Story Chi (whats up?’) - Oct 27, 2010

I don’t even know if I can begin about today….although there were times when I was doing nothing, it feels like it was a very long day...and it was.

The day was supposed to start with me meeting Henry and us going to look at the house. I headed into town a bit early to check my emails, low and behold there was David and he was with the other boy I was talking about yesterday, Robert. I guess no one was at the house, so they had wandered into town. I quickly did my emailing and then we headed back to the house. When we got there Alex was there with some of his friends. He told me that Hassan had left very early to go to town (even though he was told not to). We got David to lend Robert some clothes so that he could at least wash his clothes (which were filthy from being on the streets) and he was invited to spend the day. Henry showed up not long after, and we went off to see the house.

The house is probably a good 10-15 minutes outside of Jinja, in a place called Bukaya (Boo Ki ya). Now, the house definitely is not finished. There are no ceilings, and no floors. While they have running water on the property, there is no plumbing in the house. There IS electricity though!!! And it has 2 good sized bedrooms PLUS a pretty big Master Bedroom. There is a kitchen, a dining room, a living room and a garage. Out back they have 2 boys quarters (each with 2 completed rooms and 1 incomplete room). They also have 2 out house type deals in the back as well as a shower. In my opinion the house is great, it is the property that is smaller then I/we would like. There is some grass in the front lawn, but definitely nothing near the amount of space the boys have now. There MIGHT be room for a garden, but it will be long and narrow. The catch is that we will NEVER get property like this for so cheap! The lady was very gracious and helpful, and let me take lots of pictures. (I will post some soon.)

After leaving the house we went to look around for places that the boys could pray football (obviously VERY important :)) As well as looking for quality primary schools for the boys to attend. We found one good primary school, a football field and some potential churches.

All in all everything is great except for the land around the house being smaller then we would like. Regardless, that afternoon we went to talk to the ladies lawyer who was in town and he explained how you go about buying land in Uganda and how we should proceed next if we are interested. Now, the decision time has come. Please continue to pray for everyone involved in making this decision. They we have discernment and seek out what God wants us to do and where he wants us to be.

One more thing, we also found out today that the owner of the place the boys are living in now is expected to come back some time soon, and therefore will be taking back the space the boys are living in. Is this God’s way of showing us it is time to move? I guess time will tell.

On a not so positive note, after leaving the lawyers we saw Hassan in town. We turned around to go running, but he ran away from us. Later on he showed up at the boys house, but when Henry asked him questions about where he had been, and what he was doing he didn’t want to answer, and when he did it wasn’t all truth. (We had been informed that he was again begging in the streets). He left again and went back to town.

Later that night Henry and I went back into town to send more information to people about the house, and when we came out Hassan was sitting curled up next to Henry’s bike. He said that he was sorry, and that he didn’t want to be on the streets, and that we wanted to go back to the house (or so Henry translated to me, the whole conversation was in Luganda). In the end he went back to the house, although we had also invited Robert to spend the night, so I guess someone will be sleeping on the couch again.

I need to say that while I am 100% confident that I am where God wants me to be, serving as He has called me to serve…I feel like I am a bit in over my head. There is not a single part of me that knows how to go about buying a house in Uganda (let alone anywhere else in the world), and while I have huge compassion for the boys struggling to be free of living on the streets, knowing how to handle it and doing what is right for each specific child is definitely a struggle. I believe that I am proof that God is involved, because if I was doing ANY single part of this on my own, I would fail. God continues to provide the right people with the right expertise to either guide me through or handle certain situations. He has connected me with a contractor that I know is completely trustworthy, another business man (mzungu) in town who was able to tell me more about the lawyer we are working with, and that he is the best in what he does and very honest. He also has blessed Henry with a way of speaking to the boys that earns their respect and trust. All I can say is Thank You Jesus for providing for all of our needs.

To good to be true? - Oct 26, 2010

I guess all the prayers that are coming my way are definitely making a difference because today was a great day. Thank you! This morning I met with Henry and we discussed things that were going on in the house, and what the day was going to look like. Then we had a quick meeting with Tevin to talk about chickens!

For those of you who don’t know, we have a friend in the States named Frank who has become involved with The Sanctuary over the last year. He loved our project so much that he decided the raise enough money so that we could start a hatchery. This way the boys would not only gain skills and knowledge in how to raise chickens, etc, but also The Sanctuary would have some sort of income to help cover the cost of some things. We are very excited to be able to do this, but where the boys are currently living is not an ideal location to start a project like this. Therefore we were trying to figure out what our best options were. It seems that it always comes back to needing a bigger place, not only for the chicken project, but also for the amount of boys living in such a small space. We are also at our max capacity, every bed is full. In fact Henry spent the night last week, and ended up moving the cushions from the couch onto the table and slept there. Lol.

