Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Home

3 weeks after setting off for our third visit to East Africa, we are now home.  Uganda has become another home for us, and as it is with anyone who has more than one place they love to be, we were sad to leave but happy to be back in San Diego.

This years trip was incredible.  I spoke to over 1000 people in 10 different settings.  Ali taught 20 hours of photography at a vocational school.  We held several meetings with the staff and social workers in an ongoing effort to strengthen our child sponsorship program.  We took over 300 photos of children in our program and helped each of them make Christmas cards for their sponsors.  We gave money from our church to help build their church.  We handed out donated clothes.  We worked hard.  We rested.  We had fun.  We experienced heartache.  We are already planning for next year.

Each time we come home, I wonder what it is we have left behind.  What difference did our being there make?  Will it last?

One evening we were driving back to where we were staying from a long day of speaking at a conference.  It was just the driver and myself in the small van.  The streets were bad, full of potholes.  And they were narrow.  School had just let out all over the village so the streets were filled with uniformed children walking home.  As we sped down the dirt roadway, swerving frequently to miss the holes we hit a girl.  

That's right, we actually hit someone.  And the driver refused to stop...he didn't believe me that we hit her.  But we did, and my side mirror was the evidence for it was now folded tight against the car.  I rolled down the window and pushed back the mirror.  I looked back to see the damage that we had caused, but the dust was too thick.  I was angry with the driver, we should have stopped.  For much of that evening I wondered.  How was this young girl?  Did we break her arm?  Did we just hit her swinging bag?  Was she okay?  Was she injured?  Would she be able to get help?  And I'll never know.  

I've never hit anyone before, and I hope it never happens again.  But people do come in and out of my life often, and rarely do I get to experience the influence, the impact or the "damage"  I might have.  As we flew out of Africa, I prayed that our being there made a lasting, positive influence in the life of those we interacted with.  Money, clothes, sweets, card games, conversations, laughter, special gifts, hugs, soccer games and just being there...caring.  It is my hope that when the dust settles from our whirlwind trip, we can look back and know that our lives have touched others, some for eternity, some for brief moments of joy and all in a positive way.

The challenge is, that this hope doesn't end when we get home.  Life is this way for all of us.  We bump into people, we cross paths with others every day, all of us do.  And we can either run them over or lift them up.  And so I will continue to look over my shoulder to see what is left behind from the many interactions that I have everyday, and I hope you'll join me.  Because its not just people in Africa that need it.  We all do.  And hopefully our paths cross soon.


Thursday, November 12, 2009

Good firsts

We are up early this morning so we can begin our packing for the long journey home. I look forward to getting back, but I also find myself more unsettled than normal to leave. Several of the things we have been working on are incomplete and its difficult to leave things "unfinished." But it's not just the projects, the people here are family. The children are our kids and the adults are our brothers and sisters. Uganda has truly become a second home for us and we love spending part of our lives here.

This is our third year to come to Uganda, and I was thinking last night of a few first time experiences we had this year (we still have about 14 hours until we leave so anything could happen).

This is the first year:
  1. I have not agonized over Perez. It has been awesome having him here with us as our son rather than us as his sponsor.
  2. We did not stay in a hotel. There is now a 3 bedroom apartment on the school campus and we stayed there. It is great to be with the kids from early morning to late night. We especially had fun throwing small parties each night for many of the kids.
  3. I have not fallen deathly ill on the last day of our trip.
  4. We have not been involved in a traffic accident.
  5. We had good and fairly stable internet connections to keep this blog alive.

Thanks for thinking of us, supporting us and reading our ponderings over the past three weeks. We will share more on this site in the days to come, until then, from Uganda with love, Steve

Sunday, November 8, 2009

A Dropped Kid...A New Sponsor

We came on this trip hoping to find a new kid to sponsor...turns out we found two.  We decided to sponsor Biryeri Eron as she just graduated from Primary school and is moving to Secondary.  She is also Perez's cousin and they grew up together.  She was previously sponsored, dropped, assigned to a new sponsor and then we asked if we could sponsor her so Perez could stay connected to the family.  It all worked out and we just told her that we were her new sponsor and she just beamed.

