the latest.

Latest happenings around Jinja with GIVE international that I have been slow to post about…

-I have had my first volunteers come and go! The Onotsky family from Kitchner, Ontario were here for just two weeks so they are back in Canada. Mike, Janice, Joseph and Jacob were a blessing to the GIVE placements, supporting Damali’s Sonrise Babys home, Home of Hope, St Florence, and God’s Gift Primary.

-My next volunteers to leave are James and Miko, who depart this Thursday. I will miss their friendship very much, and the fact that they were my first volunteers who arrived even before I did

- The rest of the volunteers I have right now are Sarah, Kelly and Shelly- whom arrived nearly two weeks ago now, and then three new girls I picked up last Wednesday from Entebbe- Lindsey, Kara and Laura. (What’s with all the girls??!) All are wonderful and adjusting to life in Uganda- most of them it is their first time abroad, so I’m understanding that it’s a big culture shock to get used to life here- something I’m unfamiliar with, but I am learning!

-I was extremely blessed to be able to go on Safari last weekend (thanks BOSS!!) to Murchisen Falls National Park with 5 of my volunteers (James, Miko, Shelly, Sarah and Kelly) as well as Alex and his volunteers (Jess, Sian, Caitlin) and a few friends of James and Miko’s., Jess and Amy. Alex and James were our token guys, so we split them up in the two vans! The trip was amazing, busy, and I’ve not slept more than 3 hours a night probably since the Safari… “work hard, play hard” is my motto here!

-An update on happenings at Sonrise Baby’s home- The Onosky Family bought a gas burner for the kitchen which will be a major help when heating up milk for the babies at night so they don’t have to wait around for the charcoal stove to heat up. They are taking in a new baby- Miko is generously supplying the funds for the bed and net for the new baby to come. Jesse and Amy have bought a few more beds for the guest room, so now they are equipped to have volunteers and more staff sleep over. I have brought over some clothes and books, and volunteers from other organizations- spreading the word of Sonrise!! Probably the biggest news is that Alex, through Bujigali Trust and him and his dad’s charity for supporting education- has decided and promised Damali that all of her children are going to be sponsored to go to school!! He pulled her aside the other day to tell her, and then she came inside and grabbed me to tell me. Alex had already told me he wanted to, but hearing it from her and the amazement and appreciation in her voice was almost more than I could handle.. I choked back tears and looked inside at Alex playing with Gladys, his favourite girl...and realized that Life and this job are all about the connections and relationships you make with people you meet, and the wonders that are happening and have happened already continue to blow my mind.

-The next few weeks I will have to say goodbye to some amazing friends I live with at Busoga Trust, as they are nearing the end of their stay. This morning as I stood in the kitchen eating a bowl of fresh pineapple and watching the ridiculousness of the morning routine with instant coffee and toast and people in pj’s re-enacting shenanigans of the night before when the landrover got a flat tire and there was no jack in sight big enough to change the tire…I realized how sad it is going to be when I am quite alone in this big house. Alex was the first to leave, Thursday morning at 5am. So, of course, we decided that sleep was unnecessary and had an amazing pig roast goodbye party for him at Lordsemeade, the Secondary School he works at, then played pool at 2 friends for hours before taking over the dance floor at casino club and then throwing his things in a duffel bag at 4am.

And for all these reasons and things I have mentioned, I will return again and again to this place until I own the beautiful house on the river by Damali’s that I eye up each time I walk by and live here for good.

(remember Brenda? here she is.....)

Xxxx vicks.