23rd and 24th September 2009

Wednesday 23rd - A very difficult day. We found out this morning that a baby in the village died overnight. We had seen her at the house yesterday, but I assumed that she was just small, not that she was actually dying. She was 5 months old and died of pneumonia - what a waste of a little life. The injustice of her dying when here we can access treatment so easily is just horrible to see. The comparison is not fair, not fair at all. We wanted to do something that was culturally ok to show our sympathy and just be there with her but we weren't sure what to do, so Rachael took us to visit her house. It was heartbreaking. We didn't realise that the baby's body would still be there, so out of respect we saw the body; she was teeny tiny, looked like she was sleeping. It was so difficult to be in the room with the mother sitting on the floor crying with her sick son on her lap. He was malnourished and had some other illness too; he barely had the strength to cry. She lived in one room, with next to no possessions. What can you do to change someone's situation like that? We were all very moved by it, needless to say. It has made me realise how blessed we are to have such accessible healthcare. It's a shock to the system to see a lovely child alive one day and dead the next. It shouldn't be that way. We prayed for the Mummy and her family, and did what we could to comfort her. I think God showed us a tiny fraction of his compassion and love for her. If that is the hurt we felt on seeing the situation, I feel so awful for the baby's mother. We're all still praying for her - if you're the praying type, it would be great if you could pray for her and the family too.

We then had to pick ourselves back up again and get excited and enthusiastic for teaching at the school for disabled children; that took a lot of effort. We played dodgeball, stuck in the mud and duck duck goose with them in the midday sun... we were SOOOO tired and dehydrated by the end of it! Everything here takes more effort than at home because of the heat. I think the more we get used to planning their lessons and the way the children are both at this school and the others that we teach at, the smoother the days will go. The kids themselves were great, with boundless energy! It's humbling to see them overcoming the things they find difficult without complaining. There's a range of disabilities, from deafness to mutes, to cripples to behaviourally challenging kids. Please pray that we have the wisdom to know how to teach all of them together in a way that benefits them and provides for all of their different needs. Mama Rachael came in for a cup of tea tonight; she's SUCH a wonderful woman!! We are very lucky to have her as our Ugandan Mum while we're here. Please pray for their whole family, that they'll be blessed through us being here and that we'll build strong, close relationships with them that last.


Thursday 24th - Pancakes for breakfast, WOOP! :) We taught at Gilgal school today; there is a nursery group then classes from P1 up to P7, which is the final year with big exams before the kids start senior classes. The format of the system here is that kids do exams at the end of every year and if they don't pass, they have to re-sit the year. This, combined with kids starting school late or also having jobs alongside their education, means that there's a big range of ages within each class. The classes are also very big, and resources are extremely limited - there is a blackboard in most of the classes and some desks, particularly for the older children. Textbooks are shared between as many as 6, and materials for interactive learning just don't exist. We have to find ways to keep them interested and excited in learning while we're there, without buying loads of stuff to give them that'll just disappear once we leave... It's a pretty big challenge!! The aim is to do a Bible story, game and song with each class each week. We weren't sure what to expect today, but the children were really good and seemed to enjoy the stuff we did. Dunk duck goose is always a favourite :D Especially when teachers fall over while they're running around the circle...! We had a prayer and praise meeting with the whole school at the end, which was incredible. The children sing and dance with so much passion, compared to our practices at home when people would just mumble at the back and not bother to get involved. Even the older kids love it! We have to teach them a song next week, that'll be interesting!

Bible study tonight was good - Nicky led it really well :) Played with all Rachael and Benedict's kids in the evening, having fights with all our washing and playing with the skipping ropes Lucy brought in a desperate attempt for all of us to keep fit while we're here!! The team are all getting on really well so far; I'm sure we'll come under pressure eventually, but for now things are all great! We've been chilling out together, chatting and praying a lot, which is strengthening us as a team amazingly. I love the girls, they've been a real comfort and uplift to me over the last week or so when things have been difficult :)


Read on for Friday - Sunday! :)