Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Oh Canada
Friday was a pretty low key day. We played with the children at recess and lunch, and then ate with the staff at lunch time. That evening was the “Canadian BBQ” for all the staff at the school. There was a pretty good turnout, about 140 people to celebrate the end of the school year (their school year starts in February and ends in November). We cooked and served pasta salad, donuts, and hot dogs. Not your typical African meal. I don’t think any of the staff had tried ‘hot dogs’ before so it was a new adventure for them! It was such a fun event with great food, DJ and even dancing! They also celebrated all the November birthdays with singing and cake.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Back in KIBAALE!
Hello again! Well our time at Eagle wings has come to an end – a very sad end. The last couple days were spent planning and playing games with the children, attending worship time with them and just spending time with the family we are staying with. Sunday we went to church, where we were presented as the “Canadian Choir” and sang a couple songs for everyone. Mr. Wiebe preached and Megan sang one of the songs she wrote, they both were great! We’re hoping to maybe visit the children one more time before leaving Uganda because we have a few extra days at the end of the last week.
We are now in KIBAALE!! The time we have all been waiting for! I can’t believe I’m actually here again, it feels so unreal. Erin and I had a hard time sitting still as we drove up the gates.
School was out for Monday and Tuesday due to secondary students taking exams, so the campus was quite empty. So on Tuesday, Jamie Davis and the interpreter, Mugabi, took us all on two home visits. First we went to Reagan’s house (one of Erin’s sponsor children) and also Jackie’s house (another one of Erin’s sponsors). We had a great time meeting their families and seeing their homes.
On Wednesday, Erin, Megs and I went to check out the new daycare center. There were about 15 babies, so of course we all loved that! After lunch, we went on two more home visits. First up was Clair’s house (Erin’s third sponsor) and then Ivan’s house (which is my little 4 year old sponsor boy). I just started sponsoring Ivan in March so I didn’t have a chance to visit his house last time I was here, so I have been looking forward to this day for the longest time. When I arrived at his house, I grabbed the gift basket and my bag of little treats for Ivan. We were welcomed into their house by his mom who was so grateful for our visit. We chatted for a bit about their family and Ivan, and I learned that they are in desperate need for a water container. Right now they have a small jar that collects all their water. I’m going to try to work on getting one for Christmas for them. I also started pulling out the little toys I had brought for Ivan. He loved the whistle recorder I brought, as well as the stickers. And you should have seen his face when I blew the bubbles! It was absolutely priceless! He was so surprised! I was disappointed that our visit had to come to an end, but we were able to go outside and get a family picture. When I bent down to say goodbye to Ivan, he wrapped his little arms around me and gave me the biggest hug. He is so precious and I love him to bits. Later that afternoon we visited two more homes. The first was Scovia, which is the Wiebe’s university sponsor. She just completed a three year certificate and her English is very good. She ended up spending the majority of the day with us which was great. The second visit was at Teddy’s house, which is Cathy Carter’s (who is a friend and teacher at PA) sponsor girl. Cathy just built a new house for them so we were excited to see what it looked like. From there we walked into Kibaale town to buy “chapattis” for dinner. I love walking into town, everyone’s so friendly and the kids just crowd around you. The chapattis were excellent and so cheap! I think we bought 25 for $2.50
Guess what we did Thursday? More home visits! They’re actually so amazing; I could do them every day. Every family has a different story to tell and half the fun is getting there, riding in the back of the truck on the bumpy red dirt roads. The first stop was my other little sponsor girl, Joan. In March I was able to meet both Joan’s mother and grandmother, so I was looking forward to seeing them again. When I arrived at her house, Joan was quickly washing up and getting dressed into her nice clothes. I greeted Joan’s mom and her little twin sisters. We sat in their living room and talked for a bit and I also gave Joan her gifts I had brought for her. I also brought a bunch of toddler girl’s clothes (tons of dresses and skirts) that my friend, Linda, had given me back at home to bring along. The twins tried them on and they fit perfectly. They seemed pretty excited to get new clothes! Again, I was sad to leave but the good thing is I’ll still get to see both Joan and Ivan at school next week.
We are now in KIBAALE!! The time we have all been waiting for! I can’t believe I’m actually here again, it feels so unreal. Erin and I had a hard time sitting still as we drove up the gates.