We also decided, by the pulling of heart strings, that we needed to take on Kitenda (the boy in the photo).  He's been around every year that we have been here and we usually smile and wave from afar...maybe saying a few "How Are You"'s and a few "I'm Fine"'s.  But this year was different.  It seemed as if he hung around us a lot more, not saying much but just trying to be around as much as possible.  I started talking to him when he was writing a letter to his sponsor.  It turns out he had just been dropped by his sponsor (and he didn't know because the social workers are not telling the kids to save them the heart break).  He asked me if I knew his sponsor and if I could send a special message to her.  It's really hard when you know bits of information that you can't share.  I told him that I did know his sponsor and I would love to send the special message.  At that point, I knew I wanted to be his sponsor.  I told him a few days later that he had been dropped, but only because God had a different plan for him.  Through out the past two weeks we have spent as much time with him as possible and have tried to gleen as much of his past from him and others that know him.  Turns out...his father abandoned his family 9 years ago and left his mom with 8 kids, one of which is deaf and requires special help.  A few years ago Kitenda started acting out.  He was totally unruly and defiant and started getting into a lot of trouble.  He basically has the characteristics of a street kid.  A lot of anger, bitterness, and hurt.  His mom thought it would be best to send him to a school where he could be raised better.  So he ended up at Victor's...and I truly believe God has saved him from a life of trouble.  He is timid, gentle and respectful with a little of an edge and a heck of a good soccer player.  He has so much potential.

We stopped by his house today to see where he lives and to meet his mother and siblings.  We were warmly welcomed into a very "humble" home by his mom and a bunch of kids who are all related somehow.  I got to share with her that we were his new sponsor and she got to share with me the dreams she has for her son.  It was a really cool moment.

I got back to the school and told him that we visited his mom and saw his home, he kinda started blushing and said, "You did what?"  It's kind of unheard of to visit a child's home without telling them first.  But he was happy that we got to share a little more of his life with him.  I'm super excited about a new beginning for him and I know that God is blessing what's going on here.

I can't wait to get home and show you the pictures of other kids who have been dropped so you all can pick them back up again and give them a new beginning.

From Uganda With Much Love To Share Today...Ali

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Behind Every Success Is A Story Of Struggle

Up until this point we've shared a lot of happy endings (or maybe beginnings).  I think we do this to lighten the emotional load a little.  And honestly, while we are here, most everything is positive.  The kids are happy to see us and we bring a little fun to the mundane daily routine.  But, reality still exists.  Nearly everyday I carry a little more pain around with me in my heart.  Whether it be watching a child repeatedly run around barefoot because their shoes are torn, having a child lay their head in my lap because they are so faint from sickness (mostly malaria), or having the same child come to our house every morning for food and to tell me that everyday when she goes home to greet her dad he beats her with a stick.  This is the reality.  It's all fun and games until you ask the kids what happens when they go home.  They get real quiet and look down at the ground.  They give only answers to your questions with no further detail.  It is painful for them to recount their life.  They are scared and ashamed for us to know what they really have to endure.

The 7 year old boy, Lawrence, in this photo carries the burdens of someone 10 times his age.   A good friend of mine is his sponsor and Steve and I visited him at his school last year.  He lives in the outskirts of a village about 45 minutes away from Mukono.  When he came to Victor's to get his photo taken he instantly recognized me and came up and knelt at my feet (which is what all the kids do as a sign of respect) and I pulled him up and hugged him close.  He had the biggest grin!  Come to find out, the man who brought him (and two others) is a Pastor from their village and he has taken it upon himself to see that these kids are cared for.  The issue is that Lawrence's dad is dead so he only has a mom to care for him and his younger brother.  It turns out that the mom is refusing to care for him and on repeated occasions has not given him medicine sent to him when he is sick.  She is given food (not money, but food) to feed him and his brother and she is not giving it to him.  The social workers have visited his home on two different occasions and found Lawrence, alone, and caring for his younger brother.  He then tells the social workers that he hasn't seen his mom for days.  This is his reality.  
I had to excuse myself from the office so I could cry.  I looked at this little boy on my way up to our apartment and I said to him, "I am so sorry" in English.  He looked up at me and smiled, a gesture that broke my heart even more.
The stories of struggle come in every day and I continue to do the best I can to encourage these kids.  But it is hard.  Every night the kids have something called evening glory, which is a time where they sing and dance and pray.  It is amazing.  Every night they fall to their knees with hands lifted high and voice their thankfulness to God.  I wish you all could hear this.  It brings me to tears every night.  And while they are praying in Luganda, I pray along with them and all I can say is, "God hear their cries, hear their cries, hear their cries".
From Uganda with love,
Ali

Monday, November 2, 2009

For our friend Andy

Saturday, October 31, 2009

We do important things...

...And having fun is one of them.

Giving opportunities for the children here to laugh and play as children should, is one of our greatest joys.

