I am in Uganda, at a mission which 220 orphaned children call home, and host to a fairly new hospital where I have been working. As you will note, I am still seeking God's will for my future, and am developing relationships that will always matter to me in one way or another. These are my journal notes for the past week. My apologies for the delay in posting. I had technical difficulties. The WiFi here is fairly unpredictable.
Saturday 15/5
Today I walked with a bunch of girls a little over 3 miles (5 kilometers) to the nearby town of Karuma. To call it a town is actually a stretch, but there is a congregation of people gathered for commerce and there is an intersection of two roads, so we call it a town, though it is more like a "village." There are wall-to-wall shops and open-air market vendors, butcher kiosks, and street peddlers. We toured around a little, bought a few things, and, when it was time to head home, found our friend, Robert, who had come in a van to take us back to the campus. Just going along helped me develop relationships with these few ladies, but practicing my Acholi along the way built me some street credit with those we passed.
It was “visitation day," a day when a very few are visited by whatever family member(s) care(s) enough to make the trip, and everybody else just feels left out for a while. I heard the girls talking about how, growing up, they always hated visitation day and cried for weeks, while the favored children ate their special treats and wore their new clothes. Sitting on the floor of the back of the van with several of these girls, I announced I was there to visit all of them. Their smiles and laughter were priceless.
When we got back, we were all horribly hot. I returned to Team House and started journaling. Janet, who has been on the Karuma trip, came over and chatted with me at the dining table for a while. She poured out a story about her family that made both of us cry. Without going into much detail, I will say that her story made me think my law enforcement background, nursing foreground, and ministerial heart might be the perfect formula to start a battered women’s shelter. It is a very real need, though it would not be popular with the traditionalists in the area who think women are the property of men, regardless of how they are treated.
After Janet left and I got last weeks’ blog posted, I attended a birthday party for Jessica “Cool Mom” Washburn. She shared her party with everyone else born in May because she is, after all, “Cool Mom.” We watched football (soccer), danced, laughed, and ate chicken, chips (fries), cake, and soda, all of which are real treats. I can’t remember having this much fun at a birthday party. Happy birthday, Jess!
Sunday 16/5
Pastor Gitta was on fire preaching this morning. So much so, that two congregants approached him while he preached to add an additional offering. It was kind of a joke, but we all knew he was preaching truth. He was talking about how so many professors of Christ want to claim the blessings of His companionship but fail to accept the discipline of obedience that goes with it, accepting Christ as Savior, but not as Lord. I am happy to hear the mission congregants are receiving this word, since it often gets left out, even in America. Christ’s lordship is how discipline toward sanctification begins.
After a brief nap, I went to the house of my two sponsored children. I had been trying to make plans to take lunch with them since I arrived, but the timing never worked out. Vivian is a busy teenager and school starts tomorrow. Daniel is eleven, so he hasn’t a care in the world. Still, his school starts tomorrow too, so I took the opportunity to share a meal with the house. All the other kids were painfully quiet, shyly giggling and turning away when I spoke to them. Auntie Lydia, the house mom, made a feast of chicken, rice, black beans, and greens. It was delicious! Ugandans have a custom that a young person kneels when introduced to an elder. It is a demonstration of respect, but it does make one uncomfortable who is not used to it. I have remedied this by taking the hand of the youth, lifting them up, and hugging them. This I did a few times at Auntie Lydia’s house.
I was invited as guest of honor for the closing ceremony of the kids' football tournament. As such, I said a few inspirational words, then presented each of the awards of excellence. I was especially proud that my sponsored child, Daniel, received recognition as “the most disciplined player.” This event closes a football season and marks the end of the kids’ school break, so just about everyone was there. They each received a drink, the younger a fruit juice cup and the older a soda, and they all had a great time.
During the final match, I was approached by my friend Maryanne, the wife of Dr. Colby Cessnun, who invited me to dinner at the restaurant at the nearby village of Karuma. She even extended an invitation to join her family of eleven for their in-home, Sunday night church service, which I was privileged to attend.
