jeck.dot.calm

HARD work... paying off!! :0)

2009-11-09T14:10:00.001-08:00

Aiden has been working VERY hard for the last 7 months... going to Vision Therapy and doing homework to help correct his double-vision. And we finally have some great news! ...Aiden had his eyes reassessed this last week, and there has been a significant improvement!! Now he only has to wear his glasses "part time" ...for reading and computer. And it looks like he may be on the home-stretch for finishing up Vision Therapy too!! GOOD JOB AIDEN!

home... it's bitter-sweet

2009-11-04T13:04:00.000-08:00

We are very thankful for safe travels... and that our Kids really didn't seem to miss us too much! But we are also missing Uganda. It was such a WONDERFUL trip! ...definitely a "Trip of a Lifetime". Hope you enjoy viewing some of our memories... sorry that the most current entries are always at the top...you'll have to scroll down for older posts if you want to go in order :0)

IMMUNIZATION CLINIC ...in the middle of nowhere!!!

2009-11-03T13:54:00.001-08:00

I showed you a few pics of the Kibaale Community Clinic in one of my first posts... this is a little bit better of a shot. The Clinic is on the gated property of the Kibaale Community Centre but it is open to the Public Monday - Saturday (and it's always busy!).

The Clinic is configured around a Courtyard and the setting is really very nice. (I took this picture after the clinic was closed but there are usually people lining the hallways!).

One of the Services that the Medical Clinic provides for surrounding Communities is a free IMMUNIZATION CLINIC. People walk for hours with their babies on their backs to come to have their children weighed and immunized (& in many cases, it was "older" siblings carrying the babies to the clinic ...I use the term "older" loosely - many babies were brought by their 5,6, or 7yr old Siblings!!!). On this particular Wednesday, we drove 45min into a very remote Community. Once again, my only nursing role was that of Pill-Pusher... but I was actually thankful! The only word I can use to describe this clinic is intense. The people were patient and not pushy at all but we weighed, immunized and medicated over 100 children and we were moving them thru the lineups as quickly as we could. I think I may have felt a little flustered if I had been given a much more significant role!!

more Gift Baskets!!

2009-11-03T12:31:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday afternoon, 8 children (whose families had applied for assistance) were taken out of their classes and given "Gift Baskets" (provided by our caring Friends and Family at home, of course!!). The pictures are dark b/c the kids met us in the storage room where the items were kept until after school... at which time, each child would have to carry their items home!!! (I felt bad that they had to carry so much - and that it was heavy - but they were just excited!). I don't have pictures of all the kids b/c a few of them were writing exams.

You've already seen pictures of Betty (left) and Bennett ...but this was them receiving their Gift Baskets and their baskets of Household Items. We had to drive their stuff home in the KCC truck b/c there was just too much for them to carry. Bennett's Jaja began crying and dancing around when we came to her home. ...I am getting emotional just remembering her reaction to receiving these gifts. It was wonderful to bring these items to her!

Another note about Bennett... we had someone look at his home to see if we could make some repairs to it, but they said that it's basically collapsing in on itself and he would need a whole new house. So we looked into the cost on this and set aside some of our donated money to save for a new home for Bennett. On our last day in Kibaale, we received an unexpected donation from some close friends which has put us much closer to being able to actually afford a decent house for Bennett and his Jaja!! We are so excited about this ...and will let you know when the work begins!

Divide & Conquer...

2009-11-03T11:36:00.000-08:00

James had the opportunity to take a dirt bike to a neighboring town with Sean (one of the Staff from KCC - he's from our Church in White Rock). The purpose of the trip was to document the severity of their water supply problem. Sean had been into the town earlier in the week ...only to find that their Borehole is not functioning and the community is currently collecting their water from an extremely polluted water source a few meters away. The water had a thick green sludgy film on top. Sean is hopeful that he will be able to resource enough money to fund a project to get the Borehole repaired for this Community.

James enjoyed the opportunity to ride the dirt roads of Kibaale on a BodaBoda.

