Back in Canada! (by: Alyssa)

Hey ya'll! :)

Just letting ya know that we are officially back in Canada! We landed in the Toronto Airport today at 12:30 Canadian time, which was actually 7:30 pm Ugandan time. It was soooo weird to gain 7 hours of time! I am still confused as to how that all works! Right now, it's 8:30 Canadian time, which is 3:30 am Ugandan time! So, i will definitely be heading to bed soon as I am pretty tired! I am staying in hotel tonight with my family and we will be driving back to Ottawa tomorrow morning.

Much love!! <3
Alyssa

Saying goodbye is never any easy thing to do (by: Emily)

Today is the day Alyssa and I have to say goodbye to all of the children and get all packed up to go back to Canada. Our plane takes off at 10:40pm today, and we're getting back to Canada at 12:30pm Sunday! We're going back in time 7 hours, so that will be kind of fun! I'm getting very excited for the plane ride...I actually have been all week! I'm not excited because I really want to go home or anything like that...because I will be sad to leave...but I'm excited because 1) planes are just really fun and 2) I'll have a LOT of time to think, journal, and just try to start processing what happened the last month of my life! It will take us hopefully only a few hours to get to the airport, then we have 16 hours in the air and a 5 hour layover in Belgium. We're not leaving for the airport until 2:30pm today, so I will have time to get my things organized and all packed up.

So much has happened here and my eyes have been opened to things I've never ever thought of before. God has taught me so much, and I know I'm still learning more and more through it all. Coming to Africa has been the best thing I've ever done. Not because I'm a great person and I made a drastic impact in people's lives, but rather because these people impacted me and changed my heart more than I ever would've thought. I knew that coming here was going to be amazing, but I never dreamed it would've been this great. God is so good, and I'm so thankful for this experience.

Oh, and just a quick sidenote for Greenwood and all who gave us support/prayer for the trip:
What you have given has really helped these people and these children, more than we can explain on this blog. We will definitely talk about it when we're back, but for now, just know that whatever you gave significantly changed someone's life. Heather and Ray Peake, we are SO thankful for all the help you gave for getting donations for the orphanage and all of your support and advice!

In awe...thankful...excited...content...
Em
p.s. I can't wait to see y'all soon! Especially my little sis, Becca! I love you SO much! To everyone who has supported me over this trip and sent encouraging messages or chatted with my online or taken a second to pray....I'm so thankful for all of you! Each time I got a message from you I got really excited and I've felt so loved and encouraged by you all over the last month. I love you and I'm so thankful for all of you amazing people in my life!!! Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!

More about yesterday :) (by: Alyssa)

Hey!

Well, as Em said, today is our last official full day here at Amani. I can't quite believe it - our time has really flown by!

Thanks Emmy for writing such a beautiful blog about our African family :) It really captures the love that was felt yesterday while we visited them on their front porch. I definitely agree that getting to know them was one of my highlights of the trip. It really made me smile when they told us that if we ever come back to Uganda (and they reallly want us to!), we shouldn't stay at Amani, but we should stay with them! haha, they are so great.
One thing that came to mind and really struck me when we were visiting with that family was the fact that Canada is so financially rich, but Uganda is so rich in every other way. And really, when it comes down to it, this trip has made me realize that financial richness is so much less significant. Uganda is culturally rich, with dancing and singing all the time, so spiritually rich (they really trust God to provide for their needs, and he is so much a part of their every day life. Even the craft stores here all have Christian titles, like "Faith and Crafts" and "God is my Companion Craft Store) and even the colours of the landscape are richer! I'm convinced that the sky is never this blue and the trees are never this green in Canada. Everything is so much more beautiful here - even the people, as Em and I were discussing yesterday. Like the women here have flawless skin, and don't even grow hair on their legs! haha! Plus, they can pull of the "bald look" better than any caucasian person I've ever met! :)

Last night tucking the girls in was really special. I love helping to put their diapers on, and finding little outfits for them to sleep in. Although they tend to go a little wild at night, they are so precious. Last night, one of the older girls, F, was singing to herself, so I started singing along with her, and it was the song "Every Move I Make (Waves of Mercy, Waves of Grace)". I have no idea how she knew that song, but it was so cute to hear her sing it, as she kind of "modified" the words when she didn't know all of them.

Well, I've gotta go for my last day of preschool! :)
Much love, see ya'll soon!
Alyssa

African Family (by: Emily)

It's my final FULL day here at Amani Baby Cottage. So much has happened in these last few weeks...more than can be expressed in a blog like this. Precious moments may have been highlighed, but things that I've learned (like JOY...) are so close to my heart I can't really express them in words here.

One heart melting moment was yesterday when we said goodbye to our African mother and family. I've come to love how welcoming and hospitable these people are. Even though we haven't known this family too long, ever since our first meeting, we loved them...they're our brothers and sisters in Christ! Saying goodbye to them was no easy thing to do. We were there for a couple hours and our African mother made us some casava (it's a root that is boiled with a LOT of salt) and African tea. She gave us so much casava that we actually couldn't finish it all, and I am not a big tea person, so my kind-hearted sister Alyssa drank what I couldn't finish. I noticed that when we got there she got a big mat for us to sit on and she brought out her best dishes for us to use even when she was using something that wasn't so nice to eat hers from. We were given the best and they just showered us with love, which was what we were trying to do to them! There was a whole lot of love in that place yesterday! We met a couple of our brothers that we did not get to meet until then...Herman and Becca (yep...that's his name!) We even went through a whole photo album of their life and got to hear lots of wonderful stories about their family (and well...ours too!) Before we left, Becca (the brother) asked to pray for us and we all held hands and it was just so beautiful. Then Alyssa prayed for them, and it was such a loving family moment that I will forever cherish. We took pictures with our African family and there were many hugs given and words of love exchanged. They really want us to come visit again, but next time they want to open their home to us instead of us staying at Amani. They are such kind-hearted, loving, hospitable, joyful people....Alyssa and I both agree that meeting them was one of the best parts of the trip. I'm going to miss my African mother and sisters and brothers.

We put the kids to bed last night...I was getting the little boys all tucked in with a bedtime story and then we prayed together again. One thing that was really precious was being in the girls room after the boys were tucked in (the girls always seem to take a bit longer...maybe they're a tad crazier at bedtime..haha..that's why I like the boys...). I started singing "Jesus Loves Me" and the whole room went quiet and the girls started to sing along. I put all of their names in the part that goes "Yes Jesus loves ___, Yes Jesus loves____...." and on and on...they loved it a lot! When we just turned the lights off and the girls were going crazy, I started to sing the song again and the girls went quiet. It was just one of those heart melting precious moments that I'm not going to forget!

