Tired...so so tired

Thanks for reading. We have had a long day and, quite frankly, I have nothing to say. See video and photos below. Trey is preaching to a church on an island in the middle Lake Victoria tomorrow, and I have a poker game waiting, so good night. Plus Trey is pregnant and moody. If anyone finds out how old his baby is, please let his co-wives know.

I have been told by several people my husband needs to be a mudaguvu.

Meet Nathan. We were rocking to Widespread Panic. He loved Ain't Life Grand. Special is what this is.

Three Mississippi gypsy's changing the world. Nepal is next.

My little protege.

A 50 mile “sweetie” parade down a road cars do not travel

New Hope Christian School – Namayingo, Uganda

-Photos are at the bottom-

Before I woke up today, I had never had so many men pray that I would find a husband in my life, let alone in one single day. Every man’s eyes turned the size of half-dollars when they found out that not only do I not have children, but also I am not married – then they asked if they could pray for me. It was as if I alone was a little green alien from outer space that just landed in their village. I found it odd until reality set in and I remembered where I was.

You have to remember the women of Uganda are sold into marriage between the ages of 10 to 15. Many young women have children by the time they are 14 years old and many of them have husbands who have left them to fend for themselves and their families by the time they reach their early 20’s. Women whose husbands have not left feel a sense of anger and a loss of love from their husbands. Many of the women tell stories of not being allowed to leave their home and not being given consideration let alone a bible or ability to attend church. The stories of oppression that Ugandan women share are almost as disheartening as the thought of the many children that are left to survive in orphanages. These women, much like the children we see each day, depend on the kindness of mzungu’s that travel from America, Australia and Europe – among other countries – just to see some resemblance of courtesy and respect. I have never heard anything as sad as Rachel’s account of the following questions posed to her this week:

• My husband left me for another woman. Do I honor him and try to get him back, or leave him? 
• My husband will not let me attend church or singings. He only let me come to see you today because he thought I would receive a gift from you. What do I do?
• My husband does not love me anymore; he only shows me anger from his heart. How can I make him bring his love back to me?

It was hard to hear these types of questions and even harder to answer them. As a woman from Western society that is extremely lucky to have success in my faith, family, relationships and career, I wanted so badly to say leave them! But I have to remember the cultural differences that face us in a society where multiple wives is acceptable and women are considered lower than animals. A woman that is left to fend for herself and her children lives on less than $2 USD per day, which is typical for a Ugandan family. Now how in the world can I tell a woman, regardless of whether or not she lives in a tribal village, to fend for herself and her children on $0.50 or less per day? Where does that put her? How does projecting my thoughts of both husband and wife respecting each other help in a society where orphans are common, AIDS is accepted and malnutrition and water traced with typhoid is just another fact of life? The only thing to do is say love yourself the way God loves you. You are both His children and you both deserve love. Believe that He has a path for you and find that path in His words. Women will find peace through faith no matter what the trial or tribulation. Pray for others as you wish they would pray for you. You will find your way.

This is not to say all marriages are arranged in this way. We have seen several – yet so few – cases of loving and caring relationships. This country is a changing world much like America in the 1800’s – mid 1950’s. There is an extremely long way to go, but individuals devoted to change and educating one another in the true meaning of love through faith are laying a gravel road that will come to be paved in the years ahead.

Now on to our spectacular children…One thing I have to say is these kids love it when I sing Etta James. Along with my ability to dance, apparently the soul travels to my vocals when I sing “I’ve been loving you too long.” I find it funny that these kids (and adults) find it funny that a mzungo can dance or sing. It is so entertaining, and it definitely draws a crowd! The day was engulfed with jump rope, soccer, nail painting, playing drums – and the most special to me, being invited to a girl’s house to meet her parents. Now, the men are scared for us to go anywhere alone, and rightly so. So, in order to safely travel a few alleys over I asked Trey to go with me. We walked through winding alleys until Trey said, “Emily, we do not need to walk any further.” Now, if you know me, you know I am still going…so Trey had no choice but to keep walking. Once we got to the house Trey was in heaven. He made friends with the father quicker than I could say I was right – which can come pretty quick. We found the family to be amazing, and even though I could have stayed for hours and not been able to communicate more than a few broken sentences, we had to leave because our departure time was fast approaching.

