Hives...

Well, leave it to me to have my first ever allergic reaction in Uganda. Yes, hives in Uganda. Ugh. Haha. I'm about 90% clear now but I have had quite the night/day. It started about 1pm yesterday. I had put on deet and sunscreen and we were out by the pool on our day off. I thought I had been bit by a mosquito and it just got kind of red. The only thing that was weird was that it was kind of big and in the same place on both arms. I brushed it off and put on some more deet. Then we finished swimming/laying out and got ready for dinner. By this point I had one more and I figured I just needed to make sure I had enough deet on since we were eating outside. So we had dinner and decided to play card games in my room. While we were going upstairs I noticed that I had a couple more spots on my arms and the palm of my right hand was swollen and red. That's when I began to think maybe it wasn't a mosquito. While we are playing card games I realized I had some spots in places I KNOW Mosquitos couldn't get to. So I asked around and took two benedryl and went to bed. Around 3am I woke up feeling hot, itchy, and in pain. I went to the restroom and to my surprise I was COVERED in these red spots. They were everywhere. EVERYWHERE. Even in my face and feet. It hurt to walk and to smile and basically do anything. So I consulted my favorite nurse and paramedic in training (shout out Ginny! Sry I didn't tell you it was me last night. Didn't want to worry you.) and she said that "someone" could take more benedryl and gave "someone" instructions. So at 3am I took more benedryl and went to bed praying for the best. At 6 am it was worse. At 9:30am it was awful so Becky called pastor Morris and he sent a doctor that he trusts with Mzungu's to the hotel. The doctor asked questions, looked at me and told us to go to his office. At his office they gave me a hydrocortisone shot and a prescription and told me "you will be fine." so we left. I took the first dose of the medicine and then we went to Morris and Aidah's for lunch. About 4 hours later I'm 90% better! Thank you Jesus!!!!! So I survived my very first allergic reaction! And I'm in Uganda. Haha :-) now I just hope it was from the deet or sunscreen. I'm not using either of those again (don't worry I'm taking malaria medicine so I'll be fine without bug spray.) If it wasn't one of those I could be back in the doctors office tomorrow. Pray that I'm not please! I hated not seeing Chede or going to Namatala today. Pray that this is the end of my allergic reactions. Anyways I thought I'd share my hives story with you. I made it! Hahahahaha :-)

Medical Clinic in Namatala

Yesterday was our first medical clinic and there were so many people! I had to take Chede (new CORRECT spelling!) and her sisters into the clinic because their parents weren't around. Then Simon (the man helping us organize everyone inside) told Maria to go get her dad and she did. Her dad came in and told me I could handle it then left. Then Simon sent her after him again and when her dad came back in he told him he needed to stay. So we went inside and the doctor was asking questions and most of the time their dad looked at me and I had to answer. I knew more about their symptoms than he did. It sounded to me like he has HIV, (I was only catching pieces of what was going on with him. Translation hiccups) so after I told the doctor all of their symptoms she came over to me and said "He doesn't take care of these. All of them need to be tested and they are not being taken care of." That confused me a little but when she said it she was feeling Chede's stomach and I kind of assumed she meant they aren't eating. So I took the girls outside to get tested for HIV and the nurse said "these don't have HIV they are malnourished" but they did the test anyways. They were negative PRAISE GOD!!!!!! But now I don't know what to do for them. Chede seems happy but she doesn't like to stand and I don't know if it's because she is a brat or because it makes her tired because she is malnourished. Every time I hold her she falls asleep. And Ana sleeps all the time. Poor baby. Her tummy is just like Chede's but baby sized. Ana has to be around 6-9 months old. Their dad told me today that mom goes and looks for survival every day. (survival=food/money/work) It's just such an awful situation that is entirely too common in this place. I can't even explain to you how "normal" distended bellys have become to me. Please pray with me that it would be made clear what my purpose with this family is! I feel so completely helpless. Today was just as eventful. I sat in with the doctors most of the day and watched them see patients. That was really interesting. Not like a doctors appointment in America for sure! Later in the day I traded with someone so they could have a break from the sun and was faced with a very hard situation. A little girl told Haley that she was being abused at home. We had no clue what to do. This isn't uncommon here but that still doesn't make it ok! Glenn eventually talked to her and calmed her a little but for the most part in this situation our hands are tied. It's so sad. Breaks my heart. After the clinic we found out that 2 children were sent to the hospital for malnutrition. Tomorrow we will be checking on them and getting more information. One of them is a 4 year old the size of a 1 year old. The other was a baby that was a month old and the doctor said it was dying. Please pray with us for these children! This is such a serious problem in Namatala and these are just 2 severe cases. This breaks my heart so much. I just wish I could feed them all! I can't. God can. Pray. Please. I will have to post more later. My mind is entirely too crowded right now. Thanks for praying with me! Love and miss you all at home!