Much Love,
Em

Heart Melter Moments with Mama Kathryn and Prayer Time with the Kids! (by: Emily)

Yesterday evening I was outside playing a little guitar when mama Kathryn heard me and starting dancing and laughing. I thought that was so sweet. When I came inside later she asked me if I would sing a song for her. I got out the guitar once again and played a couple of songs. I was very surprised she knew both of them! She says she LOVES the music and just hearing music makes her sleep well at night. We talked about how music is such a part of the culture here, even the kids love the music at such a young age! It's beeeauitful! I love the music and the dancing so much! After I played for mama Kathryn, I went to put the guitar away and she gave me a huge hug and said "I love you". That's another precious moment that I never want to forget. It just felt so special, I really love her a lot! We had a good chat awhile ago about life and her childhood and everything...I have learned so much about this amazing JOYFUL woman! She is one of the woman here I look to for encouragement because her JOY gets me so excited all the time!

I also had a precious moment when tucking the little boys into bed last night. Once again, the one little boy (sorry...I can't use their names on here!) asked me, "Auntie, can you pray?" So, all of the boys said "hands together, eyes closed" and we all prayed together before bed. I love the little boys here so much!!! Even when we went to town yesterday on our last outing and my little "sweetheart k" prayed for the food. I love when the children pray...they say something and then we repeat it..she said, "hands together...eyes closed...Dear Jesus, thank you for our cake, thank you for our soda, in Jesus Name, AMEN!!!!" And then, after amen, they always clap their hands and get excited! It's SO precious! I love to ask the little children to pray because their prayers are so genuine and just right to the point...but so precious because they mean it with their whole heart.

I'm excited for today! It's our day off and we're going to visit the family we met...our African mother! That's going to be a lot of fun!!!

One weird thing that happened...I woke up yesterday with these weird little bumps all over. Alyssa thinks it's some kind of rash, but Grace said that it might be fleas!!! I REALLY hope it's a rash and NOT fleas! Thank you Ruth-Ann for packing Alyssa with that cream for rashes, bites, and allergic reactions! It helps a LOT!

Thankful for a NEW day to LOVE!
Em

Update from Moi! (by: Alyssa)

Hey!

Em and I are once again at the internet cafe writing at the same time... :)

Today, an adoptive mom will be arriving to visit with her children and get some of the last paperwork done for the adoption. Two kids from Amani are getting adopted together and although they don't really understand what is going on, it is very exciting!! I keep thinking about how the lives of these two kids are going to be completely different so soon (obviously in a positive way!) and they have no idea what kind of changes they're in for. One of the kids knows a bit more of what's happening than the other and when you ask her who's coming today, she says "Mommy". So precious. Adopting is definitely something that's been on my heart during my time here. There are so many kids that I want to take home with me now! But unfortunately, it's not such an easy process. I don't know what God has for me and my future, but if the opportunity to adopt was possible and do-able, I can definitely see myself doing that at some point.

This morning was our second last day of preschool, and although it was chaotic, it went well overall. I am really trying to cherish these last few days. We took the preschoolers on a walk after snack and even though it's a short walk around the block, it's one of their favorite things to do. I love watching their expressions as they see different things along the way, like cows, goats, "ka-ka y cow" (cow poo) and cars. When they see a car, they always say in unison "Moto-car!"

I can't believe I'm in the last stretch of my time here at Amani. I have mixed feelings about leaving and I know I'm going to miss the kids a lot - just being able to hug and kiss them all the time, and hearing their sweet voices. I am also looking forward to going back to Canada though, and for Camp Iawah, which is where I'll be spending the rest of my summer. God has taught me a lot while I've been here, and I know that learning is a process... I am excited to see what else he'll teach me this summer through leading ILT at camp.

Today, we will go on our last outing with two of the older girls, which will be really fun as our last one. We will take them to "Ozzy's", like usual, which is our favorite place because it's so inexpensive, and the kids love it.

With MUCH Kwagala, (if that even makes sense, haha)

Alyssa

Sweetheart K (by: Emily)

Precious moment today- I held my little "Sweetheart k" in my arms today and I told her that I am leaving on Saturday. She looked at me with the most beautiful big brown eyes and loving smile and said "Auntie, I come too?" I tried to explain to her that Canada is very far away, but of course, my little sweetie didn't understand. I love her SO much! I've come to love so many of the children here, but of all the children I've held and loved, little "sweetheart k" is the girl I want to bring home! She melts my heart every time I look at her and I so badly wish I could bring her home. I know I can't though, and I'm just going to hope a loving family adopts her before she's too old to stay at Amani. She is such a heart melter! Alyssa and I are going on our last outing today, and we're allowed to take anyone we want...so, I'm taking my little sweetie! Alyssa is taking my little girl's closest friend here and the four of us are going out for chocolate cake! Then, we're going to walk around town for a bit and just LOVE these little girls as much as we can before we have to bring them back.

I don't really feel like myself these days...I don't know what to think about leaving! I mean, I'm definitely sad...but it will be nice to go home. It's like I'm not super sad about leaving or super excited about going home, but rather I'm just content that I have another day here in this beautiful country! I am so thankful for the opportunity I've had to come here, and each day that I have left is going to be another day that I'll forever cherish. So, basically...I'm not sad...I'm not excited...I'm content with where I am right at this moment and so thankful that I have another day to love these little children and continue to learn what JOY really means. I just can't be sad when I know that wherever I go and whatever I do will be great because this real-deal JOY comes from Christ alone...this life I'm living is not for me, I'm living for Jesus Christ my Saviour and best friend. I just can't be sad....The JOY of the Lord is my strength!

Loving every moment and thankful for a new day!
Em

Preschooool and other things (by: Alyssa)

Hey! :)

I know it's time for me to write another post, but I really don't know what to write about.... There is just so much I could say!
Yesterday, preschool was pretty crazy! Before this week, we always had a break between the first hour of preschool and the second, but now we don't have that break anymore because they want us to try something new during the kids' snack. Apparently some of the parents who have adopted kids from here have noticed that they have no concept of how to carry their plate to the table because they are always just handed their plate at Amani. So, we had them line up, pick up their plate (with 2 cookies on it), walk it to the table and sit down. They actually did pretty well overall! :) Although, one kid was holding his plate at a really strange angle and his cookies help falling onto the floor and breaking.

One thing I've noticed that has been interesting is that there is definitely a difference in some areas of what these kids know and have been exposed to, and what kids in families (back home) know and have been exposed to. Like, for example, yesterday, one of the volunteers was painting the girls' fingernails and one of the boys just didn't understand why he couldn't get his painted too! Em was trying to explain that there are some things that girls do that boys don't, and there are some things that boys do that girls don't. We were talking later about how even something like make-up is probably something that the boys here have never really seen because few of the volunteers wear it, and the mamas don't wear it either, at least not much.

The rainstorm last night was SOOOO beautiful. Em and I just ran outside and got drenched, and it was sweet :)
We have been eating lots and lots of chapati here! It's pretty much like a fried pita and is really delicious! It's also SO cheap - like the equivalent of 10cents per pita! We are going to try to find a recipe and make it when we get back to Canada, but i highly doubt it'll be as good!

