And Now we are Caught Up...
September 12, 2016

OK- I guess it is time that we actually get busy and do some work. That is what we came here for, isn’t it? Of course it isn’t! We came here to bring glory to God by sharing the gifts and abilities He has given us. The bonus is that we get to hang out with really amazing people every single day. So much happens everyday that it is difficult to capture it all.

Today, like every day, we got to hear Watoto Children’s choirs practicing as they prepare to go out to various countries.  Since we have been here, we have met the team leaders for the choir that will be coming to Canada.  We have chatted with many of the leaders that have been to Canada with choirs in the past few years. It really is like coming home to a big, huge family. Everyday we run into someone else.

On our first trip to Uganda in 2010, we were met at the airport by two hosts- Bonny and Apollo. Today we were sitting eating lunch and Bonny walked into the lunch area. Of course that meant more hugs and also to hear about the exciting things in Bonny’s life, as he is now a pastor at one of the Watoto campuses. Apollo is no longer with Watoto, but is now working with a US based NGO here in Kampala. I forgot to mention that I ran into him at the restaurant, the day I ran into Joanna- see there is so much everyday that I keep forgetting to tell you things. I think instead of just reading this, you should all just pack up and come on over to experience it yourself. It is an incredible experience that you will never forget.

We really did do some work today! Edward, Greg and I went to Watoto East campus (it has a new name which reflects the area of Kampala it is in, but I can’t remember, pronounce or spell it!) to look at some equipment there. It was a public holiday today (a Muslim holiday that is not observed by Watoto) so there was no traffic (by Kampala standards) which means it was still mostly bumper to bumper, but it was still moving! Going anywhere in Kampala takes a long time (comparatively speaking!)

Tomorrow “Boot Camp” will begin. That is two weeks of intensive learning sessions that will equip the team to better understand the workings of air conditioning. There will be lots of lecture time combined with hands on experience. We spent some time today preparing for Day 1. Keep us in your prayers as we get going.

September 13, 2016

Every Tuesday, Watoto Church has devotions as an entire team. That means 300-400 staff members gather at 8:30 AM to worship together, hear a devotional presented by one of the pastors and to be encouraged. Each week is a little different in some way. Today we welcomed back the founders of the organization, Garry and Marilyn Skinner. They have been away on a break so everyone was excited to have them back. We also welcomed back the worship pastor Grahame and his wife Sheila, who have been out of the country (I believe in India) for their daughter to have a bone marrow transplant. It was such an encouragement to hear of God’s healing power and God’s provision in their lives.

Of course with all the staff meeting together, there were more hugs as we connected with people who we had not seen yet. Since we are staying only one month, I think we will be constantly hugging people- either to say hello or as time goes on, to say “see you later” (we don’t say good-bye, only see you later).

Boot Camp Day 1 started at 10:00 AM and is now in the books. What a privilege it is to share your knowledge with people who are so hungry to learn! Greg talked about refrigeration stuff- I hope the team got more out of it than I did! Of course I didn’t understand much, but then again I wasn’t really listening (again- don’t tell Greg). I shared a little bit of health stuff regarding the importance of staying hydrated. Tomorrow I will ask them what colour their pee is today! They really don’t know what to expect when that crazy Mzungu woman gets up there to speak- why disappoint them now?!

We're Back!!!

It has been nearly a week since we left home. I have been keeping track of our activities and writing about them, but this is the first opportunity I have had to post them. This post is rather long, but it will get you caught up!

September 8, 2016

The trip is long, but to arrive at Entebbe Airport and see so many smiling faces there to greet us…there are no words. Our Ugandan family are truly amazing people. All of you reading this should come here right now and meet them!

We arrived late last night after a delay in Rwanda. It was 2 AM by the time we arrived at the hotel and we were very glad to crawl into bed.

A bit of a sleep in was needed this morning so it was nearly 10:00 when we arrived at the office. What an amazing day it has been. Greeting team members who were not at the airport and seeing so many friends all around the building. What an amazing time.

Then came the time to unpack all the things we brought with us. Tools are always a big hit with the team, but I think they liked the Twizzlers the best (shhh Don’t tell Greg).

By mid-afternoon, it was time to get up and wander around the building because when that intense jet lag hits, one is at risk of falling off their chair! However, the fact remains that one must stay awake to try to get over the jet lag. Who knew staying up until 8:00 could be so challenging.

September 9, 2016

Every day just seems to get better and better. Jet lag is usually a frustrating experience, but last night it was a gift. We went to sleep at 8:30 PM because we couldn’t stay awake any longer and we woke after an AMAZING sleep, only to realize that it was 11:00PM! God started to give us ideas about ways we could better support the team and the ministry here. As one idea came up, it snow balled into another and another. It was a wonderful way to spend jet lag hours- instead of laying there being annoyed!

