We were there for about 2 hours and didn't even get yelled at! Success! They said we could have the passport today if we wanted to pay double what we were already paying. I said no thanks. Our attorney's assistant that is helping us thinks we should still be able to get it by next Tuesday or Wednesday if the election doesn't slow us down. That would be so fabulous and could possibly get us home by Easter - that is what we are now praying for!
After the passport interview, we ate lunch at The Little Donkey Mexican restaurant then headed back to Jinja. That is such an exhausting 2 1/2 hour drive because we sit in traffic most of the time and there is no air conditioning so we are hot and totally wind blown by the time we arrive at our destination. But God kept us safe on that trip and we are forever thankful!
Asher has been talking with some of the street kids here through a gap in our entrance gate. Today the guard let 3 of the girls in to play with our kids. Kenzie had fun teaching them ballet then they all played ball together. Such sweet girls. We expect them to come back again soon. 😉
I'm thinking about those girls and all the other street kids in our area right now. African drums and horns have been playing not too far from us and they seem to be getting louder...
How can those kids sleep with all this noise? Do they even have a place to lay their heads tonight? What will happen to them if chaos breaks out over the election? Praying for their safety and provision tonight. ❤️
Another blessing that happened today is that our friend, Heather, stopped by and surprised us with some bananas and mangoes! Our guest house has only been serving pineapple (which the kids all love but I'm not a fan of) so it was awesome to have some different fruit introduced into our diet lol! And fun to chat with Heather, too 😉
The presidential election is tomorrow. Thank you for continuing to pray for a favorable outcome and no chaos or violence. (Again, please don't worry about us. Our guest house is a little off the beaten path. We also have a tall wall with sharp edged wire around the top. We also have a guard and dogs. And God is watching over us. 😉)
We may not be in Jinja much longer so we appreciate prayers for us to find serving opportunities while here. The girls would really like to volunteer at a Sole Hope Jigger Removal clinic and Kenzie would like to find more opportunities to teach little girls dance. Love and hugs to you all! #bringmercyhomebyEaster
Day 23: Thursday, February 18, 2016 - (I had to download an app to get around the Ugandan government's blocking of social media and other apps. It's very concerning to me that they can have that much power. I've had no idea what was going on today with elections because of the block. Apparently they don't have free speech here. )
This morning after breakfast I thought I better get busy filling out our forms for the Embassy. There are 3 forms to fill out, 2 of which are about 14 pages long, and a fourth form has to be filled out later online. There is so much paperwork involved in adoption! Thankfully I found a new box of toys at our guest house for the littles to play with while I got to work.
After that, we ate lunch at The Keep because most all businesses here will be closed tomorrow (in case the winner of the elections is announced and chaos might break out. We are praying of course that doesn't happen!)
After nap time, Mercy woke up and had one of her worst episodes yet. She stood out of bed then cried uncontrollably for about an hour. I tried several things to calm her down but nothing helped. She didn't want food, or drink, or to go outside. She didn't want me to hold her or touch her. Then all of a sudden she snapped out of it and was happy again - laughing, wanting me to hold her, giving me kisses, etc. I just wish I knew what she was thinking and what triggers these episodes. I'm continuing to pray for her heart to soften and heal from any and all emotional trauma that has ever happened to her in the past. And praying that God will work through our family to meet her needs.
After dinner tonight I took the littles on a short walk while the bigs made Nutella brownies.
Along the way, we met a girl walking in our same direction. We talked and I learned her name was Mary and she was 11 years old. At the point where we had to turn back around, I asked where she was walking to and she said she was going to the hospital to see her mother who was sick. Broke my heart.
Kids here have to grow up so quickly. They learn life skills at such an early age and are constantly in survival mode taking each day as it comes. Would love for you guys to please remember Mary and her mother tonight in your prayers.
Here's a few more pics from today...
 |
| This is a map that shows how to get home from Uganda. Asher made it for the pilots on one of our planes. ;-) |
 |
| This girl sleeps all over her bed! We will definitely need bed rails when we get home! |
Day 24: Friday, February 19, 2016 - There was a possibility that the winner of the presidential election would be announced today so for our safety, we had a stay-in day. The girls did schoolwork while Asher and Mercy "helped" with cleaning and chores outside.
The highlight of the day was when some of the local kids came to play. The girls were definitely in their element and Asher had fun making friends...
Sure appreciate Kenzie and Abby's help with the littles. They always wake up early so Abby got up with them so I could sleep in a bit this morning and Kenzie watched them later so I could take a shower. They are AwEsOmE big sisters!