Gotta go to start up preschool for the day!
Much love,
Alyssa

Grasshopper Fun (by: Emily)

Last night a few of us decided to do something adventurous...well...maybe it doesn't seem adventurous, but I'm not always brave enough to try "interesting" foods. Grace, Megan, and Tarrah were eating grasshoppers and Grace remembered me saying I wanted to try one too! So, they picked up some from the market and we each held onto our grasshopper getting ready to put it into our mouth... I don't think I would've freaked out as much until I looked at it and saw the little black eyes staring at me...that was gross! We all put them in our mouths and it was much different than I expected. I was told they were salty and tasted like a pretzel, but they tasted fishy and the body was kind of hollow so as you bit down it all just caved in. I didn't chew it very much...I ended up swallowing a big chunk of it whole. It was a very interesting experience....and I don't think it tastes like a pretzel!!!

Another fun thing that happened yesterday evening was a beautiful rain storm! Alyssa and I ran through the grass and sang and danced...it was SO much fun! I absolutely love the rain...especially African RAIN!

African Church Service! (by: Emily)

I met a wonderful woman who works at Amani this weekend. It was really sweet getting to chat with her because we're almost the same age...I'm 19 and she's 20! Our birthdays are even a couple of days apart! It was neat getting to hear about her life and how different it is from mine. She has a beautiful voice! We were singing together into the night and she was teaching me some new songs -both Lugandan and English! She was such an encouragement to my heart! A few of us from Amani ended up going to her church yesterday, which was a very cool experience! It's definitely very different than my church back home. People were dancing and singing and no one was standing still! They were all SO friendly and we were welcomed and greeted by a lot of wonderful people!

One thing that is very different about Africa is the fact that they seem to have no concept of time. Church was supposed to start at 8:00am, but by the time it started it was closer to 8:30am. The next service started at 10:00am, so we expected that we would get out at least 10 minutes earlier so that the new people could come in. NOPE! The first 8:00am service went from 8:30am until around 10:45am! There were a lot of people waiting around the church outside because there were no seats as the first service was still going on! I thought it was kind of funny because all of the people waiting for the 10:00am service already heard a lot of the message from our 8:00am service! The church itself was different than a typical church back home. Most churches I've been to are in a building with at least 4 walls and a roof. This church had a tin roof with no walls. The floor was just dirt, and because there were no walls, I noticed a few chickens wandering around during the service! I couldn't help but smile as I was loving the JOY of all the people I met and their excitement to worship Jesus!

I can't believe I have less than a week left to take all of this in!!! I'm going to be really sad to leave, but I'm looking forward to seeing y'all when I'm home!

Much Love,
Em

A Week Left to Cherish (by: Emily)

A WEEK FROM TODAY AND I'LL BE LEAVING ON A PLANE TO GO BACK TO CANADA! I cannot believe the time is flying so quickly!!!!!!!!!!!

Today was so much fun! As Alyssa said, we took the kids on a swimming outting and they had a LOT of fun! The girl I brought is such a sweetheart and I absolutely adore her! She was so excited to go swimming, but when we got there she was very scared in the water. I totally understand her fear since these children aren't used to being in the water. When we first got there I cried a lot...I took my shoes off to go into the pool and I had a whole bunch of huge ants bitting at me feet...it stung a lot and I think I scared my little girl when she saw her auntie crying! I am very thankful she didn't get bitten though! It was not a pleasant experience!

I decided to come into town today to call my family. I haven't talked to my dad since I was back home! On my way here, I met a very interesting boda driver. I was very clear that I didn't want a ride, but he didn't seem to get my determination to walk...and then he asked me to marry him! Don't be alarmed, marriage proposals are quite common here. They don't really mean too much since they don't even know you...it was interesting for sure. I tried to be polite...but it's just so weird to me how bold these people are to say whatever is on their mind. It's definitely a new adventure here every day!

Kwagala,

Em

Puppet Show and Swimming! (by: Alyssa)

Hey!

Today marks "one week left" in Africa :( It makes me really sad to think that all of this is soon coming to an end.

Em already told you about us going to see that family again. :) It was really special - they gave us their email and said that if we're ever back in Uganda, we should contact them. We brought some of our leftover food with us when we went to see them, and one thing was a package of rice. When we gave it to them, they we so grateful and said "Should we boil it or steam it??" They thought we brought it to them so they could cook it for us! And they were totally willing! Obviously we told them that they could keep the rice for later :P

Yesterday, it was raining a bit in the afternoon, and the volunteers were stuck with no ideas of what to entertain the kids with. We tried watching a movie, but the DVD didn't work, so Em suggested we do a puppet show! It was HILARIOUS - not really for the kids, but for us! haha! They kids were midly entertained, and Em and I were killing ourselves laughing :P First, we tried to make a little play about a bunch of kids at Amani who learned that it's best to listen to their aunties, haha! Then, we reennacted the Lion King, using lion puppets, giraffe puppets, and a bunch of others. Finally, we attempted to do the story of the three little pigs, except we didn't have any pig puppets, so we used a cat, a sheep and a little doll. Definitely a memorable time.

This morning, we went on a big group outing with most of the preschoolers, each volunteer responsible for one. It was our first time going to the pool with them (we use the pool of a nearby hotel) and they absolutely loved it! Some of them were a bit scared at first, but they warmed up to it eventually. The little girl I took was pretty much fearless - she wanted to swim on her own, even though she didn't know how! And she was jumping without hesitation into my arms off the side of the pool. There was also some kind of graduation ceremony happening at the same time and there was some really loud music playing that the kids were dancing to. They are SO funny when they dance. Like Em has written in many blog entries, music is in their blood here in Africa, and even the little ones understand rhythms pretty well. :)

Tomorrow, Em and I are going to try to go to two church services, as it's our last sunday and we want to experience as much as we can!

To HIM be the glory!
Much love,
Alyssa

African Mother! (and more music fun!!!) by: Emily

I can't believe it will be a week tomorrow until we leave to go back to Canada! The time seems to be passing so quickly...and I really don't want to leave yet!

Yesterday afternoon during my lunch break, I met a new friend named Peter. He is probably the most amazing guitar playing ever! AND...his voice is amazing! He performs a lot in Uganda with different bands and for different churches. It was really fun getting to hear him play! He taught me a Lugandan song and a couple of songs he wrote himself!!! We also did a duet which sounded SWEET when we harmonized together...ahhh..I'm just loving the music here! He promised to come back next week to teach me some more, so I'm looking forward to that!

Alyssa and I also did some music with the preschoolers this morning! We got out the drums, tambourines, and shakers and Alyssa and I took turns playing guitar! The kids loved it! One thing I thought that was really funny was when I played the song "Beautiful" by Phil Wickham. It's not really a song for little kids...and not very good for dancing! BUT...it's a beautiful song and they wanted to hear more. I've been missing my wonderful friend STEPH DAIGLE like crazy...so this song made me think of her! The kids loved singing the "oooo" part. I thought it was funny how into the "ooo"s this one boy was getting, and then I realized he was saying "moo" when he asked me to keep singing about the cow! I thought that was really funny because the song is all about how beautiful God is..."I see your face in EVERY sunrise"...but the kids were all saying "moo". We ended up doing all of the animal sounds..."meow"..."woof"..."oink"...etc. It was pretty fun!! I LOVE THE MUSIC!

