And for Christmas, I got a Urinary Tract Infection... (Sunday, Dec 28)

So, I had a real multi-cultural Christmas lined up, before Father Christmas showed up with his own agenda that is. The plan was to spend most of the day at the orphanage with the kids. They’d bought five chickens, the full array of the Ugandan staple foods, and a ton of sodas. I’ve been wanting to see how they prepare a chicken from being live and walking around at breakfast time, to dead on my plate for lunch. It was going to just be a day to let the kids loose a little bit, and it promised to be a fun day. Then in the evening, I’d been invited to a Christmas party at the Uganda Pioneer’s Association, an organization that coordinates volunteers from other countries working in the Kampala area. The most represented nation at UPA is, ... any guesses? ... Japan! Haha, yep, seems like they’re everywhere here, about half of the UPA’s volunteers are Japanese and there are another couple more working the area that aren’t with UPA. Others I’ve met have come from Korea, Ireland, and Germany. So yea, it was looking like the most culturally diverse Christmas I’d ever celebrated.

But on Tuesday afternoon, I got my first bad headache; figuring that it was just from dehydration or sunstroke or something, I popped a couple of Ibuprofen, and all was good. Wednesday, I got another headache, but worse; I figured the same as the day before, and just popped a couple more Ibuprofen. Christmas eve, I couldn’t sleep, ran a fever of one-oh-two, had a headache that was worse than ever, woke up several times in cold sweats, and basically, felt like I was dying. I lay in bed most of the morning, popping more Ibuprofens (doctors encourage this in the military, actually), naively thinking that I could sleep away (or at least wait out, because I hurt too much to sleep) the ill feelings. Well, Christmas afternoon rolls around, and I’m tired and exhausted of feeling like I’m gonna die, and of just, well, feeling tired and exhausted. Julia, another volunteer who doesn’t stay at the orphanage, looks up my symptoms and concludes that I’ve probably got the M-word (yup, malaria), and that I should probably go to see a doc.

Fast forward 30 min and I’ve dragged myself out of bed and been assigned two guardians, whose ages added up are barely more than mine alone. Destination: International Health Services, one of two health centres that tourist books recommend for foreigners to get medical treatment. The sign on the IHS door states that they are open 7 days a week, 362 days a year; unfortunately, Christmas wasn’t one of those days. Fast forward another 30 min as we’re just pulling into International Hospital Kampala, two teenage boys, with their disorientated, frail, pale-faced Chinese friend (yours truly) in tow. I get seen by a doctor without much of a wait, not before I manage to puke in the sink of the reception room of course. He confirms that I have the symptoms of malaria and that they’d need to carry through with blood and urine tests. Oh, he says, and your temperature is too high so we’ll give you a shot to lower it. Now, I’d received a ton of shots in my life prior to this point, however, never had any of them been injected via the bum. Well, I can scratch that one off the ‘try everything once’ list, and you can bet that I’ll avoid that one again if I can help it. So there I was, a terrible pounding headache, high fever, not far removed from a memorable puking demonstration in front of a sizable audience, and to add insult to injury, my butt was sore as well. Forward again to an hour later. Results are back, I don’t have malaria (phew!), but I do have a urinary tract infection. I’m not even really sure what that is, but all I really needed to hear was that a few anti-biotic pills and a couple of days and I’d be up and running again. Oh, and the shot to the butt did kick in after a bit and it did make me feel a lot better. And after spending Boxing Day sick in bed and feeling worse than ever, I started getting better and was back on my feet, for most of the day anyway, on Saturday.

Bottom line, it was an interesting Christmas, not quite what I had anticipated to happen, but oh well, at least I don’t have malaria, right?

And to those of you who may be worried, malaria isn’t actually as bad as I think we, from western countries, make it out to be. It’s actually quite common for Ugandans to come down with malaria, rest for a day or two, and then be right back at it again. Me and the other ACTS interns have concluded that African malaria to them must be equivalent to the Western flu to us. The scarier thought is that most common type of malaria that foreigners catch is celebral malaria, where it goes straight to the brain. AND, ok, I’m gonna stop now... =)

Christmas, African Style. (Saturday, Dec 27)

So the Sunday before Christmas, I went to KPC (http://kpcministries.org/) for church. It's the largest church in Uganda, with a combined congregation of over 20,000 (I don’t remember where exactly I heard this from though) and has services that are quite western styled, not a huge surprise given that the senior pastor and his wife are Canadians. If any of you have heard of the Watoto Children’s Choir (I hadn’t heard of them before, but what do I know? Apparently, they’re quite well-known and I think they make annual trips to the Canada, the US, and Europe), the choir is one of KPC’s many ministries. It also seems like all the expats in the Kampala area congregate there for service; in fact, KPC is probably the highest concentration of expats that I’ve seen anywhere in the country thus far!