On our walk back to the school I got to see a true village market. Trey wouldn’t let me take a picture, but it was AMAZING! The women stood beside bamboo racks held together with twine atop a floor of red dirt. Rows of fish, tomato, pumpkin, baby onion, peppers and everything you would find at a farmers market – only this was grown in each persons backyard and they are all shack-n-shanty neighbors. You and I would purchase these items with no thought as to what we might eat them with…just to have for the week. These people carefully consider each purchase – something as simple as one egg (not the one dozen we are accustomed to). As we walked back we received stares that even made me feel a bit uneasy for a moment. Then I thought, if they kidnap me, they would probably give their last five thousand shillings for my team to take me back on account that they would think I am corrupting their women with the propaganda I spread when I open my mouth.

Back to our leaving the village, a journey that took three hours there and back because we traveled 50 miles down a road cars do not travel down, which turned into my own little Christmas parade. What can I say, I felt like a Santa Claus. To preface, I bought Jolly Ranchers to give to the children, because let’s face it – THEY ARE GOD’S GIFT TO THE CANDY WORLD! Jolly Ranchers are the best! If you cannot tell, I love this candy and think everyone should experience one. I did realize early on that I could not expect the children to form a line and take one piece in an orderly fashion. So I decided the next best thing was to share the candy with the thousands of children we pass on the way to the school that do not get to experience our love and the gift of giving food and “sweeties.” Today was the best. As I said, the road we traveled was much rougher than yesterday – and I thought that was an adventure – so we had to go very slow. As the children saw the mzungu’s, which many never see, they cheered and yelled and smiled. It was so cute. So what do I do? I turn in to Mrs. Claus in the Jackson Christmas parade one month early and toss candy to the children that line the dirt roads that we pass as we leave each school each day. The look on their face shared a feeling of joy that radiated farther than 50 miles we drove.

Today gave me the best 50-mile drive I have ever experienced. It made me remember to appreciate the simple things in life and not turn into a selfish materialistic person, which is a direction I have I felt myself drifting toward lately. I feel the company I keep has turned me into a person I do not appreciate, and I think one reason I was sent here was to realize that change in myself. Not too long ago I was a better person. I do not deserve anything better – I do not deserve what I have – there are so many people that need so many things that are so basic in life, and at times I feel deprived. A lesson I have forgotten and need to remember (instead of just preaching to people) is to walk the walk instead of talking the talk.

We should all remember to walk the walk. And walk it in a way that will make you proud. Money does not buy happiness and it does not even help. We take for granted that we have indoor plumbing when people around the world go days without eating. This has changed me forever, and I cannot say I will not be back for an extended period of time. I was meant for greater things than climbing the social and corporate ladder.

 

 

  

Tender hearted inside the bush country

Idoome School - Idoome, Uganda

Vision for Africa Primary School - Buwenge, Uganda

“The portly man with the beard has the candy” has been the joke for three days. The portly man, however, is my brother. I don’t know why I started with that, but we continue to find it amusing as we sit here this evening playing poker with the Jolly Ranchers we are giving to children and pass the time with stories of the day and jokes of what is to come.

The day started off with the best gift ever, and his name was Elijah. I didn’t even have to walk out of guest housing before he walked – well a nurse walked him – into my life. The sweetest three month old that I have ever seen just appear before my eyes. Eli’s mother recently died of AIDS and two nurses from South Carolina are currently fostering him. Eli, and his twin, is the cutest and most friendly little doodles ever.

Eli, unfortunately, has been burdened with HIV. He was born with it, and has no other choice in life but to live with it. His twin does not have HIV but does have a neurological disorder, and regardless of the difficult road that is ahead for their adoptive parents, I would bring them home in a heartbeat if customs would let us across the boarder. Short in short, this set the tone for the day. The happiest child in an unfortunate circumstance that he did not ask for and cannot change, because it is all he has, moves freely and loving to anyone with a smiling face. Granted a three month old does not understand the meaning or gravity of his life as we see it, but there are so many opportunities for his life that he will never see. I guess the saddest part to me is that most of the children I have seen this week may not even reach their teenage years, not to mention realize their potential, because they will succumb to a death from disease, malnutrition, abduction, or any number of things.

