Malaria'd!!!

Dear Friends,

Melissa and I have both been sick with a bad cough for around two weeks now. Yesterday when we woke up we both had some other additional symptoms including fevers, so we ended up going to a clinic and getting tested for Malaria, which we both have. Melissa’s is a bit worse than mine and she is really not feeling well at all, although today is definitely better than yesterday so far. Malaria is very common here and fairly simple to treat… the doctor gave us some pills that will hopefully take care of it. We appreciate your prayers for a quick recovery, and that the Malaria will be completely gone from our systems. We are both very disappointed that we aren’t able to spend time with the kids at the festival today, and we will likely cancel our class for tomorrow and maybe Thursday as well. Thanks for your prayers.

Sarah

Don’t Drink and Herd

Some time has passed since this event occurred, but it’s too great of a story to not write about on here.

One Thursday in early August, Melissa and I needed to get to the camp to have our classes, but the van was in the shop. So, we, along with Mary, Simon, and our friend Andrew secured boda bodas for the trip out. Each of us were on our own bike. We got to the outskirts of Gulu town and I was just riding along, enjoying the sites. Usually I keep an eye on the road ahead so I know to hold on for any big bumps, etc. However, this day I was distracted by looking at the shops and all the people along this stretch of road. In an instant, I looked back at the road and realized that we were about to collide with a cow. This was not just any cow, this was a HUGE long-horn steer. My boda driver kept his head and (only by the grace of God) swerved and kept the bike upright. However, as we swerved away from the steer, it also swung its head forcefully in our direction. The boda driver and bike escaped but my neck and shoulder collided with the steer’s horn and head. We swerved further over into the ditch, dodging people and bicycles, and came to a stop. There were a couple dozen people milling around at that point, and it felt like all of them froze to see what would happen next. Andrew was on the bike behind mine and he called out to see if I was okay. Without knowing for sure, I replied that I was. My left side was rather numb and of course I was stunned. I imagined that my left collarbone was broken and that blood was gushing from my neck, but thankfully neither was true. When I realized that, I told Andrew and the boda driver that yes, I really was okay…and we started off again. As we drove off I was laughing with relief (and partly to keep from crying) and I think the people on the street thought I was crazy. Mary, Melissa and Simon were far enough ahead or behind that none of them knew what had happened until we arrived at the camp. When we arrived, Andrew and the boda drivers informed us that the reason the steer was in the middle of the road, and swinging his head angrily, was because the man who was herding it was drunk. Thankfully Andrew had his first aid kit with him, so he let me borrow an ice pack, some disinfectant and a bandaid for the small cut on my shoulder. Other than that, I just had soreness and a nice bruise on my shoulder and neck.

If I had been paying attention to the road ahead and seen the cow coming, I probably would have panicked and caused things to go badly. As it was I hardly had time to realize what was happening until after I’d already collided with the cow. If I had made contact with the tip of the steer’s horn instead of the side of it, things would have been a lot worse. The boda driver also could have easily lost control of the bike. I am very thankful for God’s protection.

Update Sept. 18th

Dear Friends,

Where to begin! Since I arrived back in Gulu everything has been nonstop. The kids had progressed a ton while I was gone and are continuing to do well. It is amazing how eager they are to learn anything and everything! The children were always welcoming, but now they welcome us as friends and people that they look forward to seeing, which is a huge blessing to Melissa and I.

Some of you might be aware of the serious riots that occurred in Kampala last week because of political and tribal issues in the south. We are about 5 hours drive from Kampala and so it did not affect us directly, but please remember those affected in your prayers. Many people were injured and several were killed as well.

If you are short on time, please feel free to skip down to the prayer requests. If not, here is a story about staying overnight in the IDP camp. :)

Last week Melissa and I and our friends/translators Ben and Simon decided to stay overnight in the IDP camp, visiting with some of the families of children in the sponsorship program. It was a wonderful experience! We went on Saturday for sponsorship club, and afterwards we went to the home of Concy, one of the oldest girls in the sponsorship program. Her mother cooked us a wonderful meal of traditional local dishes like sweet potato, cassava, ground sim-sim peas, and cabbage. We were hungry from the long morning and ate until we were very full. After we finished, Simon informed us that there had been a miscommunication and actually there were two homes that were expecting us, and had cooked for us. So, we walked three miles through the bush to the home of Aol, another sponsored girl, and ate again. The home was so far from the camp because Aol’s family has already resettled. I can’t remember the name of the place in Acholi, but in English it means “The cow chased me.” There we also had cassava, as well as g-nut paste and g-nut sauce which were both delicious.

As it grew dark we began our journey back toward the camp. I don’t have the words to describe the beauty that exists in the African bush when there is no moon and the stars feel like they are inches away. You will just have to imagine it. It is certainly a reminder of how great God is…that with a single breath He could bring all of that into existence.