Anyway, as you can see from the picture, KPC puts on quite a Christmas production. It’s a inspiring presentation, utilizing the several hundred strong KPC choir, the angelic Watoto Children’s Choir, an awesome acappella group, some gutsy break dancers, lots of ballerina dancers (I haven’t yet learned to appreciate them as much as the others), and a really, really good live band. So here I was, sitting in a church in East Africa, and it’s like Christmas came and hit me in the face. You see, I’d just gotten off for Christmas break a few days earlier and, outside of Kampala, there really isn’t much sign of Christmas to be found. I followed up the presentation by rushing back to Another Hope to help prepare for their Christmas Party, the largest event of the year for the kids. In the end, it was one of the best days that I’ve had in Uganda thus far, and (or maybe because) I got a pretty big dose of Christmas all at once to make up for the lack of Christmas that I’d had up to that point.

Oh yea, and me and the volunteers got to bring the older kids to see the KPC Christmas presentation which was pretty cool for them because I don’t think they’d ever seen a performance of that magnitude before, and pretty cool for us volunteers to watch the expressions of joy on the kids faces, just priceless.

Yona's a Real Man (Saturday, Dec 13)

*This one’s really old, I know; for some reason, it never got posted. I also need to find a pic of him that I can post with this blog...

So as we were trekking up yet another mountain last week, it suddenly dawned on me that Yona is a real man, in both the world’s, and more importantly, God’s, eyes. And, due to a lack of motivation to write in proper paragraph format at the moment, here are ten reasons why, in point form:

1. He drives a motorcycle. Who would argue that that isn’t manly?

2. He’s kind of big. While not necessarily a desirable trait in Canada, many places in the world (Ugandan included) still regard this as an indication of affluence.

3. He has eight children (just one wife, don’t worry). Again, not necessarily a goal that many aim to achieve in the Western world, but it’s definitely viewed as a mark of success in Uganda.

4. He works for the Diocese, making him a fulltime ministry worker, and a man of God.

5. He’s pasturing a church outside of his job with the Diocese, again, man of God.

6. People we pass by while hiking in the mountains ask him to stop and pray for their family members. Yup, definite sign of a man of faith.

7. He drives a Corolla. And while that in itself is not impressive, what is is the fact that he can drive it on roads that I’m apprehensive of even taking our 4WD pick-up truck on.

8. He can pretty much match me step for step as we climb mountains, did I mention that he’s like 50?!

9. He’s seen people killed, and has encountered rebel forces on several occasions while doing work for the diocese. It’s all in a day’s work, as he would humbly put it.

10. He eats all meals with his hands. While even Asaph has switched to forks because me and Mike usually use them, Yona’s stayed true to his colours. No sir, no utensils for him!

Please Sir, I want some more (Monday/Tuesday, Dec 22/23)

So, volunteers who stay here at the orphanage obviously eat here as well. Unfortunately for me and my larger than typical appetite, that means a steep learning curve in subsisting on measurably smaller portions than I am used to. Even back at camp where we have a limited selection of food, we can at least take as much as we want. Here at the orphanage, there is little difference in the amount of food dished out to me, or Gift, the two year old toddler sitting next to me. So yes, I can now relate to Oliver Twist just a tad bit more, though I can’t even begin to think that I can understand what he (if Oliver was a real person as opposed to a famous fictional character) experienced. The thirty odd kids at Another Hope, on the other hand, know all too well what it must be like, their lives have pretty much been taken out of the pages of the book.