Today was really fun because we got to visit a family that we met a couple weeks ago. The mother, Harriet, is one of the most joyful women I have ever met! Harriet is so precious...she wanted us to take a picture of her so that we could show our friends back home our "African mother". Her family is so hospitable!!! They once again welcomed us with open arms and even when we weren't chatting, it was nice to just sit in their company. They taught us how to make the African beads out of paper that Alyssa and I have always wondered about! It was very exciting!!!

Alyssa is waiting for me outside...we have to get back for afternoon activities! I better go!

Much Love,
Em

JOY (and precious moments that my heart will forever treasure) by:Emily

I feel like so many of my blogs have been about joy...and you all probably don't want to hear it again...BUT, I'm learning more about it than ever before! I never really understood what joy was until I came here...these people have JOY!!! Joy is so not about circumstances or about what we have. Joy doesn't depend on anything but Jesus Christ. I'm not perfect at this whole joy thing yet, but I'm realizing that these mamas aren't always joyful because of circumstances in their lives or what they own...they are joyful soley because they know Jesus. I'm so in awe of this joy... and I'm praying for the real-deal JOY every day!

A couple of things I want to share:

1) Music!!!
I'm really loving how God is using music for me to just show these children love! We got a chance yesterday to get the guitar out again and we put on a little show for the kids. Alyssa and I took turns playing for them...it was so precious. This might sound dumb...but I thought I might cry because it really touched my heart to see how much they enjoyed the music. They sang when they knew the songs, and if they didn't know the songs, they would just pretend or clap their hands. At the very end I told them I had a special treat for them. I played a song for them with all of their names in it and something special about each child. They absolutely loved it...even though I didn't always know what to say (I didn't write this song ahead of time, I made it up on the spot). They really enjoyed it and I could tell each child felt so special! Even the mamas were loving it...I've never seen them laugh so hard! I sang a part for each of them too!

Earlier that day, Alyssa and I had some manduzi (NO IDEA how to spell that...it's kind of like a plain doughnut here) and we shared with the kids in preschool. They all love their sweeties! It was really cute seeing them so excited about the manduzi..and they were just all sitting and eating it when I burst into song about manduzi. It was just a silly song about how "I love manduzi, it is so yummy, I love manduzi, oh yummy yummy" and then "yummy yummy...in my tummy...yummy yummy OH OH manduzi!" It may seem crazy to you...but the kids got into it and LOVED it. They were dancing around and seeing along! Alyssa recorded me singing it with the kids after and I had a "microphone" (a small toy I found) and I got each of the kids to take a turn to sing into it!!! I know you all probably think I'm nuts...but I love to sing and I am all about making music...and the kids don't mind my corniness one bit!!!

We also taught the kids a couple of songs. One of the songs the kids absolutely ADORE. We read the kids a Bible story about the man named Zacheus and then taught them the song and the actions to go along with it. Now when I'm with the kids some of them just burst into song and they love the part when you yell... "ZACHEUS COME DOWN FROM THERE...cause I'm going to your house today..cause I'm going to your house today!"

I am just loving the music here...it seems like there's a song for everything! If they're sad, happy, or just being super cute...there's a song for them!

2) Bedtime
One of the most precious moments I've experienced this far was getting to put the kids to bed. I've only got to do this once because the mamas usually do it, but last night there wasn't enough mamas so we all helped out. It was really chaotic as they were all getting bathed, changed into pajamas, and then getting their teeth brushed...but the actually bedtime melted my heart. I went over and gave them a little kiss on their cheeks and one little boy said in the sweetest voice, "Auntie, can you pray for me?" Okay...those words MELTED my heart. It was at that moment when I was thinking...I just never want to ever leave Africa! These kids are too precious!!! I got to pray with a couple of other children and tell a little bedtime story. Kisses were blown and hugs were given...it was such a loving moment and one of my favourite parts of the trip so far!

Much Love,
Em

Wonderful Weekend! (by: Alyssa)

Hey Everyone!

So, Em and I got the chance this weekend to go on a Safari! I'm just going to give a brief summary of what we did. We went with a group of volunteers from the orphanage and it was from Thursday afternoon - Sunday night. Really, the only "safari" day was Saturday, but there was A LOT of travelling involved throughout the rest of the weekend. We went to Murchison Falls National Park, which is about 7-8 hours away from where we are staying in Uganda. Plus, we had to go to Kampala first, which is the capital of Uganda, because that is where we stayed on Thursday night. Getting to Kampala wasn't too hard, but getting to the Red Chilli Hostel (Red Chilli was our safari company) was QUITE the adventure, as I had forgotten to write down the directions! My bad! So, we got a little lost and it was a littttle stressful, but eventually we arrived! :) We left early on Friday morning to drive to Murchison Falls, and arrived at about 4 pm. We then hung out that night and went to bed early because we were exhausted! We slept in two-person tents that had BEDS in them, which was definitely a nice surprise, and there were warthogs(Pumba!) just chilling all around the campsite. Saturday, we left very early for our 4 hour game drive, which was definitely a huge highlight. We saw lots of different animals and it was so sweet to experience them in their natural environment. My favorite was probably the giraffes - such beautiful and graceful creatures. We also went on a boat trip saturday afternoon and on that trip we saw lots of hippos, elephants and a few crocodiles. :)
Sunday was our last day, and on our way home, we stopped to see the actual Murchison falls and that was INCREDIBLE and breath-taking. Then we departed for the trip home, which felt like it took forever, but we got to see a lot of Ugandan people in their villages, as well as many different types of landscape. All in all, the weekend was definitely worth it, and now it's good to be back with the kids! It was so precious seeing them run up to us when we got back, saying "Auntie, Auntie!" :)
I'm not feeling 100% today, so I'm taking a bit of time off, but hopefully I'll be back to normal tomorrow!
Much love!
Alyssa

Time for a Song! (by: Emily)

SO, a guy who works as the guard here for Amani was nice enough to loan me his extra guitar! I didn't realize he wanted me to use it for awhile, so yesterday I brought it down to give it back to him but all the kids saw me with it first. There eyes went SO wide and they got SOOOOOOOO excited! I don't know if anyone from the orphanage has played guitar for them before, or not very often at least! They all wanted to hear Alyssa and I play, so we took turns playing some songs we know. We didn't know any kids songs on guitar off the top of our head, but the kids loved anything we played! Even though they weren't exactly dancing and clapping songs that we knew, the kids were dancing like crazy and it was hard to sing and not burst into laughter. It was honestly one of the sweetest pictures so far. It melted my heart to see how much they loved hearing us play...even though we're both not experts or anything! Even when I made a mistake, they didn't notice or care one bit... they just loved the music! I'm noticing that the Africans are all about the music...and I LOVE the music too! I'm hoping to bring out the guitar again sometime soon! Maybe I'll stop by the internet cafe later and look up chords for some fun children songs! I haven't seen those kids get that excited yet! Well, except when they're being brought to town for their chocolate cake outing! Music, music, music.... I'm loving the music!!!!!

