refreshed.

back in kampala. i feel like i have so many words, so many things to say after 9 days. in some ways it felt like i was gone for a month. i had a fantastic time and usually it feels fast but i think all the transportation and change of location makes it that way. for those of you who are skimming, skip the next paragraph, it is just gonna be a description of everywhere i went (mostly for patsy, haha).

i left for our hospital in mbale on friday and took a public bus, an old charter. it was a 3 hour trip. i stayed there until monday morning in the guest house with the LOVELY julie (an american that has been at the hospital for over 5 months...easily top 5 favorite people i've met so far - she flies home today, boo). we had a huge cookout on the fourth (after a gorgeous day poolside) at derek's house - he is the executive director of the hospital, also american and wonderful. we had real cake, real cookies, sodas, potato salad, and he bbq'd lots of meat. i can't tell you how stuffed i was - i think it was the first time i was uncomfortably full since i have been here. fat and happy would be the best way to describe my fourth of july.

then sunday i went to my first full-out ugandan church. it was great. the pastor taught in english then there was a translator. i loved it. backless benches and all, :).

monday i left with a go-team to go to gulu. we packed about 15 ppl into a huge cruiser with tons of luggage and supplies and drove about 9 hours north. looooong journey, but i finished a whole book and listened to some great tunes. i separated myself from the go team (7 americans, 1 uk-er) and told myself that i didn't feel like connecting this week, i would just take pics and keep to myself...how stupid, haha. we got to gulu and found our hotel had been double booked. then we packed 8 of us plus a driver into a less than new SUV and drove across town to another hotel. from there we waited about 4 hours to go meet the mommas and babies. we got to the place where they were staying after midnight and just greeted them and gave them some mats to sleep on. not mattresses, mats. they couldn't have been more grateful. oh to have some perspective. i picked up poopy babies and sat in the dirt. at that point, it's just exhausting and you either dive in or you are miserable. the LORD was unbelievably gracious to me and handed me an attitude of sheer contentment that night. it was nothing less than divine intervention because on my own, i was grumpy, tired, hungry, and missing the luxuries of the guest house. i bonded with a couple kids and knew i would have a great time the next two days playing and photographing this group of people. we got to bed around 2:00 a.m. and i slept like a rock for 5 hours.

tuesday was good. margarine sandwiches and hard-boiled eggs for breakfast with tea, of course. we went back to the church where the mommas/babies were sleeping to start the day around 8:00. we spent the day there and the go-team did everything from play with babies and teaching them games to washing dishes and doing food prep for lunch and dinner. i was so impressed all week with the work ethic of this team and of the spiritual leaders from CURE. tuesday was the day before the medical team from CURE got there so it was strictly for teaching the Word and for praying with the mommas. CURE's mission is not only to help children with life threatening disabilities but to bring the gospel into the lives of each family that comes into contact with the organization. we travelled with two members of CURE's spiritual team and 4 pastors. there were sermons and worship all day long on tuesday. you could hear the mommas praising from a mile away. lots of screaming, even more dancing, and plenty of smiles. it was the best part of the day. i've never seen people in such distress be so happy. outside the church, it felt like the whole village had sent their children to come and play with the mzungus. soccer games, frisbee, singing - you name it, the girls on the go team were willing to do it. all this going on and i felt a little helpless cuz all i did was document it. i hope what i got was as useful to CURE as the work this team did.