I know this information is hard to swallow and more difficult to understand, but it is the truth. And, without the truth you cannot expect people to be motivated to change the current circumstance of those that cannot change it for themselves. Children are the ones without voices, so here is my voice to speak for them.

Both of today’s orphanages were located in villages deep in the bush country. And when I say deep, I mean mud roads that made backwoods Mississippi where 4-wheelers are taken out for a good “muddin” look like a city street in New York. Both villages came out and welcomed us with amazing ceremonies of tribal dance and song, faces of love and eyes of acceptance. One of the best parts of today was when a tribal woman walked up to me as I exited the bus a tied apiece of her dressing around my waist. This was a sign that I dance like a tribal woman. You will find this funny when you see the video I will post later. I told the woman, I do have a little soul for a mzungo, which is what Ugandans call white people.

Overall, I think pictures tell today’s story best. So, that is what I am going to let them do – tell the story for me with a couple of footnotes to guide you along. I hope you enjoy!

An example of the mud framed homes the people we visited live in.

A welcoming dance

Simply said, they love each other.

Idoome School Students

Smiling faces

This mzungo can dance - - watch out now! I don't think they had ever seen a mzungo that could dance with a baby on her back - see photo below.

Franco was my man from the start at Vision for Africa Primary School

Villagers in Buwenge

Best dance yet - these kids are amazing!

My buddy didn't have a shirt - literally the holes you see on each shoulder were out all across the back.

So I gave him mine.

Baptized with 1.5 liters

Kasokoso Child Development Centre

Iganga, Uganda

Day 2 – We kicked off the day with pancakes, scrambled eggs, toast and mango juice. What a way to start the day off on the right foot. The short one-hour drive to our first orphanage showed us the side of Uganda that last nights evening drive neglected to let us in on. The Ugandan landscape is painted with shacks and shanties, children flooding to the streets like ants ravaging over a leftover funnel cake after the fair, goats and cows tied to the side of the road for clearing, people living in bushes for reasons unknown but that we are certainly not oblivious to, and children as young as my 28-month-old nephew walking the street where zipping vehicles hardly see them as an afterthought - much like the diner we eat every night.

--Insertion--

This is Trey blogging for Emily now because she has gone upstairs to shower with a 1.5 liter of Rwensori bottled water – the water is out citywide in Jinga tonight. So she opted for a bottled bath rather than no bath at all.

Here is my account of today, until she gets back.

We arrived at the Kasokoso Child Development Centre to hundreds of orphans chanting “Big Daddy, Big Daddy, Big Daddy.” What a blessing it must be for Ted Moody, the founder of Pennies for Posho, to hear his name chanted where ever he goes. All of these precious children yearned for us to love, touch and spend time with them. I was completely overwhelmed getting off the bus for the first time.

-- Trey’s insertion over--

To pick up where Trey left off…All the children wanted to help us off the bus when we arrived at the orphanage. As Trey said, it was quite overwhelming. Then again, I do not think overwhelming begins to describe the emotion I felt. I literally had a feeling of guilt – for having so much and seeing these children with so little, compassion – because I wanted to change each of their lives and make it all better, sorry – because I knew I could not take their situation away and give them what I was accustomed to as a child, and happiness – because even though I could not change their situation and I could not change their state of being in this world, I could give them all the love I had to give and make them smile if only for a moment. That moment turned into millions of moments over the course of the day. I, along with all of the Pennies for Posho team, found myself in a sea of beautiful smiling faces with the most loving and hopeful eyes cast upon me.

--Insertion Trey--

After my hot shower – haha Emily, your shower came from a 1.5 liter of cold bottled water – I came up with the best description of how these children looked at us. These children looked at us the way we should look at God – they saw us as having the power to save them, give them hope, meet their most basic physical, emotional and human needs.

--Trey’s last insertion over. He says this sums up his day to a “T”--

The children carried us into their church with sounds of laughter and song and the most beautiful dances a visitor could ask for. The day consumed us as we played, told stories, led men’s and women’s conferences, passed out candy, clothes and hygiene products, fed the children, and delivered 5 million shillings worth of food to the orphanage that will feed them for more than three months.

