So we have a lot to catch up on!

Wednesday 5th February

Went to school! I had my P3 class and ended up teaching an English lesson. We did the difference between "a" and "an". Susie was helping me in this lesson and we discovered that the children have a slightly different way of pronouncing the vowels which got a little confusing at times! 

Thursday 6th February

We did some aid sorting in the morning and almost went crazy trying to find pairs of shoes! Then in the afternoon we got ready for our trip to Rwanda!

Friday 7th February

The first day of our Rwandan adventure! We needed to renew our visas so decided to make a trip out of it. We got bodas down to the coach park and were very surprised to hear that the coach had wifi!! So we settled down for our 11 hour journey... A few hours in and we stopped off at a petrol station to find that the toilet was not a toilet... or even a long drop... but a little cubicle with a drain in the corner! Oh the stories we could tell you about our toilet experiences! 

At the Rwandan border we all got off and our passports were stamped before we walked through 'no man's land' that was neither Uganda or Rwanda. Back on the coach to Kigali where we all got a bit confused by the time before Alex told us that Rwanda is an hour behind Uganda! We jumped onto some bodas who took us to grab some food. The boda bodas in Rwanda are a lot different to Uganda - each driver carries an extra helmet for the passenger and only one person can go on the back. That wasn't the only thing, I was surprised at how many differences there were between Uganda and Rwanda! They have such smooth roads and I couldn't believe how little traffic there was. We definitely were not in Kampala anymore! We stayed in Discover Rwanda Youth Hostel which was such a lovely place. 

Saturday 8th February

We all got bodas up to the genocide memorial site. We had a look around inside and I was shocked that I'd never really learnt about the Rwandan genocide before as it impacted so many millions of people. I don't think the five of us gappers have ever been so quiet for such a long time! It was really tough to hear about the events but it was important for us to do. I can't quite fathom how one human being can be so intrinsically evil to another.

Afterwards we met Alex in the cafe with his friend Trice, who is from America. We went to visit Alex's sister Julie who lives in Rwanda and some of Alex's nieces and nephews. In the evening we went to a lovely Mexican restaurant called Meze Fresh which turned out to be a great evening :)

Sunday 9th February
On Sunday we took to the streets of Rwanda to try and find church! We scraped together some GCSE French and tried to communicate with the boda guys... although we couldn't give the name of the church or the pastor... 
We followed the sound of singing and were relieved to find Alex, Julie and Trice in the church we'd found! It was a really good church service, I particularly enjoyed one of the songs that involved a lot of jumping and dancing - much to the other gappers' amusement/embarrassment. 

In the evening, KJ and Jon went off to the cinema to watch some hobbity lord of the rings thing (can you tell why I didn't go?). The rest of us went out for dinner at the loveliest Italian restaurant! I got way too over excited about the apple crumble on the desert menu, but I haven't had apple in such a long time! Back to the hostel after that for our last night in Rwanda.

APPLE CRUMBLE 

Monday 10th February
After taking a boda ride in the rain, we jumped back on to a coach for another 11 hour journey back to Kampala! At the border we renewed our visas (new stamps in my passport!) Not much to report about that, apart from the fact that we spotted some zebras at the side of the road! Oh and also the incredibly cheesy music that they very loudly played on repeat for about 7 hours; with lyrics such as "there are no mosquitoes in Heaven".

Tuesday 11th February
Despite all being pretty shattered from the weekend's adventure - we were all up at 6am for school! I have a new teacher in P3 with me who teaches English and Literacy One. After lunch, P1-P4 got sent home - which was a bit of a God-send as we were able to leave too and get some rest! (and when I say rest, I mean getting home and realising you need to wash all your clothes from the weekend!)

Wednesday 12th February
Back to Chosen again. In the evening I took Susie to the doctors surgery as she hadn't been feeling very well for a few weeks. We went in to see a French doctor named Monica, at which point I had to exercise maximum self control as she was listening to Susie's chest and made her do some breathing exercises which were pretty funny I won't lie. She then sent Susie off to do a stool sample and blood test, and it turned into quite an eventful evening! The nurse struggled to even find a vein (I hope you're not squeamish) so settled for taking blood from her hand. Susie then looked at me and went white as a sheet and then passed out in the chair. I asked the nurse to find us a bucket but she kinda just stood there, only jumping into action when it was too late and Susie had already been sick over herself and the floor. (yes Susie did give me permission to tell you all this) Anyway so Nurse Grace took over and we sorted her out and they tested what they had. The results came back that Susie had a tropical parasite in her stomach called Giardia and also suspected Bilharzia. Poor Susie :( I went round and picked up a pack of pills for her and we braved the journey home, praying that Susie wouldn't be sick again. We eventually got in and she was sent straight to bed.

Thursday 13th February
Nic, Brain, Kathryn and I went to the FBC slums to remind everyone that kids club was starting up again. Anna, Jon and Innocent went to Blessed Word to do the same, and Susie stayed in bed! It was so lovely to be back there, I've really missed them! Afterwards we went off to KBC for our various activities, I went to choir - without Susie!