I’ve been here for about four days now, and I can optimistically say that I now know all of the kids’ names. Sometimes, this requires a lucky guess (possibly preceded by a less lucky guess), or even a peek at the name that is written on the hem of their school uniforms (which they wear even though it’s “summer” break because many of them just don’t have much else to wear). So, here is a little about each of the children as I’ve gathered so far. I wish that I could post a picture of each of them as well, but lack of internet connection serves as an effective deterrent to that desire, not to mention that I don’t actually have a picture of all of them... or any of them actually. (haha, as per usual, I’ll try and get pictures from the other volunteers.) But you can see the profiles, complete with mug shot-like photos, of each child or just read more about the orphanage at Another Hope’s website, anotherhope.org.

* * * * *

Halima (pronounced Ha-lee-ma): at eighteen, she and Hellen are the oldest kids at Another Hope and her responsibilities clearly show that seniority. With Ruth, the Orphanage founder and director, often gone for extended periods of times (not to mention that she’s leaving today for the US for two months to complete some research for her master’s degree), Halima is unofficially the mother figure in the orphanage. I can’t say how impressed I am by her maturity, not to mention her ability to manage a house of thirty other kids. From cooking to cleaning, to making crafts to raise money for food, to administering medicine to the kids, to managing the money that comes into the orphanage, she does it all. Yea, this really makes her sound like Superwoman, but in many senses of that word, that description isn’t all that far off from the truth. Oh yea, and she’s a got a pretty decent voice as well, only suppressed by the fact that she’s usually too busy with other duties to let loose.

Hellen: unofficially the second in command to Halima at the orphanage, she manages and does much of the same things as Halima. They are the last ones in bed at night, and one of them needs to be up no later than 5:30 each morning to prepare the charcoal needed to cook breakfast. The viability of this orphanage very much hinges on these two young women.

Namutebi: sixteen years old and following close in the paths off the two older girls, Namutebi is also a talented actress as demonstrated during Sunday’s Christmas Party, where she starred in the skit as well as served as the Another Hope children’s spokesman for any speeches or announcements.

Wasswa and Kato: these twin fifteen year olds are the oldest boys at Another Hope and they, like the senior girls, bear much of the responsibility and duties around the orphanage. We put up a little fence to separate the pit latrines from the kitchen on Saturday, which was a great chance to get to know them a little better. Whereas these boys would be enjoying life in the middle of their adolescent years in most any other setting, here at Another Hope, they have larger roles to play as the senior males, especially to the younger kids. When I first met them, their young age did show, but seeing them in action with the kids just demands all the respect that I can give to these guys.

Allen (Ellen?): A little bit bratty, like any other twelve year old, and a huge tomboy (when she’s not working, you’ll always find her in the yard, dress tucked up around her waist, playing a violent version of piggy in the middle). Her true colours really came out in her numerous solos during the kids’ presentations at yesterday’s Christmas party, and she, for some reason, always seems to be the one responsible for dishing out food for everyone. Either way, she’s impressed me as much as any of the kids, and that’s saying a LOT.

Natasha: One of the few that I haven’t really had a chance to get to know, she’s one of the more girly girls here. You can most always find a smile on her face, and often a giggle to go with it. But put a wet rag in her hand and it’s all business, as I see her cleaning the floors everyday.

Peter: One of three kids at Another Hope who are HIV positive, he is the next oldest boy after the twins. At fourteen, he’s a bit rebellious, as is normal for his age, but he’s also willing to let down his tough guy face once he’s warmed up a bit (took about a day with me). Me and Hitomi (a Japanese girl who also volunteers at Another Hope) took seven of the older kids to the KPC Christmas Presentation today and Peter held my hand pretty much whenever we were walking on the streets. (This is a sign of friendship in the African culture, btw, not like in Canada. I’ve written about it in another blog that I still need to post...)

Matovu: He’s only eleven, but definitely the jock among the group! He plays a pretty similar role to Peter, and to a lesser extent, the twins. He’s also the self proclaimed mixer for the posho, which is pretty labour intensive work, and learned how to properly throw a nice spiral with a (American) football in about, well, two tries today. When Allen got sick and puked after dinner yesterday, he was there to wipe up the mess, no questions asked. So props to him for that, though I’m sure that any of the older ones would’ve done the same.

Leticia: She was easy to remember from the first day because of her outgoing personality. At 11, she’s still pretty small, probably from malnutrition if I was to guess, but yea, her personality is larger than most. At the Christmas party she taught me a bunch of the Ugandan cultural dances, which she got a lot of amusement out of, probably cause I can imagine that I looked pretty ridiculous trying to copy her.

