Well hello everyone!

Once again it has been awhile since my last post. I had meant to do this final blog much sooner but as soon as I got into a somewhat regular schedule with work and just being back at home, before I knew it two weeks had flown by. 

I'm going to go back and talk about those last three weeks in the village. There isn't much I can say about the teaching except that it continued to be an amazing experience. The children there are so eager to learn and it made teaching almost an easy thing to do. I say almost because there were definitely those days when language was a barrier or the kids just wouldn't concentrate on the lesson. I think teaching really taught me how to be a lot more outgoing and to worry less about what people think of what I'm saying or doing. God really worked in me through that and I think in a lot of ways got rid of my spirit of timidity. Not to say that I don't still get nervous when speaking in front of large groups of people but I have a knew idea of what it means to do things in the name of Christ and not be concerned with how the world views it. The lesson plans worked out perfectly because I finished up P4, P5, and P6's lessons about a week before I left. That gave me a week to help them prepare for their term 2 final exams. It was frustrating to leave before the exams and not be there to help them until the very end. I wish I could have been there to encourage them and to see how they did but I also know that God had a purpose in me not being there, whatever that may have been.

On the day that Vicky left, a married couple from Canada came and stayed for about a week. They were both a lot of fun and a strong Christian couple. Alaina, the wife, and I had a lot of fun joking around about all of the funny stuff that happens in a normal day in the village. Everything from having to use the squat toilet to the longhorn that could lick pretty much any part of its body. A thing I experienced on this trip and really enjoyed was meeting new people from all over the world. I can honestly say that I very much enjoyed every other volunteer I met on this trip but more importantly that God put the right people in my life right when I needed them. Those first two weekends I was there and met the two girls from Canada, who gave me such good advice and helped me get through those first few weeks, having Vicky there for three weeks and having someone so close to my age to relate my experience to, the Australian team which brought a lot of noise and fun, Gina who was older but a great person to talk to and had the nickname mama Gina for most of the trip, and then the Canadian couple, Joe and Alaina, who were very supportive and had a lot of great insights about the corruption that came to surface those last few weeks. I can see how God used all of those people to help me get through and make this trip amazing. 

As I mentioned in my last blog, a lot of really shady things came about in the last few weeks I was in Uganda. My feelings of mistrust with the founder, Jim and his wife, Sarah, started off early in my trip. From the beginning I felt as if they were taking advantage of me. It wasn't anything huge just stuff like charging me 9,000 shillings to use the internet for an hour when I could use it at an internet cafe for 3,000 shillings for an hour and then telling me that to use it at the house was much less expensive and easier. They charged 20,000 shillings to use the washing machine, which is about $13. I just really felt like I was being lied to or tricked into believing something just so that they could make a little extra money on the side. When I first got there, Sarah kept saying how this was going to be my family for the next six weeks but I would never expect my family or anyone who invited me into their family to use me for the money they think I have just because I'm a westerner. 

Eventually that feeling of being lied to grew stronger and more apparent as the weeks went by. Just looking around the village you can see that there are a lot of unfinished projects. So I started to wonder where the money really goes. I found out that a lot of the things Jim had said the money was going to it really wasn't. He told me that none of the children pay schools fees and I found out later that only the orphans don't pay school fees. That isn't a bad thing, but I didn't want to be lied to about it. Jim told me that all of the teachers are paid on a monthly basis and I found out later from the teachers that they are not being paid and that Jim considers them volunteers as well. It felt like every explanation we could come up with, as far as where the money was going, was found to not be what was really happening. I felt like I was constantly being lied to about what was going on.

It's a hard situation to be in because I can see where the money isn't going but I can only assume, and really have no proof, of where the money is going. The most obvious to me was the fact that Jim has 5 biological children and 13 adopted children and somehow they are all in boarding schools and living away from home. The question I had was how does this man, who had no real source of income, pay for 18 children to be sent to boarding schools? Again, I can only assume or make a guess based off of what I see, so this really is all speculation. There was also an incident with some clothes that the Australian team had left in Kampala and asked me to helped get to the village and distribute in the village. Well the clothes never ended up coming. Sarah had told Gina that the Australians had wanted Sarah to give those clothes to her children and then whatever they didn't want she would give to the kids in the village. Well I had spoken directly with a few girls on the team when they had asked me to help them and they said they wanted all of the clothes to be given to people in the village. So not only did I have my speculations but I also had small proof that they are taking things that are suppose to be given to the village and using it to support their own children. To me its as simple as stealing from the poor. 

