This is only some of the kids that were the orphans here.
Ok I left the group to come home and blog because we still have power, whoa! Let's see where did I leave off? Um ok after I gave the families some blankets we went to our next family and this is the family my mom and dad sponsored! Way to go mom and dad! The father in your family has TB and has not been able to work. The children are starving so GFR bought this family a pig. Your sponsoring them will enable the children to go to school, get healthcare and eat! They will have clothes and shoes now. You saved this family's lives! They were soooo destitute I can't even tell you. Mom this is where I gave the dolls, they have 3 girls and 1 boy. The boy was in school and he heard we were there so he ran all the way home to see me. He was dripping wet with sweat because he ran so hard so he wouldn't miss seeing us! Mom I gave him one of the cars you bought! There is a photo of him in here. I have it all on video so you can see the entire presentation of me telling them they now have a sponsor! They received blankets, clothes and toys from others as well.
Then we continued to visit more families and finally left the huts close to dark. We were on the other side of the Chimpanzee Forest in Uganda. This is a famous forest and you can see the monkeys in the trees. Baboons were all over the place and I got some nice photos of them. I just found out since my last blog we were only a few kilometers from the Congo! Glad I made it home! The road in was not a road at all and the only way to visualize it is to see my videos. At one point the doctor yelled "everybody on the high side and I mean it" The bus was tipping over. Kinda funny now but at the time........ especially since I was on the low side!
So now we are driving out to the main village. This I will try to explain. In Africa there is like 1 main road and it's paved. You drive off that road onto a main dirt road and from there the roads go way back into the bush and they split off in all directions. All along these roads are markets and huts. The stores at the markets are about the size of a 4x4 room and they are tin shacks. Then off from the "market area" is the smaller dirt roads and then they lead into the foot paths! Yes we went all the way with this huge bus into the foot paths! All along the way are areas were several families will be living in huts. These are the people we are helping. Ok so now you kinda know how remote.
So in one of these remote villages is a "hotel" Most hotels are 2 rooms with no running water and no electricity. And cleanliness? Forget about it. We found the nicest of these and they were told to spray for cockroaches and clean everything very well. Well the toilets were dirty and the water was brown. Yes brown! So no shower for us. It was a very hot day, 7 hours on a bus and then hours in the bush and no shower. I used every baby wipe I had. They give you "clean water" in a yellow jug for washing. But my roommate noticed small worms swimming in it. That was enough for me. No shower! The local food was very gritty. My first bite of rice was a sandy mix of rice and grit. So I put that aside and tried the flour thing and it too was sandy. So then I tried the potato and it tasted like earth. So now no food for me. I just couldn't eat. I had a piece of my chicken jerky later and that was that. The room was very small and we slept two to a very small "double". No sleep for me.
But that didn't really matter because when you saw the people and the children it was soooo worth it. After we arrived there was a group of widows that came to sing for us. Oh my God how can I tell you what it was like to have them crying and singing and telling you how thankful they were that GFR was here. They sang how before we came there was no hope, just waiting to die. But now they have hope and they think they can go on! At one point one of the widows fell to her knees while singing and started crying. Her hands were raised to heaven and she just wept. I was crying by then too! It is such a beautiful language to hear when it is sung. They danced and we all got up to join in the dance. Later we were told that when we joined them in dance it was honoring them. We were their family now! One women crawled on the stage as she has polio. She couldn't dance but stayed in front and sang with the others for us. She wears flip flops on her hands to get around. Her name is Evangeline. At the end of the evening Ben was presented with a rod and told that the last dance they did for him was reserved for Kings! He was now considered a King in this land! All was forgotten about the hotel!
The next day I was so moved by Evangeline that I asked Ben if Chris could be her sponsor. She was scheduled to be sponsored but not this day. So Ben made an exception and we stopped. I was able to present her with gifts, say a prayer and tell her she is now sponsored! Thank you Chris!!!!!!!!!! I also was able to present her with money that was donated by my wonderful sister Susie! Thank you Sue!!!!!! I was later told that the money Susie gave was more than she made in 1 year. The money goes so far here. Chris you saved her life and you should have seen her face! I have the presentation of sponsorship on video for you! You won't believe what good you are about to do. Susie she cried when I gave her the money. Thank you sooo much!!! I am so proud of my family that my heart is about to burst.
The need is never ending. The love is also never ending here!
We then went to a "village" near the monkey forest and met about 200 orphans and many families. (Very few men) I was told there has NEVER been a white person to this place before today. That's how far GFR goes! This is the place where we almost tipped the bus! There was a group of kids that were sort of like a band and they marched for us as we walked off the bus. In the background all of them were sitting in rows on the ground and in benches, under tarps, waiting for our arrival. It was absolutely incredible! How can you describe it? Under the main tarp was a broken down table and several empty chairs for Ben and us to sit in. A position of honor. We were blessed and a small ceremony was performed for us. You couldn't believe the number of orphans that were there. We were all shocked. Hundreds of them. All the most beautiful faces you could ever imagine. All staring at us in wonder. Their eyes are forever burned in my memory. I made a promise, I will do all I can to make a difference here.
