Gretchen's View--June 29th: Suitcases Full of Goodies and Nerves

Doug and Elizabeth are being ever patient with me as I give them just a "few more things to take." I went to Staples tonight and bought 420 pens, colored pencils, and composition books, in addition to all of the other goodies we have. Elizabeth bought fabric and embellishments for the composition books at the art store, and if it works out we will cover the journals with the kids so they have their own personal place to write. Then, we will do writing lessons with the students. Elizabeth also packed a beautiful picture book (in addition to a hundred other books) in case we do a reading lesson. I have no idea what to prepare for. We might have a few kids at the OTD house or a classroom full of students somewhere...

As for Doug, he has packed his work gloves, a Leatherman, and a metric tape measure. Once he assesses what the OTD foundation house is in need of, he will get tools there (hopefully). He also bought some mini Leathermans for some of the kids and is hoping to do a building workshop of some sort.

I am a bundle of nerves, which seems foolish. I mean, no matter where we are, we never know what the future will hold.

Gretchen's View--June 28th: Father Bruno

A colleague at school introduced me to Father Bruno, a warm, welcoming priest of four years from Queen of Heaven church in Cherry Hill, NJ. We had Father Bruno over for dinner on Sunday, June 24th in order to learn more about Ugandan customs and culture prior to our departure, and to collect items to take to his village. His village, Namengo, is located in the southeastern Budaka district. It was not until recently that Father's village had access to clean water, and thanks to the Queen of Heaven parish, his mother and her fellow villagers now have a well used by 2,000 people. As a child, he had to walk two miles to fetch pond water, which he would then carry in a large jerry can on his head. In addition to walking two miles each way for water, Father Bruno would walk ten miles (each way) to school. When it rained, he and his fellow students would wrap their schoolbooks in large leaves. Regardless of distance and weather, Father Bruno always made a point of arriving at school on time, for he was punished for tardiness.

Elizabeth, Doug, and I will take a day trip to Father Bruno's village, see his school, and meet his family. His family is of the Baganda tribe, and he taught us how to say thank you in Lugandan: "webale." I anticipate loading pictures of Father's village on this blog, but for now, you can see a picture of him as we celebrated his birthday American style.

June 27th: Getting Ready to Leave

Books. Balls. Twenty boxes of pencils. Clothes. A gold necklace. Toys. Hundreds of pens. Love. All things to pack up and give away on our trip to Uganda. A few people have been so generous in their donations that I anticipate having to pay for the ability to carry extra suitcases--a small matter.

I am in a state of wonder, fantasy, and worry. I wonder what the next three weeks will hold. My mind has already created internal movies--not silent of course--about dinner with Savior, safari, refugee camps: contrasts of candlelight, wild animals....or a disappointing lack thereof due to the war in the north and the ravages of Amin's regime, and poverty unlike any I have seen in all of my travels.

From my desk in Collingswood, New Jersey, I imagine waking up on July 2nd, my first morning in Uganda. I look at the ceiling, then turn toward the patio doors. My feet trace the tile lines to the glass doors, and I sliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiide them open. Breathing deeply, I scan my surroundings. I am in Africa, I think to myself.

Back at my desk, worry overwhelms me now and then; will we fall victim to malaria or bad water; will I be able to finish my book; will Doug and Elizabeth enjoy themselves? BUT. This trip is one of my K-2's to climb. I have been a long time getting here. Anticipation. Daunting. I will climb. But first, I must pack.