This is Brenda, the oldest child at the orphanage, with Hope (Rogers' youngest daughter).  Don't you love the knit caps in 90 degree weather?

WE ARE HERE!!!

My mom and I arrived safely on Friday night in Uganda.  On Saturday morning, we drove to Budaka, the town where the Cornerstone orphanage and church are located.  We spent the afternoon being greeted by the children (they sang a welcoming song and danced for us- it was awesome!) and then I got to meet the children individually.  They were just as happy in person as they were in the pictures and videos that I have seen (and most of you have also seen).  It is wonderful to see that they are real children and not just people in stories.  :)

My mom and I have moved into a three-bedroom “house” (I put the word in quotations because it must be thought of in an African way). The house has cement floors, barred windows and doors (which also have glass panes, but because they weren’t secured well, the panes are falling out), and also a bonus: two two-by-two foot holes cut into the ceilings, which Laurie and I are hoping no snakes fall out of. 

The construction of the house in general is a bit questionable, as they also left the indoor washroom (an inside room for taking sponge baths) without any holes/drains for the water to go out, rendering the room useless for now.  So as of now, my mom and I have been bathing outside behind a 6-foot-high walled structure.  But each time we go out in our yard to this structure, we attract a group of people to our fence who watch and wait for us to emerge, I assume it’s because we are white and it is entertaining to watch us go and bathe outside.  We are thinking about planting bushes around the inside of the fence, to give a bit more privacy than the barbed wire provides. 

Other than that and a case of jet lag, things are good here.  I love the people and am enjoying the journey of cultural and physical adjustment (jet lag is still getting to me, especially in the afternoons, when my body says it is time to sleep). It is a process and probably by next week at this time, the jet lag will be a thing of the past.

So there’s a little picture of my last three days (forgot my camera today, but for sure next week I will post a picture of two).  Sorry this was long, but it was hard to summarize many experiences with a few words!   

Have a great week!  Until next time,

Abby

24 Hours From Now

I am getting so excited!  Tomorrow morning at this time, I will be driving to the airport, with all the supplies (hopefully) I need for a year in Uganda.  Things that are special to me are tucked away and ready for my return, and everything else will be on my back or in the bags I drag into the airport.

As I have been packing and weighing and making last minute shopping trips to stores, I have become overwhelmed.  It's hard to try to decide "Will I need this sometime this next year?"  A year is a huge chunk of time.  A year is a long time to leave all my friends in the States to move across the world to Africa.  I will miss everyone, and yet I know this is the right thing for me to do now.  I am going to submerse myself once again in the life and culture of the Ugandan people, and I get to love on the children of Budaka.  What a privilege it is to be able to go and be with new friends there.  And what a great thing it will be to then come back and share with my friends in America!

Thank you everyone who supports me.  Thank you for the things I have been receiving for the work in Uganda: financial support, restaurant supplies, goodies for the kids, cards with encouraging words - I appreciate everything!  I have included a picture from the packing yesterday to give you an idea of the amount of items my mom and I are trying to take with us, most of which were donated by our friends here.  The other picture is a special cup that I am taking to use at my new job in Uganda- personalized with a nickname from my green apron friends  :) 

My next post will be from Uganda- woo-hoo!  Thanks friends!
Love you,
Abby