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| Spare seat from Syd to Dubai… see you in 14 hours! |
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Day One.
What has messy hair, dry skin, skanky teeth, blurry eyes, cotton mouth and a freckle mo x2?… Caitlin and I are on the last leg of our plane route to Uganda. It will be our first trip back since 2012 when we went there to officially open the Kristina Achuma Achon Health Clinic, and our first trip since we both became mothers. We’ve been reflecting that for us personally, the lead up to this trip to Uganda has been different to any other. There were more than a few tears leaving our respective babies at home, but, for my dear little India – the fridge and pantry is filled with all of her favourites; hommous, mini ravioli and tiny teddies. Plus, she has a Daddy that would rival Mrs Doubtfire for father of the year, a loving family and cousins that will give her all the kisses and hugs she needs, and then if all else fails, she has Peppa Pig at 5.45pm every afternoon. Really, I’m living in hope that she thinks I’ve just gone for a REALLY long run.
This trip has been long in the planning, and Caity and I are excited and expectant of what’s ahead. Like every trip I’ve taken to Uganda, you can plan all you like but you have to make room and adjust for the unexpected. Above all else, I’m really looking forward to spending time and just enjoying being with the people who we are privileged to be working with, listening to their stories and coming up with ways to improve what we are already doing, extend our impact and help them create change for the better.
It’s funny but in my head I do liken our work in Uganda to running a race. Julius and I will often turn to this metaphor along the way. It’s a true test of endurance and you have to prepare mentally for the unexpected; what you’ll witness and feel will swing you up and down on the emotional scale but you need to find that balance of staying focused and also being flexible enough to go just with the flow, no matter what challenges arise. Above all else, don’t ever give up, keep moving forward even if you feel you are out of your depth…
Below is our rough plan for the next 11 days. If you’re the praying type, we’d love for you to pray for us, for protection, for fresh vision, for Love Mercy’s bigger and greater impact in the future, for the people of Northern Uganda and the villages that we are working with and for fruitful and encouraging time with our Ugandan staff who so faithfully run our projects.
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| Entebbe airport Ebola screening |
- November 12th- Travel day from Kampala to Lira. Meet Love Mercy staff and sponsor kids in Lira
- November 13th- Meeting with Cents for Seeds project participants in Bar Village (400 women)
- November 14th- Help Julius prepare and set up for the kids cross country race in Awake Village – 3000 kids
- November 15th- The big race!
- November 16th- Visit Clinic and meet with clinic staff in Awake village (6 clinic staff), meeting with Awake and Orum village Cents for Seeds participants (450 women)
- November 17th & 18th- Staff development days, brainstorming and casting a vision for the next 3-5 years.
- November 19th & 20th- journey home
Peace, Elzy