A few days before we left for Uganda, I received an email requesting that I prepare to talk to the Grade 6-7 Girls about Abstinence. This sent me into a small panic as speaking in groups is not something I'm comfortable with (actually, I hate it!!). ...I was nervous enuff about leading Devotions to the classes (which Shan always assured me was "Simple!...Joel can do it!" - great!). Anyways, I agreed to try my best and I prayed a lot for peace about this. ...As it turned out, I was supposed to give this talk in the first 1-2 days that we were there but ended up not giving the talk (I can honestly say that I was relieved!). ...I thought I was off the hook just for having been willing :0) NICE TRY! The day before we left Uganda, the Grade 6-7 girls were separated from the boys and we met out on the grass under a big tree and had our discussion about abstinence. I was happy to have Shannon at my side for support. It went well. I felt much more peaceful than I thought I would. I have no idea if it impacted anyone... I guess that's like so many things that we'll never know how things end - but the Teachers were very appreciative and thought that it was a good talk. ...who knows!

Building Betty's Kitchen!

2009-10-26T11:43:00.001-07:00

So! One of the projects that we were specifically raising money for was the building of a Kitchen for a young girl named Betty (and her family). Thanks to Friends & Family (again!!) we were able to fulfill this task and the project was set into motion before we ever left Canada!

I'm not sure what you imagined when we said we were "building a kitchen"... it may have included a sink and countertop? We weren't sure what to expect either! It's actually more like a mud-hut with an aluminum roof. It is costly for them to build and quite necessary for keeping a fire burning all day and trying to keep unwanted "guests" out!

*** Let me tell you something neat things about Betty! ...For one, her smile is infectious!! She is a very shy girl but such a sweet girl! Her Parents were very gracious and welcoming (and THANKFUL) and her Dad is very involved in her family (which, we found, is not very common). Also, they are a family who shares their resources with the people living around them (many families take from their water collection tank and share their existing kitchen) they really give back to their community.

(when we arrived to work, the Bamboo-framed structure of the Kitchen was ready and Betty's Dad and some of the KCC workers were busily making mud with water that KCC trucked in)

(Joel came on a Field Trip!... Hard to say which course it was for... could have

been Socials, Science, Home Ec.... He was a hard worker!!)

(the Women in Uganda work soooo hard! It's kind of crazy that they always have to

wear a skirt! ...at least I thought so when I was mudding in mine!)

Betty's Family was so pleased with their new Kitchen! Her Mother prepared

maize-porridge for us as a token of their gratitude. (Seriously, I think that

accepting people's "gratitude" was the most challenging part of being in Uganda

for me!... this one was literally a bit of a tuff one to swallow!).

This is the Lovely Betty on the day that we gave her her baskets of household items and cooking supplies to go with her kitchen. She was so pleased to be bringing these items home!

Thanksgiving...

2009-10-25T16:58:00.001-07:00

Jeff & Shannon hosted an awesome Thanksgiving Dinner...with all the comfort foods of home!

Kibaale Town, Jeffy's Soccer Match & Kibaale Hill...

2009-10-25T16:26:00.000-07:00

This is Kibaale Town ...the crowd of people is just a portion of the

Spectators for Jeff's football match!

We totally enjoyed watching Jeff's team play. ...the spectators were REALLY into it

...and pretty ruthless when Jeffy made an error (they all laughed out loud). It was

pretty hysterical! Jeff can totally "hold his own" out there though.

Sunday afternoon, Joel lead us on a hike up Kibaale Hill.

This view is of the KIBAALE COMMUNITY CENTRE property from the hill

SAFARI!

2009-10-25T14:06:00.000-07:00

Jeff & Shan took us to one of their favorite Safari destinations in Uganda... Queen Elizabeth National Park. We had to drive about 4hrs away to get there but it was spectacular!! This was our first Safari (ever) and the Dycks said that it ended up being one of the best one's they'd been on! (what else are they supposed to say?!). We saw hundreds of Hippos, over 50 Elephants (our favorite!), 19 Lions, lots of Crocodile, Water-buffalo, Warthogs & Cob, 1 Leopard and 1 Hyena! ...(we even saw Zebra when we were driving home!!).

This sign cracked us up (it's posted on the road on the way to the Park!)

(Queen Elizabeth National Park - I told you... beautiful!!)