It's a new day! (by: Emily)

It's my lunch break on Monday and I decided to go to town to quickly check my e-mail. On the way here, I was once again amazed by Africa and the people here. I always feel like I'm being watched....it's almost like I'm a celebrity or something...well, maybe not quite that crazy, but people are definitely looking at me! I am becoming friends with some of the children here in the town, and I saw one of the boys today. That put a huge smile on my face! You are definitely treated much differently here for being a mzungu. For one thing, there is an African price and a Mzungu price. There are actually signs up for things that will say the African price and the Mzungu price. If you go to a store or take a boda boda or anything they will always try to charge you more for being a mzungu. I'm happy that I finally know how much I should pay and when I'm being ripped off big time. I'm not really a fan of this extra attention...I'm really not used to it! But I mean, who is used to people wanting to come up to you and touch your skin or your hair? It's definitely weird for me at times!

I'm getting used to all of the things that used to make me pull my camera out and get me squealing with excitement! I've stopped taking pictures of goats, cows, and chickens on the roads. I've also come to enjoy the geicos that crawl on the walls of the guest house I sleep in. I'm just really enjoying everything about Africa.

Every afternoon when the children wake up from their nap they either have activity time or one on one outing time with an auntie or uncle (that's what they call us..cute, eh??) Alyssa wants to do slip and slide with the kids today, so we'll have to see how that goes! I'm sure they'll love it! I love just playing with the kids...it's so much fun! All you have to down is sit down and almost instantly you will be covered in babies...they will circle you and jump on you and all want to sit on your lap. The girls (and even a couple of the boys) LOVE doing my hair! It is usually a very painful process as they attempt to braid and twist my hair...I actually saw one of the boys run off with a fistful of my hair on Sunday. But, I know they love it so I let them play with it for a bit! I may end up with dreads one of these days though...they sure make lots of tangles and knots..haha! I love these kids!

Oh, and mom and dad. Just thought I'd throw this out there. I've met a couple who is your age and has kids who are grown up and going off to university...and, they're adopting a little boy from Amani! SO...if you happen to want me to bring a little baby home...let me know;) (don't worry, I'm just joking!)...it's actually a very long process to adopt...way more complicated than I ever imagined before! Especially if you're from Canada...it's a much quicker process for Americans!

Speaking of Americans... I LOVE them! They're so much fun! They all say the craziest things here...and it's started to rub off on me!

I'm loving this place and never wanting to leave!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Em

Church and the Source of the Nile (by: Alyssa)

Heyyy!

Today, we decided to check out a different church called "Acacia Community Church" with a bunch of the other volunteers. This church was a little further away, so we took bodas to get there, and it was kind of scary because I had no idea if my driver was taking me to the right place, and we lost the rest of the group for awhile. We brought kids with us too, and I brought little N who was very well behaved throughout the service :) I really enjoyed this church - It's outdoor, on the Pastor's lawn, and they don't have any instruments for worship but they have big speakers that they play music from and we sing along. We sat under an avocado tree and the Pastor warned us jokingly at the beginning of the sermon to try and not get hit by one!

Weird coincidence/story - I was talking to a lady that was at church this morning and later she came by to Amani. She told me she is trying to adopt two girls from Uganda but because she is Canadian, she has to live in Uganda for three years. I asked her where in Canada she's from and she said Ottawa, Ontario! And I said "No way! Me too!" It turns out, she is from ORLEANS (lives in Chapel Hill), went to GLOUCESTER HIGH (same as me!) and graduated the year before I started grade 9!! What a small world!

Then, this afternoon, we took a boat tour to the "Source of the Nile". It cost 70,000 shillings to rent the boat (after we bartered) but it was only 5,000 each because there were 14 of us, so that's only 2.50 each! :) It was raining a bit when we started the tour so the "Captain" got us a "tented boat" :P It was covered with something more like a tarp with holes in it, but after all, this is Africa! The guide pointed out each different type of bird that we saw on our way and always made sure to get the Captain to turn the boat around if we missed seeing something. Although usually by the time we turned around, the bird was gone. :P The Source of the Nile itself isn't tooooo impressive, but it was fun to take the boat out there! One of the girls said "This is the same Nile that Moses drifted down in a basket!" Prettty cool! :D

Much love!
Alyssa

Dress-up! (by: Alyssa)

Hey!

Preschool was pretty crazy today! There are lots of volunteers gone to visit a village today so we didn't have many workers, which seemed to create a bitttttt of chaos! Oh well, we got through it :) Eventually, we rounded the kids up in a circle and the mamas sang some songs with them. There's a really cute song in english that they like to sing. It's kind of a song/game, and involves the kids running around the circle and then coming into the middle and wiggling their hips! It's SUPER adorable!

Yesterday, during activity time, we decided to pull out the dress-up clothes (Amani has a huge storage bin of them!), which the kids LOVED. There weren't a whole lot of male costumes - mostly just dresses and such, so the boys were running up to us with dresses asking us if they could wear them, haha! We just couldn't say no :P .... The most hilarious thing was a little 4 year old boy wearing a ballerina costume and a huge sun hat! And by the end of the afternoon, some of the kids had taken off some of the costumes and were running around in their underwear or diapers, as well as a few accessories. Little D had on his underwear, some fairy wings and a necklace, haha!!

That's it for now :)
Much love!

Alyssa

The Pearl of Africa (by: Emily)

Indescrible....

that's what today felt like! During our lunch break when the kids were napping, a few of us headed off to a placed called Bugagali falls. My friend Megan and I shared a bodda there and back. The bodda ride was my favourite part I think. First of all, I just love riding boddas!!! Secondly, I got to see a lot more than I usually get to at the orphanage and around town. We went way out of the central city with the town and passed villages. I saw people living in huts made of sticks and mud and I saw children playing and laughing at little things they could find to amuse themselves. I saw so much lush vegetation and rolling hills and a lake...the view was breathtaking. Even when we got to the falls and saw the rapids and the rolling hills behind I was left standing in awe! Uganda is known as the "pearl of Africa" as it has such lush vegetation...a lot of people think of sand and desert areas when they think of Africa...Uganda is nothing like that. It's full of trees and rivers and long grass and beautiful flowers....it is absolutely amazing!!!!

Nkwagala Nyo,
Em

JOY (by: Emily)

It's been a very interesting week so far! We finally got sick, but everything here is still wonderful!

I don't have time to say very much. The thing that touched my heart was the Ugandan family we visited yesterday. We were just walking down the street on our day off and we ended up visiting a wonderful family. They taught us a couple African songs and we taught them one as well. It really touched my heart and I was so encouraged by the family and their faith. Just hearing the mother's story about how she was abandoned as a child and lived as a street child was super heart breaking and also a reflection of the situation so many other children I've met are in. Despite everything she's been through, she never once complained or asked for anything. They were all sitting on the ground but wanted Alyssa and I to have chairs. OH, and a funny story! I told Alyssa my foot was falling asleep at one point and the mom thought I was saying I was tired and wanted to clear a spot for me to have a nap! It was a challenge trying to explain that expression..haha...I'll have to be more careful with my choice of words next time! They were a very sweet family and we promised we'd come back and visit again. I'm very excited for that!

We find a boy on the sidewalk just lying there and Alyssa was afraid he was dead. We discovered after a lot of asking around that he had been sniffing something. I was so shocked! He was lying on the sidewalk of the main street and there was nothing we could really do except leave him a juice box and cookie.