 [Today’s serving portion was much larger than normal because we brought food supplies. The orphans eat twice a day, getting one cup rice, one piece of meat the size of a half dollar and a ½ cup of broth.]

As we prepared for departure six Muslim boys stopped Suzanne, one of our missionaries, in her tracks. The oldest boy, Betumda Yassin, was roughly 21 and the youngest 18. The boy looked at her and asked her to tell the group about Christianity and explain the difference between the two religions. Time was short and Suzanne said the only things she could…Jesus was is the King and not a prophet and that everyone will stand before God on judgment day, whether they believe in him or not. The young man then asked how to become a Christian. Suzanne then said, “To become part of God’s family you must serve the Lord and be humbled. You have to have a fact of your own sin and realize the consequences of it. This is why Jesus came, to forgive us for our sins and allow all those that follow Him to walk in His presence one day.” Suzanne then asked if he had a Bible and he said no, I have Quran. Suzanne gave him her bible and said I will pray for you.

Betumda wrote the following in Suzanne’s notebook after writing his name at the top of the page: “Suzanne preached to the above person the word of God because this person was not a believer, he was a Muslim, and he asked her to pray for him.

Suzanne told Trey and I this story as we sat writing the blog tonight and I thought it would be good to share as I end the story about today’s journey. Although we are not all believers in Christ, we will love you no matter what your choice in life. We are not here to judge you, but to love you enough that you will able to find light in the word of God and find salvation through the Grand Architect of this universe as he intended.

Travel via truck, planes...and a bus on dirt roads

November 1, 2010 – We (Trey, Renee, Suzanne, Rachel and Emily) left Tupelo at 11:30 a.m. It is now almost 11 p.m. on November 2 and we just arrived in the Entebbe airport. The drive from Tupelo to Atlanta took five hours, and the check in at the airport took two. All in all it was a relatively quick process – the flights however were a different story. The flight to London took approximately seven hours, and it was not bad, just a little crowded. The flight into Uganda was great, and I say that because there were seats to spare and I think everyone was able to rest a little. I on the other hand slept for almost eight hours. Then again, I have never been one to have trouble sleeping. At the point where we arrive at the airport and get to London, my brother keeps saying...well are you going to write this blog or not. Aside from the fact that we are traveling on short time lines from country to country, I guess you just have to know Trey. So I look at him and say, I will start it when I can. So as I sit on the floor in customs at the Entebbe airport, our story begins. 

It is pretty amazing to come into a group of 29 individuals that all have one thing on their mind – helping someone less fortunate than they are. I can already sense the emotional struggles that lie before us, but I also feel the amazing compassion and love of 29 dedicated and devoted people that will do whatever they can to change the life of just one person. As we arrived at the airport in Entebbe, the sign getting off the airplane read “The Pearl of Africa.” I had to wonder, as did my comrade Suzanne, how a pearl could be so barren. We both looked at each other and reflected on the moment we began our descent from 38,000 ft – all the way to hitting the runway – and thinking how a country with so many people could have so little light. Now granted it was the middle of the night – I mean seriously, I am completing this post at well after 3:30 a.m. But the shear knowledge that there is so little among people that seem so happy – well it made me feel not only spoiled, but also unworthy of the many blessings I take for granted each day.

 Since it is getting rather late I will wrap this up. We have a long day tomorrow and we are all still showering. We ended the night (after a two + hour drive from the airport with several security checkpoints in to the mountains...maybe...I can only assume this because we were going up and it was getting cooler…and there are lots of trees. But it is night time so I may stand corrected tomorrow.) by dividing some 50 tubs of supplies for the seven orphanages we will visit this week. It really makes a difference knowing that so many people pitching in just a little have enabled each of us to share, if only for a few days, a spectacular part of our life that will forever be remembered by the lives that we touch while in Uganda.

Thank you all for your support of each of us. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as this journey unfolds. You have pictures and video blogs of both the children and individuals working alongside me in the coming week. I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy sharing this experience with you.

EWH

Rachel, Emily, Trey, Renee, Suzanne - Team Tupelo

A few of our 50 tubs full of supplies to be distributed to orphans across Uganda

I tried to get everyone, but there were just too many of us. I will do better tomorrow!