Monday. July 12th, 2010
by Lindsey Padelford
Well I am in the bus right now heading about 6 more hours to get back to Tororo. The day started at about 5am. We got packed and headed off to the airport. We got to the airport at about 1pm and dropped off part of the group. Then we went to Fang Fang!!! OO LA LA, the best restaurant I have ever been to. It is a beautiful Chinese dining area. Then we dropped of the rest of the team at the airport including my brother Daniel. I am going to miss him so much …. and I say goodbye to you as I am about to sleep and you are just about to wake. BYE BYE
Saturday, July 10, 2010
By Lindsey Padelford
Today we went on a safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park. It was amazing as you will see in the pictures. The animals were so close we could touch them and, Oh Boy, was I tempted. We drove two hours to the park from the hotel and met our guide, Van. He is an expert in finding lions. We then got on the boat and toured around the channel that connects Lake George and Lake Edward. In the distance I could see the mountains of the Congo and my heart took flight. We took the boat and went through herds of hippos in the water and saw hundreds of birds, crocodiles, elephants, water buck, cob, and buffalo. I again, have no words to express the beauty of this place. The water from the hippos coming up for air splashing against my face, the cool breeze rushing through my hair, and the sweet smell of clay, this was an amazing experience. Then we jumped back on the bus and went on a tour of the land. We saw more elephants, even one with a baby. We also saw wart hogs, cob, and the best of all LIONS. We drove off the road a little ways to get a closer look. The lions were up in a tree right above us, close enough to jump on the bus. Definitely the highlight!!!!! We then drove back to the hotel, and on the way we stopped at the equator and took pictures. At the hotel we had an amazing dinner and had showers. It is amazing how much I can appreciate having a hot high pressure shower. Very fun!!!!
Friday, July 02nd, 2010
by Lindsey Padelford
This morning we went to the women ministry’s store. We were greeted by many children. We then went inside and bought many things from the women. Then we went to Smile Africa to visit the Karamojong people. My heart has never been so torn. The Karamojong people are outcasts and their stereotype is cattle stealer. It is similar to the Romanian’s perspective to the Gypsy people. The children look horrible. They have huge bloated stomachs and giant cuts up and down their body. I joined two other nurses in the hospital to treat the wounded children. I have never seen wounds so horrific. Most of the wounds happen because the kids get tangled in barbed wire and have small pokes all over their legs. The mud huts they sleep in are caked with their own feces. The cut then gets infected and festers until it is about the size of a half dollar. And remember this can all be prevented with a Bandaid and a drop of alcohol. Some wounds were so bad that it appeared that the entire bottom of the foot was just peeling off. I can’t even tell you how many kids I got to treat. The children would rarely cry as I scrubbed their wounds with peroxide. They were all so brave. I can’t even describe the amount of pain that they were in. As the day went on we had two malaria cases. One was a boy who was found lying on the ground with a 103 degree temperature. We took him to the clinic and the Ugandan Nurse gave him Malaria pills. I can’t even begin to tell you all the stories of the children, they are all so different and special. But one thing I can tell you, as I leaned over a child’s infected foot, I looked into his eyes, and he smiled. To be in such agony and smile at me – wow that boy had the joy of Jesus. I know that this is what I shall do for the rest of my life. I say goodnight to you all as I am comforted by the sound of rain and thunder. Tomorrow we will go to the prison and oh boy I can’t wait.
Wednesday, June 30th, 2010
by Lindsey Padelford
Well today was quite the adventure. We ate an amazing breakfast then ran outside to take pictures of the baboons in the back of the hotel. We got almost 3 feet away from them and then they chased after us, they are actually very frightening. Then we boarded the bus and went to the start of the Nile River. The Nile is actually 75% from Lake Victoria 5% from other rivers and 20% from underground streams. We took a tour around the area on a boat and then went on an island in the middle of the lake. A few of us women crossed into shallow water to reach a small island. We then got back into the boat and headed out into the water. The guide of our boat took us in the middle of the lake and jumped in and of course I followed. I was the only one who jumped into the Nile. It was quite the adventure. We then traveled to Tororo in the bus. Briefly stopping at a sugar cane field and then for food. We would pull over on the road and about 50 people would crowd around the bus selling the best chicken in the world, it is called chicken on a stick. We got to the hotel and unloaded the bus. We then took a tour of True Vine Ministry and got to hold the kids. We are back at the hotel now and are very tired. Goodnight.
Tuesday, June 29th, 2010
by Lindsey Padelford
We traveled for 26 hours over these past days. We met the team and they are wonderful. I am the youngest of the group. We arrived in Uganda and from the beginning we knew it was special, partly because there was no line for customs and because we were paraded though a huge mass of people. We were greeted by men of the Church in Uganda and our bus driver Bobby. We loaded up the bus with our bags and waited another hour before the people who lost bags came to the bus. This was our first encounter with the African Time; apparently our culture is very fast paced – everyone gets what they want quickly or we get very upset. Definitely not like that here in Uganda, no one cares about time. Frankly it is just a matter of waking up before the sunrise and attempting to get home before sunset and anything between is like molasses. The driving here is also very interesting. They drive on the wrong side of the road! Oh, and there is no road rage in Uganda. Somehow cars don’t hit each other as they use special hand singles, number of beeping the horn and talking to let the other cars know what you’re doing. I have to say our bus driver is very good, even though at times when we think that there is no way to avoid and accident the organized chaos somehow pulls through. Well tonight we stay at the Empire hotel on Lake Victoria in Kampala. Who knows what is to come?