Uganda Trip - Day 11

Friday, Dec. 10 -

Today's notes from my girls...

Today we met our Ugandan Project Hope Worldwide friends, Tony and Dennis, at a local hotel for a business meeting to discuss details about Calo Me Lare's future. I wore long shorts and a t-shirt (a big no no here as women who dress like that in Uganda are known as prostitutes!) thinking we would be right back after the meeting. Needless to say, it is now midnight and we are just now getting back to our hotel! So there is no telling what the people of Lira thought about me prancing around their district today ;-) The meeting was great and we're so excited to have Tony and Dennis on our team. They have a passion for helping those in need and are two of the most hard working men I know. They are a huge asset to Project Hope.

After the meeting, we went to meet our last orphan who was only three years old. Her three sweet and caring brothers are taking care of her since their parents have both died from HIV/AIDS. Sadly, we found out when we met her that she just tested positive for HIV yesterday when she had her medical check-up. Unfortunately, Calo Me Lare is unable to accept those that test HIV positive so we weren't able to take her. It just made us sick to our stomach to know that this precious, innocent little girl had already been infected. It's amazing to me how rampant AIDS is in this country - even affecting the smallest of its citizens.

Derk, Kelley and I then went to visit a church that our church back home actually planted in 2008. The preacher is David Papakakiro and it was great to see a church that seemed to be thriving and reaching out to the community.

Next, we walked through Jinja Camp which is part of the Lira District. This is a building we saw as we were walking - of course, I had to take a picture of it! ;-)

Soccer is huge here and a big game was being shown at a local bar so we decided to stop and watch some of it. Tanzania vs. Uganda - let's just say Ugandan soccer fans are a little more reserved than Oklahoma fans of any sport. Uganda ended up loosing and everyone just stood up out of their chairs and left - saying nothing to anyone.  Very interesting.

That night, we ate dinner at the house of Tony's aunt. She fixed a traditional Ugandan favorite dish called malaquan, which is a rich spinach and peanut sauce. We poured it over baked sweet potatoes and ate them with our hands, no utensils - very ethnic ;-) The food was so good and she even left us each a jar of homemade malaquan to make when we get back home!

If you look closely at the picture of her house, you'll see this flyer. Tony is actually going to be the next mayor of Lira in February 2011! We are so proud of him and his hard work. We know he will bring great positive change to their district!

Last night, I forgot to mention we ate an FaBuLoUs Asian-style dinner at the home of a French Canadian missionary family. John Cottrell, his wife Sylvia, and their two sons have traveled everywhere from Cambodia to Europe to Uganda teaching people - not only about God, but life skills to help them obtain a better way of living. They are an amazing family and I really enjoyed talking with them. They are a great resource for Project Hope Worldwide and we were so thankful for their advice and friendship. They are also really into healthy living and I loved getting a tour of their gardens. They had huge banana, lemon and papaya trees and they told us several of the medicinal benefits of many of the plants they were growing. They were a wealth of information!

After tonight's dinner, we went back to the Cottrell's house for a "nightcap". We roasted marshmallows and ate pumpkin pie and popcorn. It was a perfect night to celebrate our last night in Lira! They have invited us back for breakfast in the morning, then we head to Murchison Falls for an African Safari! Can not wait!!!

I learned some very sad and disturbing news tonight. A few nights ago, a "Christian" Crusade was held in a field right behind our hotel. We could hear LOUD music being played until about 4 in the morning! Apparently 30 women were raped that night and 2 died from their injuries! All the while, the "police" watched and did nothing! Nothing?!?! Two weeks ago someone here was stoned to death for stealing someone else's cow, yet a woman here can be totally violated and it's no big deal. What is wrong with this picture?! It is 2010 and still animals are treated better than women here! There is such a huge need for someone to start a movement here teaching women how to protect themselves and to speak out when they are violated. They need to know it is not okay to be abused and that they deserve to be shown respect and treated humanely.

I have to get up early in the morning so I better stop now because I could probably write a book because of the anger I have right now. I suppose it's okay to be angry - it's what you do with your anger that matters most. I suppose I need to channel my "fury" into something positive instead of spending all my time male bashing. So I'll sign off here and go pray.

Sweet dreams! :-)