My Mission Statement

My Mission Statement
I am following my heart to Uganda to love, accept, and cherish the children I haven’t met yet. I am laying down my own life for the people of Uganda who so easily could have been born in my place on this earth, and I in theirs. I wish to know their stories, their fears, their dreams, and their laughs. I will keep my eyes and ears open to see those in front of me, living in each moment, rather than passing them by unnoticed. I must not waste breath on how I suffer, but rather how I am being changed through my suffering, and how I affect those given to me.

5.20.2011

Viola and Home

Hello everyone!

I am home safe and sound now.  I am still a little jet-lagged (7 hour nap yesterday, and up until 2 am last night!) but feeling great!  I miss Uganda already, but am glad to be home around the creature comforts of America!  I spent about 2 hours yesterday just walking around Fred Meyer and marveling at all the options and varieties we have readily available to us here in the USA.  It truly is a marvel to appreciate.

I have much to show and tell you now that I'm home with fast-speed internet, external hard drive memory, and zero power outages!!  YAY!  Be sure to check out my photos and videos I'll be updating today on this blog and on my Facebook page.  I will also be trying to update some of my "Ugandan quotes" as I remember them...there were some hilarious ones, but I wasn't good at writing them down as I heard them!  I will attempt to remember today.

The last week at House of Hope was amazing.  I was really just starting to get to know some of the kids living at House of Hope and making some pretty cool memories with them.  We played soccer in the field across the road...and the Ugandans were amazed that not only can "muzungus" play "football", but that the girls could play too!  Auntie Elise and I had a blast running and marveling at the skill of the kids.  (I also had a perfect assist in a goal once - maybe my "pro soccer brother" Graham and I do have some sport skills!!  hahaha).  I thought about how much I wanted to take those boys I played soccer with to a Seattle Sounders Game...and how much they would love the event - wide eyed, smiling, and happy.  I would like to take each HoH student to Disneyland - could you imagine how fun that would be!?!  If only...

I taught English to P6 every day.  We studied conditional clauses ("if/then") and comprehension of story lines as I read them animals stories in English.  They seemed to enjoy our time.  We played volleyball (with a not-as-inflated soccer ball...ouch!  oh well, T.I.A. - "this is Africa"!) and painted with watercolors and made more bead jewelry.

My last day I made craft projects with each class (Baby to P7) and took photos.  The baby class especially liked the stickers I brought.  I don't think they've seen many stickers.  But once I showed them how to peel them off and that they "stick", the kids started "decorating" their ENTIRE FACES and clothes!! Hahahha...it was hilarious.  The rest of the day, some kids would turn around and her face would be COVERED in random animal and princess stickers!  Oh...I wish I did that project sooner!  Then the kids did another dancing ceremony (similar to the songs and dances in the videos I will upload) to wish me a safe journey.  They sang songs with my name in it.  They presented me with a home-made woven basket.  It was beautiful.  I almost cried, but I held it together.  I didn't want to kids to think something was wrong.  I just wanted them to remember smiles and laughter and my joy at their work.  Because I was so happy with them.

After the ceremony, I wanted to go on a hike up one of the many hills I've been staring at for a month.  So teacher Musa, Elise, and 7 kids and I made the trek up a hill next to House of Hope.  It was absolutely breath-taking.  Gorgeous.  And the kids were so free to be kids in the tall elephant grasses - not competing for my attention with 200 others.  It was so peaceful and quiet.  I took lots of photos.  We lingered for hours there and avoided coming back down until the sun came down.  It was an awesome memory and the best last day I could ask for.

The next morning, I hung out with the kids at "porridge" (typical Ugandan breakfast.  It looks and tastes JUST like the "Grits" I've had before in Washington D.C.) and then read them a story aloud on the grasses before I journeyed away from the village.  They were sad.  I was sad.  And I cried.  I already missed them.  I then made my way to Masaka to Jenifer's.  I helped her with some volunteer correspondence and planning for upcoming visits and worked on more grant applications.