Social media is still blocked here in Uganda. I apologize to those of you who have written me and I haven't responded. I'm using an app that lets me get around the block but it's soooo slow. It takes about 10 minutes just to pull up a page and an eternity to post something.
The winner of the presidential election should be announced tomorrow so please continue to pray for peace in Uganda!
We leave you with Mercy singing her current favorite song, "Hello" by Adele...
and a bedtime song she likes to sing every night...
Day 25: Saturday, February 20, 2016 - We look forward to swimming on Saturdays and since the winner of the presidential race wasn't going to be announced until 4pm today, I decided we had time to go back to the Jinja Nile Resort.
When we were there last weekend, we didn't see any monkeys but this time there were a lot! As soon as we saw them, we grabbed our cameras and ran towards them to take pics. I guess we were a little too close because one jumped up and grabbed my leg! He held on so tight I had to shake him off! That kinda freaked me out because those things can bite and carry diseases!
So after that we kept our distance as best we could but the monkeys kept coming over to our chairs - especially when we had food. They are so fast! Twice they came over and took our pizza we ordered for lunch! Naughty monkeys! But the babies were so cute! Asher wanted to take one home and Mercy wanted to pet them. We gave the other guests some pretty good laughs with me shooing the monkeys away with a towel and my backpack. I'm sure I was quite a sight!
After we got back from swimming, we played outside and did our "chores" - someone has to earn their keep around here! ;-)
After dinner, the girls made cookies and invited the local kids over to eat them. They are having fun building relationships with them, too...
And you'll probably get a good laugh out of this... Every time I go to the bathroom at night and flush the toilet, this happens...
It FREAKED me out the first time it happened and actually still freaks me out even though I know this little guy is getting ready to come out of the toilet lid. What makes it worse is that our toilet breaks often so I have to take the lid off & reach my hand in to fix it - in the same water this lizard has been in!!! Ewwwww - freaks me out! Sure miss my bathroom back home! ;-)
Day 26: Sunday, February 21, 2016 - I'm slacking on my job and only took one photo today! What was I thinking?! We attended Calvary Chapel Jinja this morning...
It was neat to be there because Steve and I used to attend CC many years ago when we were first married and living in OKC and Plano, Tx. We have always liked how they "do" church. It was a nice but long service - we left early an hour and 45 minutes into the service. The pastor saw us leaving, though, and came out to our car to thank us for coming. I thought that was pretty sweet.
After church we went to Main Street and ordered some bracelets from a young lady that sells them at her booth. We stayed and chatted with her a while then headed up the road to eat lunch with friends at at the Space Cafe (our guest house doesn't serve lunch and dinner on Sunday's). On the way there, I noticed there were quite a few people starting to gather on the street and we saw a lot of police and Ugandan soldiers standing around.
Jinja had been fairly quiet since the winner of the presidential election was announced, so I thought we were pretty safe to get out. We sat in the back dining area which is open but covered. Just minutes after we arrived, a riot broke out on Main Street! Reportedly, there was tear gas & total chaos! Then minutes later, a huge thunderstorm popped up out of nowhere! The thunder was so loud and it poured for several hours. The rain actually helped disperse the crowds and all was calm again. We were just minutes from being caught up in that and were so thankful God protected us and our friends! Nerves were on edge after that, let me tell ya!
So now I'm trying to plan a few fun things for us to do this week to keep our minds preoccupied during our waiting period. We were all a little teary today missing Steve, home, friends, and family. Here's the tentative plan...
Monday - go on a hike with another adoptive family at Mabira Forest, just outside of Jinja
Tuesday - go see Sharon, the director of the babies home. She just had a baby so we are looking forward to meeting him.
Wednesday - gelato at the Italian guest house
Thursday - Sole Hope jigger removal clinic
Friday - Kenzie is going to teach a ballet class for "Friday Tribe", which is similar to a homeschool co-op and is for missionary kids in Jinja
Saturday - leave for Lira and visit Calo Me Lare for a few days. Calo Me Lare is an orphanage, school, and medical clinic ran by Project Hope Worldwide and was founded by members from our church, Discovery Bible Fellowship. We have visited before, so it will be neat to see the progress the kids have made and to see the sisters our family co-sponsors.
All these plans may change if we have to go to Kampala to get Mercy's passport. We are praying it's ready this week but not getting our hopes up just in case. #bringmercyhomebyeaster
P.S. - After four days of no social media, the ban has FINALLY been lifted!
