day sixty six: back from the source of the nile

ah, a week past and it feels good to curl up beneath my city's sky at night. the familiar sights and sounds flood my senses like nostalgia, and leave me feeling warm. ive spent a week away, just a few hours west, in jinja. and though in truth it is so close, it is another world over there.

this was my second time in jinja. if you remember, a few months ago, tyler and i stopped over for a few days on our journey from kenya. as the time before, this was one of much needed refreshement. it is amazing how a simple change of pace for a short time can reawaken your mind to the true value of things. my time away made me appreciate so much more, the relationships i have here.

i think i just have a tendency to take God's goodness for granted. i wish it wasnt so, but i am grateful that He also sees it fit to re-open my eyes to the world around me every once in a while. i got back in the afternoon yesterday, and was expecting to arrive to a full house. instead, it was quiet. so i set down my things, and took a seat, a bit disappointed.

but then in the door walks eddie, all in new clothes, with this little smile on his face(and i promise now i wont spend the whole time talking about eddie, though i suspect hes grown in the week ive been gone) and he quick-walks on over to me to be scooped up. i just held him and played with him, talking back and forth with my broken Lugandan, for an hour or two. and it was so awesome. and even now, i feel so blessed, beyond what i could ask or hope for.

i spent my time away in a small town called masese, just outside of jinja, with an organization called Serving His Children. SHC is bacially started and run by a twenty year old girl named Renee Bach. She has been in Uganda off an on for long periods of time since she was eighteen, serving with Light Gives Heat, Amani Childrens Home, and now, her own NGO- Serving His Children. She is a really great girl, who has completely let the Ugandan people capture her heart, and completely surrendered her life to God, for Him to use it as He will.

Renee, along with any volunteers on hand at the time, rents a house in masese, which is one of, if not the, poorest areas in/around jinja. it is basically a slum. from that house, she runs a bi weekly feeding ministry, open to any children who come. it serves upwards of one thousand kids, i think. i didnt ask, but i heard some numbers thrown around, and from what i saw, it had to be at least a thousand. also, she runs a small clinic from out of her kitchen. again, it is free to anyone who comes knocking at the door. obviously, services are limited, but she provides medicine and advice to all whom she can help, or else sends them to a nearby clinic. for special cases, she will arrange to take them to the main hospital in entebbe.

as if those two werent enough, and there were infinite hours in the day, she takes in severly sick/malnourished kids, and over a course of time, nurses them back to health. many of these kids have been failed by the overcrowed, understaffed hospitals, many of their families dont have the means to care for them, and many live with HIV/AIDS. while it is not a permanent solution, it has made a world of difference for these kids, and they will return to their families(if applicable) with a much better chance of living a happy, healthy life.

most of my time in jinja, i spent lending an extra set of hands around the many projects at the SHC home. there was never a quiet moment, and i loved it. some of you know that my heart is in medicine, and eventually i want to study for a degree in it. so this was just perfect, and reminded me a lot of my time spent in the Dominican Republic. as i said before, rest and refreshment doesnt always have to look like relaxation. oftern, it can be as simple as a change of pace.

i did get to spend some time on my own. i took a day and visited old friends at the Light Gives Heat house. we went and paid some visits to the Suubi ladies, and i made my first paper bead necklace! then, as the day drew on, and everyone had places to be, i made my way alone to a quiet cafe off the main street in jinja, and had the best iced americano ive had in months! it was heaven. seriously. that glass held all the relaxation i needed : ) that night was back at the LGH house, spending some more time with friends till the wee hours.

one downside is, i got sick for the first time in Africa! i think its been building up, waiting for a good time to strike. and strike it did, with a vengeance. i had pretty much every symptom way bad for a twenty four hour period. after which, most died off, and im now reduced to a normal stomach bug, though i still feel dizzy when im move to fast. not quite sure what it is, although i got a malaria test when i was still at the clinic. negative. im getting better though. i popped some pills yesterday that should kill anything going on in my stomach that shouldnt. no trouble yet, just a little continued uneasiness. we'll see though. it was bound to happen sooner or later, im actually surprised it took so long!

my time here is winding down. i realized a few weeks ago that the halfway point has passed, now it feels like ive got not time at all. yep, before i know it, ill be back in snowy, freezing, chicago. im kinda torn about it : )


with the world, in His hands
jon