Rebecca: She’s a little more feminine, and a lot quieter, than her other twelve year old counterpart, Allen. Similar to a couple other kids here, I sense a certain sadness in her, and you probably don’t have to look far to be able to guess why. I did teach her to play Connect Four today, which is as much interaction as I’ve had with her to date.

Kato: Ninety percent of the time when somebody tries to jump on me, it’s him. He’s ten, and kinda floats between the three oldest guys and the younger ones. And for some reason, you can usually pick him out because he doesn’t seem to like wearing shirts.

Ronald: Read Kato. He’s just eight, but like all the guys who are old enough to talk, he right in there with the duties and chores. A real hard worker that likes to climb on me when Kato isn’t already there. Similar to Rebecca, he’s got a permanent aura of sadness around him, and it hurts to think of what kind of an upbringing he had to create this effect.

Lillian: I remember her because she always wears a thin elastic thing as a headband around her head. She’s just seven but I almost get her mixed up with Leticia sometimes, probably because of Leticia’s small build. She’s super friendly but, unfortunately, she doesn’t speak much English so it’s kind of hard to communicate with her.

Alice: Similar to Lillian except for her ears (they seem to stick out more than usual), she’s also one of the most personable children here. She was one of the most friendly right from the time I walked through the gates, and she’s incredibly generous. She’s given me some of the fried cassava that she bought this morning when I asked what she was eating, and then one of her candies in the afternoon when I walked by her, (candies are not exactly easy to come by, nor did she have many of them to begin with). I felt a little guilty to take all this, but I think I may have hurt her feelings when I turned down her second offer of more cassava (I explained that I didn’t want to take all her food but that didn’t solve the hurt look on her face) which is why I took the candy she offered in the afternoon. (Side note: I think this is a cultural thing that I need to get used to because I remember Asaph being very confused when I turned down a soda he set at the table when I was at his place. Sodas aren’t cheap and are considered somewhat of a treat, which is why I didn’t want to take it; in hindsight though, I think I did more worse than good by not taking the soda.) haha, I just noticed that I used the word ‘soda’ instead of ‘pop’; as you might have guessed, Ugandans call them sodas and have no idea what you’re talking about if you ask for a ‘pop’.

Paul: Hmmm, what can I say about Paul? Well, I think he’s one of the most difficult to identify. I often need two, possibly three stabs to identify him still. He’s like a combination of Ronald, Kato, and Bob and Moses (two of the younger boys). I worked with him and Kato this morning on some simple math exercises (the kids love the chance to read or write and are eager to do math whenever I offer).

Jacky: She’s similar to Leticia in that they’re both pretty small for their age, but have larger than normal personalities. I’m told that she was quite reserved when she and her brother arrived at Another Hope about three months ago, probably due to the fact that she was abused by her stepmother at home; she’s opened up quite nicely since her arrival here though. Allen is a bit slow and Jacky’s taken it upon herself to always pay a little extra attention to him to help him out, not bad for a little eight year old girl.

Ruth: Super cute and friendly girl, kind of a mix between Jacky and Rebecca. Ummm... and that’s all I can think of at the moment...

Bob: Bob, Bob, Bob. I got his name wrong the first few times, and since then, I always guess Bob when I’m not which of the guys I’m talking to. Anyway, he’s friendly, like all the kids, and I remember him cause he’s not afraid to ask me for help when it comes time to fetching water. Oh, and he loves to come up and latch/hang onto my arm.

Moses: A star on the dance floor, as exemplified during the Christmas party presentations. He’s got a goofy smile on his face most all the time which helps to identify him from the others. He and Bob are both seven, but, as is typical at Another Hope, act far beyond their young ages.

Gloria: She just arrived at the orphanage a couple of weeks ago, and probably speaks the least English out of all the kids, save the ones who are too young to talk. She’s a little bit of a trouble maker, always seeming to be stirring up trouble with someone or another, but she’s also the first one to take my dish and wipe the table after meal times.

Teddy: Another trouble maker, this eight year old always has a mischievous look on her face. I first remembered her because she wore her dress down around her waist, but she can be as adorable as any of the kids, when she wants. I describe her as a younger version of Allen, mainly because they do actually look alike.

