photos by kaley

melissa

Things continue to be very good for both Antwain and me. I am probably the proudest mama on the continent of Africa right now, cause my boy is absolutely amazing. Yesterday was the dance performance that the kids did to welcome us to the school. At the end of this amazing dance, drumming, drama, and singing presentation that the children had prepared for our team, each team member was asked to introduce themselves to the children. Following each team member, the children politely clapped in acknowledgement. Antwain was the last to introduce himself, and it was followed by raucous applause and shouts from the children. He is like a celebrity amongst the kids. It is very nice to hear his laughter during the day and his interactions with numerous kids. The girls have discovered Antwain's cutie self, and some have attempted to get his attention (usually by bumping into him or taking his ball). Antwain has not yet learned to appreciate the art of young girl flirtation (thank goodness), so he is annoyed more than honored. Daily he is given mangos from Mama Rosemary, and he appears to be generally happy and carefree. There have been certain moments that the pride I have for him truly overwhelms me emotionally...just thankful for a really special kid!!

I have fallen in love yet again with little Petra. I simply adore her, and she is even cuter in person. Yesterday Petra was feeling sick, so I spent a good portion of my day snuggling with her (and loving every moment of it). Today her smile and spunk returned, and I was very relieved. As I worked to prepare some activities for some sibling groups, Petra sat beside me doing a small activity to occupy her time, too. She started to giggle. When I inquired about what was so funny to her, she replied, 'When I am with you, I just always feel so happy inside. And I am remembering that Christmas is coming, and you will be with me on Christmas. Oh, that is going to be a good day.' As I looked at this beauty of a girl, I was absolutely overwhelmed with the emotions and fullness of love in my heart.

For my project this trip, I am spending time with each of the sibling groups at SMK. There are about 25 groups of siblings that call SMK their home. Within their individual sibling groups, I am doing some activities to learn more about the family structures in Uganda (especially for orphans) and honor the memory/customs established within their family before arriving at SMK. I am a little more than 1/2 way through my 1st activity with the siblings (I have 3 activities planned). I am doing a quick family history, and then we are making bracelets/necklace/ring with beads to represent the members of their immediate family (living or deceased). For many of the family units there are other siblings that live outside of SMK. Some have adult siblings. Some have younger siblings remaining in the family's village, living with another relative, or attending another school. The majority of the sibling groups have at least 1 parent living...however some parents are sick, some live too far to pay transport fees during holidays, and some are not financially able to care for the children. Being at SMK is the best alternative for them. However, it has been humbling to learn that the children are not very aware of their family history. Arriving at the school so young, the vast majority of the sibling groups can not recall the names of their grandparents, as they were not old enough to have that information imparted on them before arriving at SMK. Such recognitions gives me a greater appreciation for the family and family history that I have been blessed to have access to!!

Christmas Eve will be celebrated visiting the village of Peter's family (Peter is a dear friend of CTT who has volunteered his time to be our local guide). Then Christmas Day will be celebrated at SMK with food (today there was a goat bought in preparation for the Christmas feast...yikes), singing, dancing, Talent Show, games, and many more surprises. Antwain and I are going to stay overnight (maybe with some other team members) at the school that night, and the girls are keeping my bed (and probably Antwain's, too) for me when we return."

snapshots: tuesday

kaley

"The kids here are no different than the kids at home. They all want to play games, to draw pictures, to share with you everything they can in such a short period of time. With a week left, it is becoming more real that our time here will soon be cut short. It has been easy to grow accustomed to having kids crawl all over you and hold your hands; it will be hard when it is time to let go.

It has been a bit more difficult coming over the language barrier. Today I began to pick up on some Lugandan with the help of a twelve-year old boy named Steven. I am slowly learning through these kids and each day I find out a little more.

In the past couple of days, I have been doing art projects with the kids, more specifically, making friendship bracelets. It is amazing how quickly some of the girls took to it and each time they see any string at all, their eyes light up.