We went on a 2hr Boat Safari! We had a driver & a guide all to ourselves! Very Cool.

Countless Hippos!!

The Elephants were amazing! Some were 10 ft away from us, and a couple

even made noise at us when we got too close! (Jeff was a GREAT guide

... got us in as close to everything as he could!)

Jeff drove us off track a couple times... and we ended up very "up close & personal" with many Lions! The first time there were only 2... the last time was at dusk and we drove right into 2 different Prides of Lions! We enjoyed watching them so much that by the time we left them it was so dark out that we could only see their red eyes glowing in the headlights!!! CRAZY!

We stayed somewhere J&S had never stayed b4... the Bush Lodge. It was so neat. We stayed in permanent tents on the Kazinga Channel, where we could watch Hippos from our veranda during the day (and hear them munching grass outside our huts at night!!). ...we had a Night Guard who wouldn't let us out of his sight!!

(cool outdoor shower/backyard behind each tent ...all lit up with lanterns in the evening).

forgive me...

2009-10-21T20:06:00.000-07:00

Of course I've been trying to complete is in sequential order... what a hassle! Now you have to scroll to the bottom to get to the start. ...And as I'm sure you can see... it's a work in progress (I'm just working on the end of week one! ack! - yes, this is the scaled down selection of our pics!!).

some random, but typical, pictures...

2009-10-21T11:47:00.001-07:00

(the line up to collect water at a local Borehole)

(...it's not typical to see pavement - this was on our way to Kampala.

It is VERY common to see bikes LOADED with oversized items!!)

Mazzy's B-day Party

2009-10-21T11:06:00.000-07:00

On Wed night we had little Birthday Party for the Lovely Miss MAZZY! …yup, she’s 2!

5 Home Visits in 1 Day!!

2009-10-12T09:31:00.000-07:00

On our first Wed in Kibaale, we started the morning with leading Devotions for a P4 class - Nassuuna Grace’s class, actually. (I think she was mortified to have us there …kind of like, oh my! What are THEY doing here??! This is so embarrassing! But that’s just b/c she’s verrrrry shy and she seemed OK once she realized that we were not going to draw any special attention to her!). We led our Devotion on the topic of PRAYER… but truthfully, WE had already learned so much more from them on the topic!

Here’s a little “aside” …their class settings are amazing! At 8:00am (sharp!) the kids all line up outside the main school building – here they sing songs, recite the Lord’s Prayer, and receive announcements from their school leader. They dismiss to their select classes… singing loudly all the way!

Once they get to their classes… there is MORE (loud!) singing!! This is initiated by one of the students (no matter what age… from 4yrs old and up, this happens!) and it is infectious!! I LOVED hearing the kids sing. The kids would praise God like this for ~10min. and shortly after the Teacher arrived the singing would turn into prayers… the kids would spontaneously kneel down or turn to a corner and begin praying – outloud, all together – it was amazing. We were blessed to experience it.

(this is Grace)

After Breakfast we loaded up the Truck and went on 5 more Home Visits!! It was pretty wonderful to be able to be the “vessels” for delivering the items that our Friends and Family had bought! This day, we delivered WATER COLLECTION SYSTEMS (pretty basic – but costly and necessary – they consist of a gutter which was fixed onto the house, and a large (220 Litres) plastic barrel for collecting the water.

The first home we visited was George’s. He is one of 7 kids in his family (he had one sibling die from Malaria). He is the only one in his family who attends KCC – he has siblings at the local Muslim school. He is doing well in school (is in S1 – which is rare for kids in Uganda …many do not pass p7 – and if you fail this 2x you cannot go on in school). His Family had a nice house (in good condition) and some ways to make a living…. Goats, Matooke crops (which were not doing well b/c of the extended dry season) and coffee trees. Until now, George has had to walk 1hr each way to a Borehole in Kibaale to collect water for his Family’s needs. His Mother was very grateful …and was leaning over the barrel singing, “God is so good…” as we drove away.

The second home we visited was James’s. James is the 5^th child of 6 in his Family. Both his parents died from AIDS about 10yrs ago and his older brother stopped attending school to raise the kids. James is in S3 and his favorite subject is Physics. His Jaja (Grandparent) lives with them now and they have to walk 30min to the nearest Borehole to collect their water.