Friday 14th February
Happy Valentines Day! Jon, Anna, Nic, Moses and I went to FBC for children's club. We played lots of games, had some songs and played with bubbles! We had biscuits and gave each child a new toy! It was such a great afternoon and I love blessing the children there. As we get to know the kids more we get to know their little personalities and each of us seem to have gained a little 'shadow' who appears at our side as soon as we arrive!

Saturday 15th February

Normal Saturday duties! I was very excited to receive some post! Thank you to the Claydons, Englishs, Grace K and 1st Hawkwell's Juniors for your parcels and letters :)

Sunday 16th February

Off to church in the morning where we heard an American pastor preach on our talents. In the afternoon we had a barbecue at the Smile House for VOW (which Alex is part of). It was a great afternoon full of very good food and fellowship. 

Monday 17th February

We left early in the morning to go hospital visiting. The five of us gappers were accompanied by Nic, Brian and Moses. We split off into two groups and went round the wards. In my group, we spoke and prayed with an elderly man called Livingstone and his family who weren't really sure of the problem; but he looked very frail and unwell. We also visited baby Omar who was suffering from malaria and wouldn't look at us when we first walked in as he thought we were doctors and he'd grown to dislike them! There was another lady named Juliet who had malaria and TB, she had traveled a long way to get to that hospital and was unable to eat much at all. Lastly, we went to see a lady who had had a very severe skin reaction to some medicine that she was given. It was quite upsetting to see as she seemed very uncomfortable however she was willing to chat to us. Many of the patients we saw mentioned that they were struggling to find the money for the hospital fees and the medicines so please keep these families in your prayers, and pray for a swift recovery for all of them. 

Today (19/02/14) and yesterday we have been at school again. It's dry season now here in Uganda so the weather just keeps getting hotter! I don't mean to rub it in, I know Britain is pretty miserable at the moment! Thank you for all your prayers and support. Please pray that we will be able to rely on God's strength more as we're pretty tired at the moment! We're all absolutely loving it though, God Bless you all :)

Victoria

On Monday Nic, Kathryn and I went to visit a lady who some of the volunteers have known for a long time. We jumped on two different taxis to get there and had to ask a few boda drivers and shop keepers where to go, before meeting up with Harriet, who cares for the lady we were visiting. She led us to their shared compound where we tried to prove to some of the little ones that we really weren’t as scary as we looked! Some of them accepted our high-five offers, but others preferred to keep their distance!

We went inside their home and sat down. From what I could see, their house was made up of about two or three rooms. We sat and spoke to Harriet and another lady before we noticed a face poking out through the curtain in between the two rooms. The curtain was pulled back to allow a little old lady to shuffle out towards us, her body bent double due to the small second-hand jerry can that she used as a walking stick. Her face was sunken and the lines on her face suggested years of struggle. This was Victoria. Despite everything, her determination prevailed as she headed straight for Kathryn and I. Now there’s something likeable about someone who goes straight in for a hug before the formal introductions. Victoria went in for the double, embracing both of us simultaneously. As I put my arm round her, I felt her shoulders beneath her dress and the brittleness of her bones as she tried to hold herself up. We took on her weight as she began to mutter something in Luganda and Nic later told us that she was crying. Happy tears, we hope! Nic helped Victoria to move round and sit down next to me on the sofa. She took my hand in hers and rested her head on my shoulder.

Harriet then pulled out a bag of handmade jewellery. I’ll buy a few things, I thought to myself. Next thing I knew, she was pushing a ring onto my finger and fastening a bracelet round Kathryn’s wrist. “They are a gift to you” she said, refusing to let us pay for them. Her generosity amazed me, she has many mouths to feed and lives to care for and yet she willingly gave away these beautiful pieces of jewellery to us.

Next to me, Victoria started to groan in pain. She placed my hand on her stomach and her family told me that she has stomach ulcers and cancer. Her family reckon that the ulcers in her stomach have been there for up to 50 years! Unfortunately, Victoria is now too old for them to perform surgery and palliative care is very limited here in Uganda. She has to live every day in constant pain and discomfort. 

One thing that stood out to me about Victoria was her piercing blue eyes. She picked up my hands and placed them over her eyes, and Nic told me that they were also causing her trouble. I felt so helpless but I knew that the one thing I could do was pray. We prayed for the Lord to comfort her and take way the pain that she is so bravely enduring.

We stepped outside with Harriet who told us that the centre of the compound was their church. She told us about their plans to build a big church with three floors: one for a car park, one for the church and one for church activities. It was inspiring to hear such big dreams and we promised to go back and visit one day.

After leaving, Nic told us that Victoria is in her nineties! He said she is a fighter and I couldn’t agree more. The pain she was going through did not stop her from joining in our conversations and making us feel ever so welcomed and loved.

It was a truly humbling experience that I’m sure I will never forget. Please remember this family in your prayers.