ONE YEAR OVER

A Ugandan wedding couple I work with Jackie at school

How the weeks are flying by, to make 1 year. Next year at this time we MAY be unemployed again. There are only the days in between. After year the things we have learned about ourselves as a couple and ourselves as people at times are pretty depressing. Mostly because they point to the self ish side of our personality's. The command to go and serve others as Jesus did, is fine for the short term but as many married people know, if it is short term (like 20 minutes) we can do it well and happily, but when it is much longer then that, self ishness comes in. So when I here Jesus commands I wonder why I follow him but then I think about what else would I do, I hate being lied to so I guess I will continue to pursue the truth that he came to witness too. So, in the past week here are some of my 20 minute encounters. 

The first 2 I don't have pictures of but again they are hospital related. I was in the operating theater looking for students and found one carrying a new baby girl to the midwife. The mother had a C-Section for twins and they were both alive and pink and doing well. A few of us were standing around admiring and feeling like the excitement. (Just want you health professionals to know not ALL the babies I encounter get CPR) then a student was taking a surgical pt back to the surgery ward from theater after she had just had her thyroid out for cancer. She wasn't awake and was gasping as she breathed. She was also overweight, rather large and had a short neck. In the states she would have gone to recovery with an oral airway in to keep her tongue out of the way and to watch and see if her throat swelled because the surgery is on the neck, and they keep her there until she is awake. So 2 students load her onto the cart by pushing and pulling and hefting and heaving because she is dead weight take to outside to the surgery ward load her into her bed on her stomach and twist her head to the side with the nice new cut on her neck getting manipulated and just kinda leave her. No vitals signs checked here. So, I go access her and it sounds like her throat is swelling her respiration are getting shallower and I am having a moral debate. The nurse responsible for the ward of 40 comes and I voice my concerns to her. I tell her I am worried the woman will die of airway obstruction if her throat keeps swelling. She said that may be what happens, but together we reposition her. I am not happy with the answer so I go back over to the theater and get the head nurse there (I think there are only 2) explain it she talks to the Dr who is doing another case already and he tells us she should be flat with her head extended. I go back to the woman we position her that way and the respiration are worse. I bring all the students to the bed side explain what is happening and tell them not to “fear” the Dr. that the pt needs the care only the surgery can give and we must take her back. (With Dr and midwife ego's and respect involved I try and tread very easily to help where I can and suggest where I cannot) Dr are open generally but the midwives are a bit more prickly...) anyway after showing students the signs to look for that tell you when someone is in distress, we load her back on the cart using a lift sheet rather then the push pull method and take her back to theater. Remember there are only 2 nurses here but the other staff wander around so we parked her next to a wall, I prayed and left...If she needs CPR at least she will get it here. 2 hours later I went back to the surgical ward and she was there with her family and alert enough now to squeeze my hand, and position her neck so she could breath easily. Would she have died had I not come along? That is the question I ask myself a lot as I do see much that needs simple intervention and there I am. But my answer is more and more "Jesus wrote each of our names in a book before any of us came to be and assigned us a number to our days", so it is His to decide who lives and dies, I am just passing by and doing the work he called me to. Sounds nice doesn't it? Well it gives me moral fits and keeps me praying. I wish I could say it happens very rarely that I have this conversation about; to intervene and not to intervene, but it would be a lie. I have it a couple times a week and sometimes a day... Now on with the pictures 

These 2 women are selling water jars made out of clay from S of here. So they carried these to town along with the babies you see on their back. A jug weighs about 8-15#. I have one the size of the top one for my refrigerator. You put a rock in it and about 4 cups of water and put your veggies on the rock to keep them cooler then the house. I works pretty well. The big white pkg on the top of her head is 3 jars tied together in a katange (fabric) and then balanced on her head in the middle. Did I tell you it is hot here?

 Well it is. I followed them about ½ mile to get close enough to take the pic and they were walking on. I don't now where... Not being able to drive here is unpleasant but walking with just your own weight to carry if a gift. Thank you Jesus! 

