Some Exciting Updates!

Total Monthly Sponsors Needed:  30 (to provide $30/month)
Current # of Committed Monthly Sponsors:  17
Remaining Monthly Sponsors Needed:  13

Wow...I can't believe it's almost been a month since my last post...I literally don't know where all the days have gone this month!! I also absolutely can't believe that I'm leaving for Uganda in just 19 days!! Oh my goodness...October 16 is going to be here in the blink of an eye!

SO many amazing things have happened over the past few weeks! First of all, I would like to say a tremendous "thank-you" to all of the people who have stepped out in faith to contribute towards my personal support or specific ministry project funding in the past month! I have been completely overwhelmed and humbled by everyone's incredible generosity, support, and words of encouragement!! I am SO excited to announce that as of today, people have already blessed me with:

$7,280 in one-time gifts or monthly pledges towards my personal support costs 

(out of a $12, 600 total need for the duration of my 9. 5 months stay in Uganda)

17 monthly sponsors 

(out of a total need of 30 sponsors @ $30/month for 9 months)

$2750 towards the completion of the new Kerith Health Clinic in Pallisa!

$2800 towards the construction of a brand new clean-water well, which will be located next to the Kerith Health Clinic and provide free safe water to villagers in Pallisa!

SO..... Because of your tremendous generosity, I'm now more than half-way towards reaching my total personal support fundraising goal for my entire trip....and I still have 3 weeks to go before I leave!  I am beyond thankful for and amazed by the Lord's provision over the past month! 

In addition to that amazing news, I wanted to give you guys a quick peek into my living room at the moment to show you some of the donations I've been collecting and supplies I've been purchasing to bring with me when I head to Uganda (a BIG thank-you to my parents, who have graciously allowed me to take-over the front of the living room for the past couple weeks as the piles have grown bigger and bigger!): 

Here's everything I've been able to round up so far! Think it'll all fit?

Shoes, kids' clothes, first aid kit, underwear, dolls

Bubbles, arts & crafts, crayons, LOTS of medicines

16 "pillowcase dresses" I made for little girls

"Blank cloth dolls" to use for medical play w/ kid

  

I finished ordering the last round of medical supplies and equipment for the clinic as well as some additional Bible-themed craft activities last night, so after everything comes in over the next week or so, I'll finally be able to start packing it all into my duffle bags (which I know you're thinking must be Mary-Poppins-style bags or something in order for everything to fit)! It's going to be a tremendous blessing for the health clinic to receive so many medicines and basic diagnostic supplies/equipment right off the bat as it's starting up....so thank you again to everyone who has contributed funds towards making all of these purchases a reality!

Personally, I've had a blast teaching myself to sew by making a bunch of "pillowcase dresses" for some of the little girls in Uganda.  I've especially loved making the itty-bitty dresses for the infants!  After having witnessed firsthand the extreme level of poverty and the poor state of the kids' clothes in both the Pallisa and Masese areas this summer, it brings me so much joy to envision the smiles on the faces of the little girls who will receive each of these new dresses! I am already praying over each dress and the little one who will be receiving it!

In addition to the dresses, I've also been making some dark-skinned "blank cloth dolls" to use for engaging kids in medical play while I'm working in the health clinic in Pallisa and also to share with the medical students and residents who I'll be teaching about Child Life principals at Makerere University later on during my time in Uganda.  This project has been a true labor of love for me, because it's a way for me to mesh my passions for Child Life and working with kids in Uganda together!  I can't wait to share more details with you guys down the road about some of the other ways I'm going to be able to apply my Child Life skills while working with various populations of children during my time in Uganda!

Well, I think that's all I'm going to share for tonight.  I have some other VERY EXCITING updates to share with you guys at the beginning of next week related to the progress on the Kerith Health Clinic in Pallisa, but I need to collect a few more details about some things before I can share everything fully.  So stay tuned for some more big news! Thank you so very much for all of your prayers...they mean so much to me and I've definitely already been feeling their effects in my life over the past month! Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Holiday Reflections on Labor Day

Total Monthly Sponsors Needed:  30 (to provide $30/month)
Current # of Committed Monthly Sponsors:  8
Remaining Monthly Sponsors Needed:  22

Hope everyone has had a wonderful Labor Day weekend! Since today is a holiday, I've been thinking a little bit about my upcoming adventure in Uganda and all the different holidays that will come and go during my time there. While I was attempting to envision what certain holidays might look like for me in Uganda, it suddenly dawned on me that Ugandans don't celebrate the majority of holidays we celebrate here in the US, so I'll probably be completely skipping out on most of the holidays I'm used to for almost a year! It's going to be quite strange to miss out on so many major holidays, especially since significant portions of Child Life Specialists' jobs revolve around commemorating every holiday under the sun with special events or big celebrations for patients and families in the hospital! I decided to make a quick list of all the major holidays that will happen while I'm in Uganda and figure out which ones Ugandans also celebrate....the universally-celebrated holidays are underlined:

Halloween
Thanksgiving
Christmas
New Year's
Valentine's Day
St. Patrick's Day
Easter (*celebrated on Good Friday & Easter Monday instead of Sunday)
Mother's Day
Memorial Day
Father's Day
Fourth of July

It's going to be really interesting to totally bypass so many staple holidays! However, after a little bit of researching, I also discovered that I'm going to have the opportunity to experience several new Uganda-specific holidays while I'm over there! Here's a list and a short description of the new holidays I'll be celebrating:

• Boxing Day (December 26)- a British-based holiday the day after Christmas where people give gifts ("Christmas boxes") to each other to thank them for acts of service/friendship
• Liberation Day (January 26)- marks the day that a brutal 5-year civil war was ended (in 1986) and current Ugandan President Museveni came to power... celebrated by "hearty feasts," parades, & sporting events
• International Women's Day (March 8)- promotes women's empowerment (very important in a patriarchal society like Uganda) & marks important achievements/contributions by women
• Labour Day (May 1)- celebrates Ugandan workers and is a day set aside for the Ugandan government to address issues like underemployment, fair wages, creation of new jobs, etc.
• Martyrs' Day (June 3)- commemorates the deaths of 45 Christians who were murdered under an ancient Ugandan tribal king...marked by church services & week-long Christian pilgrimages
• Heroes' Day (June 9)- commemorates the thousands of Ugandans who died during the brutal 5-year civil war in the 1980's

There are a few other major holidays that the nation of Uganda celebrates as well, but I won't be there for them (ie- Uganda's Independence Day on October 9, and 2 Muslim holidays related to the end of Ramadan and the Feast of Sacrifice). 

So...although it's definitely going to be weird to skip out on important holidays like Thanksgiving, Fourth of July, and Valentine's Day, I'm really excited to learn about and experience several new Ugandan holidays throughout the year! And who knows...maybe I'll even introduce Thanksgiving to the pastor's family I'll be staying with for the first 3 months by cooking them an "American" feast?!? 

Blessings to all of you! Thank-you SO much to everyone who has committed to praying for me as I prepare to leave in 6 weeks and to those who have provided me with financial support so my work in Uganda can become a reality! Stay tuned for a post later this week detailing some important information about the country of Uganda!