Today was the welcoming ceremony for Change the Truth. The kids dressed up in traditional Ugandan outfits and proceeded to play music and sing songs about how grateful they are to be at SMK. It was so much fun to watch until we were grabbed on stage by the dancers to partake. Needless to say, I have some dancing skills I need to work on before I will feel comfortable holding my own on stage with the kids.

I think it is really amazing to look at some of the ten-year-old girls I have met on this trip and keep in mind that I have a ten-year-old cousin back home. They all love to sing and dance, the music is just a little different.

I can’t wait to see how the rest of this trip will play out and I am sincerely grateful for the opportunity that I had to come to Uganda."

snapshots: monday

antwain

"I’ve been here for a week. St. Mary Kevin is different from my life in America because they don’t have showers or trash cans. The cars in Uganda have steering wheels on the right and they drive on the left. I’m happy that I’ve made a lot of friends lately. At first I was shy. Then I met Francis. He is a nice friend to me and takes up for me when people talk about me. We play football and soccer for a couple of hours each day. I drink a lot of water here when I am sweaty. This weather is better than Kansas City weather, at least right now it is. The food I don’t like, so that is why I have back-up food. I take my own food to the orphanage because I don’t like the posho and beans. My other friends are Joseph and Roderick. They’re funny and they make me laugh. I love being part of Team 3 because I get more attention than I used to. We all work together and get stuff done quickly because we have so many people. Our most important project will be Christmas when we pass out the flip flops, pens and clothes.

When I think of Uganda, I’ll always think of Kansas City in the summer, drums, differences and the language. I might want to come back."

snapshots: sunday

christy

"The eyes have it....

Do you remember the last time someone truly looked at you? Watched you move through a crowd, looked for your approving face as they grabbed your hand to greet you or pulled you close for a genuine hug. Listened and waited intently for you to react to anything and everything around you or just simply spoke your name while staring straight into your eyes. It's funny how unique it feels when it happens to you. We can be seemingly so self-absorbed to get on with a conversation, juggling multiple tasks or rushing through a busy day that, somehow, our eyes never make honest contact with anyone in our life.

Here, all there is is contact. A deep desire for connection. I have had the privilege of being considered by everyone I've met since my arrival. From my first welcome after a 29 hour flight at the airport, to every single curious and focused face at Saint Mary Kevin's. Every moment is a moment. Every opportunity to smile is jointly shared. It feels both rare and beautiful to stop to see and be seen. Experience someone, anyone this holiday season. Share and appreciate their spirit. It's an easy fulfilling gift to give and so rewarding to receive."

bobbi

"An amazing day today. The pictures really tell the story, so I'm going to talk about yoga today. We got to the orphanage to an acrobatics show put on by some of the boys...some of the pics are attached. I was blown away...prior to coming on the trip I watched a video about an organization called the African Yoga Project...these kids were doing the same stuff. So we started talking and I told them I wanted to teach them YOGA....they were ready right then. So in the grass, 15 boys and I did a yoga class. They kept wanting more. They know NAMASTE, and we all honored each other. They were big and small...they learned the poses as if they were always doing them. The head of the orphanage, Mama Rosemary, did some as well. SO...the room you see them sweeping is going to be the yoga room. There's an outlet for music, and the boys just took it on. Tomorrow, it will be ready to go. 17 yoga mats, GENEROUSLY donated by my dear friend David Cronin, from Changing Times in WPB, will be laid out in a circle... Wasn't sure how this would all work...but they just get it! Tomorrow I'm going to film them doing the acrobatics. Filming Yoga will come later. They chose the name 'Power Men of Africa.' So that was today. More later.

Love from the 'Pearl of Africa' as Uganda is called."

second day at the orphanage

snapshots from our first day at the orphanage

Tony and friend

Samalie and Zaberra

Rosemary and Vincent

Gloria, Boy-Boy and Eddie

Antwain (Melissa's son)