Update!

Hello everyone,
The last three days have been busy ones, and a little bit scary. For the first time we experienced a night where I didn't feel safe. We have two contacts here, Steven is the owner of the YWAM base that we are staying at and Simon owns the school that we are working at as well as both orphanages. It is really frustrating having these two men control our jobs since they have so many more important issues on the go. When one of our jobs fell through on Tuesday, we decided as a team to go out into the community and just make as many positive changes as we could. We split up into teams and just went out and tried to put a smile on as many faces as we could. My team and I went into a an alley where there were tons of kids. There was a concert going to promote voting in the election in soroti so we started a dance party with all of the kids. As soon as the word got out that there were "mazungas", white people, all of the kids from all over town came running towards us to join in our dance party. We handed out candy and other small prizes and it was absolutely amazing. Just to see their little faces light up when they get one little candy was amazing.
A store called triple flip in Calgary donated a bunch of little pink tank tops and zip ups to our team which is so nice. We each were given four pieces of clothing and told to go out and find families who were really in need of some new shirts for their kids. In one of the back streets I found a bunch of kids playing games and one Mom watching. I went up to her and asked about her story. She told me that she has two little girls and struggles to meet ends meet. I told her about the shirts and she started to cry. She called over her two little ones and I dressed them with their matching pink zip ups. It was an awesome moment. I have pictures of the family to show everyone. |I felt so fortunate to have been given that opportunity. I also came across another family sitting under a tree. They make a living by selling bananas and other baked goods but live in a mud hut that is falling apart and struggle getting clean water to their two children. I talked to them and asked them if I could give their son and a daughter some clothes. They just started saying anything, please anything. I think the language barrier was hard for them to understand me, but they were so grateful for anything I could offer them. A pink tank top on a little baby boy was probably the cutest thing I have ever seen, and the zip up hanging off the little girl was adorable to. They will be able to grow into them and they are really good quality so I am sure that they will last.
One of the other teams went into the slums and found a brand new medical center that has been created by two men from the UK, one is an engineer and the other is a dentist. They have had this goal of opening this center for ten years and it is almost ready. Yesterday we went and helped them sort all of their medical supplies and other toys and equipment that had been donated. They kept saying how we were the answer to their prayers and how thankful they were for all of our help. It felt really good to feel so welcomed. They found out that I was going to be a teacher and offered me a job to come back for a year and work as an administrator for their center but I think that is an awfully long time to be in Uganda. I was flattered to be asked though.
Another team found a primary school that holds 800 students and that is in just terrible shape. The roof is falling off, the windows are shattered and the whole building looks like it is going to collapse at any moment. We talked to the head teacher and he wants those of us who are teachers to come and teach some of the classes. I that would be an amazing experience, even though I would be teaching 100 kids which is insane. We are trying to put together a lesson on Canada for next week when we go into the school and help out.
After that amazing day we found out that giving away clothes to the locals here puts us at risk. Once they find out that we have money, our contacts were worried that we were going to get hassled in the streets and might even be at risk at getting robbed. They kind of exaggerated about the whole thing but it was really scary to think that we, or our stuff might be at risk. That was two days ago however and nothing has changed and we have been fine.
Today I was at the baby orphanage for about 4 hours. I sat with the head nurse who is from Holland and learned about the stories of some of the babies that I have fallen in love with. For the most part all of them are HIV positive, even the little one with stomach cancer. They are all on heavy medications which help fight infections and disease. One of the babies was abandoned in an outhouse right after being born. The mother did not tell anyone that she was pregnant and after giving birth left her baby alone in a toilet. How disgusting is that? I tear up most days hearing these stories but that one I will never forget. The baby is healthy now and doing really well which makes me feel a little bit better about the situation.
Tomorrow we are going back to work with the compassion kids so I am really excited for that. We are going to plan a bunch of games and activities to do with them so this time we are a bit more organized.
Hope you are all doing great!
Miss you and see you soon!
xoxox
Tory