We also met a whole bunch of beautiful sisters! They were all lying in a ditch...and one by one they all came out! Alyssa and I were amazed by how many could fit down there! We had a lot of fun with those girls!

We've been meeting a lot of great people, and their joy is so encouraging and so contagious! I love Africa!!! I love the JOY!

Much love,

Em

I never know what to title these blogs :) (by: Alyssa)

Hey!

Monday night we welcomed three new volunteers and Friday, two more will be arriving. The majority of the volunteers are from the United States, and it's fun learning things that they do and say differently even though they are from our neighbour country. (like they say "College" instead of "University")

Yesterday, Em and I had a day off. We decided to go to the internet cafe to try to pick out courses for next year, which was very confusing, because Nipissing seems to have made some changes that cause weird course conflicts! Anyway, on our walk back to the orphanage, we met some street kids and got to hang out with them for a little while. It still amazes me - that these kids can be on the street, without families or ANYONE at all to take care of them, except maybe older brothers and sisters who are often not even that old. It's overwhelming, because their needs are so great, and it's obviously not possible for us to take care of them in the way that they need it most. We also ended up visiting with a Ugandan family on their front porch and got to learn a lot about their lives and how different things are here. The mother has 7 kids - the youngest is 14 i believe, and one of the daughters has a beautiful baby of her own. From what I understood, some of her children were not even her own - she had taken in her brother's kids when he and his wife had passed away. The mother was saying that she didn't have a job this year so some of her children weren't able to go to school, but she decided to stay home with them so that someone would still take care of them. It was so sweet to see her joy and sense her great love for her children. Em also taught a song to the family and they taught us a Lugandan song too - translated, the words mean "Jesus loves you!" It was a really precious to hear them singing. :)

For dinner, we went to a restaurant called "The Gately" and we ordered a chicken burger because we were really craving one... It was very interesting, haha! We decided it must have been canned chicken, or something like that :P oh well! The fries (called"chips") were tasty!

This morning, preschool went really well! Em and I both agreed that it was the best day yet :) The kids seemed pretty well behaved, and there were very few time-outs! yay! Haha, and Em had the idea to do a sweet craft with them, incorporating different shapes that they learned about this morning. We gave them each a piece of construction paper and different types of shapes that were different colours and then let them paste them on. What we didn't realize is that these kids have never (or barely ever) used glue sticks!! So they didn't really know how they worked - They were gluing one side and then expecting the shape to stick on without flipping it over, haha!

This afternoon, we will go on another outing - I'm not sure where we will go yet, or what kids we will take, but it should be a goooood time!

Muchhhh love!!

Alyssa

A Whole New Perspective (by: Emily)

WOW! So much has happened in this past week! It's sad, but this is the longest I've gone without the internet in quite awhile!

Anyways, life in Uganda is CRAZY. I am in love with this place...I don't want to come home... Mom and dad, would that be a problem?? haha...don't worry! I am going to come back! I'm not sure how though..it's going to be hard! I love the culture! Being a part of the Western culture, we measure wealth according to our money and our possessions...these people have so much JOY. They are RICH in faith! So many people I have met are so in love with Jesus...and that means so much more than anything else to them. Everyone here has this joy that I've never experienced before. If you walk anywhere, you are greeted by so many people! It's such a contagious joy! The thing is, it's been really difficult for me to understand that these people are truly happy...I cried today when I became aware of the reality of how much these people here make. The school fees are very expensive...and most families have a lot of children. People are barely getting by. I passed by a village yesterday and was consumed by a huge crowd of children from the village who circled around me! Lyss and I took a video of them saying hi and some pictures with them...they are so excited about that picture that is displayed back for them on the screen! My friend Macey and I met a couple of other children on the way home and they taught us how to do a little African dancing...I've already forgotten though! We got the chance to teach them the song "I love you Jesus deep down in my heart"!! They loved it...SO precious! I have been gaining such a new perspective on things that I've only heard of before. I've never seen poverty like this...neither have I seen joy like this. We are SOOO busy all the time...we work and make so much money, but not even close to what these people make and they work SOOO much harder than anyone I know. The mamas here barely get to sleep at night. I talked to one who said she might get between 3-4 hours a night. Everyone here enjoys life....they are so joyful and friendly and everything is slower. Even their talking is slower! I'm starting to talk slower like them...they break up all of their syllables here and it is so different than our culture...I love it!

The poverty is getting to me big time...but, when I see their culture and how much joy they have...these people are happy!! They don't complain...these people work hard through every condition. I talked to one mama who is not married and supports her friend who is unable to work. She says it is very hard to get by...but, she was still happy to work hard and in LOVE with these beeeeautiful little babies that God created!

I don't know why I am in the place I'm at...I don't get why I have so much and why they have so little. I don't understand why I've never realized that only 4% of the world makes more than $2 a day...and I don't understand why I've never been curious or it has concerned me at all. Things are coming into perspective and God is definitely taking the blinders off my eyes and revealing to me a life that I've never known before...and maybe, I will never truly understand it. Yes, these people are poor in the eyes of the Western world...but wow...they have more joy than anyone I've known.

hmm...I have a lot more to say, but not too much time!

I am starting to feel a bit sick today, but I'm only a little dizzy. We are trying to drink lots of water...and even though I have lost my appetite because of the heat, I'm still trying to get things down. Don't worry mom and dad...It's not that big a deal and I don't even care...I just love everything here so much!

OH, and the boda boda rides are incredible!!! It is proper for ladies to ride sideways on them...I tried for my first time and it was great!!! I can't get over how many boda-bodas there are...and they swarm you and beg you to let them drive you somewhere. I've had a guy ask me for money for a picture with him. I've also had street children beg for money, although it is illegal to give them money. We can only buy food for them. These street children are often forced to beg for money from their parents. Some are even threatened a beating if they don't bring enough home. That is definitely very sad.

Also, I've fallen in love with one little girl. I want to bring her home, but, she is unadoptable. She will never be able to be adopted because she has family and they won't sign her over. It's a pride thing...some parents also think of their children as property. It's heartbreaking to know that for a lot of these kids, adoption will never be possible. A few of the children here have special needs, including the little girl I adore! The parents here don't really understand children with special needs...if they're not talking or walking some parents consider their children to be dumb...they are often physically abused.

I had an outing day yesterday and brought my little boy out for some chocolate cake! All of the kids get a chance for an outing as their is a binder and rotation system. The little boy I had was crazy....he was so excited and squirming everywhere! It was very overwhelming when he was inhaling his cake and milkshake...but, some of the other aunties that were on outings gave me a hand. These kids get very excited for special one on one attention...so their outing day is a real treat! I want to take my beautiful baby swimming this week because I'm told she absolutely adores it!

I also had the chance to take a little boy to church yesterday. Oh man...that was an adventure for sure! He had to "su su" (that means pee here) a LOT...well, at least that's what he told me, but he never really did. He pretended he had to su-su and would wiggle around a lot...so I must've brought him at least 4-5 times...I ended up just sitting outside with him because it was very disruptive to the service! haha..it was quite the experience! BUT, I'm not upset with him even though we did chat about it outside...the service was way too long for him to sit through! Next week, we will check out Sunday School!