We dug a foundation for a house and spent almost the entire day with these beautiful people. I gave away all the food I had with me and all the candy I bought the day before. I remember the hands. So many hands reaching out and not enough to give them. These little hands begging for a "sweetie". I needed help from our driver to keep the kids in control. Handing out things here is a very difficult process. You must be very careful as it can turn to chaos in a second. Someone can get hurt so you must be careful.
I didn't eat today. I just couldn't. I hardly drank any water either. It seemed wrong. I had no appetite anyway. It was no longer important for me to eat.
So much happened here that it's hard to tell you. I gave the little boy who we built the house for my shoes. He is 14 and I would have guessed he was 9 years old. The children are stunted from lack of nutrition. He is an orphan and is the head of his house. Ben learned about him and is now building him his very own hut. A brick hut! Broady is his name and he never had a pair of shoes before. He was showered with love, food, clothes and is now sponsored! He was a celebrity for the day! I left everything else I had to give with this community. It still wasn't enough but it was all I had so they got it.
Before we left Ben approached me and asked if there were any more sponsors in my family as he had a grandma that was caring for many orphans and she needed help immediately. Her grandchild was so sick and the doctor thought it would only be days before the child would die. I walked away about 5 minutes thought about all I had in America, thanked God for my life and for my new job and my raise, then turned to Ben and said "I'll do it" . I was thinking me and Susie could sponsor this family. The Grandmother was so sad she couldn't even smile at first. But then I told her that I loved her very much and that me and my sister would be helping her now. I told her I don't have a grandma on earth so she can be my grandmother here on earth. I told her Kathleen and Suzanne are her 2 new grandchildren from America. She fell into my arms and cried and laughed at the same time. Susie you gave her money too and we gave the blankets Chris donated and the rest of my food went to this family. I was so moved and so full of joy and love. I have NEVER felt this way before. It was good and you could feel God in this place. I think grandma Eloise popped by for a heavenly visit as well! Overwhelmed, overwhelmed am I!
Before getting on the bus one of the orphans read a poem about Death. He asked why this AIDS has taken their parents and why they have been left alone. I was once again moved to tears. It is a common thing for me to cry now. Sometimes because I am so sad and other times because I have so much love in my heart for all these people.
Oh I forgot to tell you about all the elephantitis here as well. This is a very painful and ugly disease. Many people have contracted it here and there was no way to help them. Thank God the doctor brought much medication. We are also giving money to buy more for them. I will post a photo.
Then we continued to visit more families and finally left the huts close to dark. We were on the other side of the Chimpanzee Forest in Uganda. This is a famous forest and you can see the monkeys in the trees. Baboons were all over the place and I got some nice photos of them. I just found out since my last blog we were only a few kilometers from the Congo! Glad I made it home! The road in was not a road at all and the only way to visualize it is to see my videos. At one point the doctor yelled "everybody on the high side and I mean it" The bus was tipping over. Kinda funny now but at the time........ especially since I was on the low side!
So now we are driving out to the main village. This I will try to explain. In Africa there is like 1 main road and it's paved. You drive off that road onto a main dirt road and from there the roads go way back into the bush and they split off in all directions. All along these roads are markets and huts. The stores at the markets are about the size of a 4x4 room and they are tin shacks. Then off from the "market area" is the smaller dirt roads and then they lead into the foot paths! Yes we went all the way with this huge bus into the foot paths! All along the way are areas were several families will be living in huts. These are the people we are helping. Ok so now you kinda know how remote.
So in one of these remote villages is a "hotel" Most hotels are 2 rooms with no running water and no electricity. And cleanliness? Forget about it. We found the nicest of these and they were told to spray for cockroaches and clean everything very well. Well the toilets were dirty and the water was brown. Yes brown! So no shower for us. It was a very hot day, 7 hours on a bus and then hours in the bush and no shower. I used every baby wipe I had. They give you "clean water" in a yellow jug for washing. But my roommate noticed small worms swimming in it. That was enough for me. No shower! The local food was very gritty. My first bite of rice was a sandy mix of rice and grit. So I put that aside and tried the flour thing and it too was sandy. So then I tried the potato and it tasted like earth. So now no food for me. I just couldn't eat. I had a piece of my chicken jerky later and that was that. The room was very small and we slept two to a very small "double". No sleep for me.