About this time Tevin told us that he had been informed about a house that was for sale just outside of Jinja, and it is under half the price of what a house and land would normally cost. This seemed too good to be true so Henry and Tevin decided that they would go check out the situation in the afternoon.

While they were taking care of that, I went to the boys and started them on their first test – English. And oh boy are we going to have some work to do (Something to look forward to dad!). We started them both with Primary 2, which we thought would be well below them, and it turns out that we were alittle to eager. Some of the questions they were able to do, but when it came to the spelling of words, or figuring out which letter was missing, or even writing a sentence containing a word, natta. Alex helped me by translating in Luganda, and this helped out a lot, but there are still certain things the boys have no idea of. I also realized that they don’t know colours, shapes, or even what certain letters in the alphabet are. Hassan knows how to read words that he’s already been taught, ie. Cat, cow, dog, etc. But it is all memorized; he doesn’t know how to sound out how to say it. Either way, this is an area we will really be focusing on over the next couple of weeks.

We stopped for a delicious meal of posho, cabbage, g-nuts and avocado (yum! Seriously) which is apparently Alex’s special! and then went to town to do some shopping for me :) As well as to get cake mix for our next birthday coming up on Thursday!

The rest of the afternoon was spent playing UNO, working on the math test (which they seem to have a better handle on) and oh, I GOT MY FIRST (to this trip) TASTE OF JACKFRUIT! Woohoo! Soooo good! I can’t explain it very well..I’ll try to get a picture of it to show you, but it kinda looks like a yellow pepper on the inside, but more rubbery, but the taste is very sweet! Our neighbour bought one and shared it with all of the neighbours! I also got the chance to shell beans! (some things don’t change between growing up in the country in Canada, and living here in Jinja!)

That night Henry arrived with good news about the house, it really IS only 70 million shillings (roughly $31,000 Canadian) for a 3 bedroom house, living room, dining room, 2 full bathrooms, garage, kitchen, 2 boys quarters (which means another 4-6 rooms) and a big enough front yard to play a small game of football! PLUS it is outside of town, which is the ideal situation when working with kids who you are trying to take away from the streets. Anyways, is not something that we have prepared for, although it was definitely something that we were considering for the near future. Now, we pray. The problem is that it JUST went up for sale, and not a lot of people know about it yet, and because it is such a good deal, the chances that it remains available for a long period of time are not very likely. So please please pray that we will know what the best thing is to do in this situation. Is this something that God has provided for us? How are we going to raise enough money in a short amount of time? While we are still in the process of deciding whether or not this option makes sense for The Sanctuary, if we do decide to move forward, and you are interested in helping us to make this dream become a reality, please contact me at melmaer@gmail.com .

Sometimes it seems so difficult to know what God’s will is. I know that it is NOT His will for these boys to have to go without a home, without food or without knowing that they are loved not only be us, but by Him. This is what we are trying to provide for these boys. A safe place, a place that is home, a place where they are free to be themselves, and to know that regardless of who they are or where they come from, they are loved!

I met a boy on the streets today named Robert (he is one of David’s friends who still lives on the streets). Henry informed me that he had recently been taken by the police and put in prison because he was sleeping on the streets, but while he was outside working for them cleaning up the streets, he escaped. Now he has nowhere to go, and the police are looking for him. This breaks my heart, and I am not sure what to do. Of course I want to take him into our home and help him to work towards a promising future, but we are out of room (mind you if things remain how they are, I will do my best to work with Henry to find another organization who can take him in) but it’s frustrating to be at the end of the number of boys we can help.

So, please pray for us.

- For the house situation

- for Jacob

- for the boys who are already live at The Sanctuary

- for our new friends David and Hassan

Praise:

- That God continues to move us forward

- For all of you who continue to support me with emails and messages of encouragement and prayers. Without you none of this would be possible

Expectations – Good or bad? - Oct 25, 2010

So what have I learned over the last couple of days (and not for the first time I might add)? Don’t set expectations. Now I know that often this sounds a bit pessimistic, but for now I’m sticking to it. I found myself disappointed in a variety of different ways over the weekend because I had certain expectations about how things were going to go. Today, zero expectations…and my day was great. I decided that I was going to get some computer stuff done in the morning but with no time frame in mind. I tried to call my boda driver, but he wasn’t around, but hey, I wasn’t in a rush to get anywhere, so I walked instead.