This kind of situation isn't uncommon for Uganda. It is a very power hungry country filled with a lot of corruption. Because the country is so corrupt, people often use that as an excuse for the theft and stealing that does go on, saying well its Uganda, thats how things are done. In a situation where Jim could be an example of doing what is right, he chooses to take the easy road and continue the cycle of corruption in that country. I do believe he has a good heart and a great vision for ACF but so much of what he is doing is off track and eventually its going to come back to him. The sad thing is that the people its going to hurt the most are the children in the village, who really have no idea of what they are being cheated of. It's not as though their needs aren't being met. Jim does just enough to get on the bare minimum. 

Jim has also made his niece, Irene, and his nephew, Robert, involuntary servants in the village. These are two people I spent a lot of my time with and got to know both of them pretty well. Irene does the cooking and cleaning in the little house, with the help of a paid employee, Annett. Robert is what we would consider the handy man of ACF. He took care of all of the volunteers and made sure everyone was safe and well taken care of. Jim left basically all of the responsibility of the volunteers in the hands of Irene and Robert and yet doesn't pay them for what they do. They both came to Jim about 3 years ago. Jim told them both that he would be able to pay for their education. He ended up sending Irene to one semester of school and then told the both of them he didn't have the money to pay the fees. They have been working for Jim ever since. Irene is not allowed to leave the compound or to contact her family or friends. She hadn't spoken to anyone in her family for three years until recently when she was able to contact her father and tell him what was going on. Robert is kept in the village and expected to look after everything. The are both capable of leaving but what keeps them their is the fact that Jim is giving them food and a place to stay and if they were to go back to their families they would be a burden to them as far as another mouth to feed and body to find room for. Jim and Sarah also hinder them both from making money and Irene has to sell things in secret to save up money for tuition. 

The most frustrating part of realizing all of that and now after being home for awhile is realizing that I have so many idea's of ways to help but no one in Uganda that I trust to be my liaison.  I could raise money to send to the organization but I don't trust Jim that he would use the money for what it was raised for. A thing I am able to do is pray for this country and the people I do know specifically. I can put a face to the issue and I know specific things the country, village, people and issues I was involved with. Prayer is a powerful thing and its one of the few things I know I can do to help the people I've met.

It was very sad to realize that all of this was going on and definitely a huge challenge to still be friendly and loving towards both Jim and Sarah, but that situation in no way overshadowed the amazing experience I had with the children and teaching. Getting to know those kids was so wonderful and having that connection in Uganda has changed my life for the better. The people I met are ones I will never forget. Gina and I have had a few phone call conversations and I find myself happy just to hear her voice. I can see how God used my time in Uganda for His purpose. I now know the faces and names of children who are in need and I can pray for them specifically. I've also realized that I have the freedom to speak up and use my voice to bring awareness to what is going on in the village and to be a voice for those people that can't be a voice for themselves. That the reason anyone has anything, whether it be money or power, is to help those who don't have it. God has given each of us so many talents and blessings and He calls us to help those who don't have those blessings. Even if you aren't a Christian, the basic idea of it is a good humanitarian thing to do. God doesn't help those who help themselves, He gives those who help others the strength and courage to do so.

The plane ride home was uneventful. The eight hour layover in Amsterdam was VERY long but the flights went by quickly and before I knew it I was walking off the plane in Minnesota looking for my family. It's been wonderful being back home and getting back into the routine of working, seeing my family, and hanging out with my friends but I have also missed the kids and the work I was doing in Uganda. It's hard to see the excess that I live in and how most of what I experience everyday here would be a mind blowing experience for pretty much all of the people I met. I wonder often what the kids would think of a video game or how Robert or Irene would react to Target. It's fun to imagine what their reactions would be and humbling to realize how blessed I am to have more than I could ever need.

I hope this final blog was conclusive and thorough. I feel like I only touched the surface of what God did in my life during this trip and how what I experienced isn't like anything I've ever experienced before. When I tell people about my trip a question I often get asked is would I go back. Absolutely, yes I would go back and I've promised 120 children that I will be coming back someday and that I will not forget them. So someday, yes, I will be back and the whole experience is not going to be forgotten. I hope you enjoy the pictures I attached to the email. In case you have lost that link I will give it again: http://picasaweb.google.com/leabean22

Feel free to send me an email and share any comments, questions, concerns, or ideas you have about this blog and anything in it. I can not say thank you enough for all of the support, love, and prayers I have received from all of you. I could not have done this trip without it. 

Love always,

Lea

Hey everyone!

Sorry it has been so long since my last update. I had stayed in the village two weekends ago and it didn't work out for me to come back last weekend so it ended up that I've spent the last three weeks in the village but it has been great. The teaching continues to be an amazing experience and the kids are so wonderful. They are a lot of fun and I will have a bunch of photos to share when I get home.

The last three weeks have also been more challenging as far as struggling to see where the money goes in the organization and not really feeling like I'm able to trust the people who started the foundation. The government here in Uganda has a lot of curruption and so it's easy to see how it could be modeled pretty easliy by an NGO. I have realized that its not uncommon for whats happening in my situation to happen in a lot of NGO's in Uganda. They don't see it as corruption. They see it as normal and how things are done. So I'll have a more in depth blog about all my experiences when I am home and able to process everything.

