day four

The first installment of Team 2 has arrived. We met Lynne, Fred and Melissa’s plane last night and decided to surprise the children by showing up at the orphanage after they had already gone to bed. There were hoops and hollers, laughter and tears as we descended on their dorms. They couldn’t have been happier to see their friends from America.

As we walked through the dorms greeting each child, we were struck by just how horrific the living conditions really are. In the darkness, the mattresses and bed sheets looked particularly dingy, and the walls and floors just filthy. We realized that in some cases, two children sleep together on one small bed. Regardless, they were grinning from ear to ear, taking us by the hands, hugging us, jumping up and down. Fred said one grabbed his hand as soon as we arrived and didn’t let go the whole time we were there.

We went back early this morning to see each other in the light of day, then ventured into one of Kampala’s marketplaces to shop. The four of us, plus Carol, who will arrive in a couple of days, have been invited to the traditional celebration called Kwanjula that is the introduction of Rosemary and Joseph’s son to his fiance’s family and friends. Since the dress code calls for traditional Bugandan attire, we were taken to a seamstress’s shop. Dresses called Busuti will be made for us women and a long white robe called a Kanzu will be made for Fred. Picking out our fabrics was the indeed the highlight of the shopping experience.

We also bought paint, brushes and sandpaper (the boys dorms will be first, and they chose “saffron” for their color). We will begin painting first thing tomorrow morning. Fred is in charge of this project, and he has three assistants, Billy, Saka and Edward, teenage boys who are being sponsored in school by Change the Truth. All of the older kids, girls included, will pitch in to help.

The new mattresses and bed covers will be ordered tomorrow for next week delivery. Soon, the dorms will look and feel brand new!