But that didn't really matter because when you saw the people and the children it was soooo worth it. After we arrived there was a group of widows that came to sing for us. Oh my God how can I tell you what it was like to have them crying and singing and telling you how thankful they were that GFR was here. They sang how before we came there was no hope, just waiting to die. But now they have hope and they think they can go on! At one point one of the widows fell to her knees while singing and started crying. Her hands were raised to heaven and she just wept. I was crying by then too! It is such a beautiful language to hear when it is sung. They danced and we all got up to join in the dance. Later we were told that when we joined them in dance it was honoring them. We were their family now! One women crawled on the stage as she has polio. She couldn't dance but stayed in front and sang with the others for us. She wears flip flops on her hands to get around. Her name is Evangeline. At the end of the evening Ben was presented with a rod and told that the last dance they did for him was reserved for Kings! He was now considered a King in this land! All was forgotten about the hotel!
The next day I was so moved by Evangeline that I asked Ben if Chris could be her sponsor. She was scheduled to be sponsored but not this day. So Ben made an exception and we stopped. I was able to present her with gifts, say a prayer and tell her she is now sponsored! Thank you Chris!!!!!!!!!! I also was able to present her with money that was donated by my wonderful sister Susie! Thank you Sue!!!!!! I was later told that the money Susie gave was more than she made in 1 year. The money goes so far here. Chris you saved her life and you should have seen her face! I have the presentation of sponsorship on video for you! You won't believe what good you are about to do. Susie she cried when I gave her the money. Thank you sooo much!!! I am so proud of my family that my heart is about to burst.
The need is never ending. The love is also never ending here!
We then went to a "village" near the monkey forest and met about 200 orphans and many families. (Very few men) I was told there has NEVER been a white person to this place before today. That's how far GFR goes! This is the place where we almost tipped the bus! There was a group of kids that were sort of like a band and they marched for us as we walked off the bus. In the background all of them were sitting in rows on the ground and in benches, under tarps, waiting for our arrival. It was absolutely incredible! How can you describe it? Under the main tarp was a broken down table and several empty chairs for Ben and us to sit in. A position of honor. We were blessed and a small ceremony was performed for us. You couldn't believe the number of orphans that were there. We were all shocked. Hundreds of them. All the most beautiful faces you could ever imagine. All staring at us in wonder. Their eyes are forever burned in my memory. I made a promise, I will do all I can to make a difference here.
We dug a foundation for a house and spent almost the entire day with these beautiful people. I gave away all the food I had with me and all the candy I bought the day before. I remember the hands. So many hands reaching out and not enough to give them. These little hands begging for a "sweetie". I needed help from our driver to keep the kids in control. Handing out things here is a very difficult process. You must be very careful as it can turn to chaos in a second. Someone can get hurt so you must be careful.
I didn't eat today. I just couldn't. I hardly drank any water either. It seemed wrong. I had no appetite anyway. It was no longer important for me to eat.
So much happened here that it's hard to tell you. I gave the little boy who we built the house for my shoes. He is 14 and I would have guessed he was 9 years old. The children are stunted from lack of nutrition. He is an orphan and is the head of his house. Ben learned about him and is now building him his very own hut. A brick hut! Broady is his name and he never had a pair of shoes before. He was showered with love, food, clothes and is now sponsored! He was a celebrity for the day! I left everything else I had to give with this community. It still wasn't enough but it was all I had so they got it.
Before we left Ben approached me and asked if there were any more sponsors in my family as he had a grandma that was caring for many orphans and she needed help immediately. Her grandchild was so sick and the doctor thought it would only be days before the child would die. I walked away about 5 minutes thought about all I had in America, thanked God for my life and for my new job and my raise, then turned to Ben and said "I'll do it" . I was thinking me and Susie could sponsor this family. The Grandmother was so sad she couldn't even smile at first. But then I told her that I loved her very much and that me and my sister would be helping her now. I told her I don't have a grandma on earth so she can be my grandmother here on earth. I told her Kathleen and Suzanne are her 2 new grandchildren from America. She fell into my arms and cried and laughed at the same time. Susie you gave her money too and we gave the blankets Chris donated and the rest of my food went to this family. I was so moved and so full of joy and love. I have NEVER felt this way before. It was good and you could feel God in this place. I think grandma Eloise popped by for a heavenly visit as well! Overwhelmed, overwhelmed am I!
Before getting on the bus one of the orphans read a poem about Death. He asked why this AIDS has taken their parents and why they have been left alone. I was once again moved to tears. It is a common thing for me to cry now. Sometimes because I am so sad and other times because I have so much love in my heart for all these people.
Oh I forgot to tell you about all the elephantitis here as well. This is a very painful and ugly disease. Many people have contracted it here and there was no way to help them. Thank God the doctor brought much medication. We are also giving money to buy more for them. I will post a photo.
2 comments:
Kathy,
You are a blessing to the people of Africa. Thank you for giving your all and fighting through your own issues to be here. You inspire me! I am sooo proud of you. I love the way you write. It makes me laugh cause it sounds exactly like it is coming out of your mouth!
BIG HUG (I am writing this while you sleep 15 feet from me!)
Melody
Hey Kathy,
I agree with Melody, You r a blessing to the people in Africa. But I still can't wait till ur back...
Hurry!!!
Love & Hugs
Susie
PS - I am embarrassed I can't give u more
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