James: Haha, yep, another trouble-maker, he’s like a female version of Gloria, and also speaks very limited English. The youngest of the guys that can speak, he takes his share of wrath from the older guys because of his mischievous nature. Also, he has no gripes about coming up and latching onto me, right after I scold him for doing something or another wrong.

Enock: I just picture walking into the guys room around ten this morning, and he’s the only one still asleep, oblivious to the world (and all the cleaning) around him. He’s the biggest of all the young kids but is still a bit of a crybaby. He’s super cute though, which is probably how he can get away with it. I just found him and Anisha washing each other outside in the dirty wash water that one of the kids left after doing their laundry. But, they are still probably a lot cleaner than before they washed.

Sandra: A younger version of teddy, Sandra is often the cause of a crying Fridah or Anisha. A definite tomboy, she loves getting rough with the other kids, which makes her a source of endless apprehension to the volunteers and older kids. She’ll also turn right around and ask for you to hold her or read her a book even immediately after you’ve disciplined her for making one of the young ones cry.

Allan: He’s six, the younger brother of Jacky, and was probably also abused by his stepmother. Me and the other volunteers are pretty sure that he has a condition of some kind, but he’s never officially be diagnosed with anything (though I wouldn’t be surprised if he hasn’t seen a doctor in quite awhile). He’s always smiling and it’s hard not to smile right back at him. The last few days have been unusually busy, with the Christmas party, the departure of Ronny and Else (two Belgium volunteers), my arrival, and the departure today of Ruth, the orphanage’s director and it’s taken a toll on lil’ Allan. According to Julia, a volunteer from the States, he’s been quieter and more clingy than usual, but hopefully that’ll fix itself as things begin to calm down again.

Mercy: She’s as cute as any, but also a handful when she chooses to be. Between her and Sandra, there aren’t too many quiet moments; but when she comes over just to lean on your lap, or gives you one of her big toothy smiles, it’s impossible not to just love on her. I also called her “Massi” for the first two days because that’s what it sounds like when everyone calls her, and it wasn’t until I went over a list of children that didn’t have a Massi, but did have a Mercy that I put two and two together.

Fridah: Little Fridah maybe the cutest baby at Another Hope; unfortunately, that means that she’s also been spoiled a bit too much by the volunteers. She does get it tough from Sandra and Mercy sometimes, but other times she brings it upon herself. Probably cries the most out of anyone, but at the end of the day, I still love her! Most of the time that I read her a book, she falls asleep in my arms before I even get halfway through.

Anisha: I think she’s two, and is cute as can be. She’s HIV positive, and hates going to the doctors because of the many tests that they put her through. She’ll always look at you with her big eyes, and try to copy whatever facial expression you make. And whenever you hold out your hand, she’ll give you whatever she’s got in hers, expecting that you give it right back to her of course. She hasn’t quite mastered the art of walking yet and her stutter steps/stumbles often end up with her on the ground. But, usually just when she looks like she’s gonna cry, she’ll laugh it off instead and continue on her wobbly way.

Gift: Or Gift-eeee as everyone calls him. He’s the baby of all the babies at Another Hope, and as such, gets treated as so. His disproportionately big head and gap toothed smile both add to his appeal. He’ll always look at you and if you laugh, he’ll toss his head back and laugh as heartily as his little lungs will allow for, and he’ll keep doing it for as long as you’re willing to laugh with him. He’s also not very good at holding food in his hands yet, but he doesn’t seem to mind picking it up on the floor and continue eating as if nothing ever happened. And, out of all the babies, he’s got the biggest appetite. You’ll often find him stumbling over to the dining table with empty bowl in one hand, the other hand braced to catch himself should he fall (quite often occurrence when you’re two years old), looking for one of the older kids to yield to his pitiful looks and give him one more mouthful of posho.

(Late Addition) Faith: So I don’t know where she was hiding, or where I was looking, because I totally didn’t notice her for the first few days. Hence the reason she wasn’t included in the original post, because I didn’t know she existed. I think it might have been because Natasha, Faith, and Rebecca are all a little quieter, around the same age, and kinda look the same too. After a week and a half, I now know better, all three of them are quite different, but in the beginning, they all gave off similar appearances (which means that I was probably calling Faith either Natasha or Rebecca for the first week...). Anyway, of the three, Faith is actually loudest!