Sorry this is so short but I don't have a lot of time. I am looking forward to sharing picutres and stories with all of you when I return home and will have a much longer blog about the last three weeks and what I was up to.

I have three more days here in Uganda after which I will be heading back to Minnesota. Today, Sunday, I am in Jinja visiting the town and seeing some sights and tomorrow I will be heading back to Katebo until Wednesday. My flight leaves Wednesday night at 10:20pm from Entebbe airport and I will be flying to Amsterdam for a 7 hour layover. The second flight will take me to Toronto where I will have a short two hour layover and I will arrive in Minnesota at 8:07pm on Thursday July 31st.

I'm hoping to find a Starbucks at the Amsterdam airport and enjoy an Iced Passion Tea Lemonade. I'm not a hardcore Starbucks drinker but t's the one thing I've decided that I've missed the most about summer, as far as summer food, and it's going to be a a great treat.

I hope you are all doing well and I'm super excited to be heading home! Look for another update in about a week or so and I will have pictures to share as well!

Lots of love,

Lea

Hey everyone!

I just wanted to give you a quick update while I am able. This weekend I am in Kampala with Gina and Vickey and the 11 volunteers from Australia. It's been really fun having that many volunteers around in the village and I know the children are loving it. Tomorrow Vicky and I are going to make a trip out to Jinja, which is about an hour and a half north of Kampala (don't worry, it's just as safe to be in Jinja as it is to be in Kampala). We are going to be going White Water Rafting on the River Nile, so we are both super excited and looking forward to that. I'm sure it will be a fun story to share when we return.

Teaching has been going great. I've definitely fallen into a groove and really gotten comfortable around the children and other staff. It's been so much fun getting to know some of the other teachers and children. It's a lot of fun to joke around with the kids in class and really start to have relationships with them. It's also been challenging to really be the best teacher I can be to these kids while I am here. I am teaching mostly math and a few English classes and I've started to plan my lessons the night before so I feel prepared. It's helped a lot to have Vicky here since she has her Masters in Special Education. She has really been a great help to me as far as ideas and showing me how to lesson plan. My P4 math class has been really struggling with addition of fractions with different denominators and it's been really encouraging to see how they have progressed and how I've come with different ways to get the process across to them. As much fun as it is, there are definitely moments when I feel over my head, but I'm not surprised considering that I am in over my head. It's a good thing though and I'm learning a lot.

This next weekend Vicky and I are planning on staying in the village. I have been wanting to stay and hang out with the kids on Saturday and it will be Vicky's last weekend. So next weekend I'll be living the "rough" life with no electricity and a bucket of water for a shower :) It's crazy how many things I take for granted and how easy people live their lives here without any of the things I would consider necessary. So with that all said, you probably won't here from me for a few weeks but don't be alarmed. I have not joined a tribe to been eaten by a gorilla.

Love always,

Lea

Hello!

Well I have really started to settle in here and I am absolutely loving it. This past week in the village has been great and the students and I are really starting to get comfortable with each other. I have been teaching math and English to the three upper level classes, usually about three to four classes a day. School starts at 8am with a morning assembly and the first class begins at 8:30. They then have two hours of classes with a half an hour break at 10:30. At 11am they continue with class and go until 1pm when they break for a one hour lunch. Many of the children play soccer during the breaks and the girls really enjoy jump rope. It's been fun playing with them and making them laugh. I think often times they are laughing at me but I suppose thats ok since I must look pretty funny jump roping with a bunch of 10 year olds :)

My day in the village starts at 7am with breakfast. Then at 8am I head to the school, which is a short walk from the little house, where I am staying. Then at 1pm I come back for lunch and head back to school around 2pm. At 4pm when school gets out I usually take a rest or hang out with the three girls that work in the village. They do the cooking and cleaning in the house and its been fun getting to know them. They have yet to let me help them with anything but I'm sure that I will be able to weasel my way into doing something soon. Then at around 7pm I eat dinner. By the time dinner is over it is completely dark out and since there is no electricity in the village we use lanterns. Everyone heads to bed around 8:30 and I usually use that time to read and get ready for bed.

This weekend I have come back to Kampala to greet the two other volunteers that will be here while I am here. One of them had already arrived by the time I got to the house on Friday. Her name is Vicky and she is a special education teacher from Nashville, Tennessee. We seem to have clicked and its been fun getting to know her over the last few days. The other volunteer arrived late on Friday night. Her name is Gina and she is an Occupational Therapist from Pennslyvania. She is in her early fifties and has two grown children. She has been wanting to do this kind of thing for awhile so she is excited about being here.