Well, I think that's all for now. A lot has happened in such a short amount of time...and I'm loving every minute! This culture is so rich.....SO beautiful. It is not a dirty, scary, violent country that people often believe...it's truly beautiful.

Opps...I better go! The babies are almost done their naps and ready for outdoor fun!!!

Much love,
Em

Amani Update (by: Alyssa)

Hello All!

Again, Em and I are writing at the same time, so repetition is pretty much guaranteed :P

It is VERY hot in Jinja today! I'm not sure how hot, but the past few days have been hotter than the hottest day in Canada, I think! Or at least pretty close!

Today, I will go on my first outing! Em already had one on Friday, but I haven't gotten to go on one yet. Basically, we just sign out a child and then dress them in "smart clothes" which are basically clothes that are nicer than their everyday stuff. They look so cute when they're all dressed up! And then we bring them out of the Amani gates, either into town, or swimming, or on a walk. The point of it is just that they get to go out of the gates of the orphanage, and have some one-on-one time with a child.

Last night, we said goodbye to three Canadian volunteers that have been here for 2 months. And tomorrow night, we have 3 new ones coming! So, that is exciting, but it makes me realize how much changeover the kids experience in volunteers. And it makes me understand why they test us, especially at the beginning, just to see what they can get away with. :P Preschool for the past few days has definitely been interesting! We've learned some more Ugandan phrases which seem to be useful, although I don't think they kids will ever listen to us as well as they listen to the mamas!

Speaking of the Mamas, they are great. They always have so much joy and are singing and dancing around, and asking us how we are doing. And they work SO hard here - never slacking off, but always giving everything their ALL. I've been thinking a lot about work while I'm here, and about how God wants us to be working hard, with our whole heart, and the mamas are definitely an inspiration and encouragement in that area.

Yesterday, we went to our first Uganda church service, which was really cool! It was a Ugandan pastor who was speaking but he was speaking in English and he had a translator to translate every sentence he said. All the music was pretty familiar to me, although there was one Ugandan song at the end that I didn't understand at all, haha! We got to take a kid with us too, and they are very excited to get to go to church! I brought a little girl and she did really well - listening quietly and flipping through the pages of my bible, pretending she was following along with the service :P On the way home, we passed a huge group of children who were from a village right beside the area that the church is in. They were SO excited to see some Mzungus and were all crowding around trying to get their picture taken by us! And then of course, they all wanted to see the pictures.

After church, Em and I and two other volunteers decided to go into town to explore and get some souvenirs and such. We also decided to attempt to go to the central market here (because we really wanted some fresh fruit!), and that was DEFINITELY an experience. We walked along a little pathway through the market and there were many different stands on either side of us, selling everything from raw meat (with flies all around, YUCK!) to salted grasshoppers, to dried mini-fish, to more normal things like cucumbers and tomatoes. Finally we found the pineapple section and bought two pineapples, one of which we ate last night, and the other we will eat today. Fresh pineapple is SO delicious!

Poverty is becoming so much more personal to me being here. We are meeting people with such incredible stories of hardship, and it definitely puts things into perspective. I can't believe the burdens that most of these people have - and yet, they are SO joyful. I heard that A LOT before I came to Africa, but since being here, it just makes a lot more sense. I strongly encourage anyone who is considering travelling and seeing how other people live, or mission work, to DO IT! I know I have a lot more to learn while I'm here too.

I was a bit sick this morning, but nothing too bad, in comparison to some of the other volunteers that have really not been feeling well! I've been told that a little sickness is just a part of the transition to this culture, so I can take it!

With MUCH kwagala, (I think that means "love", haha, I know that "Nkwagala Nyo" means I love you!)

Alyssa

Recent Happenings in Uganda! :) (by: Alyssa)

Hello All!

Sorry it's been a few days! Trust me when I say that it's not the easiest thing ever to have access to a computer here! I am using one of the volunteers' right now, as I won't have a chance to go to town today to the internet cafe. Also, yesterday, the power was out for pretty much the whole day, which is a few common occurance here. If the power's out, that means that the internet is also out. So ya, if you don't hear from either of us for a few days, rest assured that we are still alive, and it's just not possible to update the blog every day! Haha, ok, now to the real deal!

We are still loving it here - Uganda is a beautiful country, with such fantastic people!

After the internet cafe last time, Em and I rode our first BodaBodas!!!! We were VERY excited - they are pretty much motorcycles and seem to be the Ugandans primary mode of transportation! :) I held onto the driver and Em was behind me, and we had a blast! Today though, we found out that you're not supposed to hold onto the driver.... oops! :P  We were joking about how that's why he gave us a good price! He probably loved driving us "Mzungus" back to the Baby Cottage... (Mzungu is what they call white people, although I think Em already mentioned that before).  Good times!

The other day, a bunch of the volunteers went to Siouxanne's house for pizza (she's the medical coordinator here), which was DELICIOUS, but was eaten in the dark because of the power outage. And last night, we went to another person's house to play Mafia, which was also fun! It's a great community of volunteers here, which I'm really thankful for!

Meals have been interesting, haha! The Mamas here cook us lunch everyday, which definitely gives us a taste for Ugandan food. Today was sweet potatoes (quite different from Canada) with a sort of pea-soup sauce, as well as "g-nut sauce", which is pretty much like peanut sauce! And they always serve "greens" with the meals too, which I THINK is spinach :P or something like that!

Em and I have both been working with the preschoolers during the mornings, and are loving it, although it's definitely chaotic! We do puzzles with them, as well as letter activities, and other activity-type things. I love how these kids latch onto us so easily. All we have to do is walk into the room and we get bombarded with "AUNTIE, AUNTIE!!!!!" which is what they call all of the volunteers. The children are so precious - each and every one made so wonderfully by God. I can't even imagine what their lives would be like if Amani didn't exist, and I am so glad they get to live such a wonderful life here. 

I have to go, unfortunately, even though there is so much more to say! Emily will hopefully get to write later on and will fill you in on everything I missed! 

Oh, and if you happen to read this, Happy Birthday Liv and Nick! :) Hope you both have great days!

Much love from Africa!

Alyssa

Amani is Amazing! (by: Alyssa)

Hello!!

Finally, I am getting a few minutes to write a blog. Still, I don't have a lot of time because we have to be back at the orphanage soon to take some of the kids on an outing! :) (I am in town, at the internet cafe. There is no computer at Amani (it's broken) but some girls have laptops so I may get a chance to use one of those later on. Em's also writing a post at the same time, so there may be lots of repetition!

Wow, how do I begin to describe what it's like here! There is so much to say!

Today, we floated around in the morning, helping with whatever age group there was a need. We were with Baby A, B, and C at different times, which are all different age groups of the kids. There are also toddlers and preschoolers but we didn't work with them. Em and I both got to hold a little girl who is just over a month old and SOOOO tiny! Awww!!

Tomorrow, the new schedule will start, and Em and I will both be with the preschoolers, which I'm really looking forward to! :) We havent gotten a chance to interact with those kids much yet.