* * * * *

Well, this definitely turned out to be much longer than I’d expected. But if nothing else, it was a good exercise in memory for me as I tried to pull up everything worth noting for each child that I’ve learned or experienced in the past few days. If you made it this far, ummm... you need to find something more interesting to do over Christmas break? haha, no, if you made it this far, thanks for taking the time to listen (read) to my ramblings (sounds better if I call them experiences, actually). It’s encouraging to get the comments/emails/etc. from you, and it really makes home not feel so far away. Once again, I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to reply to emails over this break, the kids are doing a pretty good job of completely wearing me down each day so don’t hold your breath anyway. Oh yea, and MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE, WITH MUCH LOVE FROM UGANDA!

Another day, Another Hope

So, work’s been a little hectic the past couple of weeks with Christmas break looming and a ton of work left to be done. (translation: my excuse for the lack of updates over the past week or two)

Anyway, as of last week, I still didn’t have any Christmas plans other than the Congo. I did, however, know that I wanted to serve with some organization or ministry during my time off. And, ever since my trip to the God’s Littlest Angels orphanage in Haiti last summer, I’ve had a desire to return to work in another orphanage. Thankfully, (but not really, in the larger scheme of things) Uganda has quite a number of orphanages, due in part to the high prevalence of diseases, the large number of the poor and starving, and the numerous (and still raging in some areas of Uganda) conflicts that have plagued this country since its independence over fifty years ago.

Anyway, long story short, I’m now at Another Hope Children’s Ministry, a small orphanage with about thirty children. I arrived yesterday afternoon and it’s been pretty much non-stop action from that point on. It’s been a little chaotic, with Ruth, the director and founder, gone from the organization the past few days. Some of the volunteers have just left, probably in order to make it home for Christmas, and the kids just got of school and are on holidays until February (their version of summer break for us Canadians). But I’m really glad that God’s led me here, as there’s a definite need for additional helping hands, or just helping hands at all. I’ve been totally drained by the kids today so I need to end off here before my eyes force themselves closed for good. But I’ll definitely try and write more about the orphanage as soon as I can. The kids are sooo cute, and there’s so much happening!

This will be the first Christmas that I’ve spent without family and friends (other than the thirty kids that I’m quickly falling in love with, of course). And while I’m the farthest I’ve ever been from everything I’ve ever known, I’m pretty excited for all the things that are sure to happen in the next two weeks! So, until my next blog, (and just in case it happens to be after the 25th) have a fantastic Christmas everyone, wherever you may be!

Edit: So I just got out of the Christmas Sunday Service at KPC (Kampala Pentacostal Church) and I've gotta say that the service really brought me back to the heart of what this time of the year is really about. I'm in a rush to get back to the orphanage to help set up for their Christmas Party so I'll write more about it next chance it get! Haha, on second thought, I don't know if I will have either the time or energy to blog at all, given the day that I had yesterday! Ummm... and that goes for emails as well, to those of you who I owe them to, sorry!

A Day in the Life of the Roving Team (Pictorial Edition)

So, me and Mike took the ACTS modem roving with us after the girls left it at Canada House at the end of last OFF. It's a pretty cool little gadget that's similar to the Roger's portable internet thing. Anyway, Tim, our kind regional director, decided that rather than taking it back, he'd work it into the budget to get another one for the girls. Meaning that we now have more internet access than ever! It ain't great (probably similar to dial-up), but it's just one of those things that you learn to appreciate so much more in Africa! Haha, right up there with flushing toilets!... ANYway...

The beginning of most days means driving to the source that we need to investigate; but no, it's not the river we’re driving across unfortunately.


Our posse, we normally accumulate a following wherever we go. A couple in the bunch are usually local leaders who are actually showing us the sites, the rest, though, are just along for the ride. (this also means that our lunch for three is now split to make lunch for ten…)


It seems like most sources have been strategically placed on the other side/in the middle of a swamp, jungle, or banana plantation.


One of the sources in the Bwesumbu Parish that we'll be using.


The source for the project that ACTS is currently constructing at Nyarukera.


The source in the Kaswa Parish that we'll also be putting a proposal together for.