Today we were taken for lunch by two of the organization’s leadership team. What a wonderful time of hearing about the organization’s successes and plans for the future. It was also an opportunity for us to share our vision of what we can do to be more involved while in Canada, as well as when we are here in Uganda. There is so much going on already and so much potential for the future. I am so glad Watoto is an organization that continually reevaluates and changes to meet the needs of an ever changing society.

As we were leaving the restaurant and walking through the parking lot, I was shocked to see my friend Joanna. In a city of at least 1.5 million people, what a shock and a huge blessing to just “bump into” her! Some of you may be saying, “Who is Joanna?” If you go back and read previous blogs, you will learn a lot about her, but I will give you a little update.

Joanna is from Sweden and came to Uganda in 2013 to volunteer for one year. During that year, God showed her some of the huge needs here and she made the decision to stay. Initially, she had joined with an already existing Ugandan organization. That partnership has since dissolved and Joanna now has a NGO (non government organization, aka non-profit or charitable organization) that is registered here in Uganda, as well as in Sweden.

When I met her in the parking lot, I immediately told Greg and the others to go back without me and I would walk back when I was done. So back into the restaurant we went to have a nice cool drink on this hot Ugandan day. What an amazing, blessed time we had together and the hours flew by very quickly.

September 10, 2016

What an amazing day filled with the richest of God’s blessings.

Greg had an amazing sleep last night and woke refreshed this morning. I did my usual sleep from 9-11 PM and then was awake until after 3:00 AM. The good news is that today is Saturday and we didn’t need to be anywhere so we could sleep in. I am not much of a sleeper inner, but I slept until 10:20 this morning. This is the first day we haven’t been walking around like zombies. Hopefully our clocks are resetting themselves and we will be on Uganda time!

After stopping to pick up a quick lunch, we headed over to see Joanna and the kids. You will recall from 2013 posts that Joanna was living in a house with over 50 children. That is no longer the case. The children have all been resettled with families and Joanna is assisting them by helping to find better living conditions and sources of income.

Several of the children in Joanna’s organization continue to dance. Today we went to see Joanna and to watch the dance team practice their routines. Most of the children did not know we were coming so when we walked in the door, the place erupted and dance practice was interrupted for hugs, hugs and more hugs. Several of the children said the most beautiful things to us. They told us about the huge impact we had in their lives, yet we feel like we did so little- just a few visits when we were here in 2013. They told us how they have missed us and how they were so very glad to see us.

While praying, the oldest boy said, “It is very easy for people to forget about us here in Africa. I thank you God that Greg and Lorenda did not forget us.”

When he finished praying, I told him and the others that it is very HARD to forget them- something that we could NEVER do. It is completely impossible for us to ever forget them. These children have impacted our lives in such huge ways and we love them dearly- they needed to hear that and we both made sure they heard that message today LOUD and CLEAR. I think they were rather surprised to hear how much they meant to us.

There are a couple of great lessons for us all there:

1.     You never know the impact you have in someone’s life. You may only be with someone for a very short period of time, but never underestimate the impact, either positive or negative, on both parties.

2.     People need to know how important they are to us and how much we love them. Whether that person lives on the other side of the world, across the country, down the street or in the same house. Tell them today and make sure that they know- don’t take that for granted!

We have learned that when we volunteer to meet a need in someone else’s life, we walk away feeling like we have received many times more than we have given!

To say we were blessed today would be such a huge understatement. God’s goodness is overwhelming.

Do you have someone in your life that you could impact? It very often is a small thing that you do, but it can make a lasting impact. It doesn’t have to be a child in Africa, it could be the lady next door who needs her lawn mowed or the boy down the street whose dad just walked out and he needs someone to play catch with. Opportunities are all around us, no matter where we are on this planet. Why don’t you commit to making a difference in the life of someone today? What’s stopping you? Believe me, if you do it with the right heart, you will get much more than you have given.

September 11, 2016

Today was one of those days where you just stand in awe, with your mouth hanging open and your eyes filled with tears and ask, “What could I possibly have done to be this blessed?” Of course, the answer is “Nothing”. God blesses us because we are His children and He loves to lavish us with wonderful gifts.

We started the day worshiping with our dear friends at Watoto Church. The energy and the passion are amazing. Pastor Julius delivered a wonderful message, as always. He is just a gifted preacher. If you don’t believe me, go online and listen to him yourself at www.watotochurch.com

More wonderful gifts came when we got to see the beautiful faces of Joanna and her children. What an amazing group of kids and we had the privilege of hanging out with them for most of the day.