For lunch, we went out to a restaurant downtown with some of the other volunteers.. I had a wrap with chicken and avocado, but discovered that I don't really like avocado! It seems to be pretty tasteless with a weird texture, haha, but that is one of the first foods i've tried here that I haven't really liked. Everything else has been pretty good so far! And so far, I haven't gotten sick either, which is definitely a blessing, although I've been told that it's almost guaranteed to happen soon.

We have seen lots of strange things here - like Em said, goats on the street, and chickens, and lots of signs with funny english. Uganda is a BEAUTIFUL country though, with so much lush vegetation, and wonderful people who are so friendly :) From our room in the orphanage guest house, you can see Lake Victoria, which is probably about a 5 minute walk down the road.

We are sleeping very comfortably too!! It cools down a bit at night which is nice (it's QUITE hot during the day - probably like 30 degrees!) and i love the sound of the crickets outside the window.

We bought our first souvenirs today too! - Aprons for 10,000 shillings each! Which is only 5 dollars american :P

I don't have too much more time, so I think that's all I'll say for now :) More when I get another chance! It may not be every day, but hopefully every few days, we'll get a chance to come here and write something.

Much love!!

Alyssa

Day 2!!! (by: Emily)

It looks like I get another chance to write a short message! We are in town for our lunch break and Alyssa and I decided to go to the internet cafe! First of all, everything is SO cheap here! We got our lunch for like $3.50 Canadian! It's absolutely crazy!!!

We had a chance to play with the youngest babies today. I got to hold one baby who was just one month old and SOOO little! I have never held a baby so small before, and at first I was kind of nervous to hold her because she was so small, but one of the mamas (that's what they call the Ugandian woman who take care of the children here) just put her in my arms and gave me her bottle. I was so happy she did because she is just so beautiful and precious and Alyssa and I already want to bring her back! Then we helped with the older babies and fed them their lunch! They all seemed to be wearing more than they were eating...haha...they are SO adorable!

It's 3:20pm here and in 40 minutes we have to be back because it's outing day today! We get to get to each bring a child into town, and I think we're taking them out for cake! It's going to be so much fun!!! We are going to take boda-bodas back, and you have no idea how excited I am to ride one of these!!! I've heard so much about them, and I just can't wait!!!

Did I mention I saw CHICKENS just walking around on the side of the streets...along with the goats of course! I take a picture of every chicken and every goat because I am just so blown away that they are everywhere!!!

What else can I say? hmm...the soil here is dark red! And you walk along dirt roads to get anywhere! That's pretty exciting!!!

The last couple of days have flown by...I hope the rest of the time doesn't go so fast! I really really love it here! Everything I see is so different than anything else I've ever seen before..it's so interesting to me and I want to take it all in and experience everything! Speaking of trying everything, people here eat fried grasshoppers! A little girl told me they just take the wings and legs off, fry them, and put lots of salt on and then eat them! They are apparently VERY GOOD and I would very much like to try one! I want to try everything I can while here...I am loving every minute so far!

Well, that's all for now!

Sending you love from Africa,

Em

Day 1!!! (by: Emily)

It doesn't seem real, but we are finally here in Jinja, Uganda! We flew out 6:10pm on Monday May 10th and arrived Wednesday morning at 2:30am...of course, with 8 hours of time change! There was an extra hour added to our first flight because of the volcanoe and then we had an hour delay our second flight because the door fell off (don't worry...it was just the luggage door...and they fixed it!) OH, and something kind of funny...there was someone sitting in front of us for the first flight to Belgium who looked like Prings...well, at least from the back! Alyssa and I thought that was funny! The plane ride was lots of fun!!!

When we got to Entebbe, Uganda it was a little overwhelming. For one thing, our luggage took a bit to come in and we were wondering if it got lost or not and then we couldn't find our driver...BUT, everything ended up working out in the end! There was a small communication gap with the driver...he thought it was 9:40AM..not PM...so, he left to pick us up at 5:00am (it's a long drive) and then he was there all day! Poor guy!

Okay...now, Africa so far:
Goats wandering around the streets, wild dogs everywhere, tons of boda-bodas asking you for a ride, street children, a LOT of poverty...it's definitely eye opening. I have so much I want to say, but I am borrowing my lovely friend Natalie's computer and I think she wants to go back on soon! I don't know if I'll get to say too much as it doesn't seem like there is a computer here...but, we shall see! I am loving everything so far...the babies are so precious. I already want to bring them all home! One funny story about today before I go...ready? Okay...today on our way home from town there was a bunch of street children who were yelling at us and calling us "Mzungus" (that's what they call white people here). They threw a toy at my eye...by accident I'm sure...but they all surrounded me rubbing my skin and trying to hold my hand. They seemed to be intrigued by us because of our skin colour...that was really funny to me. One boy told Alyssa that he wanted a picture with me...his "Mzungu"...so a bunch of little street kids piled around for a picture with me. They were so excited to see the little picture played back on the camera screen... My heart broke for all of those children who are out here on the streets all day and some all night. Everything is SO different than Canada, which I definitely expected! For one thing, you can be a millionaire here....1,000 ugandan shillings is only 50 cents! It's SOOOO crazy!

Opps...I've got to go! This computer is very popular it seems!!!

Much love,
Em

We are here!

That is all we have time to write right now! More later :)
We are here and safe and everything is amazing so far!

12 days till we leave!! (by: Alyssa)

Hello Everyone!

It's getting closer and closer. It still doesn't seem real that we will be boarding a plane in under 2 weeks!
God really blew us away with how much he provided, in terms of items for the orphanage! We have filled THREE large suitcases of clothes, books, tylenol, underwear and other things. Pretty much all of that was donated by the congregation of Greenwood Avenue Baptist Church, our church in North Bay, and we are so thankful to them for that.
Right now, I am feeling pure excitement for this trip, although I know that the nervousness will probably kick in as the day approaches. I have read some blogs of girls that are at the orphanage right now or who have been there before, and I feel that I can confidently say that this will be a unique experience for sure! I know God will use this adventure to change the way I think and feel about the world, and THAT is very exciting.
Thanks again to everyone for your support - whether that is through the donation of items, financial donations, or through your prayers! We appreciate it all so much!

Alyssa :)

Collecting Items!

Hi Everyone!!

We are getting really excited for our trip to Uganda! In 43 days we will be boarding the plane! :)

Just to let you all know, we are collecting some items for our trip. Here is a list of the most needed items:
- Boys and Girls Underwear (sizes 2-4)
- Cotton/Cloth liners for nappies (diapers)
- Educational Toys (newborn-3 years)
- Children's chewable multivitamins
- Children's liquid tylenol
- Powdered baby formula
- Children's clothing (12-24 months is the biggest need)
- Children's books, esp. fun rhyming books like Dr. Seuss

* Please note, bottles and diaper pins are not needed at this time.

If you would rather donate money for supplies, that would be wonderful as well!

You can drop items off at Greenwood Avenue Baptist Church for the next few sundays, or at our home in North Bay, or at our homes in Barrie and Ottawa!

ANY LITTLE BIT HELPS!