Urban Village Life

I had an amazing Sunday this week. It actually started with a bit of a hiccup as I had asked one of the Boda Boda riders to take me to Jordan House (Operation Uganda) but when I walked to his station he wasn’t there. I waited as other passed asking if I needed a lift as they dropped off passengers at the cathedral. Then one pulled up right in front of me dropping off a cathedral attendant, he too asked. I told him if my rider wasn’t here in five minutes I’d go with him and he waited. In the process he said he was born again and was going to church at 2pm so was able to pick and drop of passengers till then. He didn’t know Jordan House but knew the infant school near the turn off.

My rider didn’t come and when I saw him next I realised his English wasn’t that good so maybe he hadn’t understood. I had realised he didn’t understand ‘a quarter to ten’ but I’m now not sure if he understood 9:45 either. Helen later suggested I call about fifteen minutes before I need them so they know it’s for that day and now! A good tip to remember.

I arriving safely and on time was the main thing. Pam was helping in the open air kitchen preparing lunch. Luke, she said, as still in the village carting water and would be here soon, his mother, Nakintu, was already here, eagerly awaiting to meet me, in church. I found her sitting a few rows from the front and was given a warm smile and a bear hug. She has very little English and me with barley any Luganda, our communication was through the universal language of love, we held hands.

Luke eventually arrived in his new trousers, shoes and socks looking very smart as usual. Grinning from ear to ear sitting with his two mums. It was a lovely service with their church singers performing two local songs. I was pleasantly surprised there was a mature woman amongst the girl as well as three guys in the group. Pastor preached this week a word from Luke 5 about hearing the Masters voice.

During the service I kept smelling something like someone had done something in their pants! I looked around but none of the parents seemed to notice. I’m a mothercraft nurse so I know my nose wasn’t playing tricks on me. Eventually I forgot about it and enjoyed the service.

After the service we ate matokae which is made from a type of bananas which are steamed in banana leaves and eaten with a peanut sauce. Pam told me many families only have one meal a day which is made from the staple foods of beans, rice and matokae the peanut sauce providing them with another form of protein. It was after lunch chatting to Luke and his mum (Luke now the interpreter) I noticed a swarm of flies hanging around my foot. OH NO! It had been me I could smell all along! I must have trodden in a little persons droppings outside the gate as I disembarked from the Boda Boda. Ekkkk!! I felt rather embarrassed, took off my old sandal and washed the sole thoroughly prising the muck from between the cracks with a stick as I held it under the running water. All the while I was concerned with the amount of water I was using knowing how limited it was, even though it was just a trickle! I’ll definitely be more careful where I tread next time!

After this mishap, Pam gave me the food staples she had purchased for me from the local market. I then gave them to Luke’s mum who was surprised and delighted. We then walked a little distance through the back streets and between the dwellings to their home.

We entered the compound through a door in a stone wall, passed through a communal cooking area and along a passage between the dwellings which were on either side of the path. The first metal door along a wall on the right hand side was their room. You couldn’t really call it a house it was a large room divided by a curtain which I presume was closing off the sleeping area which seemed to be piled high behind the curtain. In the area just within the door was an old sofa covered with fabric and sagging cushions. Bumped up against this was more belongings behind more fabric coverings with items piled high on top of them.

As we entered Nakintu unravelled a rattan mat for her and the children to sit on and motioned for Pam and me to sit on the sofa. I felt very privileged to have been invited back to their very humble dwelling. I was introduced to her daughter who was a year younger than Luke, Luke’s three year old nephew, Daniel, who was also a sponsor child attending day care. Daniel’s mum one of Luke’s sisters had died during child birth so Daniel was being raised by his grandmother which is a common thing here in Africa. I was also touched by the fact she was also looking after another grandson, Laurance, who was about 13 yrs old and who had just come in from the rural village as he both parents had passed away. He had only completed his second year of primary! There is so much need around us. Family crisis’s like these are very typical of situations all over Africa. Recently I’ve also heard of families in the far north who are from drought stricken areas where they have no food to put on the table. We are so blessed in the west with an overabundance and wastage in many areas it’s such a shame it can’t be redirected and distributed to those in desperate need.

I left feeling delighted that I had the privilege to share with Luke and his family but saddened by the fact that his nephew, Laurance, had not found a sponsor to help him return to school. Education here is such a vital part of getting better paid employment.

Luke and Pam walked me to the edge of the village passing his school along the way. Here a Boda Boda was hailed and I waved my good buys. I passed by the Kasubi Royal Tombs and thought I should come and take a look around them one day. I then recognised I was passing through Henry’s territory. He had pointed it out the radio towers on the hill from the back of Vivian’s place which is also quite high overlooking parts of Kampala.