Day 27: Monday, February 22, 2016 - Wow. Hard to believe we've been in Uganda for almost a month now. While it hasn't been easy, God has already moved many mountains and we are amazed daily at his provision and protection. We are so very grateful and we know it will all be worth it in the end when we finally get to bring Mercy home.
This morning we took a "field trip" to Mabira Forest, a national park preserve and second largest forest in Uganda. A tour guide took us on a hike and was very knowledgable about the many different trees and plants in the park. We were hoping to view some wildlife (could do without seeing the 8 foot Python as shown on their entrance bulletin board) but only saw a millipede, ants, and butterflies 😂. It was a nice walk, though, and good to get out and move!
This is my fifth time to Uganda. On my first trip, I was terrified and unfortunately didn't speak much to anyone. It was a lot for me to take in so I just kinda kept to myself. My last few trips, I've chit-chatted a little more but still not much substance to conversations with people that live here. This time, I'm really trying to make an effort to be intentional and get to know those around me. Everyone here has deep, hard struggles but also lots of testimonies of praise to God.
Joseph is a guard here but also does most of the planting and upkeep in the garden. Tonight he walked me through everything they were growing with such pride. He also loves Mercy and Asher so much and they have a great time playing soccer together.
Christine does our laundry and works very hard. She gets everything so clean and does not rest until it's completed. She's hoping to have time off next week to go see her mother who is sick with malaria but her village is far away and she doesn't know if she can afford to miss work. Christine also makes me laugh. She does not understand why Steve and I had only 2 biological children and thinks I should keep having babies. (The thought of that makes me want to faint - especially at my age! 😜) She has also taken to me because we have the same "namesake" and that's a pretty special thing here. 😉
Ivan is our cook and went to school here to be a chef. He is around 30 and a modern thinker. He really wanted Besigye to win the presidential race and thinks Museveni is a dictator.
I could go on but I'll spare all the details. 😉 Just wanted to encourage us all (myself included) to open our eyes to people around us. We have to get outside of our boxes or we'll never see people hurting, struggling, or celebrating. We never know how we might be a blessing to someone else with just a smile or by going a little out of our way to show someone we care.
We leave you with a funny, common occurrence here in Uganda...
Happy Monday! Go #lovebig ❤️
Day 28: Tuesday, February 23, 2016 - Lunch is always a challenge here because our guesthouse only serves breakfast and dinner and I have some picky kids who don't want to eat peanut butter sandwiches. 😉 We are also trying to live frugally so we try not to eat out every day. We usually try to save half our dinner for the next day's lunch but sometimes we are too hungry and eat it all. 😁 You can buy sandwich bread here but you can't really find deli meat. (Plus I'd be a little nervous to try it 😜.) And it's best to get fruit at Jinja Central Market but I haven't tried that yet because I hear it's very big, busy, and hard to shop with kids. So today we went out for lunch then ran a few errands on Main Street.
After that, we went to visit Sharon, the director of the babies home that Mercy and Asher were adopted from. She recently had a baby so it was great to meet and hold him. He was so tiny and cute!
Then we went to the Italian Guest House up the road from us for some gelato. We were supposed to save that for tomorrow but we were really craving it today. I asked the owner some questions about her guest house and she gladly took us on a tour of her gardens and the rooms. We could smell fresh bread cooking and will probably have to order some pizza for lunch from her soon.
We found out today the Sole Hope jigger removal clinic was cancelled for this week because of local elections 😕 so we will shoot for the following week if we are still here. I'm also working on securing a driver to take us up north to visit Calo Me Lare for a few days so hopefully those plans will pan out. No word on Mercy's passport today - maybe tomorrow. Thanks so much for reading our updates and for your prayers! #bringmercyhomebyeaster
Day 26: Sunday, February 21, 2016 - I'm slacking on my job and only took one photo today! What was I thinking?! We attended Calvary Chapel Jinja this morning...
It was neat to be there because Steve and I used to attend CC many years ago when we were first married and living in OKC and Plano, Tx. We have always liked how they "do" church. It was a nice but long service - we left early an hour and 45 minutes into the service. The pastor saw us leaving, though, and came out to our car to thank us for coming. I thought that was pretty sweet.