Next are pics from a birthday party we were included in. We don't get many invitations to Ugandan events. We have been included in 2 introductions (engagement parties) and 2 wedding, a house blessing, but not any family event at someones home. Innocent, who is in charge of infection control at the hospital and his wife, Alice, who is head of the eye clinic have 2 children. They had birthdays and the party was for them. Innocent also had 3 brothers who have “passed” and he is raising there children and paying fees for them to be in school. We spent the afternoon under his fruit trees talking with him as Alice was making food with the help of 4 others. Then Alice served just Tom and I food and had me go first. I asked if that was custom to have the women eat first as I understood the men eat, the kids eat then the wife, she told me I was to fix Tom's food and serve him. I noticed a little of that old self ishness arise. But I was in there home and this is the custom and it wouldn't hurt me to do it...Maybe

 Are you wondering how all these people are going to get cake? Well the cake gets cut in pieces and then they cut each wedge in 3's, 4 if there are really a lot of people so everyone gets a taste. Which is why the Ugandans can see in the dark and bite off bottle caps (they eat more of the good foods and less of the sugars) 

This picture is one of the students and her mom who was in the ER waiting treatment. Do you think they look like sisters? I did

The last picture is of a woman making a traditional heat keeper. This is a round woven lid with intricate design through it. She sells the Congo fabric you see in the background and does this while she waits for customers. You don't often see such intricate weaving so I wanted to purchase this as it is so beautiful. The cost for me was 100,000UGX or $40. Another moral dilemma What will I do with this if I do by it? Guess what I did?

So that is another week at the 1 year mark here in Uganda. Love from beautiful Arua where the dry (hot) season is starting (but I only have myself to carry around) TIA Marc

White on White

Another day at work! Never know what someone will give you.  This is why we don't eat much meat...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUNTIE

Since everyday I walk through the hospital grounds, some days a fragrance will overcome me. They are not always pleasant, like when they are burning body parts and placenta down at the outdoor incinerator, but a couple weeks ago it was a sweet perfume that wafted up so I followed my nose and it took me here.

  This is the kitchen for the majority of the hospital. Remember I told you if you don't have a caretaker who brings all the stuff to cook with and serve with, you will starve? Well, here is where the do the preparing. The fragrance was from one of the woods that were burning and it smelled like a mild light patchouli. So being there I took these photos to share. Dishes set out to dry in the hot sun, that maybe sterilizes them,

 Washing dishes area it has piped water some days or the ladies use the jeri can. (remember 40# on top of there head to bring water to where they need it)

The woman you see here is making peanut butter. They have small peanuts called G nuts that they grind on a stone with a stone. One of the ladies at Tom's work told me a REAL wife does it this way. (Thank you Naoko for mailing us some) and they gave me a lesson. Takes too long and uses a lot of energy so Tom will have to eat the nuts whole until he gets a REAL Wife. They use the gnut paste in sauce with greens (weeds that I picked I don't know how many of at the Jeske's) and it tastes wonderful. Water, Weeds, and g nut paste YUM!  Tom and I crave it we think it is the Vit A in the weeds. We can develop a whole new market Dennis when I come back.

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 everyone has a segeri ( small charcoal holder used to cook) and large bags of charcoal are here, but I think the caretakers have to pay for i

 This the current kitchen, hospital, caretaker crew for this day. It had been rainy so they were all under the tin roof doing the cooking.

. For variety you will see all these children out collecting dessert for supper. In Late spring which it is here, the ants get wings and start flying away to go nest themselves. There are hundreds of them and they look like a cloud of fairy dust as they rise up and disperse. The young children go out and collect for supper. They put them in the fry pan plain and fry them. They are very oily and need nothing else with them. Sometimes the kids just pop them in their mouth as they are good fresh. I wouldn't know yet. I don't think I have had them. ? In Dec it is grasshopper season. The grasshoppers here are huge so it doesn't take many to fill you up, I heard. I am full when they offer. Hate to take the delicacy away from someone who would enjoy them.

   

Tom took a picture of the public utilities at the back of our house. The large black barrels up high is city water, and we built a catchment for the rain rainwater down low. and use it to wash clothes and drink. We filter it with a porcelain candle before consuming. The solar panels are for our 2 lights in the house and black bag on the ground by the tank is the solar shower that gets the water really hot for the evening wash.

Next are things we saw while walking around the town I added captions.

Do you think he could get anything else in the box?

When stove has a different meaning.

If the government shuts your milk business down you can sell (bonga) clothes

One of the 13 who's PA system always works at 5AM

Tom shopping at Herberger's GET RID OF IT SALE

 Saw this in the clothes market as we looked for familiar names we knew in the used section.  He was reluctant to have his picture taken but we insisted.  Think you might be in Minneapolis wouldn't you?  Well, your not and we miss you all and this was our reminder for the week. TIA Love,  Marc