Life here has been super hectic! Monday, we ran errands in town and Rebekah went to a meeting for the orphanage. There has been a man who is constantly bothering her, a former employee demanding that she owes him money. Rebekah fired this man due to him lying about money and stealing it along with food. He was dishonest in a lot of instances and is now trying to take even more of her money. Rebekah has documents proving that she did everything right and that is why he won’t take Rebekah to court. So yes, she’s working out that issue! Hopefully it will all be over and resolved soon! On Tuesday and Wednesday the nurse came and he did a check up on all of the children along with the staff.
Also on Wednesday, I visited the kids school in Rupa, which was a long but very enjoyable walk from the orphanage. We didn’t stay at the school very long, the kids just wanted to show me around and they wanted to be back in time for lunch. You might be surprised to find out that the staff and teachers that work at the school also live on the compound. It is the same with the police and prisons and many other occupations. Once we got back to the orphanage, we ate lunch and then two older girls and I hiked up the mountain, although some younger girls refused to stay behind and followed us up the mountain, eventually meeting up with us near the top. There was no way to convince them to go back so naturally we just had them stay with us. I was excited for the walk back, as the climb down was much easier than going up. But of course, the girls decided we should take fire wood with us down the mountain. The mountain had recently been burned and all the grass was gone (which was very sad and ugly but I was glad I went before and got nice pictures.) So we ended up taking down some dead trees and carrying them down. I had my backpack so I took about 5 of the larger branches and put them in between my straps and my back. We also took what I’m pretty sure was the most difficult path down the mountain. Well, it really wasn’t a path at all but at least we got some good laughs and a nice workout!
This Thursday we didn’t go to the prison ministry due to Rebekah needing to go to another meeting in town.
The weather has been so nice lately! So windy and a little cloudy, it’s a sweet relief from the burning hot days! Although, it still hasn’t rained and that’s disappointing. When Rebekah was in Kampala there was some very heavy rain on that side, but it was still dry as a bone here in moroto. We’re all still hoping that it rains here, this area needs the rain very badly.
Most of the schools have decided to release even a day earlier on the 24th, instead of the 25th. The younger kids’ schools also decided to give out the report cards on the 24th, not the 25th as they had first planned. I’m sure all the students are glad to be on break a little earlier than they had thought! I know the older boys are very excited to come home and play lots of football! They apparently have the best team in the whole country and have their own winter tournament where they play against many other teams in the area! I can’t wait to watch them play some before I leave!
Today (Nov 24th when I’m writing this) is Thanksgiving! I hope you all had an amazing holiday and spent your time with lots of friends and family! Thanksgiving has to be close to my favorite holiday, I love making lots of food and giving thanks to God for all the blessings He has given me and the people around me. I’m so thankful for the opportunity to be here in Moroto, I feel so comfortable here and I love being with the children and playing with them!
The boys are back! Last night Rebekah went to the bus station and picked up the last of the boys returning home! It’s a full house now and football games are well under way! And guess what?! They’re letting me play also, they’re inviting me! Ah! I’m so happy to get to play! I was afraid that they would say I had to stop playing once the older boys got back but now I get to play against these boys! We play in the morning and in the evening and I gotta say my legs are feeling it! Oh, but it’s all so worth it! I forgot how much I love playing! Anyway, yes the boys are all happy to be home, safe and sound.
So, a little future planning has happened while I’ve been here. As I’ve talked with my mom more about my schooling and done more research I’ve decided to do the CNA (certified nurse assistant) program then continue for another year to do LVN (licensed practical nurse). I’m wanting to work in between the programs as a CNA to raise money to pay for the LVN classes. I also want to hopefully travel back to Mission Moroto if I can during my holidays. Although, I’m not sure how paying for classes and traveling to Africa is going to work out but if I’m supposed to come back, a way will be made! At the moment I’m trying to pray and see the path God has for me and is leading me towards. Looking back at the classes that I took on what seemed to be on a whim turned into the classes that were needed as prerequisites for the LVN class is such a God thing! I have no idea if what I just said made any sense so I’ll rephrase it haha! So I previously took some electives that seemed out of the ordinary and separate from my career path. But they turned out to be needed for me to take the LVN class. Those elective classes that I had no idea why I wanted to take so badly turned out to lead me right into LVN. It’s just such a God thing, and it’s so cool to see that even back then he was setting me up and preparing me to take this LVN class. I hope to go into nursing to help people, maybe in America, maybe somewhere around the world, I have no idea but I just know this is where God is leading me and I’m so happy to be following his plan for me!
