uganda: week one.

week one in uganda is done! i can’t even believe that my time here is going by that quickly. i am experiencing so many things here for the very first time like:

     --> first time riding a boda. a boda here is motorcycle and it is a very common form of transportation. to the relief of my parents, i survived my first boda ride!

     --> first time going to a hospital here. this past thursday, nurse danielle and i took two kids from GSF to get immunizations at a hospital nearby. that was an experience to say the very least. you can try to prepare yourself to see what goes on in the medical field in a third world country but you can’t even fathom it unless you see it for yourself. in uganda, the hospital doesn’t provide anything for a patient. the family has to bring it in themselves. all the way to sheets for the bed, food for the patient and even medicines! see i had the idea that if someone was burned, they could go to a hospital to get dressings and painkillers where in actuality if the family brings in dressings, then the doctor will do his job and the patient can be treated. boggles my mind a little bit.

     --> first time being attacked by toddlers. and i literally mean attacked. if you make the mistake of sitting on the floor in the toddler house, they will all come try to sit on your lap. yesterday, the most i counted on my lap at once was six. i can’t even describe the joy that is found when i walk into the toddler house and they all come running at me screaming “auntie hannah bet”. and no that’s not a typo. my name to them is pronounced hannah bet.

     --> first time living in an ugandan village. this weekend caralina and i lived in kikube which is a village about 30 minutes walk from GSF. we lived with teacher diana who teaches at GSF school. it was such an amazing time to see how a community in uganda functions. and we really lived african life. we got water from the well. we washed dishes and clothes by hand. we cooked food over a charcoal stove. it was amazing. i can’t emphasize enough how intense and refreshing the community is here; with the ugandans and my fellow mzungus.

     --> first time worshipping with ugandans. i will tell you something uganda does get right. they know how to worship jesus and they worship him hard. there is no such thing as meeting for just prayer. any time they gather together, they praise, they worship, they pray, and there is a speaker. it is so real and so encouraging. and here the kids are just as invested in worship as the adults. the kids are playing drums and clapping and just going all out for jesus. there is nothing like it. 

the first day we came to GSF all the kids crowded around the gate to welcome us. this is a picture of them running after our bus going into campus.

a typical market in jinja. mud floors and everything.

sweet daudi and his older sister efrance (pictured below) from the toddler house. they love to grab my hand and sit on my lap. their smiles are killer and i can't get over how beautiful they are.

there are so many other things that i wish i could share with you now but i don’t have the time or the internet connection. for now here are some specific prayer requests:

1. we have been without water and power off and on for several days. there is an issue with the water pumps which makes the tanks not fill up completely. pray that the issue will be resolved quickly and that the maintenance staff will be given strength and mental clarity to find out what the problem is. 
2. pray for good health for everyone here. a couple children here on campus have malaria and some of the missionaries are feeling under the weather so pray that the enemy will not use sickness to stop the work being done here.
3. pray that community will continue to be built. it has been great this weekend to get to know people in the GSF and kikube community better and i am praying that those friendships will be strengthened over time so pray for this community as everyone grows closer to jesus and each other.

thank you so much for praying for me. i can feel everyone's prayers for me and the rest of our team bc of how great this past week has been. oh and hey mom, since i know you are reading this: i think i am staying in uganda forever. seven more weeks is not enough time here.