Dinner out with other missionaries, fellow Americans from Texas, was enjoyable and informative. We shared ideas and concerns well into the night, and the hotel and restaurant staff were very accommodating.
Monday 17/5
Jess says it takes some time for the stomach to adjust to African food, but each time she visits, the adjustment period gets shorter. So far, my system still has not settled down, and today, I felt it more than usual. I had a light breakfast and skipped lunch to come home and nap.
Before my nap, though, I re-heated the dinner that was prepared for me and took it to my nursing colleagues, Patrick and Patrishia, at the hospital. They were thrilled to get such a treat and I was happy food wasn’t spoiling in the non-working fridge.
After my nap, Jess came over for dinner and Janet walked in as we were finishing up. Janet had bead crafts to sell and I took her entire stock to bring home and sell for her. She was thrilled, and is now funded for a trip to her summer job, where she can hopefully make some of the school-supply money she will need when she starts nursing school.
In a quiet moment after all was settled, Janet asked me, “Why do you love me so much?” I don’t know if this young lady has felt loved much before except by a few here at the mission, so it was a real touching victory to hear that she knew she was loved without my saying so.
Tuesday 18/5
My stomach feels much better after the rest I got yesterday, but I’m still not at a hundred percent.
I worked with Mirriam and Samuel in the morning. We received an elderly patient transfer from another clinic, who was not responding to malaria treatment and who had developed shortness of breath. After being on our ward only about two hours, she went into respiratory arrest and then cardiac failure. Dr. Cessnun and I performed CPR for about twelve minutes, but with no return of spontaneous circulation. She died at 10:30 AM.
It was a very busy morning with new arrivals, the death, and treatments that demanded the attention of all three of us. Janet had to work her regular job but somehow managed to arrive earlier than usual on such days, claiming that, because she has only a few days left before she leaves for the summer, she wanted to spend as much time with me as possible.
There was a big staff meeting at 3 PM that all were asked to attend, on duty or not. Given some of the announcements and rumors floating around, many had feared bad news, but there was none. It turned out to be a 2-hour in-service training on blood transfusions.
While I waited for it, though, I was asked to present the staff devotion on Thursdays as long as I am here. I love bringing the Word, so I jumped at it. I did not want to appear reluctant like I did on my first day.
Jess brought friends, Janet and Sharon to dinner. Finally! No leftovers!
Sharon proved to be quite the bat hunter and disposed of one of the flying critters from out of my dining area. Before you go thinking long, black, leathery vampire, let me redirect your thoughts to a furry, white mouse with wings.
Wednesday 19/5
The day started with strange news at the mission hospital. The clinical directorship was reassigned from Dr. Colby Cessnun to Dr. Otim Robert. There was a lot of shock and disbelief throughout the ranks as Dr. Robert asked for everyone’s support, though he, himself, was recruited in 2000 to this hospital by Dr. Cessnun, who is credited as pioneering the clinic here. It would have been easy to feel numb after such an administrative decision, but Dr. Colby took it in stride, and continued on clinical rounds with a smile and his usual clinical competence. I was riding the wave of Colby’s disappointment, but his countenance is so high, it is easy to set aside the ill feelings and get on with whatever is necessary. His attitude is amazing!
Thursday 20/5
I led the staff devotion this morning, and didn’t get much sleep, thinking about what I would say. My assigned topic was the immanence of God as articulated in Isaiah 57:15. The British spelling of that word made me wonder if I was to speak of God’s eminence or His immanence, so I talked about both, and how His compassion drove Him to leave the high and royal Heavenly throne to reestablish unity with His fallen creation. I prayed for God’s Spirit to teach me what to say, then wrote a bunch of notes on my phone. During the talk, half my notes were missing from my phone, forcing me to rely only of what God called to my mind. Afterward, the missing notes mysteriously reappeared on my phone. Wild!
Mirriam, my friend who is honest with me enough to tell me if I use “lazy speech” (American slang with undisciplined annunciation), said I used none and was absolutely clear. Sister Sophie, the Primary Nursing Officer (PNO), closed the meeting by saying, “I couldn’t possibly add anything to that.” I took that as a high compliment.