The 3^rd home we visited was Joyce’s. She is the 3^rd of 6 kids and her Mother works hard in the nearby fields. Joyce walks 1hr to get to school each day and around 20min to collect her water for the Family.

The 4^th home was Bennett’s. I have to confess… he stole a pretty special part of our hearts. His house was in terrible condition (not really even suitable for attaching a gutter to!). His Mother died ~10yrs ago and his Father left his family. Bennett lives with his Jaja (who is very frail and not healthy). I don’t even know how far he has to walk for water… I got too caught up with how little he had (his Grandma had NO supplies for cooking or cleaning, no food). It seems that Bennett probably only eats what he’s given at school. ….But you should see this Boy! He’s soooo lovely! Bennett is in P4 at KCC. We left his house knowing that we would be back with some basic household items and food staples …and hopefully a plan for getting him a more stable house.

The final home we visited that day was Annet’s. Her parents left her… for better opportunities in the City (sad, huh?). She is cared for by her Jaja. Annette is in p4 at KCC and walks about 1hr to get water. Annet was very excited to come home with a new Water Collection Unit!!

One thing I am quickly realizing is that pictures are not going to do these experiences any justice!! Hopefully they will give you at least a glimpse of what we’ve been able to be part of!

Our First Home Visit - NASSUUNA GRACE

2009-10-12T07:38:00.001-07:00

Tuesday afternoon was VERY cool. James, myself, and 2 staff (Jamie & Rose - who work with the sponsorship program) went on a home visit equipped with GIFTS which were generously donated by our wonderful Friends and Family at home...let me tell you, I could not be more proud to have you as my Friends...

We went to the home of our Sponsor-child, Nassuuna Grace. She lives about a one hour walk from the school (which she does in her bare-feet... along a dirt road which includes a loooong hill!). Grace lives with her Mother and 2 step siblings. Her father had been a successful business man in town but he had left his family for another and when he died (very recently) he left NOTHING for Grace and her Mom except for their home (no beds, or pots or anything...). As I mentioned b4, we went to the market... where we bought 3 Bed sets (mattress, sheet and blanket), cooking pots and utensils, bowls and cups for eating/drinking, some staple foods like maze, big bars of soap and basins for washing clothes and paraffin for fire/light... we also grabbed some Sodas and candy as a treat (which made Grace pretty happy!).

Grace met us at the KCF (Kibaale Children's Fund) office after school (she's in p4 - the equivalent of gr.4 at home) and we drove her home. When we pulled into her yard, her Mom came running out to hug us and kept crying "thank you, thank you, welcome". We were welcomed into her home where she laid down grass mats for us to kneel on. She was overwhelmed with gratitude (I am NOT exaggerating). She would not stop sighing and thanking us... and saying "I had nothing but now the Lord has come!". Then she suddenly got up and left the house... only to return 5min later with two CHICKENS!!...alive, flailing and with their legs bound (thank God!). These were what she was saving to buy soap and so she insisted on giving them to us to show her gratitude. I really wanted to leave mine with her, since it would be so much more useful to her (and I was not excited about cheerfully carrying my chicken away with me)... but that would rude... so I did. I was brave :0) ...Dion would have been ashamed of me b/c i felt a little freaked out about the flailing chicken thing.

It was a pretty awesome experience ...the Family was so blessed. And James and I felt honored to be part of the giving! Thank you Friends!!

Continued...

2009-10-10T06:22:00.000-07:00

Monday afternoon, we set a few things in motion for getting the donated money spent where needed (didn't waste any time!!)... ordered some supplies and worked some things out. We also went to MARKET MONDAY (apparently usually a pretty crazy experience... not too crazy for us, but interesting). We spent a bunch of money buying the bed-sets and house supplies generously supplied by our Friends and Family... for our sponsor-child, Grace, and her family.

(no, we didn't buy a radio... I this just stood out as interesting to me!)