As some of you know, yesterday was my birthday! Yayyyy! I turned 19 and had a small celebration here with some of the girls. I had brought with me from America two boxes of chocolate cake mix and Rebekah had the amazing idea to buy some chapati and dip the chapati in the cake mix like a dip. Fantastic idea! So I whipped up the box mix, just with some water, but not so much that it was too liquidy. I then walked with one of the older girls, Mercy, to the town center and bought a bunch of chapati. When we got back I gathered up some of my girl friends here and we locked ourselves in one of the girls’ houses! I then explained that it was my birthday and that the sweets were to celebrate. I ripped off a piece of chapati and scooped up some chocolate mix and then I got to see first hand a feeding frenzy. I got to say these girls went poco Loco and the mix was gone in less than 10 seconds! Hands flying everywhere, people laughing, Mercy scolding them all for eating like boys, much more laughter!!! It was so amazing! The bowl was finished off and they were all licking their hands with glee! It made for a great story and everyone was telling how the chocolate massacre looked from their point of view! We were all laughing hysterically! I have to say that was a great moment in my life that I will always look back on fondly!
It seems to be that at this time of year the kids’ skin illnesses are mainly ringworm, chickenpox, and some jiggers. While there may be a little less Malaria going around, these skin diseases are very contagious, uncomfortable, and painful. If you could all continue to pray for healing and good health among all of the kids and staff that would be amazing and much appreciated! Thank you!
Also a little side note. Baby Peter has been sick a lot lately, if everyone could please pray for his health along with all the other kids’ that would be amazing!
Thank you everyone again for reading and being with me as I go on this journey! My time here is almost coming to an end and I’m starting to prepare my heart for the culture shock that I will experience going back. That is also something I ask that you all pray for. Please pray for my heart to be prepared to leave all these wonderful people and children and to go back to the busy hustle and bustle of America. I’ve become so used to the slow and comfortable life here in Karamoja and I actually kind of dread going back. But I miss my family very much and my life is there. I’m ready to go back home, but also not ready at all.
I started out this past week with some hiking and rock scavenging! On Monday I went stone hunting and found some very pretty stones that I cleaned up once I got back to the house. Good thing I brought an extra toothbrush!!! Then on Tuesday I headed out to do the same thing but ended up climbing a mountain here all by myself! There is a smaller mountain that’s base is less than a mile walk from the front gate. Only on the way back down did I realize maybe I should have taken someone with me but when I got back Rebekah assured me that it was safe! Plus, I didn’t see a single living thing up there except some wild chickens and insects. I plan on going on many more hikes, especially with the older children!
On Wednesday Rebekah left around 2 pm with Veronica and Jon to Kampala. Joseph and I have been working together with the medicine and food counts each day. It’s so much easier doing it with someone instead of all alone! Although, sometimes it causes more confusion if there’s a lack of communication. Rebekah needs to stay longer in Kampala to meet with some people so she will be back Sunday or Monday. Friday morning Veronica and Jon get back early in the morning after taking the night bus from Kampala to here.
All of the older boys from boarding school are getting back on my birthday, which is a cool and interesting gift. The days are passing even quicker now and it’s kind of scary haha but I’m taking it all in! Crazy to think that my younger sister Selah is turning 18 soon! November 20th everyone, crazy. I’ve always been there for her birthday and we’ve always celebrated together, which was easy because her birthday is 5 days before mine. Although, we’ve talked about doing something when I get back in December so it’s not that bad!! Wishing you the best birthday Selah!!! I love you so much!
During the last weekend I was feeling pretty terrible and having some stomach issues along with not being able to sleep at night. I felt like I had a fever and would sweat like crazy during the night. Rebekah gave me some antibacterial medicine and it cleared up just fine! No more nausea and fatigue either!! I’m so glad medicine and treatments are a thing! I mean, think about it, life would be a nightmare without modern medicine. People would be dying from things as common as the cold. But then again it makes me think about people who get sick and it’s like medicine isn’t even a thing since they can’t afford it. It’s awful. Maybe that’s part of why I want to go into the medical field…I’m not sure but I just know that there’s always a way to help people and why not do what you can. (On Thursday I was sick again, I’m taking the antibacterial medicine. Please pray for my health.)