The next day, thanks to your donations, we paid for two HoH boys (Jophes, pronouced "Jo-Fess", and Frank) to see the doctor at the hospital for muscular-skeletal consultations.  THANK YOU!  For around $60 USD, you allowed these two village boys to travel to Masaka Town, to the hospital, doctor fees, X-rays, and for another taxi home back in the village.  They are much better now and getting the necessary medications for healing.

Jenifer dropped me off at World Vision offices in Masaka for my visit with Viola!!  Finally!  The day I get to meet my sponsored child (through World Vision) had come!  I was going to see her!  We drove to her village where about 50 people gathered at a tarp-covered reception area!!  I was very surprised to see this because I was expecting to just see her for lunch!  I got out and 30 kids were jumping up and down and singing my name, welcoming me!  I gave Viola a big hug and she sat me down at a seat of honor!  They had even picked wild flowers to decorate my chair!!  I then met several neighbors, teachers, village leaders, and Viola's family.  Then her school choir sang songs to me for about 30 minutes!!  They were so good!  I was so pleased.  Then her father gave me a 10 minute speech in ENGLISH!  Wow.  Then they fed me a FEAST fit for the King of Buganda!  They had killed two chickens, beef, g-nut sauce, matoke, spinach, sweet potatoe, bananas and sweet bananas, rice, cabbage, casava, soda, bottled water, and more.  It was the most food I've ever seen in my entire month in Uganda.  They were so generous and kind.  It was an amazing gift to give me.  Viola then showed me her garden and the presents they purchased with my Christmas gift (one-time larger donation.)  The World Vision Staff asked me "Jillian...did you give Viola and her family a Christmas gift donation?"  "Yes, I believe I did." "And Jillian, did you ask them to purchase a goat with the money?"  "Well, yes I did.  I thought they could get milk and sell the goat offspring if they had a goat." "Well Jillian, Viola has something to show you...".  Viola led me to the milk-white female goat they bought with my gift!  It was her favorite animal!  I was very pleased.  We then exchanged gifts - and yes - I said EXCHANGED.  They gave me: a floor mat they made, a broom with my name woven in the handle, two hand woven baskets full of avocados, and three branches of matoke (equivalent of $15 USD worth of produce they could have sold.  Instead, they wanted to bless me for being a sponsor).  I was blown away.  I cried with smiles.  I was overwhelmed.  Here, these people have literally NOTHING compared to what I accumulated by 1 year old, and they were giving me the best they had, months of work, entertainment, and the best of their crops to feed me.  I've never seen such generosity.  I was humbled.  I gave Viola (and her village since everyone shares everything so that no one is left behind): a backpack, new shoes, socks, notebooks, pens, pencils, a kerosene lamp, kerosene fuel, a soccer ball, and a bead kit full of colorful beads that the girls will all use in their hair weaves.  They were pretty excited.  They sang a few more goodbye songs to me and I left to go re-pack my luggage to hold the new unexpected woven gifts given to me.  The new gifts I will use forever and proudly display in my home as long as I live.

My time in Uganda has been amazing.  Astonishing.  I feel like Uganda and its people gave more to me than I could ever give to them.  I'm grateful and humbled.  I've been so honored to have heard, seen, and loved in this gorgeous country.  Please, if you ever get the opportunity to visit East Africa - DO IT!  Don't even hesitate.  You WON'T regret it.  It'll change your life as it has mine.

Uganda - thank you.  Friends and Family - thank you for your unconditional support, love, and care.  I am home full of new perspectives, stories, and appreciation.  Can't wait to see you and share with you in person!

See you soon!
Jillian

1 comment:

  1. Shannon Gaskell5/20/11, 8:50 PM

    Jillian this is so great! I love reading your blogs! I'm glad you had an amazing trip!

    ReplyDelete