. I was in the middle row of the plane and I had 2 empty seats next to me, so that was awesome. I couldn't sleep right away because there were so many movies I wanted to watch(and I did) Charlie St. Cloud, Eat Pray Love and Knight and Day. And then of course Modern Family, How I Met Your Mother and Friends episodes. Amsterdam was exciting because it was snowing!! And I've never seen snow before! Though I didn't get to touch it, I was close enough. I was the only person in the Amsterdam Airport that was wearing flip flops. Even the security lady pointed that out to me. My next gate was a million miles away so once I got there I was exhausted from carrying my 30 lbs backpack and carry on suitcase. I got through the next security, sat down at my gate, and I hear my name over the intercom, so I go to the desk and the lady says" Lauren, you do not have your passport." "Um excuse me?" I ask? " I have it right....OH NO!" The lady said, "Stop looking for it, they found it on the plane and have it at the gate where you got off." Do I  even have time to go back?" I asked. She said yes, so I went as quickly as I could back to my gate which took about 15 minutes and once I got there told them that this gate supposedly had my passport. The guy I talked to looked at me suspiciously and said he can't just give me my passport back. My heart dropped because I thought I wouldn't be able to get it back. He asked for my ticket and I gave it to him. Next thing I know a guy who looks like he works for Obama, eqipped with that earpiece that spirals down his neck. He looked at me, looked at the passport photo, looked at me again and hands it to me and tells me to have a nice flight. WHEW! Satan definitely tried to stop me from coming but of course God is stronger. The lady I sat next to was a Godsend beause she is a Christian and was going to Uganda to meet her daughter who is adopting a Ugandan baby. So we talked the whole flight and she ended up giving me a cross bookmark for my bible and some probiotics. Once we got off the plane we stayed together because we had no idea what we were doing and we were both hopeing whoever was supposed to pick us up, was there holding a sign, and if they weren't we were going to stick together. Once we got off the flight, we stood in the extremely long line for Visas and then walked together to get out baggage and then walked out to about 150 Ugandans holding signs. Luckily, we found ours and parted ways, but we will keep in touch.

My first encounter with an odd insect was in the Uganda airport, and it was something I've never seen before and never want to see again. The guy who picked me up (Collin)  put all my luggage in the van and we headed to the house which was about 45 minutes away from the house. After I told him that he needed to have his lights on he enlightened me that if they can see the road, they don't have to have their lights on, and there is no lines on the road to seperate oncoming traffic. We passed through some poorer parts of the city where there were bars and people outside and piles of trash burning. Flinally after going through the bumpiest road we got to the house, which was at 2am and I went straight to the bed the provided and slept...slept 12 hours until 3pm today which is 7am at home. I sleep under a bunkbed that is covered with mosquito netting. 2 other Americans share a room with me and it is almost like a dorm I feel like. It is just one big family here and I am glad to be apart of  it. It took me awhile to fall asleep because there is no a/c so the windows are open and all I hear are wild dogs barking, goats and some other strange noises, but atfter I did, I woke up around 8am to the team in the next room playing guitar and singing in a Lugandan. There is wifi in the house which is such a blessing. Saturdays and Sundays are free days and we can do whatever we want. Maybe I'll go into the town tomorrow. So far it has been a pleasent journey and such a different world that I am ready to see. I am currently laying on my bed listening to a mosque that is down the street playing ridiculously loud music.

Lauren