The Pauline source, which looked promising upon first discovery, but ended up having a deceiving small flow, as well as E. Coli, so we can't put a project in that community.


Digging our way out of Kaswa. We'd camped there overnight, hoping that it wouldn't rain because it's a tough enough drive when the roads are dry. Well, it rained continuously ALL night… so we needed the help of the locals to dig/push/pull/give moral support to find our way out.


Analyzing the water samples after the 24 hr incubation period, the Ugandan in the picture (other than Asaph in the background) is Yona, the diocesan water engineer and an incredibly dedicated and hardworking man.


We spend a lot of time driving to and from places, it’s usually how we start, and end, each day. Notice the incubator in Mike's lap, that’s what happens if we happen to be on the move before the 24 hr incubation period of the previous sample isn’t done yet. Keeping the incubator steady enough that the samples won't spill while driving on Ugandan roads is pretty much an impossible task though.


And of course, a beautiful sunset to finish off the day.

Who am I? (Hypothetical question, don’t answer)

Anyway, so everyone knows Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, but apparently, Asaph tells me that Ugandans often ask if I’m the brother of Ji-Sung Park. Now, I wonder how many of you know who he is, because, until Asaph told me, I had never heard of him. As you’ve already probably gathered from the picture, Park’s a soccer player. And maybe it’s just that I don’t normally follow soccer, because Park’s apparently quite well known (Ugandans and Time Magazine both seem to think so anyway). Anyway, I thought it was pretty funny, because even Asaph thinks that we look alike. He’s mentioned it a couple times that, “When they see you, they must think Park has been here!” And when I ask him why, the casual response is “Don’t you think you resemble him? I think!”

Now, the most common thing I get called here is ‘Muzungu,’ which basically means white man. Running a close second is ‘Muchina’ (Chinese), and once in a while, a confused Ugandan will call me ‘Muhindi’ (Indian). Yona, often introduces me as a Bukonjo, which is the type of people in the Kasese area, while some on the ACTS construction crew affectionately call me a Runyankole, the type of people in the Mbarara area. So, you can imagine that I have reason for somewhat of an identity crisis. To make matters worse, I went to two Chinese restaurants when I was in Kampala a couple of weekends ago because I needed to get my fix of Chinese food after going more than three months without. At the first place, I tried to order in Cantonese (just cause I figured that I could), but the waitresses spoke Mandarin, so I had to revert back to English. The next day, I tried out a different restaurant, where the waiter, a Ugandan man, kindly informed me that I was not Chinese. He told me that, “You can eat at a Chinese restaurant, but you are not a Chinese, I know Chinese and you don’t look like them. You are a Japanese.”

So, let’s just run through the list again shall we? Some people call me a white man; others, Chinese; still others, Indian. I wasn’t able to use Chinese to order at a Chinese restaurant, and a waiter at another Chinese restaurant helpfully explained to me why I could not be Chinese. Many Ugandans apparently think that I most resemble a famous Korean soccer player, while others insist that I am from their native land of Uganda. In Canada, some might call me a banana: yellow on the outside, white on the inside. But what do they call someone who is, as the Sunday school song puts it, “Red and Yellow, Black and White?”

Contact Info!

Last month sometime, me and Mike decided to make business cards for ourselves and Asaph. We figured that it would save us from having to write out our contact info everytime we met someone new, which happens numerous times daily as we move from community to community, searching for potential sources. We also figured that it would make us look more professional (read: cool). So, using a little Paint and a little Picasa, here’s what we came up with, my first business card ever!

For those of you who have requested my mailing address, it’s on the card, as is my phone number if you have any inkling to call Africa!

Called to stay.

So, I won’t be going to the Congo, for now anyway. I found out yesterday that Samaritan’s Purse will be shutting down their operations in the DRC, at least until January, due to insufficient personnel on the ground. The direct implication to myself is that the decision whether to leave ACTS in Uganda and join Samaritan’s Purse in the Congo is no longer an issue, which is somewhat of a relief to many of you, and to the staff at ACTS as well. In the larger scheme of things, Samaritan’s Purse’s decision to suspend operations has less positive effects. It means that the people in the Buganga IDP Camp, who have been benefiting from the water and sanitation program over the past month, will now be forced to revert back to relying upon unsafe water from unprotected and untreated sources. The biggest hope for them is that another NGO will have the ability to pick up and continue the work that Samaritan’s Purse has started there. So that is a continuing prayer request, for these people, and the thousands others who have yet to be reached by any NGO. You can read more about the work that Samaritan's Purse was doing on Patrick's blog, http://cochranestravels.blogspot.com/.