But I never thought I would be playing spoons with Uno cards on Halloween with 5 6th grade girls in Uganda.

Shirts and Skirts

From the teaching found in Luke 3:11, "The man with two tunics should share with him who has none," Citywalk Church collected shirts and skirts to donate to the teachers and staff of Victors Junior School and True Vine Church. About 50 articles of clothing was distributed and it was a lot of fun watching our friends "shop."

Thanks so much to all who contributed to this endeavor. I wish you all could have been hear to experience their gratitude.

From Uganda with love...

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Supermarket

Today I purchased:
  • a loaf of bread
  • a dozen eggs
  • a bunch of bananas
  • a fresh pineapple
  • a bottle of honey
  • a small tub of butter
  • a liter of coke
  • and a butter knife

from the supermarket for 11,300 UGS or...

$5.50

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

No one likes being dumped

Of the many reasons we come to Uganda each year, the driving force behind us being here is the child sponsorship program. Sponsorship is the lifeline of the children.

Over the past several months, nearly 40 children have been dropped by their sponsor. To the children, that is the equivalent of being dumped by your significant other. Even more, it is losing your life support.

To spare the children the pain of being dumped. To spare them from the loss. The staff here has chosen not to tell the kids they have lost their sponsor. But this can't last long. Before long the kids will know.

An urgent plea. Please give life back to one of these 40 dropped children. Help them spare the pain of being dumped. It is our highest priority to find sponsors for these kids and give them life again.

To learn more about child sponsorship see the faq's below and go to our website, www.childrensheritagefoundation.org

with love and appreciation for your consideration in this incredible endeavor, from Uganda with love,
steve

What does it mean to sponsor a child?
Sponsorship means investing in the life and future of a disadvantaged child through financial contribution.

What does it cost?
The cost to sponsor a child is $35 a month or $420 a year.

Where does the money go?
Your contribution will be pooled into a general account that will assure your sponsored child receives the care and support that Children’s Heritage Foundation promises. Money is not given directly to the child. The foundation operates with the highest level of integrity. Finances are monitored very closely using the highest accounting practices and regular audits.

What do the children receive?
For just $35 a month, a sponsored child receives the following: 3 nutritious meals each day, quality education (tuition, books, uniform), stable housing, clothes, access to health care, weekly allowance, special gifts at Christmas and an assigned social worker who is assigned to promote and ensure the welfare of that child.

How can I pay?
You can elect to pay monthly or annually. We accept all major credit cards. We encourage you to pay annually as it helps to reduce our administration costs to ensure that even more funds reach the sponsored children.
For more information, call us at 858-481-1389, or email us at
info@childrensheritagefoundation.org.

Can I send gifts?
Yes, gifts can be sent directly to your child but there are some guidelines. If you’d like to send a gift, please call us at 858-481-1389, or email us at info@childrensheritagefoundation.org.

Can I contact my child?
Yes, you may contact your child but only through written letters. For the protection of the children and our program, none of your personal contact information is to be shared including your address, phone number and email.

What can I expect as a sponsor?
As a sponsor, you can expect regular communication from your child and Children’s Heritage Foundation including: personal letters, school report cards, updated photos and updates from the social worker. You will also receive newsletters and program updates from Children’s Heritage Foundation. Most importantly, you can be confident that you will make a life-changing difference in the life of a child.

What makes Children’s Heritage Foundation unique?
We identify 3 key areas that set us apart:
First, we are fortunate to work in a way that does not create any overhead costs. This means that 100% percent of your contribution goes to the well-being of your child. The Children’s Heritage Foundation does not take any portion of your contribution.
Secondly, we operate with the highest levels of integrity and transparency assuring that resources are being used according to the purposes for which they’ve been given.
Finally, we value our relationships with our donors. You will get to know us and your sponsored child very well through frequent contact and communication.

Is sponsorship tax deductible?
Child sponsorship payments are fully tax deductible. You will receive an official tax statement at the end of the year, showing your tax-deductible donations made to Children’s Heritage Foundation. If you donate to Children’s Heritage Foundation using cash, check, or money order, and have not requested to receive a tax statement, please use the receipts issued to you throughout the year for tax deduction purposes
.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

The Lighter Side

Hoping to fit in with his old friends, Perez decided to give his old school uniform a try.  I returned home from speaking yesterday surprised to see him wearing the clothes reminiscent of when we first met him.  We had to make sure that he didn't want to stay at Victors (Don't worry Mrs. Fisher, he still wants to come back to your class). 