So, let’s discuss the driving here, not car driving but on a piket (motorcycle). I’m just gonna say there are 3 types of drivers I’ve experienced from the orphanage here. There’s Markson, who drives slow both on the bad roads and the good roads. It feels like it takes absolutely forever to get anywhere haha. Then there’s Joseph, slow on the bad roads and fast on the good roads. He’s the driver Rebekah trusts the most so I mean how can you go wrong. But my favorite driver, haha, is Mileton (Milletent). He drives crazy fast everywhere and you experience this adrenaline rush every time you’re on the bike! It’s all crazy scary but also super fun! I mean, until you crash, hahaha! Oh and let me mention cars real quickly. Cars get the right of way, the bigger you are the more superiority you have on the road. While on a piket you can avoid most bumps but in a car…well let’s just say you’re in a hunk of metal and it sounds like an earthquake at times! (Gonna take a little break to add a cute side note. I just smiled at Peska [kk] and she hadn’t seen me, she looked and got so surprised that she laughed and snot flew out of her nose!! Haha, her laugh is so cute!) And despite what it sounds like, I’m finding it really hard to decide which I would rather choose to take for a trip. I mean, on a piket the wind and dust is the worst part but if I’m going long distance, I would choose a car for sure. Hmmm, yeah, there’s just no way I can pick which is better. I’ll really have to think more about this.
Little prayer request, on Monday some health inspection people are coming. Can everyone pray that it goes well? Oh, and little Nakudi has been super upset with everything lately and crying all the time. If everyone could pray that she’s filled with lots of joy? Thank you!
Tuesday night, what a night haha. Well, my body decided to get super sick and I mean like throwing up, sweating, aching all over type of thing. It was awful and I only ended up sleeping for 2 hours!!! Pretty sure it was food poisoning or a stomach bug or something. Anyway, I’m well on my way to the mend and I’m feeling much better! Can’t go to a foreign country without getting sick at least a few times am I right? More importantly, I found chocolate milk! It’s not really real milk since the product lasts a year but it still tastes so much better than water or tea! It costs 4k shillings for a medium container and 2k for a smaller container. Just saying, that’s pretty pricey here, you could buy 8 chapati with that. But. If you’re wondering 4k in Ugandan shillings is barely over a US dollar. So haha, totally worth my money 🙂
You know, I have zero idea how people can wear winter coats here. I mean it starts to heat up right when the sun is barely visible and only starts to cool off around 6 pm. Extreme UV 100% of the time and somehow they’re wearing a thick poofy winter coat. It’s crazy. Well, I guess they’re used to the weather so it makes more sense. There are only two seasons here and the rainy season has been skipped this year. The rainy season was also cut short last year and the crops were lost this year and last year, that’s why there is a famine. Anyway, I was just thinking of it due to a decent number of kids wearing coats and sweatshirts this morning.
Oh, oh, oh!!! Today is fridayyyyyyy! Which means it’s movie night! So before Rebekah left she showed me and Joseph how to use the speaker and projector and I love watching the movies with the kids, even though they’re never quiet haha. I mean, in my house my family has a no talking rule during movies and there’s just no way that could happen here! Tonight I picked Kung Fu Panda! I’m thinking that the kids will especially like this movie because of the cartoon comedy. I was having a hard time choosing between Kung Fu Panda and The Emperor’s New Groove but then I thought that Kung Fu Panda might be easier to understand since it has less long talking scenes and is all around funny.
Before I forget, ministry outreach update. So since Rebekah won’t be back from Kampala until Sunday or Monday we postponed the outreach until the first Saturday of December. I could have gone alone but I felt it would be better to go with Rebekah.
Thank you all for the prayers! I appreciate you all so much!
This week has been so relaxed yet gone by so fast! I am all bruised and cut up haha, but from playing so hard! Work and play all day, soccer in the evening, and dancing at night. This really is the best schedule to live by!