School was out for Monday and Tuesday due to secondary students taking exams, so the campus was quite empty. So on Tuesday, Jamie Davis and the interpreter, Mugabi, took us all on two home visits. First we went to Reagan’s house (one of Erin’s sponsor children) and also Jackie’s house (another one of Erin’s sponsors). We had a great time meeting their families and seeing their homes.
On Wednesday, Erin, Megs and I went to check out the new daycare center. There were about 15 babies, so of course we all loved that! After lunch, we went on two more home visits. First up was Clair’s house (Erin’s third sponsor) and then Ivan’s house (which is my little 4 year old sponsor boy). I just started sponsoring Ivan in March so I didn’t have a chance to visit his house last time I was here, so I have been looking forward to this day for the longest time. When I arrived at his house, I grabbed the gift basket and my bag of little treats for Ivan. We were welcomed into their house by his mom who was so grateful for our visit. We chatted for a bit about their family and Ivan, and I learned that they are in desperate need for a water container. Right now they have a small jar that collects all their water. I’m going to try to work on getting one for Christmas for them. I also started pulling out the little toys I had brought for Ivan. He loved the whistle recorder I brought, as well as the stickers. And you should have seen his face when I blew the bubbles! It was absolutely priceless! He was so surprised! I was disappointed that our visit had to come to an end, but we were able to go outside and get a family picture. When I bent down to say goodbye to Ivan, he wrapped his little arms around me and gave me the biggest hug. He is so precious and I love him to bits. Later that afternoon we visited two more homes. The first was Scovia, which is the Wiebe’s university sponsor. She just completed a three year certificate and her English is very good. She ended up spending the majority of the day with us which was great. The second visit was at Teddy’s house, which is Cathy Carter’s (who is a friend and teacher at PA) sponsor girl. Cathy just built a new house for them so we were excited to see what it looked like. From there we walked into Kibaale town to buy “chapattis” for dinner. I love walking into town, everyone’s so friendly and the kids just crowd around you. The chapattis were excellent and so cheap! I think we bought 25 for $2.50
Guess what we did Thursday? More home visits! They’re actually so amazing; I could do them every day. Every family has a different story to tell and half the fun is getting there, riding in the back of the truck on the bumpy red dirt roads. The first stop was my other little sponsor girl, Joan. In March I was able to meet both Joan’s mother and grandmother, so I was looking forward to seeing them again. When I arrived at her house, Joan was quickly washing up and getting dressed into her nice clothes. I greeted Joan’s mom and her little twin sisters. We sat in their living room and talked for a bit and I also gave Joan her gifts I had brought for her. I also brought a bunch of toddler girl’s clothes (tons of dresses and skirts) that my friend, Linda, had given me back at home to bring along. The twins tried them on and they fit perfectly. They seemed pretty excited to get new clothes! Again, I was sad to leave but the good thing is I’ll still get to see both Joan and Ivan at school next week.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Arrived in Uganda!
Hey – sorry my blog has been so behind! We have had limited internet access both in Cairo and in Uganda. But anyways, I’m now in Uganda and it feels so incredibly great to be back!
Right now we are staying at the Eagle Wings Children Village which is similar to an orphanage. The children live, sleep, eat, and go to school on the campus. It is run by a retired couple from Manitoba, and they are both such amazing individuals. They are so genuine, friendly and welcoming and it’s been such a pleasure getting to know them.
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We are staying in the guest house (just down the street from the school) with a middle aged couple as well as a young girl with her brand new baby daughter, Grace. Of course Erin, Megan and I are all fighting over who gets to hold the baby. The other night the baby fell asleep in my arms, I was tempted to sneak her into my bag and keep her.
The rest of the time we have been journaling, singing, talking and getting to know the staff and family. At 4pm we go up to see the kids because school is done, we play with them until it’s their supper time. And then we return at about 7pm to worship in the classrooms with them. Ohh and this is probably one of the most amazing sights to see! Not even kidding! All these kids totally glorifying God despite the fact that none of them have parents and most have had a horrific childhood including abuse and neglect. It just breaks my heart to hear some of their stories, but I’m so happy that Bill and Anne have opened this orphanage for them.
