Update and prayer request Sat 9th Dec

Please pray for this precious little boy Shaban...I just found him in the slums this morning (Sat 9 Dec). His foot had been run over by a taxi/mini bus. He has been admitted to clinic and will stay there for a month. What breaks my heart more than the foot, is that he is all alone. Please pray for him. I apologise for the grotty photo....but this is the reality of street life. 

And the photos...

A quick wee update...

Just a quick wee update this week, as I am running about as much as ever trying to fit things in before I come home...

Last night I had a meal with the sponsor ‘boys’ for two of my friends from back home.  They were very appreciative of their ‘last supper’ and we enjoyed our time together.  I am so thankful for them – they always make me laugh! Please pray for Moses and Kennedy though as they face some challenges. 

I had the opportunity on Thursday to go with one of my Ugandan friends, Betty, to visit her family.  This was such a blessing and we have many funny stories to tell from this day...including being asked by a complete stranger in the taxi about my bowel movements!

I enjoyed visiting Zalika at her home this week to do some English with her, though finding her house is always a challenge.  Every time I get lost. They live next to the swamp but every time I take a wrong turning and nearly end up in the swamp!

I continue to love my little healing hearts group.  I will be sorry to say goodbye to them as we have become close.  I am so thankful for the wonderful material that I have been using and just pray it is touching their lives in small ways. 

I continue to frequent the dentist and the clinics – I think they may go bankrupt when I come home!

Please continue to remember Dennis in the slums.  We spent some time together on Wednesday.  I am pursuing a different organisation currently, one which Dennis feels more comfortable with, to see if there are any openings and opportunities with them.  Dennis said to me on Wednesday that he felt in his heart that next year, 2018, was going to be a year of change.  Let’s pray this comes to pass.

I had the pleasure of visiting a lovely American lady yesterday and seeing some of the work that she is involved in.  She has a small shelter for street boys in a nearby town.  She asked me to prepare a wee lesson on Scotland for the boys, so I went all out and put my tartan leggings on!  The concept of kilts caused much hilarity!  It was such an encouraging and refreshing visit.     

Today’s activities have included; killing a cockroach using a child’s shoe, transferring a rabbit from A to B (holding it by the ears) and a marriage proposal from a random Boda driver...every day holds something new!

Thanks for your love, support and prayers x

Photos...

One of our P7 boys - Francis

Look who is at my window!

Little baby David

Baby Eva

Dennis

Police - the guard dog for one of our kids

Sara after healing hearts

David and Dennis...in the slums

Silly faces

Baby Purpose

It's raining, it's pouring!

It has been pouring continuously all morning, which has forced me to have a quiet morning – for which I am very thankful.  It also gives me some time to update you lovely people.  Hope you are all well.  Going to type fast, as power is off and I don’t want my laptop to die on me!

Last Thursday a precious little bundle, nicknamed ‘Baby Purpose’ came to visit us at RUHU.  This little baby boy had been abandoned in the slums and a certain lady, Aunty Emmy, had taken him in, but was looking to RUHU for assistance and support.  Uncle Patrick was out of the country last week and being merely a volunteer I am not in a position to make important decisions.  I tried to determine whether this lady wanted us to take the baby from her and care for him or whether she wanted to remain with the baby, but with the support of RUHU.  I was able to recommend a certain babies home where I have previously volunteered, but she was keen to remain with the baby.  I admire this, because this lady has very little in order to support Baby Purpose, but her hearts seems to be big and open!  I was able to help meet their immediate needs by providing nappies and formula milk but let’s pray for this little baby’s future and the years that lie ahead.  I love how Aunty Emmy has named him ‘Purpose’ – God has a purpose and a plan for this little baby, despite his awful start in life.  

My Aunt and Uncle’s sponsor girl, Brendah, finished her S4 exams last Friday. She is sponsored through a different organisation, but I always make time to see her and enjoy our time together – she is a sweet girl.  To celebrate this massive achievement of finishing S4 I took her out for dinner and she thoroughly enjoyed her chicken and chips, milkshake and cake!  It was an added bonus because she was able to speak to my aunty, her sponsor, courtesy of Cafe Javas’ wifi.  I don’t know who was more excited, my aunty or Brendah – possibly my Aunty Avril!  Technology can be such a blessing.

Please continue to pray for Dennis, in the slums.  I sat with him, squatting in the dust, sheltering from the sunshine for a long time on Tuesday afternoon...just chatting.  I am so thankful for one of our P7 Boys, David, who escorted me and doubled up as my translator and body guard.  We talked for a long time with Dennis about the opportunities that Retrack have provided – sadly he hasn’t returned to their centre since we went together last week.  He seems really scared.  He doesn’t know if he can trust these people.  Obviously in the past he has had his trust abused and therefore he finds it hard to trust people.  I empathised with him and said it is incredibly hard to know who you can trust – I have certainly been disappointed time and time again during this trip, when it comes to trust.  Please pray for Dennis.  He seems to want change in his life, but is scared...

On Wednesday I had the opportunity to visit the slums and see the work of a different organisation amongst the children.  This was very refreshing and encouraging. 