So first, as I am writing this in advance since this will be sent out on Friday. That is due to Rebekah and I, and Millitent (he is Rebekah’s very trusted helper, who does many jobs and is like the leader of the kids), going out on an outreach up in the mountains. I am very excited! I will make sure to send details of the excursion next Saturday!
Last Sunday we (Rebekah, Millitent, and I) went up the mountain to Kakangol, where Pastor Paul and Simon have a church. Although, first Rebekah and I went to the service at Pastor Grace’s church, which is a rather large group! After that we headed out on the motorcycle towards the mountain, but once the path got too rocky or steep Rebekah and I climbed up the path while Millitent took the bike up. I have to say, the drive to the mountain was one of the scariest I’ve ever been on, but the way back was much better! The hike was shorter but quite steep and vigorous, and at an elevation of 10,000 feet it’s easy to get winded. The church seemed to be a combination of children and elderly people, all happy to see the small group from Rupa. We worshiped and then Rebekah gave the sermon, as she did at Pastor Grace’s church also, and it was the best one I’ve heard here yet! The christian people here are all so nice and love to shake hands. On the way down the mountain we had a little tumble on the motorcycle but no one was hurt! Rebekah and I just walked from that point on haha!
Oh! Last Saturday Rebekah and I were driving and one of the shocks on the back of the van fell!! It was scraping and dragging the whole way back to the mission. Of course we stopped and checked it out and called Rebekah’s mechanic friend before proceeding with the drive, making sure it was okay to keep going. Over the next two days it was looked at and fixed, it needed to be welded and now it’s all done and finished!
On Wednesday morning, Rebekah headed out to take jessica Moru (the girl with the heart problem) to the hospital near here. She got a checkup and her medication refilled. Even though the hospital is not super far Rebekah left before 9 am and estimated not to be back until around 3 or 4 pm. Things such as going to town, to the hospital, buying food, they take all day long!
Four of the older boys came home early from boarding school this week, they finished their exams and were able to come back this week instead of in December, which is crazy early! I haven’t gotten to know them very well yet but their English is very good! One of the boys, John, is (I’m pretty sure) the tallest person I’ve ever stood by, like a giant. I’ve been told that when all the boys come back in December we will get to play and see some very good football games!! I’m super excited! Even the younger boys here are so talented and if they’re saying that comparatively, the older boys are so much better, wow I just can’t wait to watch. I’ve been playing more and more lately and I love getting back into the groove of it. Everyone here is an Arsenal fan with very few Manchester united and Chelsea fans. They all keep up with the games and they get very animated when they talk about the sport!
I’ve become so close with the staff ladies here and I love it. Almost everyday now I go and select rice with them, which I’ve become pretty fast at! We talk and they ask me questions and they’ll talk among themselves and I’ll listen knowing I have zero idea what they’re saying. I love it all though, they’re so lively and happy! I have learned some words and phrases in Karamojan though! Phrases like, “that’s right” (eh robo), “no” (eh mum), “that’s amazing” (ataqoi), and thats on top of the three greetings I know, thank you, yes, and I’m still learning them everyday!
We learned why some of the older boys are coming home early from boarding school. The government decided that due to the ebola outbreak they’re closing all of the schools in two weeks. All of the schools are now cramming in all of the testing that was supposed to be done over the month of November into these next two weeks. So now all of the boys will slowly trickle in from school as they finish their tests. Rebekah is so happy to see all of them, she’s so close to them all and loves them very much.
Rebekah is also going to Kampala again next Wednesday and she’s taking Veronica and one of the older boys, Jon, with her. She is going to pay for some surgeries that are going to happen in January. I might not be remembering correctly but I think she said something like 4 children were going to go for surgeries then. Veronica is going so they can look and examine her legs and see what is to be done and if they can help her be able to walk. Jon has been in many surgeries and just needs one more on his knee so he is going to get examined and then he will learn when he can get the surgery. He was in a serious accident when he was young and it screwed up and broke his hip. His parents never took him to the hospital, maybe they didn’t know it was broken, and it gone infected and much of his hip bone deteriorated. Later his hip bone and his pelvis fused together and the had to get a surgery for that. He can now walk without crutches but due to the way he walked for so long affected his knee in a very negative way. He really needs a knee replacement but the doctors don’t want to due to him still being so young (18 yrs) and so he will get it sorta fixed soon and then need a knee replacement surgery later in life. So they will all be going to Kampala for a few days and Rebekah is leaving Joseph, on of her very trusted older boys who got here on Wednesday, and I in charge. Thankfully though, Rebekah says he will handle all of the medicine so there is no possible way for me to stress haha!!