I also spent some time in the Dyck-Classroom where Shan home-schools her kids. This made me miss my own kids a little... made me wonder what they would do in school that Day. Shan runs a great classroom and the kids really enjoy being taught by her! ...Amazingly, Finny does everything Av does even though he is a full year younger. Kinda neat! Later in the day, Jeff and Jamie set up 7 Lap Top computers in what is their new Computer Lab for the Staff here ...and with Sean, they helped introduce some Staff to making simple worksheets and excel spread sheets. A pretty exciting day for the Staff here!

Tuesday... Jamie and I started the Day by leading a Devotional for a gr.7 class, then went to deliver TONS of medical supplies that we brought for the Medical Clinic here (and had to sort them!!) ...and I spent a little time helping in the clinic. That was kind of funny b/c I ended up being most needed with the pharmacist... dispensing meds. Not totally my specialty but I was glad to be put to work.

Then we went out with another couple of staff members to check in on a NEW project that has been set in motion (called SODIS).... the purpose of this project is to help people in the surrounding area disinfect their water with SOLAR exposure rather than having to boil it. We found that the set-ups that have been distributed were all in use when we arrived and the community was, in general, very happy with this alternative to boiling their water. Of course it was very eye-opening to walk into these remote communities and see the people who live there (remind me to tell you about the Woman who was so happy to see us that she ran into the bushes and dropped the ANIMAL LEG that she was carrying and ran over to greet us... yuck!but still a testimony of how thankful people are for the work that PAOS is doing in Kibaale).

...the REST of yesterday and Today was AMAZING ...and I will have to write about it at a later time... I'm monopolizing the computer right now. (sorry!).

We are loving being in Uganda. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. This is truly an amazing place!

What we've been up to...

2009-10-07T11:12:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Kibaale on Sunday evening. The Kibaale Community Centre where the Dycks live and work is truly beautiful, and the people are genuinely lovely. The Staff and Kids are very warm and welcoming... and the Kids are quite shy (and very respectful ...with "Good Morning Uncle James" when Jamie greets them :0) Very cute.

(we're being introduced to the Students & Staff)

(the Nursery, Primary and Secondary Students are separated into 3 different locations on the Campus... these are some of the Primary Students).

We're having a lot of fun hangin' with the Dyck family. Joel, Avin, Finn & Mazzy are right in their element and are happy to show us the ropes around here. Jeff & Shan are amazing hosts, making us feel very welcome and loved. It is very fun to be back together with them!! ...nice to hear Jeffy calling Jamie "jamie-lynn spears" again :0) haha.

On Monday, Jeff just gave us the tour of the grounds and the projects that they have under way (very impressive!).

(some of the Kitchen staff peeling Matooke ...which is a staple food in Uganda. They boil it and serve it ...similar in texture to our Sweet Potatoes)

(this is the Medical Clinic - which Jeff was in charge of building - and it it continuously busy! This Clinic serves the Kids & Staff at their Centre as well as the People in their Community. They have assessment/treatment rooms, a functioning lab, and a pharmacy dispensary on site. I wish I would have taken a picture of the clinic we visited 5 min down the road... not even remotely comparable!!).

(their Chicken project... which is supplying eggs and meat (& soon fish food!!) for their Centre)

(the newest project underway... a Fish Farm! I'm not sure I can do it justice by explaining it... but it will be part of a much bigger plan for sustained living... chicken waste feeds fish, fish waste feeds crop, harvested crop feeds chicken...) ...I think.

We were praying like mad for Rain to come b4 the Fish-Expert arrives this next week... and apparently, the Heavens have opened up!! Rainy season has finally arrived!!

Finally some Pictures :0)

2009-10-06T05:17:00.000-07:00

The pics are in reverse order... sorry.

Shan home-schools the kids

Then on Sunday after Church, we traveled South of the Equator!! ...and headed into Kibaale (the middle of nowhere Africa!) where we are working and living at the Kibaale Community Centre.Can you see ME in there?? ...I was showing the Kids pictures of our Boys... the Kids swarmed me!!!

Jamie and the House Mamas/Aunties
on our last night in Mpigi, we went to the Kids' houses (there are 3 of them) and tucked them in and gave them some gifts. Jamie gave the Boys a special soccer ball from the Mackies... they were verrrrry excited!