Day 3 in Namatala

Today we began a little later in the day so part of the team stayed with the moms sewing club and part of the team came with me to Namatala. We went and found Chade and as soon as I rounded the corner we heard "Mzungu Chade! Mzungu Chade!" and then the mamas called for Chade and she came running around the corner to me! We went over where her hut was and the mamas pulled out "chairs" for us so we all sat down and played with babies. Chade was eating so she stood as close as she could to me while she ate. I had a cute flower headband with me that I put on her and the mamas loved it. While she was standing near me I could feel her little distended belly and it felt hard, almost like a pregnant belly but a little different. She was eating but it was just flower and water and I don't know how often she gets to eat. I was told again that she is 6 years old and I still refuse to believe that. I really hope she is more like 3 or 4. Hopefully soon I will be able to take a translator with me to go talk to her mom. After Chade finished eating she ran back to her hut, put away her bowl, and ran straight back out to me with her arms out. I held her a while longer then it was time for us to go to lunch. I handed her to Kristyn and asked kristyn to tell her I would be back in a couple hours then we left. Without tears!!! After lunch we went back to Namatala to plant another garden. A few people went early with me to go find Chade. When we got there she came running again and kristyn told me we could take her with us to Irene's hut where we were planting. I held her and kissed her and gave her some water and tried to put her down but she wouldn't let me. She cries every time I try! Paul didn't Elise me that she still cries and he told me to "test it" so I put her down and she cried and grabbed for me. I picked her back up. Haha! Once again there were plenty of people planting so I just played with Chade, Maria and kristyn. When it was time to go her mom came and took her from me and put her down. She cried and turned and reached for me and cried the whole way. Breaks my heart!!! Tonight we celebrated Molly's 19th birthday at Chat N Chino and it was great! Thanks Glenn! It has been another wonderful day :-) ichooseyou family day tomorrow!

Day 2!

It has been another wonderful day! Today we went to the village to plant another garden. There were plenty of people already working on the garden when I got there and soon it became too many people so I decided to focus on the children instead. I played with the kids and talked tried to talk to the mamas for a while then decided to go walking through the village with Kristyn and Kady. We walked for a while and we were about to turn a corner when I saw her. Chade was walking with a rather large group of children behind Sott, David and Mark when she saw me. She turned, started running toward me, and then put her hands up and grabbed me. I picked her up and held her for a very long time :-) we walked through Namatala some more then went back to where everyone else was. When we got there I saw Chade's sister Maria holding the smallest beautiful baby girl. I had Paul ask her if it was her sister and she said yes it was and her name is Ana. I took her from Maria, and held Ana and Chade at the same time! I was in Heaven!!! I got some pictures with Chade and Ana that I will post soon. I also tried to get pictures with Chade, Ana and Maria but I couldn’t get a good one because all the other kids tried to get in. We finally finished the garden and it was time for lunch so I had to send her home. This was a tiny bit of a problem because Chade cried and cried and tried to follow me to the van but Maria was holding Ana. Finally one of the mama’s in the area picked her up and helped Maria get her home. It was heart wrenching! Oh I love this girl!!!!! So we went to Mama Aidah’s house for lunch and had chapati(!!!!!) rice beans and bananas. It was SO good J not very healthy, but good. After lunch we headed back to the village in hopes to plant another garden. Becky told me we weren’t far from where Chade lives so I asked her to go with me to show me how to get there so I could get my baby. We went and from about 100 feet away she saw me (before I saw her) and started running toward me. Then someone realized she was running toward me and picked her up and carried her to me. I figured out that that was her mom! Her mom’s name is Agnes and she is VERY Karamojong. (As if you can be more or less Karamojong lol. She just really looked Karamojong.) Then her dad walked up and introduced himself again. I asked if I could take her with me to where we were planting the garden and he was hesitant but then he said I could if the neighbor went with us. Her name is Kristyn and she is 12 years old. So we walked back to the place we wanted to garden at but the team had decided we couldn’t plant today because we were unsure of the exact location for the garden, so it was time to go. Chade’s dad walked up right when we were deciding to leave so Becky and Mark talked to him a little. Kristyn had told me that Chade is 6 years old. (Oh how I pray this is NOT true.) I asked her dad and, go figure, he didn’t know. I hugged her, kissed her, and told her I love her then had to put her down. She immediately started crying again and Mark ushered me into the van saying it would only get harder if I didn’t go now. Her dad picked her up and walked toward the van looking confused. Becky walked over and said “She wants the Mzungu” and her dad said “yes, she does!” She cried and cried and her dad finally just had to walk away with her reaching for me and crying. I looked out the back window of the van and she made eye contact with me and reached and cried and it broke my heart! I wish she understood me so she could understand that I’m coming back! I WILL be back every day J haha. Hopefully soon she will begin to understand that I will be back. Becky told me that I need to get to know her parents so that they will trust me to come get her and carry her away whenever I want. I agree! I can’t even begin to describe to you how much I love this baby girl. I wish her mom spoke more English so that I could talk to her and find out how old Chade is and get to know her better. If she really is 6 years old then we have a majorly malnourished baby. This week has been about getting to know the village and planting gardens. Next week we will have our medical clinic and really get down to business. Oh Uganda J I’m so happy!

Day One Uganda!

So I already posted a short and sweet update but here is the whole rundown...