Speaking about Henry, it was his birthday on Monday the first day of February. Ruth had gone out during the morning to buy him a birthday cake then at 3pm he was asked to assist with something in the classroom and when he entered all sang happy birthday. Henry then passed out the cake and some of the girls were asked to say a few words. Uncle Henry is loved dearly by everyone. He has such a gentle quiet spirit and is very thoughtful and considerate listening to everyone’s concerns.

Friday was another big celebration at Wakisa. Two of the prior Wakisa girls returned to celebrate their graduation from university. Representatives spoke on their behalf sharing their stories of how they had helped the girls through their early years as well as encouraged them through the sponsorship program after Wakisa. The girls also spoke of their time at Wakisa and encouraged the present girls to follow their dreams. Winny, preaching a powerful message of encouragement and how God had changed her life. Vivian also spoke, I could see how proud she was of the girl’s achievement. It was a wonderful testimony to all the hard work she had put into the girls and the success of Wakisa Ministries through the vision God had given her.

On Wednesday, I was back with the girls at Wakisa continuing our topic on Sleep Problems with Babies which was enjoyed by all including Harriot Wakisa’s midwife. She said she has gained so much from sitting in on the classes. Things she hadn’t known as a midwife, which is lovely to hear.

After lunch I set off for a walk to the Makerere University where I meet Steven and his Couchsurfing guest from Taiwan. I must admit I was surprised when I met Fabian who is originally from Colombia, South America. He told me that he had been living and working in Taiwan for the past six years. We sat and chatted about our travel and cross-cultural experiences till Fabian mentioned he was hungry. Steven then took us a backway out of the university towards the Namirinbe Cathedral which was fortunately the way to his home too. On the way we stopped off at several places to see if we could find vegetarian food for Fabian. We eventually found something with local price for plane white rice, matokae and beans which he was very happy with. As we were walking up the hill I began to recognise were we were and left them to walk home.

Thursday afternoon I was back at Operation Uganda to visit Luke and catch up with the Aussie team. It was interesting to hear some of their stories. During the holidays they have a community program for the children which includes games. Their morning starts around 8am till midday and resumes at 2pm till 5pm. This afternoon they had a treasure hunt which basically meant the staff hid lollies around the grounds while the children were outside the gates waiting for them to open at 2pm. At first the younger children where let in to hunt for the lollies before being taken out of the way so as not to be trampled by the bigger kids when they were let in. It was then a stampede! Children tearing down the slope to try and find as many lollies as possible before they were all taken. I took photos as they entered the gate, I couldn’t believe the cloud of dust they threw up as they charged towards us. It was a lot of fun.

Luke eventually needed to leave to buy his mum’s tomatoes from the market which she then sold in the village to make a living for her family. She also has 20 chickens for eggs, I’m impressed with her business skills. I was then offered a lift back to the cathedral by Rob and Natalie who were passing that way on route home.

Photos:   1. A vine growing in the back lane   2. Luke with his two mums   3. Lunch at church with pastor and youth pastor   4. Pam and Luke outside the compound   5. Luke’s family home   6. Luke outside his high school   7. Henry’s party   8. Peace and Winny’s graduation party   9. Vivian speaking to the girls   10. Girls lining up for food   11. Couchsurfers     12. Operation Uganda community program   13. Treasure hunt stampede   14. Befriended

Prayer & Praise Points:
Thank You Lord for all the opportunity you have given me here in Uganda. The open hearts, generosity and companionship you have brought my way.

Thank You again for bringing Luke, my sponsor child, into my life and privilege of meeting him and his family while I’m here.

Praise the Lord for organisations such as Operation Uganda and Wakisa Ministries who minister into the lives of many young people in need. Praise Him for the dedicated staff, volunteers, supporters and sponsor parents who bring hope in practical and spiritual ways to these communities.

Praise the Lord Luke did very well in his exams and is now able to enter the last years of high school before, God willing, fulfilling his dreams of becoming a lawyer. Please pray that I will also be able to continue to support him through his further education.

Praise the Lord my sleep has been improving, please continue to pray that the Lord may totally restore my ability to sleep well.

Please pray for Erik my Boda Boda friend who I haven’t seen around for a few weeks and have just found out his motorbike was stolen. Pray that the Lord will turn this around and provide him with an even better job. He is a Christian musician.

Pray that I might continue to have His wisdom and leading for the remaining time here in Uganda.

Please continue to praise Him for my general good health, provision and protection especially as we approach the national elections next week.

Please continue to pray for peace to prevail in Uganda as the country goes to the voting polls on this week.  May there be peace and may God provide an upright man who will bring positive change to Uganda.

Please also pray that I might find a house sit or something similar from the end of March as I may not be able to stay at my mother’s house indefinitely during my stay in Perth. I will not be needing something long term as I plan to be in and out of Perth on several trips during the year.

Mum’s health is stable praise the Lord. She has just had to put her long-time companion Sam, her Cavalier King Charles spaniel down due to age. Please keep mum in your prayers as she grieves his loss.