Africa is Alive

Africa is so alive.

The singeing smell of diesel fuel settling along the paved roads. Dense body odor filling the packed markets. Unpredictable and startling bumps along uneven dirt roads. The tinny sound of steady African beats emanating from cheap cell phones. The heavy scent of "Africa" on your body when you return home after a long day. Laughter and screams from the small kids down the road. Long, studied greetings about the day, family, and life. Lively Bantu conversations taking place all around you. The surprise sighting of other wazungu. Cows, birds, chickens, roosters, goats, and dogs as your alarm clock. The smell of burning grass and garbage floating through the evening air. The inexplicably huge sky. The oily sweet taste of fried dough. The comforting protection of a mosquito net. The ambivalence towards big bugs. The satisfaction of a cold shower after a hot day. Small African hands caressing your fascinating white ones. Sweet fresh fruit. Hot spicy tea. The musty dampness of the backseat of a taxi. The distant claps and songs of friends after dark. The burst of magenta and indigo and orange minutes after the sun dips below the horizon.

What do these make you feel? Oddly enough, my reaction and response has been different on every trip.

There's a FLEA in My Toe!

For the first time, I've had the "privilege" a Know Think Act need first hand when I found a chigoe flea festering in my own big toe this week.

Here in Uganda, most people call these parasite "jiggers." Last week, I thought I simply had a small splinter underneath the joint of my big toe and left it alone. However, after lots of discomfort, I checked again and found a big ol' black bubble in the same spot. No doubt about it - I had a jigger. I had likely contracted it when I was in the rural village of Kyakayombya assisting with handing over the well that I blogged about last week.

Jiggers are usually found in dusty areas. They burrow in your feet, grow and lay eggs, and then those eggs continue to fester and drop to the ground. Unfortunately, they can become infected easily and can cause severe damage to your feet if left untreated. Many people in East Africa contract jiggers because they are walking around barefoot or with flimsy shoes that do not adequately protect their feet. Children may also get jiggers that burrow in their hands because they play on the ground so often.

My jigger had grown quite a bit so getting it out was a painful process of lancing the wound and squeezing the jigger out completely. They get very long as they grow. I nearly lost my stomach and all the color in my face as I saw millimeter after millimeter of jigger coming out of my toe.

The start of jigger diggin'

Here in Uganda, we've joked about how I must need to bathe more (I'm bathing everyday in Uganda, by the way...unlike twice a week in Namibia), but jiggers are pesky parasites that don't simply slough off with a good foot scrubbing.

While I had access to adequate resources and medical care in order to remove the jigger and keep the area sterile, many people here do not. They may lack money for treatment or live too far away from a medical clinic. They may not understand the consequences of jiggers and thus leave them untreated. My jigger was awful enough - I can't imagine having countless festering jiggers burrowed in my feet like many children and adults here do.

So, in honor of TIA Tuesdays:

Digging a festering jigger out of my foot. TIA.

Living Waters Flow

Yesterday, I had the humbling privilege of handing over another well that was funded by Global Support Mission. Along with a team of Ugandan leaders from Bringing Hope to the Family, we went to a small village an hour outside of Kaihura (which is already a small, unmapped village) to dedicate a new well to the community of Kyakayombya.

The well they had been using was located at the bottom of a steep valley and looked like this:

It was full of mud, bugs, bacteria, plants, diseases, and rainwater runoff from nearby hills where cattle and goats had defecated. Clearly, it's unsuitable for consumption - but it was being consumed nonetheless.

Bringing Hope to the Family partnered with this community to build a new fresh water well just yards away from this old one. Today, we handed over the well to community leaders. I had the privilege of unlocking the well and washing my hands in its first pump of fresh water. Several women including a small girl brought jerrycans to fill from the new well.

What a reminder of the fresh Living water of Christ that we so desperately need in our lives. Though the contrast between stagnant water and Living water is not as noticeable as the two wells today, it reminds me of the filth we live in when our hearts are not turned towards Christ, and of just how vital and reviving the fresh streams of His grace are.

How encouraging it is to see local leaders passing their skills, knowledge, and motivation to other local leaders to enact sustainable change in their communities. Praise the Lord!

Breathe

I once heard “selah” described as breathing and especially love that image alongside Psalm 46. Deep breath in, deep breath out. Even as the waters rise and the mountains fall, breathe. Even as fear seeks to overwhelm you, breathe. Even as nations crumble, breathe. Even as He is exalted, breathe. Deep breath in, deep breath out.

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear. Though the earth give way, and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, and the mountains shake with their surging. [though the isolation creeps in, and the emotions seek to overwhelm me; though I’m surrounded by reminders of brokenness and fail to be brave anymore.]

Selah.

There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her; she will not fall. God will help her at break of day. Nations crumble and kingdoms fall, he lifts his voice, the earth melts. [see His almighty power over the earth.] The Lord Almighty is with us, the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Selah.

Come and see the works of the Lord, the desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shield with fire. [He is strong.] Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord Almighty is with us, the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Selah.

What am I DOING Here?

Don't worry...I'm not asking that question too often. But many of you have been!

Remember the organization I work for? As the International Volunteer Coordinator for Global Support Mission, it's become increasingly important for me to actually know and experience the work being done on the ground in Uganda before I send volunteers and teams to the area. When people ask you about the actual conditions of the squatty potty, you'd better be able to speak from personal experience!

I'm spending the next month in a tiny village in western Uganda called Kaihura. If you're about to Google Map it, it's near Kyenjojo and the larger town of Fort Portal. I'm working with GSM's inaugural affiliate, Bringing Hope to the Family. In addition to getting to know all the people and places associated with Bringing Hope to the Family, I will also be working with everyone here to continue to develop & improve our international volunteer program. I'm also spending quality time with my international coworkers, the Sassers. And eating a lot of chapati along the way :)

So stay tuned for some tails from the trail! Looking forward to blogging from across the pond once again.

The Essentials

What does one pack as she prepares to embark towards her fifth African passport stamp?

• Chacos (seriously...I don't pack any other shoes)
• Osprey Aura 50 backpack
• Nalgene with splashguard (wide mouth water bottle is easier to hand wash, hard [for me] to drink from without the splashguard)
• Power strip (maybe not completely advisable, but allows for several American devices to be charging on one outlet)
• Bible & journal (the real things; don't cop out and make these electronic)
• Kindle (I'm as much a fan of real books as the next person, but this is a must-have when traveling)
• Headlamp (hands-free vision, yes please!)
• Tootsie Rolls (they don't melt in the hot African sun and are a little chocolatey taste of home)
• Sleeping bag liner (keeps you warm on chilly flights, just the right amount of warmth & cleanliness when you're sleeping in beds with questionable sheets)

What are your must-have travel essentials?

This Week...

I am...

• taking twice daily showers
• eating a pint of ice cream a day
• going to bed extra early so as to sleep extra long in my big fluffy bed
• cheese cheese cheese cheese cheese
• drinking ice water straight from the tap
• devouring chocolate chocolate chocolate
• wearing my shortest shorts and dresses
• loving on all my friends & hogging hugs

...like it's nobody's business. 

Because in one week, I'll be back on the great continent of Africa!