It has been interesting to hear all of the Ugandan's describe Perez as an American boy.  His accent, his demeanor, and so civilized compared to the others here...he sticks out.  The same is true at home.  Compared to others, he has an accent and he's somewhat barbaric...he sticks out.  None of it seems to bother him though and there's no question that we talk and think about such things much more than he does.  

Ali was busy at work today, helping kids with a craft, taking photos and teaching her photo class at the vocational school (which she says is going quite well), I had sort of a rest day.  Perez and I jumped on a boda boda (motorcycle taxi) and went into town.  We ate fish and chips at a the locals favorite, best meals.  We walked down to the market and bought Talapia, chapati, eggs, bananas and ice cream.  And we returned home on the boda's.  On the return trip, we each rode on our own boda because Perez wanted to race (Dad won...only because the driver was told to follow).

It rained this afternoon.  Hard.  I don't think there is a phrase coined yet for the heavy rain they receive here.  The people here desperately depend on this frequent rain, but its not all blessing. The rain reeks havoc on this small town.  Roads are destroyed, homes are threatened and the mud flows everywhere.  Still, the people are grateful.

We finished the day preparing one of the worst meals we've attempted.  We thought fish tacos would be good.  So we bought fish, a whole fish...already deep fried.  I'm sorry I don't have a picture of this, but the deep fried whole fish laying on the table is one of the least appetizing things I've seen.  I broke of the head and tail and began peeling away the meat from the bone and Ali prepared the tortillas.  They don't have tortillas here, so we used the chapati we purchased earlier in the day.  Chapati is a sort of flat bread.  It's good, but it's much too thick and heavy for a taco.  We added some raw cabbage and a squeeze of lemon and choked down each bite.  The only good part of the meal was the fish (after you take away those deep fried glaring eyes and remove the crunchy scales, the fish is very good).  Perez missed out on this delicacy, he crashed at around 4:30 and we think he may sleep through the night...or at least we hope!

The day had its challenges too, as each of them do in a place rampant with poverty, but every once in awhile its refreshing for us to consider the lighter side of our journeys.

From Uganda with love
 

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Arrived

Well, we made it...dad and Perez are happy! The flights were good. In the Minneapolis airport we met a man and his young daughter from Chad, though they now live in Cedar Rapids. We talked for sometime about living in Africa and moving to the states. In the Amsterdam airport, we met a man from Kampala, Uganda. Though he has lived in Boston for 6 years, he returns to Uganda frequently. He is returning this time for his sisters wedding. He was impressed with Perez and his american accent (a comment that nearly everyone has made). On the leg between Amsterdam and Uganda, we sat in front of a couple from Albequerque who is hoping to adopt a 5 year old girl from Kampala. As I listened to their story, it echoed of everything we went through just 11 months ago with Perez.

After 30 hours of travel, we landed in Entebbe, purchased our visas and were quickly greeted by our Ugandan friends, pastor Stephen and pastor Gabriel. We were exhausted, but thrilled to be back in our "second home" as they call it (and we agree).

Much of Saturday was used to rest. Steve took 3 naps! Besides Steve's naps, the best part of the day was meeting with Perez's Ugandan mom. She was so happy to see Perez and to see how much he's grown. She believes he is doing well, and we agree.
But days of rest are rare here.


On Sunday, Steve spoke to True Vine church and presented them with our financial gift from Citywalk in support of their new sanctuary construction project. Steve also gave a dedication to the P7 graduates (they take exams this coming week is hopes of graduating and moving on to secondary school). During the service, both Ali and Perez were spontaneously called upon to come up front and speak. If there's one thing I've learned here, one must always be prepared to talk.


Tomorrow, Monday, Steve will meet with a group of village pastors for the first of a number of pastor conferences. Ali will begin taking what will amount to a few hundred sponsor update photos and in the afternoon she begins the first of 10 photo classes that she is teaching.

Perez.

Perez is very happy to be home, but it took a bit. He has been experiencing some reverse culture shock of sorts. It's as if he remembers things kind of, but is processing a "did I really live here" thing. For about an hour, all of the kids just sort of stared at him and he stared back. There was no interaction (reminiscent of his first day of school in San Diego). I could almost read the brainwaves..."I know you and we are like you, but you are now different." I think both sides were a bit scared. But as kids are, that lasted a short time. They quickly got over the "different" thing and the language barrier and Perez and company are having a great time being together again. I think Perez is especially happy to spend the bulk of his day in the dirt, putting thing in his mouth that no human should ever ingest and de-winging and playing with the many bugs. Home sweet home!