The Boys came out in FULL soccer (football) uniform (all of which had either Peace Arch Soccer Club or Semi logos on them!!). They loved playing with Jeff, Jamie, Joel and Finn.
Hanging out with the Kids was so much fun!!

Christine held Jamie's hand or snuggled up to him whenever possible! Cute.

Jeffy
yes, Shan rides a Boda Boda with Mazzy...

This was a highlight for Jamie... We took a Boda Boda ride into the town of Mpigi, where we toured the shop where Jay Duncan (a Musician from the Lower Mainland) has created a workshop and taught some of the Locals how to make guitars to sell and export. The company is called Duncan Africa.

Wanna see Pictures?

2009-10-05T12:13:00.000-07:00

Jeff and Shan actually posted a few pics on their blog... so you can take a look there. I will try to update ours with some pics tomorrow.

jeffshan.blogspot.com

2009-10-04T09:02:00.000-07:00

We had 7 Bags FULL!!

This is in Mpigi (we had just barely arrived!). The kids were sooo warm and welcoming!

The grounds are BEAUTIFUL... this is where our Church-plant PPCC is.

Hi Everyone!

THANKS SO MUCH for looking after our kids and sending the re-assuring emails!
We have NOT been worrying about the kids at all... but it's so nice to be RIGHT!  We're glad that they seem to be doing awesome!  WE DO MISS YOU BOYS A LOT THOUGH!...many of the little kids remind us of you b/c of their fantastic smiles and sillinesss!!  Dad played soccer with some Really good little soccer players too!

We just arrived at the place where we be staying for the next 2 weeks ...KIBAALE!  Jeff and Shan have a beautiful place here... and we have our own small house to stay in while we're here... cool.  We will have access to J&S's computers now that we're here so we will be able to keep in touch a little.

SO!...the flight to London was long... but good.  We left one hour late but arrived on schedule (?!)... tail wind :0).  After a long line in Customs we did a swift (and brief) walk around London - Loved it.  Would love to spend a few days there!!!  Will have to go back some time!  The weather was really nice... like a fall Day at home :0)

We flew into Entebbe at 8am Friday (would have been 6pm for you guys).  Made a quick stop there to have a shower and drop you guys an email... and headed off to Mpigi (where our church-plant is... PPCC).  AMAZING people there!  we felt so warmly welcomed and appreciated!  The kids and staff are wonderful.  We've already taken over 500 pictures... might have to go thru them at some point!  I'll see if I can load some up in the next couple of days!

We love you all and are very thankful to you for taking care of our boys.
I'm going to try to post to the Blog in the future sot that we can keep everyone up to date at once!
HUGS AND KISSES TO MY BOYS!!

Mom, did Aiden make it to VT ok?  How's that going, Aiden??...Aiden, get Grandma to help you type me an email :0)
xoxo
r.

what a GREAT day!

2009-09-20T20:42:00.000-07:00

Surrounded by some Friends, Family... and perfect Strangers... Jamie was Baptized at Crescent Beach today!! It was sooo beautiful and sunny, and the venue was so intimate. Lots of people huddled around and celebrating together with those who shared their stories of Salvation and Hope (there were 11 people baptized... some really amazing examples of God's faithfulness!).

There was a HUGE crowd

so much to do!

2009-09-18T13:47:00.001-07:00

I'm madly getting ready... Laundry, lists, notes for the wonderful babysitters and teachers... gathering medical (and other) supplies ...ahhhhh. I'm seriously hoping that I won't forget anything too important.

BIG NEWS: Jamie's getting baptized this w/e :0) ...pretty awesome.

not as big of news (but still important) ...Lan's (dare I say it??) toilet trained! (perhaps that statement will come back to bite me in the butt?!... I hope not... the babysitters hope not!).

15 Days and Counting....

2009-09-15T22:32:00.000-07:00

It's a busy week... Conn has his first day of Kindergarten :0) How cute!... Aiden's in the groove of school (to the point that when I asked him who he played with today, his response was, "you know, the usual people" - WHAT! who are the "usual people"?! You've only been in school for a week!). Ridiculous. ...Lan. ...well, I LOVE being just Lan and I a few times a week... it's going to be wonderful!