The first place I went to (flavours) was closed (I had forgotten they weren’t open on Monday’s) so I headed to Indulge instead. Again, I got there much later then planned, but then, I had nothing planned, so it was all good. Now at one point Henry and I had made arrangements to meet at Welcome Home at 10:30 so that we could go and look at apartments for me to live in, so I tried texting, calling and emailing him to let him know the change of plans. I didn’t hear anything for a couple of hours, so I gave up and decided that no matter what happened, I didn’t matter. (Assuming that Henry was unharmed.)

Anyways, I did a bunch of emailing and blogging and typing up some information, and then Henry DID show up. But again there was no plan. After some talking I found out that instead of 10:30 to look at apartments, I would be going at 5pm, perfect! We then went to a school to see if we could get more information about what is expected of children who graduate from p1, p2, etc. The teacher that we met with was actually one of Henry’s old teachers, and she was great. She gave us lists of books that she thought would be helpful for us to buy, and then suggested that we get copies of previous exams that students need to write to pass a grade. So off Henry and I went to find the office that sells exams, imagine that. We walked into a room with two shelves that had piles of papers stacked a foot high (full of exams I assume), with another table full of exams (from the current year). I should also mention that the shelves were not straight, oh no, the boards either hadn’t been put in properly, or they were missing something because each shelf was on a crazy tilt. We asked for a copy of each exam for each class, which is 4 exams for P1-P7, which he somehow managed to find in the midst of the chaos. And we got it all for the low price of 4200 shillings! (less than $2.50)!

Earlier we saw David and Hassan in town (which is not allowed if someone older is at the Sanctuary (which there was)) and they were asked to return home. We decided that it was be best to return home to make sure that they were there, and they were! Henry had to run into town to do some errands, so I spent some time with the boys…which was interesting to say the least. David was very mad at Hassan, and then because I was talking to Hassan, he became very mad at me. They boys are at times great friends, but more often than not, they are each other’s enemies…atleast for right now (I hope). I managed to get David to finally talk to me, but soon he was fighting with Hassan again. We decided that we would wait until Henry came home to try to work things out. Shortly after that Henry came back with a surprise visitor, Tevin! Henry took the boys to go and talk, and I got a chance to talk to Tevin (one of Henry’s good friends). It was great to finally meet him, and I enjoyed hearing of his travelling adventures.

That evening we went to see the apartment, and then I got to see where you buy Posho! I sure am glad Henry knows what he was doing, to me it just looked like chaos of people running around, boda(bicycle) drivers riding around with huge sacks of posho on the bikes, and vehicles moving this way and that way.

We then went back to the boys house and I decided to try the P1 exam on Hassen…and then David joined. Thankfully Michael joined as well, and he helped me by translating to the boys what the questions were asking. Oh, in this time I also got the privilege of helping to fetch water! They didn’t want to let me help, and then they gave me smallest bucket, which I promptly traded for one of the bigger ones, and then we proceeded to literally ‘walk up a hill to fetch a pail (well, a jerry can rather) of water’. I’m being serious when I say that the people I walked by laughed at seeing a mzungu girl carrying a jerry can full of water. Apparently this is not a common sight, and I think that they were surprised to see that we were actually capable. (Ok, to be honest, Ronnie was very nice to me and only filled it up about 4/5’s of the way…but they didn’t know that! Lol).

Anyways, I got a chance to see all of the boys for a bit before I headed home. Oh, did I mention that the power was out AGAIN!!! From about 11:30am-8:30pm, but thankfully it came back on about the time that I was wondering if I should just go to bed! We also had another HUGE thunderstorm tonite! My grandma called me (very lovely surprise!) and she could hear it through the phone! It was pretty fantastic, and it lasted for at least 2 hours! I love Ugandan thunderstorms! :)

So, praise:

- I am learning to be flexible

- We were able to get a copy of all the exams we wanted

- While we don’t have our own water back yet, we at least have access to water

- The power came back on!

- Henry being so great at handling the boys issues

Prayer:

- David and Hassan getting used to living with us, giving up the freedom of the streets

- I find a place to live come December

- I continue to be open to what God is calling me to do/wisdom to do it

- Henry continues to be patient with the boys, and has the wisdom to know what is best for them

HOPE (Holding On. Praying Expectantly) - Oct 22, 23, 24

Phew, thanks for taking the time to hear about some of the things that are going on. Let me see if I can fill you in on what has been happening the last couple of days. So Thursday we spent the day working at keeping the boys (new ones, David and Hassen) entertained. This included washing their clothes…might I add that I have NEVER IN MY LIFE SEEN WATER SO DIRTY! After washing only his shirt and pair of pants, Hassen’s water was almost black! David’s was slightly less back, but still very dirty! They seemed to be content to do chores like this around the house though. We played some football in the yard, some more card games, and then did some school work. We have been working to see what level the boys are at and hoping to start preparing them for starting school (assuming that they will stay with us) in February. They also had some fun teaching me how to wash dishes (yes, for a second time, but this time I think I have it!) and even how to wash clothes. They also showed me the tricks for sorting the stones and chafe out of uncooked rice. Henry decided to do some painting (inspired by David’s shirt) and I got to add my hand to the amazing table that the boys have in their kitchen. Oh, last thing, I am working on perfecting my sweeping with a straw broom! And I mean ALL straw, handle (if you can even call it that) and all.