After church we went to Main Street and ordered some bracelets from a young lady that sells them at her booth. We stayed and chatted with her a while then headed up the road to eat lunch with friends at at the Space Cafe (our guest house doesn't serve lunch and dinner on Sunday's). On the way there, I noticed there were quite a few people starting to gather on the street and we saw a lot of police and Ugandan soldiers standing around.
 |
| Photo credit: Daily Monitor |
Jinja had been fairly quiet since the winner of the presidential election was announced, so I thought we were pretty safe to get out. We sat in the back dining area which is open but covered. Just minutes after we arrived, a riot broke out on Main Street! Reportedly, there was tear gas & total chaos! Then minutes later, a huge thunderstorm popped up out of nowhere! The thunder was so loud and it poured for several hours. The rain actually helped disperse the crowds and all was calm again. We were just minutes from being caught up in that and were so thankful God protected us and our friends! Nerves were on edge after that, let me tell ya!
So now I'm trying to plan a few fun things for us to do this week to keep our minds preoccupied during our waiting period. We were all a little teary today missing Steve, home, friends, and family. Here's the tentative plan...
Monday - go on a hike with another adoptive family at Mabira Forest, just outside of Jinja
Tuesday - go see Sharon, the director of the babies home. She just had a baby so we are looking forward to meeting him.
Wednesday - gelato at the Italian guest house
Thursday - Sole Hope jigger removal clinic
Friday - Kenzie is going to teach a ballet class for "Friday Tribe", which is similar to a homeschool co-op and is for missionary kids in Jinja
Saturday - leave for Lira and visit Calo Me Lare for a few days. Calo Me Lare is an orphanage, school, and medical clinic ran by Project Hope Worldwide and was founded by members from our church, Discovery Bible Fellowship. We have visited before, so it will be neat to see the progress the kids have made and to see the sisters our family co-sponsors.
All these plans may change if we have to go to Kampala to get Mercy's passport. We are praying it's ready this week but not getting our hopes up just in case. #bringmercyhomebyeaster
P.S. - After four days of no social media, the ban has FINALLY been lifted!
Day 27: Monday, February 22, 2016 - Wow. Hard to believe we've been in Uganda for almost a month now. While it hasn't been easy, God has already moved many mountains and we are amazed daily at his provision and protection. We are so very grateful and we know it will all be worth it in the end when we finally get to bring Mercy home.
This morning we took a "field trip" to Mabira Forest, a national park preserve and second largest forest in Uganda. A tour guide took us on a hike and was very knowledgable about the many different trees and plants in the park. We were hoping to view some wildlife (could do without seeing the 8 foot Python as shown on their entrance bulletin board) but only saw a millipede, ants, and butterflies 😂. It was a nice walk, though, and good to get out and move!
This is my fifth time to Uganda. On my first trip, I was terrified and unfortunately didn't speak much to anyone. It was a lot for me to take in so I just kinda kept to myself. My last few trips, I've chit-chatted a little more but still not much substance to conversations with people that live here. This time, I'm really trying to make an effort to be intentional and get to know those around me. Everyone here has deep, hard struggles but also lots of testimonies of praise to God.
We leave you with a funny, common occurrence here in Uganda...
Happy Monday! Go #lovebig ❤️
Day 28: Tuesday, February 23, 2016 - Lunch is always a challenge here because our guesthouse only serves breakfast and dinner and I have some picky kids who don't want to eat peanut butter sandwiches. 😉 We are also trying to live frugally so we try not to eat out every day. We usually try to save half our dinner for the next day's lunch but sometimes we are too hungry and eat it all. 😁 You can buy sandwich bread here but you can't really find deli meat. (Plus I'd be a little nervous to try it 😜.) And it's best to get fruit at Jinja Central Market but I haven't tried that yet because I hear it's very big, busy, and hard to shop with kids. So today we went out for lunch then ran a few errands on Main Street.
After that, we went to visit Sharon, the director of the babies home that Mercy and Asher were adopted from. She recently had a baby so it was great to meet and hold him. He was so tiny and cute!
Then we went to the Italian Guest House up the road from us for some gelato. We were supposed to save that for tomorrow but we were really craving it today. I asked the owner some questions about her guest house and she gladly took us on a tour of her gardens and the rooms. We could smell fresh bread cooking and will probably have to order some pizza for lunch from her soon.
We found out today the Sole Hope jigger removal clinic was cancelled for this week because of local elections 😕 so we will shoot for the following week if we are still here. I'm also working on securing a driver to take us up north to visit Calo Me Lare for a few days so hopefully those plans will pan out. No word on Mercy's passport today - maybe tomorrow. Thanks so much for reading our updates and for your prayers! #bringmercyhomebyeaster
No comments:
Post a Comment