People waiting for food handouts in the Congo. (pulled off Pat's Blog)

I thank you for the prayers and concerns as I was struggling with this decision. This issue was definitely the most difficult decision that I’d been faced with in Africa, and even probably a long time before that. It definitely sucks to see that the work that Pat and John began will not be continued, at least without a month long lull. At the same time, I am glad that I will be able to complete the work with ACTS that I had begun thus far. It's ironic, one of my friends wrote the following to me last week before the Samaritan's Purse came knocking but I only just read the email after I found out that I wouldn't be going, "God's plan for you is with ACTS right now. That's your part of the body... Maybe there will be a time and a place in the future for you to play a different part of the Christian body, but right now, you are where He has called you to be."

In other news, we returned to Kasese on Sunday night, (yes, again), to check out one final potential source as well as to have a wrap up meeting with the Bishop and other members of the South Rwenzori Diocese. The meeting was this morning and proved to be a sound reminder to me of the reason that I was called here. I still have some questions and concerns with regard to some of ACTS’ decisions, but, to see the passion that these men have for helping their communities and their neighbours, I couldn’t help but be a little more excited by the work that I am doing, the small part that I can help play to aid in their efforts.

Oh yes, and the source that we saw yesterday, there was quite a good amount of water. More importantly, most of the samples came back clean, meaning that we have a good source with which we can design and put forth another project proposal. So it seems that we won’t be wrapping up our work in Kasese just yet.

Christmas in the Congo?

Well, a lot has happened in the past week or two. However, there is one pressing issue that has just come up, that takes precedent over everything else, and for I can truly use your prayers.

I have been requested by the Samaritan’s Purse, through EMI staff, to serve as a sort of water/sanitation program manager in one of the IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) Camps in Northern Congo, nearest the town of Goma.

Patrick, one of the EMI staff I worked with last summer in the Canadian office, is currently serving in that camp, with the goal of spreading to other areas, helping to install water treatment systems to provide clean water to these victims of the renewed fighting in the region. I had emailed him, asking whether there was anything that I, being so close to the region, could do to assist. Well, my name has been forwarded through the EMI ladder and into the hands of the Samaritan’s Purse management who are trying to find personnel to serve in this area of increasing need.

As of the most up to date situation (which changes several times a day), I would possibly team up with an intern from the EMI East Africa office in Kampala who has some overseas experience with water sanitation. Being junior engineers, Samaritan’s Purse would ask us just to maintain the current infrastructure rather than expand, which may be, and probably is, out of our realm of ability.

However, the issue is that ACTS has a policy that its personnel are not permitted to travel to so called “No Go” zones, even on their own time such as during Christmas holidays. Thus, I may be faced with the decision of ending my contract early with ACTS in order to assist in this mission. Personally, I believe that the situation in the Congo is far more pressing and in dire need of personnel. At the moment, there is no team yet scheduled to succeed Patrick’s team when they leave on Tuesday and unless, Samaritan’s Purse is able to confirm some workers to man their projects, they may be forced to shut the operation down, at least until after Christmas. On the other hand, I’ve made a commitment to ACTS and I’d hate to break those obligations.

Another factor, is the fact that the situation in the region is continually changing. And thus, even the work in the IDP camps can change at any moment. The underlying message in all of my correspondence has been, prepare to go, but be ready for anything to happen. So, I’m in a bit of a dilemma right now. I want to go, but I also feel obligated to stay.

I just received the first email asking for me to fill the position last night, so everything’s come up so quickly that my head’s in a bit of a blur. I don’t want to do anything on impulse or make too brash of a decision, however, the situation also requires a prompt response. And so, I would ask that you pray for the staff at EMI as they consider whether or not to make an exception to allow me to go serve with Samaritan’s Purse, with the Samaritan’s Purse and EMI staff as they try to plot and decide their plan of action, for myself as I try to choose between two very difficult choices, and for the Congolese people, who continue to suffer, and who will be the most greatly impacted by the decisions that are about to be made.