Later in the day David and I went out with a children’s bible story book to read some of the stories. As we went through the stories, David was able to point out many of the pictures and tell me the story that went with them. I was so encouraged to see how well he knew his bible stories, and I hope that we have more of an opportunity to talk about this in the upcoming weeks.

Friday morning was spent doing a lot of the same thing as Thursday. Then Henry and I went out to Lordsmeade School, which is a Secondary School/vocational school where students go to highschool, but are also offered courses like carpentry, construction, agriculture, sewing, catering, etc among their ‘normal’ classes. The benefit is that it helps students learn what they are interested in/good at before actually attending a vocational school for their chosen trade, and choosing the wrong one. It was great to get a tour of the place, and to see different options that the boys could/would have.

Friday night I ended up coming home early. My plan was to blog, journal, read, and maybe watch a movie. BUT, TIA, the power ended up going out, and that changed the plan. I read for a while, and the finally decided to go to bed at 8:30!!! It was actually quite lovely. Last time that I was in Jinja the power went out only a couple times in the entire 7 weeks we were here. Looks like I wont be so lucky this time.

Saturday morning presented me with another problem. No air time on my phone. Most phones used around here are “pay as you go” so to speak. If I buy 10,000 shillings (roughly $5) worth of air time, it lasts me about a week. I hadn’t been paying attention to my minutes, and suddenly found myself without. I headed into town to buy air time, and Henry found me here. We then went to the house to find David and Hassen, but when we got there, they were nowhere to be found, and neither was anyone else. Shortly after Alex came with Hassen, and we trekked back into town to find David.

Upon finding David it was suggested that Alex and I take David and Hassen shopping in the market. Keep in mind that the market is millions of little booths as well as people sitting on the ground with their products around them, trying to sell everything before the day is over. It is one thing to go with 2 people into the market, and quite another to go with 4. BUT Alex was a great leader, and we soon bought everything we needed: avocado, cabbage, passion fruit, rice, sugar, green peppers, tomatoes, onions, something called ‘dough dough’ (sp?) for greens, tiny fish, a pineapple, bread and a brush for washing clothes. Good thing there were four of us, because it took that many people to carry our things out of the market. We then loaded David and Hassen up onto a boda boda and send them on their way home. The rest of the night was filled with fun and well as trying to resolve some of the conflicts that were happening in the house. Henry does a great job and talking things over with the boys, and giving everyone a chance to say their side. I don’t understand half of what is being said, but from what other boys have told me, he is definitely trusted and looked up to with great respect among the boys. The night ended with the boys doing tricks on the front yard, they have so much fun together, despite some of the tension that takes place in the house.

Today? Sunday. I went with Henry to Calvary Chapel. Well, technically I went for 8am, and he came about 40 minutes later…and we were on opposite ends of the church. But, either way, it was great. The worship was amazing, though it really made me miss Creekside. BUT, I am happy to have a found a potential church to attend. The speaking was on prayer which seemed appropriate, and the congregation was very friendly. I am going to check it out again next week to see how it is. After church we went back to the boys house, and then after lunch about 8 of us went swimming. That was amazing! Definitely what I had been longing for! When we first got there, there were only a few people there, but after being there for a couple of hours, it started to get quite busy, and I should add that I was the only white person to be seen. It was fun watching David learn to swim and to see the boys doing tricks off of the edge of the pool.

Usually when I go to the pool I jump in the water, maybe swim for a bit, and then go lay in the sun. This continues on for the rest of the time, and then I go home. But not this time! This time I probably swam for a good 2 hours, if not longer! By the time we were ready to go I was zonked, and actually came home and slept for an hour. Even now I can tell that my body is ready for a good nites sleep! It felt great though!

Tonight I spend the nite with Siouxanne and Emily. We had a great supper of stew, salad(yes! Salad) cornbread (fresh out of the oven with butter and honey, yum!) and it was delicious! We finished the nite with The Bucket List, and then I got to talk to my dad! It’s funny, or rather obviously God at work, but it seems that every day that I am feeling frustrated, or uncertain, etc. I get a phone call! I love seeing God at work in the day to day things! How can we not know how important and loved we are.