This morning we met in Wanale Hut for worship, bible study, and prayer. That was such a sweet time! Then we all got in the van and went to namatala. We went straight to Mama Sarah's area and Becky showed us the key hole garden that the first tem planted. It's cool! I think we get to take our shot at one tomorrow! After we saw the garden Becky told me I could go looking for "baby girl" so I did! I practically ran toward her house but then I had to stop and wait for Sarah because I knew I would need a translator. We started walking together and then from about 100 feet away I saw her and I RAN the rest of the way. I picked her up and just held her and she smiled!!! I never got to see her smile last year because she was sick so it was such a sweet thing to see her smile, especially at me!!! Sarah caught up with me and helped me ask a neighbor what her name was and she said her name is Chade. Pronounced Cha-day. She is just beautiful :-) Sarah wanted to catch up with the rest of the group so we took Chade and her sister Maria with us. I held her for at least 30 minutes-an hour and then Becky said it was time to send the kids home so we could go to a different area of namatala. When I put her down he just grabbed my legs and wouldn't let go so I picked her up and asked Paul to explain that I would be back but we had to go. He took her, explained, and put her down and she did the same thing so he had to give her to her sister Maria. Maria had to carry Chade home crying. It was so sweet! I can't wait to see her tomorrow :-)

After Chade and Maria left us we went a few other places in the village and then went to mama's house for lunch. When we got there we spent some time with the sewing ladies then went inside for lunch. Lunch was very good. We had fried chicken, potatoes, and pineapple. Typical Uganda food :-) very good. Glenn was there, Jared was there, mama Aidah was there...it was fun! After lunch, as we were getting in the van, Paul told me that Flower was home for lunch. I RAN all the way back there yelling Flower and she ran out and we had the sweetest reunion ever! She is still as beautiful as ever and I can't wait to spend some more time with her!

After lunch we went on a hunt for a hoe, nails, and a big stick (I have no clue. dont ask. you never know.) The hoe, nails, and big stick rang up to a totaly of 13,000 shillings. that would be about $6.50. seriously good deal!  Then we went to the hotel to get a few things before we went to the school. When we got there the kidswere still in class so we waited in the ichooseyou office for a while. Finally, the kids came running out. We all walked outside and I was searching for Teko Brian when all of the sudden I saw him running at me! He ran straight to me and gave me a huge hug! Then he said "Hi Callie" like he has been practicing with Becky and the first team. He never left my side :-) it was the sweetest thing!!! I also got to see Sandra! She no longer has hair but she is gorgeous! She was also pretty glued to my side. I saw Esther, Jacob and Isaac, Fortunante, Edwin, and a few other kids that I have missed so much this year! It was wonderful :-)

Our last stop of the day before the hotel was Chat N Chino (Glenn's coffee shop.) We stopped in to have smoothies and milkshakes and use the internet. The internet wasnt working when we got there so becky called Glenn and he came and fixed it. We updated facebook, blogs, instagram, etc. and drank our drinks then headed back to the hotel for dinner and free time.

This has been such a great first day in Namatala/Mbale. I am overwhelmed with emotions and overflowing with joy! Friends and Family- I miss you! Hope you will come with me someday. It's amazing here.

Tomorrow we will be gardening I believe and maybe some wound cleaning here and there. Monday and Tuesday will be our medical days so be praying for us! Thanks!

Uganda!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm here!!!!! I am in Uganda :-) Praise Jesus! I am so happy! I found "baby girl"!! Her name is Chade! Her sister is Maria. She just let me hug her and kiss her and love her. Paul taught me to say "I love you" to her and I told her over and over! When it was time to go she held onto my skirt and just cried. She did NOT want to leave me :-) I got to see Teko Brian as well! He is so handsome and he has told EVERYONE that I am his sponsor and everyone knows my name because of it! Haha :-) I had the best reunion with Paul, Esther, and FLOWER!!! Sarah, Glenn, Margaret, Sandra, and everyone else are well, and we have seen them quite a bit today.  We are currently at Chat N Chino (Glenn's coffee shop) and we are having milkshakes and updating facebook/blogs/etc. The internet at the hotel is not very good this year.

I am so overwhelmed with everything so far. I am so happy to be here and I just don't know what to do with myself!!! I keep forgetting that I will be here for a long time...I don't have to rush to do everything!!! I'm not on my computer right now so I will have to post pictures to facebook from my phone for today. It has been a great day in Namatala! More later.

Today!

Today! We leave today :-) This will be my very last post from the states! I don't have a whole lot to say except that I am soooooooooooo excited!!!!! I am having major conflicting emotions right now, haha. I am beyond ready and excited to go back to Uganda, but it's still hard to say goodbye to the ones I love here. Family and friends, I'll be home soon enough! Then you will probably have to help me through being here again. Know that I love you and I am so blessed by you in my life! I couldn't do any of this without you! I hope you know that no matter how much I love Uganda, or how long I stay, you will always be missed, loved, and cherished every single moment of every day!

Now lets get going!!!!! Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Houston, Dubai, and UGANDA here we come!!!!!!!!!!!!