Oh right, before I forget can everyone please pray very hard for continues safety and protection here. Curfew moved from 10 pm to 8 pm due to some raiders being in the area again. So please pray that they stay away from the compound and are even taken captive by the police. Oh and make sure to add that they won’t be able to bribe their way out! That’s a huge problem here sadly. Thank you all!
I’ve been trying to stay in each moment and take each day in, focusing on what I’m doing in the moment. I really don’t want to miss anything and I can already feel time passing me by way to quickly! Sometimes I think about when I will be going home and I get homesick but here recently I’ve just been dreading leaving. I want to come back and stay much longer! I love helping here and playing with the kids, telling them all about America and making them all laugh! Jon and I were talking Thursday night and he mentioned that all of the kids were going to miss me very much when I leave. He said he could see how they’ve already grown so attached. I’m going to miss them all like crazy and I’m going to hate leaving, I already know it. All these kids I’ve grown to love so much, I’m going to miss them growing and playing and laughing, even them crying and screaming and fighting. I really don’t wanna miss a single moment so I really hope to come back as soon as I can!
I love you all and I’m so grateful for all of your support, I really love to hear from you all, those little stories from home mean a lot to me. I’m sorry this email is shorter haha, as I mentioned time is flying by and I felt like I barely had any time to write! Also, thank you for the prayers and encouragement, sometimes it is really hard to think about home and how people are changing and growing without me. But, I’m so glad I’m here having this opportunity! It really is such an amazing blessing!
Thank you all and much love,
Hannah Weber
Okay, small update. I was mistaken about the day of the outreach, it is next Saturday not this Saturday. So, this will be sent out on this Saturday and next week’s will be early. I know I could’ve just changed the email but haha I thought this would be easier.
End of week 3, wow time flies! My body is finally adjusted fully to its new sleep schedule and I’m no longer feeling sick all the time! Yay! I want to thank everyone for the continued prayers and encouragement, it really does mean so much to me. At times it’s still so hard to be away from home and my family. I really was so spoiled for so long, all my schooling was at home, and I did everything at home and was constantly surrounded by my family. I never really went anywhere except with my family. It really is a huge adjustment not seeing them for so long, and I still have a long ways to go! So thank you for the prayers!
This week a lot has happened and yet it was so relaxed! We had the prison ministry on Thursday, Rebekah got super sick, my head got braided, Rebekah and I met up with Dr. Val a good friend, and tomorrow we’re going to a church up on the mountain!
The heat is back after a small break last weekend and it’s oppressive!!! Many of the older kids also got Malaria this week, including Boyo (who did the drawing of me). Boyo is one of my favorite boys cause he’s so sweet! Many of the older boys are so aloof, but not Boyo! He draws, loves to play games, dances, and braids hair. Speaking of games I learned two new games this week, although I have no idea what they’re called haha.
The first game has two uncooked beans that have been cut in half. You take the four pieces and you throw them like dice. It is a game of points based on the direction the half of the bean lands, up or down, aka skin or inside. A pair of twos is two points, four skins are 20 points, and four insides are 10 points. The winner is the first to reach 100 points. I only won once but I got pretty close a few other times!
The other game I learned is a bit harder to explain although all you need is a small rock. So you have two teams, and each team can be two or three people but the teams have to be the same size. Then one team will start with the rock and the leader will hold it. Then the team members with the rock stack their hands, in fist form, in random order. They will then shake their hands and the leader’s fist, which is holding the rock, will drop the rock into the next fist and the game will continue until the end of a song that is sung while the rock moves fists. The rock is now in a random fist and the team holds out their fists to the other team. The other team then has to guess what fist is holding the rock and save that fist for last, telling the people to eat what’s in their fists. If they don’t guess correctly and they say to eat a hand that has the rock the team with the rock gets to keep it and go again, each time they keep the rock is a point. If the team guessed correctly and the rock was in the last hand, they get the rock now and a point. The game can last however long the teams want but the winning team is the one who needs the highest point count. I really hope that made sense and wasn’t very confusing!!