Right now we are staying at the Eagle Wings Children Village which is similar to an orphanage. The children live, sleep, eat, and go to school on the campus. It is run by a retired couple from Manitoba, and they are both such amazing individuals. They are so genuine, friendly and welcoming and it’s been such a pleasure getting to know them.
.JPG)
We are staying in the guest house (just down the street from the school) with a middle aged couple as well as a young girl with her brand new baby daughter, Grace. Of course Erin, Megan and I are all fighting over who gets to hold the baby. The other night the baby fell asleep in my arms, I was tempted to sneak her into my bag and keep her.
The rest of the time we have been journaling, singing, talking and getting to know the staff and family. At 4pm we go up to see the kids because school is done, we play with them until it’s their supper time. And then we return at about 7pm to worship in the classrooms with them. Ohh and this is probably one of the most amazing sights to see! Not even kidding! All these kids totally glorifying God despite the fact that none of them have parents and most have had a horrific childhood including abuse and neglect. It just breaks my heart to hear some of their stories, but I’m so happy that Bill and Anne have opened this orphanage for them.
Posing with the Pyramids
Hey, I made it! After stopping shortly in London to switch planes, I was finally on my way to Cairo, Egypt. Once I made it through customs I grabbed my bags and waited for about 2 hours for the Wiebe family to arrive from Athens. I was SO excited and relieved to see them! That moment was pretty epic...I dropped by bags, Erin dropped hers and we ran up to each other almost wiping out in the middle of the baggage claim, attracting quite the audience of airport staff!
On our first day here we spent most of the day trying to find a hotel after there had been a slight confusion with bookings at our original hotel. They had overbooked and with the ‘high season’ of tourists at this time of year we were left with nowhere to go. But thanks to our amazing tour guide, Mohammed, he was able to make some calls and book two rooms at a different hotel.
Friday was probably the best day ever! We spent about 3 hours riding camels through the desert sand and around the pyramids! Oh my goodness – what an amazing opportunity this was! AH – you should have seen my reaction seeing the pyramids for the first time! They are absolutely incredible, and WAY bigger than I expected. It was so much fun – my camel’s name was “Ricky Martin”
We also visited a few places such as a papyrus museum, an Egyptian cotton store, an essence perfume store, and a special jeweller. Later that evening we went to a “Sound and Lights” Pyramid show, where the pyramids light up and they tell the story about the pyramids while playing music. It was pretty sweet to hear the story of how the pyramids came to be...while sitting right in front of them!
Saturday we spent a few hours in the famous Egyptian museum, filled with historic artefacts found from the pyramids and tombs. It was so interesting! It included treasures, gold, jewellery, mummies, and even the remains of Cleopatra; all found inside the pyramids or tombs. We also visited a little restaurant to try “Koshary”, a very popular dish in Egypt. We’ve had it numerous times over the week – it was very good!
That evening we attended a dinner/dance cruise ship that floated down the Nile. We had a blast! We enjoyed delicious food while watching some unique types of dance. Megan and I were called up to belly dance with one of the dancers – it was pretty fun!
Sunday we visited the Pharonic Village, which is a tour demonstrating the different periods and history of Egypt involving real life actors. My favourite ‘scene’ was where they acted out finding Baby Moses in the Nile. Their costumes and props are so cool, and of course we know that story so it makes it even better! That night we went to the market, which was an adventure in itself! Erin, Megan and I tried to manoeuvre our way through the 2,000 or so stalls without getting lost. But, we were successful and made many friends along the way!
On Monday we drove to Alexandria, where Alexander the Great ruled and built his fortress. We visited the underground tombs as well as the library which is so incredibly huge. If it’s not the biggest in the world, it must be up in the top 5! It is, however, classified as the world’s largest “reading center”. Alexandria is beautiful as it is right on the Mediterranean Sea. We were able to sit down and enjoy lunch right on the water.
Tuesday was our last day. In the morning we went to “Dream Land” which is one of Egypt’s amusement parks. Again, we had so much fun and didn’t want to leave! Later we took a boat ride on a traditional Egyptian “Faluka” (the ones they used thousands of years ago) down the Nile.