Well, we had better sign off for now...much to do before we retire for the night. Have a blessed Sunday, from Uganda with love!

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Uganda 2009

In 36 hours Ali, Perez and I will board a plane and begin the long journey back to Uganda...that means this blog must come back to life.

We fly out of San Diego on Thursday, October 22 at 6:30am and arrive in Uganda on Friday night. We will stay in Uganda for 3 weeks, returning to San Diego on November 14.  

Our trip is packed full of exciting work.  Speaking, photo schools, lots of update pictures, more speaking, and several meetings with the leadership of True Vine Ministries to help further their organization. 

We are also excited to take Perez back to his home country.  He is excited to go and so are we.  

We'll do our best to update this page regularly and include as many photos as we are able to upload.  

Thanks for checking in, praying and keeping up with our travels.

Thursday, January 1, 2009

One Month Later

HOME
We've been home for a month now. Maybe it would be more accurate to say that we left Uganda one month ago...we're all learning what/where home is. A downtown condo in San Diego is a new home for Perez. Adding a 6 year old to the condo changes "home" for Ali and me. After two weeks in San Diego we went "home" to Reno for the holidays for a week.
After 10 hours of driving from Reno to San Diego, just about the time we crossed under the Balboa park bridge on the 163 South, Perez looked over at me and said, "Dad, Perez is home."
And now the 3 of us are back home, in San Diego.
NEW EXPERIENCES
Truth is, just about everything is a new experience, and I'm pleased to say that all things considered, Perez is doing remarkably well. Here are a few memorable moments.

Two days after landing in San Diego from Uganda, we found ourselves at a bike shop buying Perez his first bike. Any kid living in this home must have a bike.

While we were in Uganda, a friend of Perez asked if we had bikes in America. Then asked if I had a bike. Then asked if Perez would have a bike. I answered yes to all. Somehow this word traveled back to Perez. So the first time I opened the garage, I heard the words, "Perez's bike?" There wasn't a bike in the garage for Perez, and that was not okay. Perez now has his bike, and if you look, you probably won't find it in the garage (thanks to Christmas, he now owns a scooter and a skateboard). Like father like son.
You can't live in San Diego and not go to the beach. Here's Perez, just days into Southern California life, taking in some beach time. I think this is one of his favorite places to be. He can roam. Play. Explore. Roll around in the dirt (sand). He eats the sand dollars, chews on dried crab claws and washes is down with salt water. He can be Perez. It's the closest experience of home. Clouds or sun, Perez loves the beach. Like mother like son.




Perez now attends Citytree Christian School. Here he is, sporting his new uniform and same goofy personality. Citytree is a great school. His teacher is wonderful. And his classmates are being patient and kind. And its also where Ali teaches. Perez likes being at school, but never wants to go in the morning. I think this is one of the harder things for him. He lived at a boarding school. His class size was 100. He had a uniform, teacher and classmates. None of these things look like Citytree. New school. New uniform. New teacher. New classmates. Class size 16. And lots of white people. Still, in just one month (two weeks in school, two weeks Christmas break), his English is rapidly progressing and and we are hopeful that school will be better for him the more he can communicate.

Perez thinks its hilarious to dress up in my clothes. It's going to be a few years (probably never) that the 45 pounder will fit into my 34 waiste.

Maybe the most shocking new experience was Christmas morning (and I'm not talking about presents and food and family and chaos...though those were good too). Sometime early Christmas morning, it began snowing. We woke up to a white Christmas. By mid morning we were all outside...snow angels, snowball fights, and even a bite or two. It was really cool to watch Perez explore snow for the first time...but I think he could do without the cold.
Perhaps the new experience Perez loves the most is the bath tub (because this is a family site I'll show no pictures). Running water is new Warm water is new. Fully immersing oneself in water is new. Perez loves it all.
ADJUSTMENTS
It's hard to imagine how much Perez is taking in. New sites, sounds, foods, people. Light switches. Sirens. Food stored in a refridgerator. Lots of white people. Old white people. He has clothes, a bed and lots of people giving him attention. And though he has his moments. Moments when we think he's sad. Times when he wants to talk to one of his friends in Uganda. Moments when he doesn't want someone to tell him what to do or not do. Perez is doing great!
But if you meet him, watch out. He will trick you into giving him a hug and you'll think he's cute...then when you least expect it, he will blow a big zerbit on your neck and laugh histerically.
Yeah, Perez is adjusting...and we are too. And there will be many more new experiences. And one thing we say with joy as a family, "it's good to be home."