When we arrived back at Concy’s hut for the night, we gathered inside and the house quickly filled up with children from the surrounding huts who know us from the sponsorship program. Melissa and I chatted with them the best that we could without the help of Simon, who was busy outside. We looked through Concy’s photo album (a typical activity when you visit someone’s home here) and sang some songs, and then it was time for bed. Simon and Ben went to the home of one of the sponsored boys for the night, and we told the other children goodnight. Concy’s mother and sister were gone that night so some of the other girls from the sponsorship stayed. Concy asked Melissa to lead us all in a prayer time. We read a Psalm and prayed and then got ready to sleep. There were six of us sleeping on mats on the floor of the hut, with plenty of room to spare. They don’t look that big from the outside but inside they are very spacious and welcoming.

When Melissa and I woke up, the hut was empty. We sat around for a few minutes and then the girls returned from the kitchen hut with breakfast. It included tea, millet bread, another dish that can only be compared to tomato soup with large mushrooms in it (which was delicious), and pancakes, which are more along the lines of an American donut. After that we attended church at Tegotatoo Baptist Church, the only church in the camp as far as I know. This was our second time to attend this church, and it is my favorite place to attend here, although we don’t go often because of the distance from town. The congregation includes maybe 8 or 9 men, who are responsible for playing the instruments, and then maybe 25 women and twice that many children. The worship is incredible, and the majority of the songs are in Acholi with only a few in English. The locally made instruments are fascinating and have a unique and beautiful sound. Most of the songs include dancing and many of them include jumping up and down, regardless of your age. Melissa and I both willingly admit our unfortunate lack of rhythm, but it’s very difficult to stand still when you are surrounded by such movement.

After worship, they always include a time of testimony. The pastor testified that he was riding his bicycle after dark and he collided with another man, but neither one of them was injured and their bicycles were fine too. A woman testified that her daughter was preparing to give birth but something was wrong, so they tried to make it to the hospital….they didn’t make it in time but her daughter and the baby were both fine. Another woman testified that she had gone to the garden to dig that weekend, leaving her children at home, and when she came back she heard from the neighbors that her husband had actually cared for the children while she was gone, preparing them food and otherwise taking care of them…that had never happened before. After testimonies, the pastor preached in Acholi and Simon translated for us. Church ended around 2 PM and then Miriam came and picked us up.

The weekend was a wonderful experience…it was a blessing to be welcomed into the homes and lives of the sponsored children. Melissa and I both want to experience daily life in the camp to better understand the way they live, so we hope to spend more time there in the near future aside from our class time.

We will have one opportunity for that on this coming Tuesday. The Chief of Gulu has decided to have a festival, and he chose Tegotatoo for the location. I’m not sure the details or what the occasion is, all I know is that there is a festival, that it will last all day, and that we are invited. We are very excited, and I will be sure to let you know how it goes.

Prayer requests:

1. Melissa and I both have very bad coughs and a lack of energy. Please pray for a quick recovery and that our ministries would not be affected.

2. The political/tribal issues in the south.

3. ECM’s director Lorella Rouster as she travels to Uganda sometime in the next couple of months.

4. For the children - for their continued protection, and for their families as they are faced with the ordeal of resettling.

5. Melissa and I in our interactions with other “muzungus” (white people) who are here for various reasons. Please pray for one friend in particular who is very interested in why Melissa and I believe so strongly in Jesus.

Thank you for your interest, support, and prayers. It was an encouragement to see and hear from many of you while I was home.

With love,

Sarah

Mini-update

Dear friends,

I am long overdue for an update! As many of you know, I have been home in Tennessee for the last two weeks after my grandfather, Roy Thomas, passed away on August 17th. It was good to be home with my family and my grandmother and I’m very thankful that I was able to be home during this time. As much as I will miss him, I’m thankful also that my Grandpa is experiencing fullness of joy in the presence of the Lord, and will never be in pain or have to suffer again!

I am now back in Uganda as of Sunday. Before I left, Melissa and I had become adjusted to our schedule and had settled into our different ministries well. I was beginning to understand phrases here and there out of people’s conversations, but I think it will take me a few days to get back to that point after being gone! We were beginning to see the children make a lot of progress in their learning, and since I left, Melissa has kept me updated on how they are doing. This past week they read their first sentence in their tribal language, Acholi. I am eager to get back to working with them. I missed the children a lot, as well as my co-workers!

Love,
Sarah

Prayer requests:

For my family, and especially my grandmother Evelyn Thomas
For me, that I would have minimal jetlag and be able to jump right back into work smoothly
For Melissa as she recovers from carrying on our work by herself while I was gone
For ECM’s founder Lorella Rouster as she travels back to Uganda from the states later this month to take care of various tasks
Please continue to pray for the children: for their protection, and for their families and guardians who are facing the ordeal of moving out of the IDP camps and into resettlement areas.