Yesterday I experienced my first ever American Thanksgiving meal, here in Uganda.  My lovely American friend, Becca invited me to her home and we shared a lovely time together.  I am so thankful for her.

In other news...I managed to change a light bulb this week for the first time ever in my life.  It was not an easy task, as the ceiling is very high.  Picture the scene...I am balanced on a broken chair, whilst Lillian, the girl I stay with, holds the chair secure...it is dark, so I am depending on my head torch...I am so rubbish when it comes to heights that I start to feel dizzy...takes me forever to remove the old light bulb...the light bulbs here seem to be a different shape and structure...I eventually insert the new light bulb and think it is secure so I let go...it’s not...it falls to the ground and smashes...I jump off my chair covering my head..off I go back to the corner shop to purchase a new light bulb...whilst I am waiting in line a small boy comes running back to the shop keeper and says, ‘I dropped my spaghetti!’ She instructs him to go and collect his dust covered spaghetti from the middle of the road and bring it back.  She dusts it down and puts it in a new bag and sends him off...then I start my game of charades to demonstrate that I need a new light bulb...there is much hilarity...I decide that if I don’t manage the second time I will call a randomer to assist us...but we managed...praise the Lord!  Who thought changing a light bulb could be such a saga!

There is never a dull moment!

Thanks as always for your love, support and prayers xxx

 

Some photos

Sharron and Jenny

Zalika and her maama

Baby Jordan - super excited by the chocolate biscuits!

Baby Pauline - safe house

Shadrack and Shafic

Maama Zalika - laughing at the giant that I am - had to stoop down majorily for this picture!

Baby Ibra - safe house

Fred

Another wee update from Uganda x

Good evening everybody.

I hope this update finds you all well.  As always thank you for your love, support and prayers.

On Saturday I journeyed to visit my friend Sharron in a small village near the Tanzanian border.  The journey was somewhat uneventful on the way, unlike my last trip, but certain things still strike me as crazy as ever, even though I have seen them before.  I could have eaten lots of exciting things on the way as hawkers thrust grasshoppers, goat’s meat and plantain bananas through the windows of the ‘taxi’, but I declined as I don’t travel terribly well at the best of times.  It is grasshopper season and they are apparently a delicacy – mum and I tried them during one of our trips, but weren’t terribly enamoured by them.  I praise God that I reached the village safely and returned in one piece.  The road I was travelling on is called Massaka Road – but I have heard it referred to as Masacre Road before, due to the high number of accidents. I had a lovely time with Sharron and her family.  It was lovely to catch up with her brothers, Shadrack and Shafic also.  A massive thank you to those who have helped out with their school fees this academic year.  The journey home took forever! I lost count of the number of times we stopped.  The driver and conductor seemed to think it was a bit of a ‘jolly’.  We stopped umpteen times at market stalls to do their personal shopping and then took a massive d-tour to pick up some extra passengers, before taking another d-tour so that these passengers could do some of their business...only in Africa!

I enjoyed spending some time with the babies at safe house on Monday afternoon.  They are easily amused – some chocolate biscuits and some songs/videos on my laptop – and they are content.  Please pray for these little babies.  Their English is virtually non-existent, but love can cross language barriers.  Please pray that they would feel loved and special.

I am thankful for those who come along faithfully to the savings group on Monday evenings.  This group has a lot of potential, but it also requires patience.  Being part of such a group may not reap immediate benefits, please pray that the members would be patient and that with time they would be able to testify to the benefits themselves. 

I have had some encouraging conversations and interactions with Fred this week – which I am so thankful for.  Please continue to pray for complete healing and transformation.  He is showing signs that he is on the journey – so let’s continue to remember him in our prayers.

Poor little Zalika had been sent home from school today – so I decided I would go to her home and do some work with her from there.  She is such a sweet and appreciative girl.  She continues to help me with my Luganda and I continue to work on English with her.  Her mama said something to Zalika before I left and Zalika translated.  Her mama was requesting the equivalent of 50p as the family didn’t have food for today.  Zalika, bless her, asked in such a humble and gentle way.  She said ‘Aunty I love you so much and I am sorry but my mother is requesting 2000 for food.’  This child obviously felt guilty asking me for money – but she had nothing to be sorry for and obviously I was happy to help them out in such a small way.  I get asked for money on a daily basis and sometimes it is demanded in not very pleasant ways – so it was so humbling and lovely that little Zalika asked in such a nice manner.

This afternoon I went to the slums to see Dennis, who I talked about in my last update.  We went together to the organisation that I mentioned last day – Retrack.  The staff member we spoke with was very helpful and informed Dennis of the opportunities that are available with Retrack.  The opportunities are there.  Please pray that Dennis would embrace them and start on the journey of change.  Again he was very humble this afternoon, which was lovely as I am getting used to people being quite rude to me! As he hugged me goodbye and returned to the slums for the night he said, ‘Thank you so much aunty for everything.’            

I want to echo Dennis’ words as I finish – ‘Thank you so much for everything.’  Whilst each day brings so many frustrations and sometimes pain, I have so much to be thankful for.  Thanks for your prayers and love x