The last few days have been so incredible and surreal. Egypt is an amazing place and the people make it even better! I don’t know if I have ever come across such friendlier people. Although, this was more of a fun vacation week, we were able to get to know some people quite closely, including our tour guide who arranged everything, Mohammed. On the night we arrived at the Cairo airport, we were a little flustered about getting to our hotel, but Mohammed stepped in and offered to help. He was so happy we trusted him that first night and ended up spending the entire week with us, introducing us to his wife (who had a dream about Ayana and Moses!), getting us great deals, buying us gifts, spending entire days with us (when he didn’t have to ), taking us to his favourite places, and even taking over the bargaining in the market to help us get better deals! He is such a generous and genuine man, so if you ever visit Egypt let me know and I’ll give you his business card!
As sad as I am that our time in Egypt has come to an end, I can hardly sit still knowing that we will be in Uganda so soon and I’ll be able to visit everyone at the Kibaale Community Center, including my two sponsor babies Joan and Ivan!
On our first day here we spent most of the day trying to find a hotel after there had been a slight confusion with bookings at our original hotel. They had overbooked and with the ‘high season’ of tourists at this time of year we were left with nowhere to go. But thanks to our amazing tour guide, Mohammed, he was able to make some calls and book two rooms at a different hotel.
Friday was probably the best day ever! We spent about 3 hours riding camels through the desert sand and around the pyramids! Oh my goodness – what an amazing opportunity this was! AH – you should have seen my reaction seeing the pyramids for the first time! They are absolutely incredible, and WAY bigger than I expected. It was so much fun – my camel’s name was “Ricky Martin”
We also visited a few places such as a papyrus museum, an Egyptian cotton store, an essence perfume store, and a special jeweller. Later that evening we went to a “Sound and Lights” Pyramid show, where the pyramids light up and they tell the story about the pyramids while playing music. It was pretty sweet to hear the story of how the pyramids came to be...while sitting right in front of them!
Saturday we spent a few hours in the famous Egyptian museum, filled with historic artefacts found from the pyramids and tombs. It was so interesting! It included treasures, gold, jewellery, mummies, and even the remains of Cleopatra; all found inside the pyramids or tombs. We also visited a little restaurant to try “Koshary”, a very popular dish in Egypt. We’ve had it numerous times over the week – it was very good!
That evening we attended a dinner/dance cruise ship that floated down the Nile. We had a blast! We enjoyed delicious food while watching some unique types of dance. Megan and I were called up to belly dance with one of the dancers – it was pretty fun!
Sunday we visited the Pharonic Village, which is a tour demonstrating the different periods and history of Egypt involving real life actors. My favourite ‘scene’ was where they acted out finding Baby Moses in the Nile. Their costumes and props are so cool, and of course we know that story so it makes it even better! That night we went to the market, which was an adventure in itself! Erin, Megan and I tried to manoeuvre our way through the 2,000 or so stalls without getting lost. But, we were successful and made many friends along the way!
On Monday we drove to Alexandria, where Alexander the Great ruled and built his fortress. We visited the underground tombs as well as the library which is so incredibly huge. If it’s not the biggest in the world, it must be up in the top 5! It is, however, classified as the world’s largest “reading center”. Alexandria is beautiful as it is right on the Mediterranean Sea. We were able to sit down and enjoy lunch right on the water.
Tuesday was our last day. In the morning we went to “Dream Land” which is one of Egypt’s amusement parks. Again, we had so much fun and didn’t want to leave! Later we took a boat ride on a traditional Egyptian “Faluka” (the ones they used thousands of years ago) down the Nile.
The last few days have been so incredible and surreal. Egypt is an amazing place and the people make it even better! I don’t know if I have ever come across such friendlier people. Although, this was more of a fun vacation week, we were able to get to know some people quite closely, including our tour guide who arranged everything, Mohammed. On the night we arrived at the Cairo airport, we were a little flustered about getting to our hotel, but Mohammed stepped in and offered to help. He was so happy we trusted him that first night and ended up spending the entire week with us, introducing us to his wife (who had a dream about Ayana and Moses!), getting us great deals, buying us gifts, spending entire days with us (when he didn’t have to ), taking us to his favourite places, and even taking over the bargaining in the market to help us get better deals! He is such a generous and genuine man, so if you ever visit Egypt let me know and I’ll give you his business card!