Then we were treated to supper made by some of the older children. Brian, the oldest of the children (he is not a child anymore, he is a young man), is studying to be a chef. Judging by the meal we had, and the fact that he is such an amazing and determined young man, I have no doubt that Brian will be an amazing chef.

Joanna and her amazing group of kids really cannot be explained in words. They are strong, resilient, intelligent, feisty, fun-loving, kind, lovable, loving people that I wish you all could meet. Tonight we went to a dance performance with them. It was a Ugandan cultural dance show and the kids were watching, not performing. At least they weren’t performing until the end of the show when the host invited everyone to come down and join the party. They then became the center of attention and were surrounded by kids and adults alike. Each one of them has such a magnetic personality that you can’t help but be drawn to them. They made sure that we were down there dancing too- I think that was for their entertainment!

It is such a privilege to be able to play such a small part in building into the lives of these amazing young people. Please continue to pray for Joanna and the lives she touches everyday here in Uganda. I am truly humbled.

Heading Home

Well, today is the day.
The last few days have been amazing, but tough. I do want to assure you of one thing though- remember when you were a kid and your parents told you that if you don't stop eating so much of whatever, you are going to turn into that food. Well, let me assure you, if Greg and I did not turn into pineapples and mangoes this week, it won't ever happen to anyone! We made sure that we got our fill and then some!
We are now out and have just enjoyed a nice meal, including samosas, and soon it will be time to leave this beautiful country.
Soon we will venture back to Watoto Central to meet our "Ugandan sons" who will escort us to the airport. This will be the hardest "see you later" of them all. These young men really have become family to us.
In just a few short hours, we will begin our journey from this

To this...

See You Soon!

Blessed beyond belief!

We continue to feel as though we are the very more blessed people on the planet.
When we were originally given this gift, my first thought was- "We don't have time." Wrong and very wrong. God will make the time!
We have been so very blessed to have this time to decompress and reflect. As we have sat on the shore of this incredible river, God has showed us that what He has taught us here is for us to take home and apply there. As we talked about it, we just saw more and more opportunities to connect our Canadian resources to our Ugandan family and ways that we can apply what we have learned here to our lives in Canada.
We are so very thankful- there are no words!

The view from our room

The Week Goes On

Another day and a lot more “see you laters”. Yesterday the nannies from the babies home had their Christmas party…on the beach at Entebbe! I still struggle with Christmas lights on palm trees and Christmas parties on the beach, but that is my issue! Back to the story- since the nannies were all going to the Christmas party, they all met at babies home to board the buses. That gave me an opportunity to hug each one and say “see you later”. What a blessing that they all could be there.
Then I could hang out with my “little man”- my 2 year old boyfriend. This is an extremely active child that “terrorizes” the babies’ home everyday, but as soon as he sees me, he comes running and we cuddle- sometimes for three hours without him moving. I kept joking that I was taking him home with me on Monday- one of the staff members actually thought that I had adopted him and was really taking him home with me- that is the bond that this child and I have. Needless to say, as I was driving away from babies home and he was standing on the steps crying/screaming at the top of his lungs, it was certainly not a “dry eye” moment!
After a stop at a few different grocery stores, I was off to the guesthouses to say my “see you laters” there. These young men and women have become like kids to me- I am either “Mommy” or “Auntie Lorenda” to almost all of them. They are wonderful people and I am so glad that God gave me the opportunity to get to know them better, but that makes leaving even harder.
After I got done these two visits, I texted Greg and told him that next time we come I am going to be mean to everyone so they will hate me then leaving won’t be such a heart wrenching experience. Of course I was kidding, I am so blessed to have every one of these relationships- feeling pain as I leave just means that these are valuable relationships and I thank God for every one of them.
At the end of the workday, we had the maintenance team Christmas party. The plan was to visit, watch a movie and eat the snacks I had gathered on my numerous grocery stops. There were some issues with the movies due to “bad” power (too high/too low- whatever!). Good thing the company was so good- that was the important thing.
This amazing group of young men has become our family here. Our children refer to them as their Ugandan brothers. Since our children were here, two women have also been added to the team- Amy is the administrator and Jackie is Greg’s replacement. We thank the Lord for Jackie- knowing that the team is in such capable hands makes it a little easier to leave.
Today we will be off to Jinja to enjoy our time at an amazing resort that is literally “in” the Nile- you have to take a boat to the island it is on. I got many things done yesterday and now know where all of our belongings will be going and how they will get there so my mind can relax and enjoy this beautiful “mini vacation”.
On Monday we will make our rounds around Central and then the entire maintenance team will accompany us to the airport. That will be our biggest and wettest “see you later” session, but we won’t think about that just yet. Instead we are going to enjoy the next day that we have in God’s amazing creation.