the med team came on wednesday and we took two bus loads of mommas and babies to the local hospital for them to be examined. some were new patients, but mostly they were check-ups for kids who had been to mbale and had shunts put in (most of the patients had hydrocephalus or brain tumors). there were about 50 patients seen, i think (one of the dr.'s had malaria and stuck it out all day...ugandans are crazy, in the best way possible). i interviewed a couple of the mommas who spoke english and again just photographed while in awe of the work ethic and willingness of the go-team. by this time i had realized that the LORD sent this team specifically to minister to me, haha. not really, but that's what it felt like. their positivity and energy was contagious and i felt like i was being 'fed' by someone for the first time since i've been here. it was a pretty selfish week. anyway, the gulu clinic ended and our bus was broken so we waited for two hours then got on the road to lira. 2 and a half hours later, we got to the chapel where there were even more mommas and babies. it was after 10:00 p.m. and i was again exhausted. more divine intervention for me and i was ready to greet them. little did i know how excited that would make them. i walked into the small chapel were they were all laying or sitting and i kid you not, i felt like i was a celebrity. they were cheering and yelling and clapping. talk about a pick-me-up!!! then i met nelson. my heart melted. nelson is 9 and has hydrocephalus. he comes up to about my belly button and his head is bigger than a basketball - that's after a shunt which means it used to be even bigger. he always wears the HUGEST smile and talks non-stop. photos to come. dinner that night was some french fries at the hotel. this hotel was hilarious by the way - the comforter was METALLIC gold and the only tv station they got was gangsta rap music videos with loooots of almost naked girls...the whole experience made me laugh and feel little bit scandalous.

woke up around 7 on thursday and went to another regional hospital for the lira clinic. same deal as the day before with new mommas and babies and more interviews and more amazement of the go-team. super impressed with them and the med team for seeing a ridiculous amount of patients in a short time and being completely attentive to each one, greeting the babies with hugs and such. went 'home' to mbale that night with the med team - a hilarious group of ugandan men who laughed the whole 6 hours. i loved every second of it. they talked about the poverty of uganda, why the LORD lets bad things happen to His people, how great american pretzels are (i have them some), and how much they love jesus. i didn't even need my ipod. i was fully entertained. spent all night relaxing and facebooking - life is so good sometimes. stayed up late with julie and derek rehashing the week and laughing - they are so great and no, i won't stop saying that.

fell asleep to 3 men and a little lady that night and woke up friday feeling ready to hang out at the hospital. saw some babies, got an interview, played a little football, had a goodbye tea for julie, and then ate a dawat - an indian restaurant in town and was once again, uncomfortably full and loving it.

slept great and woke up at 6 sat. morning to meet the go-team and travel to jinja. jinja is unreal. we stayed at a resort right on lake victoria with a pool and our own little huts and stone showers. me and 3 girls took bodas into town (BEST PART OF THE TRIP) and rode around like a motorcycle gang all day. we went to two different restaurants and ate incredible food. i had some great south african wine with a BACON and avocado pita sandwich and then a proper brownie for dessert. we got back and stayed up late talking. saturday was probably my best day in uganda yet - i am so blessed to be given opportunities like that and i still can't believe how much better i feel after it.

got back yesterday and immediately went for a run to work out more than 24 hours of traveling within the past week. so good for my legs and even better for my heart. stopped in at sam and abby's (my boss and his wife) to say hi and came home and relaxed all night. life is good.

this was probably the best week i've had in uganda and definitely the hardest. i was slammed with feelings of inadequacy and discomfort on all fronts. as a photographer (especially as a less than mediocre videographer), as a believer, in my personal life with friendships at home, and as a self-proclaimed people lover. i felt disappointed with myself the majority of the time and spent most of my thoughts on comparisons to others and finding myself coming up short. i say that not for compliments and not even for encouragement. i say it because i am FINALLY beginning to get some answers or at least insights to my questions about GOD's grace and plan for who He wants me to be. in the last 9 days, He gave me people to look up to, people to emulate, people to push me and challenge my patience and beliefs, and people to disappoint me. there is a lesson to learn from each and every person i met or spoke with this week. i've never had so many different perspectives, cultures, emotions, and love be demonstrated in my life and around me in such a short time period. i find myself being much less articulate that i want to be, but as you can tell, there is a lot to process and even more that i wish i could talk to all of you about.

if you read every word of this post, you deserve some type of award...i know, you have a free place to stay if you wanna come and visit, redeemable any time in the next 7 months, :). if you read half of it, i give you a virtual high five. if you read the first and last paragraphs, you obviously don't love me and have no right to be on this page. KIIIIIDDDDDING, :).

but seriously, sorry for the rambling - i love you all and miss you every single day. pray for these feelings of contentment and actual fulfillment to stick around. it's easy to feel this way with american food in my stomach and a week full of consistent and genuine interaction with other people behind me. thank you for caring and thank you even more for the prayers i know you will offer up.