A week already?!?!

I can't believe it's already been a week since the Plymouth team left! The time has flown by as I've had a very full week all over the place. Sorry this is rather long, but I still want to give you a recap:

Monday: I had my first taste of the Soroti Hospital today. I went to visit two very sick babies from Amecet (the childrens home). This place is unlike any hospital I've ever stepped foot in. For example, patients have to bring along their own caregiver since nurses do VERY little. Some patients even have to bring some of their own supplies. Els (the director at Amecet) knows the drill so she isn't thrown off by any of their shortcomings or dirty atmosphere.

I spent my evening with my three roommates: Karen, Amos, and Rachel. Karen is from Ontario and has been here since March. She wrote on the blog earlier! She's so fun and a real encouragement. Amos is from Calvin Seminary and is spending two months of his summer here. It's fun to have someone my age here (and from GR!). Rachel just arrived from Ontario. She's a nurse and is moving into Amecet staff housing soon.

Tuesday: Today was my first day teaching preschool to two of the missionary kids, Avalien and Grace. They are such sweet students and really excited about school! In the afternoon, Rachel and I biked around town a little, making plans for the rest of the week. It's fun to be able to bike around and have a bit more independence that way. We spent the evening taking a walk around the neighborhood and eating dinner at Josh and Mandy's house (other missionaries in Soroti).

It's funny because EVERYWHERE we go, we are stared at. Biking around town, walking around the neighborhood.... everyone stares and most say hello with a big smile. They give such huge and friendly welcomes! If you know of anyone with a self-esteem issue, send them this way!!! :)

Wednesday: Today was a very long day. I headed out the door at 9 with my roommates and Tim (our team leader) to Obalanga, a village two hours north. When we arrived, we met up with John Patrick, the chairman of the area. When the LRA raided the area, John Patrick was the only leader who actually stuck around to help out. He is very much respected in the area for this. We saw his office and a huge line up of people waiting to file reports of abuse against the LRA. The town is putting together a huge case against the LRA. Next to the office is a mass grave site for victims of the LRA. We visited the site last week, but it was cool to see the improvements that were made. (Side Note: The mass grave site is sponsored by The Ride For Refugees. The team here was very involved with that, as well as the Brouwers from Plymouth!)

Our job of the day was to uncover the bones of a few LRA victims who had fallen in the brush of the surrounding area. I was unsure of what this would entail and was surprised when we came upon two partial skeletons laying under trees, completely exposed on top of the ground. We found two of these sites and then a third site that was completely different. Here, a body had previously been found but was then buried at the side of the road. A few men from the village dug up an entire skeleton (complete with clothes). This one looked the most like a person and thus caused the most restlessness among us. Really, it's crazy to think that these young men and women were shot by LRA soldiers right where we were walking. And to think that this only happened in the last 5 years!!! And even worse... to think that some of these crazy soldiers are still running around other parts of Africa!

Thursday: Today was a very enjoyable day. We had a nice team meeting in the morning, outlining the next few weeks. I had preschool in the afternoon with two beautiful girls who behaved themselves so nicely! But the highlight of the day came after dinner when the women of the team met for a Bible study. There are six women all together and it was a joy to sit down with them and just talk. We talked about how to make time with God a part of our daily routine. We discussed both joys and struggles of the mission field. We had a great night of fellowship and it was wonderful to spend quality time with this group of fabulous Christian women!

Friday: Today was my first full day at Amecet. It flew by! I played with some beautiful babies and spent another hour or so at the Soroti Hospital for some infant immunizations. There are some crazy stories among these babies and I hear more and more each time I'm at the home. It's overwhelming to find how many of these gorgeous children are HIV positive and how many were neglected as newborns. It is beautiful to see how loved they now are at Amecet. They are truly loved and it's a wonderful thing!

I spent the evening over at Tim and Angie's (our team leaders) next door. It was Tim's birthday today and we had a nice evening with our whole team, eating cake and playing games. I do love the team here and it has been fun getting to know such passionate people.

Thanks for reading all of this... I know it's long but there's been so much going on! Continue praying for my health (I'm still a little shaky now and then) and my energy as I find more of a routine next week. Please pray for the town of Obalanga this week as they finish up their mass grave site and dedicate the bodies they do have.

Thank you for your prayers and support. I'm thinking of you all too!!

In Christ,

Steph