On Wednesday, Dr. Val called Rebekah to see if she wanted to meet up for lunch. Turns out, Dr. Val was feeling pretty down and is going through many issues at the moment. I ask that you would all pray for her, she is having issues with her citizenship and many of the people whom she’s working with are being quite difficult. So please pray that her problems get worked out smoothly. But eating lunch with her and Rebekah was very interesting, many topics were covered and we ate some very delicious foods! 🙂 We talked from chickens to ministry to phone plans and had very many good laughs in between! Rebekah and Dr. Val talked about meeting up next week and I hope I can tag along again!
While with Dr. Val, she also told a story of a raid that happened to a town that some people she knew were in. In the evening a group of raiders came to a town that mined gold and proceeded to shoot people and burn houses, stealing gold and grabbing and raping women. People were fleeing with their possessions. Knowing they wouldn’t be able to return to their homes. One of Dr. Val’s friends called her in the middle of the night and begged her to come help get the people out, they had been chased into the bushes by the raiders and were afraid of being shot. As early in the morning as she could manage, Dr. Val headed out there. As she drove in there was gunfire over her head between the raiders and the police, as she tried to turn back the townspeople came running to her out of the bushes where they had been hiding, they had seen her and came running for help. She proceeded to load as many people as possible into her car, men and women with their babies and possessions. They then left and she finished the story there. I almost cried while hearing it and again while writing this. So much violence born from greed, so many people were shot and killed for gold, and the women were raped for no reason but for lust. It makes me so sad, but I am glad that at least Dr. Val could go and help some people escape the war and violence.
I realize that I did not mention how my time went looking after the orphanage haha and I’m sure you are all wondering. It went very well and Rebekah even came back early! I was very happy when she told me that because I had become quite exhausted and I have a very healthy respect for how much work Rebekah does here every day. In the morning I gave the head wash lady the days soap and the clothing house key, then after breakfast, I would open the storeroom to let the ladies get out the days rice and bean counts. In the morning and evening, the medicine doses would be given out to the children who were sick. Then in the evening I would set out the food and soap counts for the next day and lock up. There were quite a few sick kids and a few more that became sick while Rebekah was gone. The one time I was distressed was when I found a boy with a temperature of 38°C, and Rebekah had told me 37°C was high. I proceeded to give him the Malaria medicine doses and he went back to normal. Other than that, everything went quite well and I am very glad to have Rebekah here again! 🙂
I’m not sure if I mentioned it or not but during the first week I was here some tourists who were in Moroto to climb the mountain visited the orphanage. They had raised money in the Netherlands, where they came from and wanted to help the community by donating to an orphanage. They came to us and donated 100 shirts and 100 pairs of shoes for the kids! We were so surprised and grateful! I’m really not sure if I emailed this information yet so I apologize if I’m repeating myself haha!
Some of you have been wondering why there are so many orphans here and that’s a great question. There are many reasons why. Some have parents who have died from famine, or maybe from sickness or violence. Many of the children might come from very abusive or unstable homes and the orphanage is a safe haven and their home now. Some of the kids have been saved from child or sex slavery. Many of the parents here simply do not care enough to feed their children and spend their money on themselves or alcohol (which is a huge problem here). There are a few people that help Rebekah by finding the most desperate children in the area and bringing them here, many of which are malnourished or sick. At the moment Rebekah has had to turn down many requests to take on new kids since she does not have the funds. Sponsors and donors are meant to pay for the children’s food and school fees although at the moment Rebekah has been covering the school fees while only the food costs are being paid for. In order to help more kids she would need to be receiving more funds from generous donors and sponsors.
Many of the kids here love playing on my phone! They’re always asking for games! I started out with only spider solitaire but quickly downloaded slither.io (which they LOVE!!) And now I’m getting subway surfers. They’re quick learners and love to win!
The prison ministry went very well on Thursday, although Rebekah felt very weak at the end as she was still just getting over Malaria. As usual, the kids with the women were so cute and amusing during worship. There was one girl who was just a ball of pure energy, she was jumping and dancing and clapping the whole time! She made Rebekah and me smile a lot! As I’ve mentioned, the kids here never fail to put a smile on my face and I love making them laugh! The men’s session, a larger and more serious group, is always a long activity. The men’s group translates twice and they have many questions at the end. I am always glad to see so many people hungering for answers about the Bible! Even the kids here have such a heart for God, that beautiful childlike faith, untouched by American society. They will worship with their whole hearts without being held back by distractions. They’ve been through so much and they know that they’ve been saved only by God and they thank him.