The day was long and slow on the General Ward, and even more so in Maternity, where they only had two patients. I did what I could, and tried to stay near the fan, because it seemed very hot today, though the Weather App only said 87 degrees. I think it has more to do with how much sun is shining. Overcast days are infinitely cooler, but this “wet season” has been remarkably sunny.
About 3 PM I was in the Lab, and Isaac, the lab tech, told me he was just about to search me out, and declared, “We have a serious problem.” While I thought perhaps I had made a clinical mistake with the lab samples, Isaac showed me his football (soccer) roster and explained the Hospital Staff Men’s team was a man short, and he needed me to fill the spot for “back-up goalkeeper.” I guessed this must be an honorary position since they were asking me, a fat, old Mzungu (white person), to fill it, so I let him put me on the roster of the roster for the Hospital Staff vs. Teaching Staff game this afternoon.
As word spread of my inclusion on the roster, I recognized this was no small thing. Many who addressed me acted as if I would actually play. I got nervous! I went back to my quarters, changed into the only shorts I brought, and applied enough sunscreen to make it through whatever happened. Hallelujah, our first string goalkeeper stayed healthy the whole game, and we won 2:1, with me safely in the sidelines!
At dinner, Jess reconfirmed, “For them to ask you this shows again how accepted you are. They wouldn’t do that for just anyone!” They do take their football seriously around here, and both teams were seriously skilled. It was an honor to be their mascot for the day.
Friday 21/5
Yesterday, a 27-year-old woman arrived with nothing more than a productive cough. This morning, she was attached to every monitor on the ward to piece together enough working components to suffice. When I asked why, I was told her condition worsened overnight, but that was all. I figured I would hear more about it at rounds. While we started rounding at the other end of the ward, we only got through about three patients when the family members of this one woman began to wail, and my friend, Nurse Patrishia began to collect the monitoring devices from off the newly deceased patient. I responded to help with another “last office” (preparation of the deceased). That’s five in my three weeks here. But since this ward serves as ER, Medical-surgical, progressive, and ICU all in one, I guess that’s pretty good.
Later in the day, the nurses told me I was the first visiting missionary to spend time with them or take lunch with them, and that none had ever tried to learn the language. I was shocked but also wondered what else one would do. I feel like the language barrier is keeping me from expressing the love I came to share. Before the day was through, the new clinical director, Dr. Robert, announced to the ward, in jest, that he was canceling my return trip to the U.S. so I could stay here and keep helping. It was a funny joke, but served to affirm that my presence here is appreciated. The others present, Nurses Mirriam and Patrishia, Dr. Judith, and Clinical Officer Jennifer, all echoed this wish that I would stay. That was a good feeling, but I can’t let an ego boost confuse my search for God’s will for me.
At 5:00, Janet and I walked back to the Team House where she made us toast while we listened to worship music. She is leaving Monday, so she said she is spending as much time with me as she can.
After dinner with Jess and Janet, I got a visit from Shalom, another of the adult students. She is smart and talented, but has some decisions to make, and is scared to make them. We prayed together and talked about how God has given me directions at times. She knew about Gideon’s fleece (Judges 6), so I told her to pray specifically, and the right doors would open like a wet fleece on the ground.
Imagine every high school Junior or Senior you’ve ever known, or think back to when you were trying to make the decisions that would shape your life. Now complicate that predicament with shattered families, no parents, poverty on a scale you can’t even imagine, and a culture that still believes a woman’s place is in the home, and you might begin to get a glimpse of what goes on in the minds of these young women. Worse yet, polygamy is common and so is domestic violence. Even if a girl hasn’t experienced these things yet, it weighs on her mind as a possibility for her future, because of what many witness in their dysfunctional exposure to what limited family they do have.
I may not be evangelizing on the street corners or winning souls in the hospital ward (yet), but my dinner table has born witness to some tearful exchanges. “Uncle Todd” is gaining the favor of the men and women I serve here, even if I don’t know what is next. Today marks the half-way point in my visit. I have been here three of six weeks. On one hand the time has flown by, and on the other I feel like I have loved these people a lifetime already. How will I ever pull myself away in just three more weeks?