As sad as I am that our time in Egypt has come to an end, I can hardly sit still knowing that we will be in Uganda so soon and I’ll be able to visit everyone at the Kibaale Community Center, including my two sponsor babies Joan and Ivan!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Sorry - limited internet
Hey everyone we have limited internet access here in Uganda and it is super slow. But hopefully I can update my blog with all we did in Egypt and Uganda. Right now we're at an orphanage and it is amazing! Fill you in soon, thanks for your prayers.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
A few more days to go...
Well...only 3 days until I hop on a plane and head over to Egypt. I'm getting very excited! I can't wait to see the Wiebes and visit everyone in Kibaale! But at the same time I'm a little nervous flying by myself to a place I've never been before :S
I've just started to pack, laying out all my clothes and getting things ready to take to my sponsor children. If you have any small letters or envelopes you would like me to take for your sponsor child, feel free to swing by my house and drop them off. I leave this upcoming Tuesday, October 20th at around 5:30pm so anytime before that would be great!
Just a note, we're having an open house/appetizer night at my house this upcoming Monday, October 19th at 6:00pm. Feel free to pop in anytime to visit. Just a chance to say goodbye :)
Please keep me in your prayers as my departure date approaches faster. Prayer for safety and smooth travels would be much appreciated. Thank you!
I've just started to pack, laying out all my clothes and getting things ready to take to my sponsor children. If you have any small letters or envelopes you would like me to take for your sponsor child, feel free to swing by my house and drop them off. I leave this upcoming Tuesday, October 20th at around 5:30pm so anytime before that would be great!
Just a note, we're having an open house/appetizer night at my house this upcoming Monday, October 19th at 6:00pm. Feel free to pop in anytime to visit. Just a chance to say goodbye :)
Please keep me in your prayers as my departure date approaches faster. Prayer for safety and smooth travels would be much appreciated. Thank you!
Thursday, July 30, 2009
A few more months to go...
Hey Everyone! Thanks so much for checking out my new blog. Basically I created one for those of you who would like to stay tuned as to what I will be doing over the next couple of months as I travel to Africa on missions.
I will be leaving on October 20th. I will arrive in Egypt where I will meet up with the Wiebe family. The Wiebe's have five children and feel like a second family to me. Their daughter Erin is one of my best friends, and we had the privilege of traveling to Uganda with our school during spring break of 2009. It was the best two weeks of our lives and definitely a life changing experience, that's why we're SO excited to be heading back!
We will be in Egypt for about a week; visiting the pyramids, riding camels...you know the usual :)
Then we'll hop on a plane and travel to Uganda. Here we will stay at the Kibaale Community Center where we'll visit with staff and students. We'll also participate in the classrooms and assist in jobs around the campus. We will be in Uganda for about 3 weeks, and then we'll head over to South Africa. When I'm there I will be helping the Wiebes get settled as they are planning to stay there for a minimum of two years. I will help Mrs. Wiebe with home schooling and looking after the little ones, as well as volunteering at the nursery. And as for the rest, well I guess we'll have to wait and see what the Lord has planned. Thanks for your prayers, keep in touch!
I will be leaving on October 20th. I will arrive in Egypt where I will meet up with the Wiebe family. The Wiebe's have five children and feel like a second family to me. Their daughter Erin is one of my best friends, and we had the privilege of traveling to Uganda with our school during spring break of 2009. It was the best two weeks of our lives and definitely a life changing experience, that's why we're SO excited to be heading back!
We will be in Egypt for about a week; visiting the pyramids, riding camels...you know the usual :)
Then we'll hop on a plane and travel to Uganda. Here we will stay at the Kibaale Community Center where we'll visit with staff and students. We'll also participate in the classrooms and assist in jobs around the campus. We will be in Uganda for about 3 weeks, and then we'll head over to South Africa. When I'm there I will be helping the Wiebes get settled as they are planning to stay there for a minimum of two years. I will help Mrs. Wiebe with home schooling and looking after the little ones, as well as volunteering at the nursery. And as for the rest, well I guess we'll have to wait and see what the Lord has planned. Thanks for your prayers, keep in touch!
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