You all know how I mentioned baby Peter and how he was starting to stand up on his own? Well…he walked!!! Just a few wobbly steps at a time but he’s getting there!! Sometimes he just prefers to stand but if someone reaches out for him, he sometimes walks to them! Rebecca got to see his first steps but of course, I missed them haha. It was such a happy moment to see a little baby take steps, reaching toward me! I can’t wait to have those own moments with my own kids one day!
Rebekah, earlier in the week, went to one of the clinics in Moroto after being plagued with stomach issues. She had thought it was an ulcer caused by her past issues with Malaria pills. Although when she went she was told she had a high count of Malaria bacteria in her blood. She was given both a shot and started on IV treatment. The medicine that she needed was very strong and made her feel very sick for a few days. She is still regaining all of her strength back but she is doing much better! She has just started getting her appetite back and that’s a great sign, especially since it’s so hard to be hungry with this heat!
On Monday I got my hair braided and I will upload a picture below! It was rather painful but totally worth the outcome! All the kids love it and say it’s “very nice!” As I mentioned before they all love to play with and touch my hair all the time! Having it braided like this makes taking care of it super easy! I don’t have bed head and I don’t have to worry about the strong wind gusts blowing in my face all the time!
Oh yes, and if you would like me to look for a gift of any kind from here then please send me an email and I will keep an eye out for any items! I cannot promise I can find something but I will ask around! For example, my mom wanted Ugandan coffee beans and they’re sold at two places, one of which I had been to before. So I now have her coffee beans (I love you, mom!).
I realize Halloween has just passed and it’s funny to think about it since Halloween isn’t even a thing here! I hope you all had an enjoyable time with it and had some fun!
Thank you again for taking time out of your day to read about my time in Africa! I love reading all of your response emails, thank you! Please continue to pray for safety (especially as we travel tomorrow up the mountain to church), peace, courage, and good health. I love you all. Stay safe!
Little prayer request, on Monday some health inspection people are coming. Can everyone pray that it goes well? Oh, and little Nakudi has been super upset with everything lately and crying all the time. If everyone could pray that she’s filled with lots of joy? Thank you!
Four of the older boys came home early from boarding school this week, they finished their exams and were able to come back this week instead of in December, which is crazy early! I haven’t gotten to know them very well yet but their English is very good! One of the boys, John, is (I’m pretty sure) the tallest person I’ve ever stood by, like a giant. I’ve been told that when all the boys come back in December we will get to play and see some very good football games!! I’m super excited! Even the younger boys here are so talented and if they’re saying that comparatively, the older boys are so much better, wow I just can’t wait to watch. I’ve been playing more and more lately and I love getting back into the groove of it. Everyone here is an Arsenal fan with very few Manchester united and Chelsea fans. They all keep up with the games and they get very animated when they talk about the sport!
Rebekah is also going to Kampala again next Wednesday and she’s taking Veronica and one of the older boys, Jon, with her. She is going to pay for some surgeries that are going to happen in January. I might not be remembering correctly but I think she said something like 4 children were going to go for surgeries then. Veronica is going so they can look and examine her legs and see what is to be done and if they can help her be able to walk. Jon has been in many surgeries and just needs one more on his knee so he is going to get examined and then he will learn when he can get the surgery. He was in a serious accident when he was young and it screwed up and broke his hip. His parents never took him to the hospital, maybe they didn’t know it was broken, and it gone infected and much of his hip bone deteriorated. Later his hip bone and his pelvis fused together and the had to get a surgery for that. He can now walk without crutches but due to the way he walked for so long affected his knee in a very negative way. He really needs a knee replacement but the doctors don’t want to due to him still being so young (18 yrs) and so he will get it sorta fixed soon and then need a knee replacement surgery later in life. So they will all be going to Kampala for a few days and Rebekah is leaving Joseph, on of her very trusted older boys who got here on Wednesday, and I in charge. Thankfully though, Rebekah says he will handle all of the medicine so there is no possible way for me to stress haha!! 