Our Week of "Lasts"

Yesterday began our week of “lasts”- the last time we will do certain things before we go home.
But before I tell you about the lasts, I have to tell you about my first! On Monday I got on a boda boda (motorcycle taxi) for my first time! It isn’t as daring as it sounds (at least to those of you who know Kampala traffic) because I was in Gulu. There are only 1 million people in Gulu so the traffic is light and everything moves pretty slowly- compared to Kampala, Gulu is sort of like Radiator Springs in the Disney movie Cars. It wasn’t that long of a ride and the good news is…I survived!
Now, back to our week of lasts. Yesterday was our last team devotions with our Watoto family. When I say devotions, that sounds like a small gathering- no, it is a gathering of around 300 Watoto staff. Of course, I was in Gulu still so I wasn’t there, but Greg was. During devotions, Jack (Greg’s boss) spoke about our ministry here and more specifically about Greg’s work with the maintenance team. He discussed how Greg has made changes that have changed the way the work is being done and has raised the standard for maintenance here. He was given a standing ovation- the pastors and district administrators are the ones that are most aware of the changes and are very appreciative for the work he has done.
I recently realized that you haven’t heard much about the work that Greg has been doing. There are two reasons for that:
1. I am the one that is writing the blog,
2. The things I have been doing are much more fun and makes for more interesting story.
Don’t get me wrong, the work Greg is doing is extremely important, but describing to you how he has repaired a toilet or taught the guys about generators, doesn’t make for real interesting reading!
Yesterday I said “see you later” to the guesthouse staff in Gulu. It was very hard and we were all fighting back tears. There will be many more of those sessions in the week to come.

We did do some amazing shopping on the way home from Gulu. I arrived back in Kampala with six pineapples, 11 large mangoes, 24 passion fruit, 1 bunch of bananas, 3 green peppers and 6 red onions- all at the cost of 20,000/= ($8 USD). We are going to spend this last week eating all the fresh fruit that we can!

World AIDS Day

Today is December 1- World AIDS Day
Living in North America, the view of HIV/AIDS is very different than it is in Sub-Saharan Africa.
I have been a nurse for more than 29 years and to the best of my knowledge, I have cared for only three people that were HIV positive. Since February this year, I am sure I encounter ten times that number of HIV positive people on a daily basis.
In North America many people will never actually know someone who is HIV positive. In Uganda, I have yet to meet a family that has not been affected by the HIV/AIDS crisis.
Unfortunately, most of us in North America are also not very knowledgeable about HIV/AIDS and I can tell you, from a first hand perspective, that includes health care workers. Due to our own lack of knowledge and the fact that HIV is often transmitted through IV drug use in NA, we imagine HIV positive people to look and behave in a certain way. Many of us imagine HIV positive people as down and out drug addicted people who live on the street and work as prostitutes. As soon as we hear “HIV positive”, our antennae go up and we start to make all kinds of assessments and judgments.
I would like to tell you about the HIV positive people I have met and what they actually do look like. They are beautiful, happy babies who love to cuddle, giggle and play. They look like healthy, mischievous toddlers who run, climb and test the limits. They are children who sit in school all day, dreaming of being outside playing with their friends. They look like beautiful, kind, friendly women who sew, do bead work, cook, clean and raise their children.
Doesn’t it sound like I am describing “normal” babies, toddlers, children and women? That’s because I AM! These dear friends that I have described to you are regular people who have an illness that can fortunately be controlled with medication. I have had the privilege of cuddling, chasing, hugging, working alongside and crying with these people during our time here. I am so grateful that I have had this tremendous privilege. I have grown as a person and have had the opportunity to confront some of my own biases. I am so thankful for that.
I do want to clarify one thing- I have spoken about women and children that I have had the privilege of knowing during my time here. I don’t want anyone to think that there are no HIV positive men here. That is certainly not the case. I have been working with women and children during my time here so I know many of them very well. I know that I have encountered HIV positive males during my time here, but I have not gotten to know them well enough to discuss their HIV status with them. I just wanted to clarify so that no one made the assumption that there were no HIV positive males here.
If you sponsor a child in Sub-Saharan Africa, it is almost certain that the child’s life has been affected in some way by the HIV/AIDS crisis. On this World AIDS Day, please pray for the African continent and for HIV positive people around the world.