On Saturday Vicky and I hired a taxi for the day which ended up being about thirty dollars each for 8 hours. We had him drive us to a mall called Garden City and it was interesting to walk around that. It's pretty similar to an American mall with an assortment of shops and places to eat. The driver of the taxi also drove us around Kampala a bit and was able to show us a lot of the buildings and such. We had the driver pick a place for the two of us to have lunch and he chose a somewhat Italian restaurant connected to a hotel. Then we were able to find a market. It reminded me a lot of being in Chinatown in Manhattan with the people selling things trying to get your attention and bargain a good price. There are a lot of interesting things to buy here and I got a few good purchases. So that was a great day exploring and getting to know the city more.

Today, which is Sunday, Vicky, Gina, and I attended the church where Jim was guest preaching. We got there at 11am and the service had already started and left around 2 before it had ended so I'm pretty sure it was around a 4 hour long service. It was a lot of fun and really interesting so it definitely did not seem like it was that long. In the afternoon we spent a few hours on a place called the African Prayer Mountain. It's a large grassy and wooded area on the top of a large hill where people are continuously praying. We walked around the top and got an amazing view of Kampala and the surrounding houses. It's so beautiful and green.

I hope this new post finds you doing well and enjoying your summer. I look forward to updating you on this coming week, as I'm sure it will be even better than the last. There are now three of us who will be teaching and a team from Australia coming to teach as well. I'm excited to see how the bunch of us can really work together to help out in the school and village in general.

Love always,

Lea

I think to start of this blog I have to do a bit of background information. Awhile back right about after I had purchased my plane ticket I had taken the time to write down why it was that I felt called to go to Africa and some of the personal reason as to the purpose of my going. Along with helping the children, volunteering my time, and traveling to a new place I had also written down to be challenge. Well this past week has probably been one of the more challenging weeks in my life and I'm sure it won't be the last.

The first few days are pretty much a blur. As I look back now I can definitely see how the culture shock was affecting me and the way I was feeling. It's hard being thrown into a new culture and experiencing nothing like the way it was where you came from 24 hours before. After taking some time to rest in Kampala, we made our first trip to Katebo on Tuesday afternoon. I didn't have any expectations as to what the village would look like so it was a new experience to say the least. It's hard to explain and I'm hoping to take some better pictures of it soon. There is a main dirt road that runs through the village and scattered every so often are the people's hut's that live in the village. They are probably the size of what we would consider a small shed. The school has two buildings that are basically walls with hole's in them for windows and doors. They are expecting to get doors and windows to put in but they are not sure how long that will take. The team from Canada that was here before me was building a library and that is also about half way finished.

The first few days of teaching have been pretty challenging. There is a definite language barrier and it seems only the older children understand what I am teaching as opposed to just copying what I am saying. The school system here is a primary and secondary system, with P1-P7 and then S1-S6. P1 would be like our kindergarten and S6 would be related to our 12th grade. The school I am at is a primary school and I have taught P4 math and English, P5 English, and P6 math and English. I don't do all of those classes everyday, usually its about two or three classes a day. The teaching aspect has not been what I expected it to be and that's a part of what's been so challenging to me. It's been fun getting to know the children, as little as I have, and being able to play with them as we get more comfortable with each other. On Friday the older children had a debate after lunch and it is probably the most interesting thing I have witnessed so far. Since polygamy is not illegal in Uganda, the debate was Polygamy is better than Monogamy. When I walked in and saw that on the chalkboard I had to laugh. One of the other teachers was telling me that they use the debate to improve the students English, to teach them about how political systems work, and to also educate them on important social issues. I think what the teachers wanted to get across was the Monogamy is the best choice for social, financial, and economic reasons. The children seemed to enjoy it and it was fun to see them interact in such a cool way.

Right now I am the only volunteer on site which has been another challenge but there are two more girls coming from the states on Wednesday and Friday of next week and then a team coming from Australia the following Monday. My body has finally adjusted to the time change and thankfully I am not sleeping straight through the night without waking up at 2:30am wondering why I am wide awake when four hours ago I was passing out from being so tired. So that is good. I am also getting more used to the food. Breakfast consists of tea and bread with butter which isn't very different. Lunch and dinner are pretty similar and it can include anything from rice, beans, noodles, cabbage, avocado, cassava (which is the root from a tree), sweet potato's, and a few other native foods. Most of it is tasting pretty good to me now, though they tell me that I do not eat enough and don't believe when I tell them I am full. Personally I think they all eat too much :)

I hope this post has been a good update and I hope it finds you doing well and enjoying your summers. Most likely I will be able to update in about a week or so depending on the plans for next weekend so until then I hope you have a great week! Feel free to email me with anything you would like to share. Some specific prayer requests would be for patience as I learn how to deal with the people here, safety for the other volunteers as they travel to Uganda, God's guidance as he instructs each day, and a peace of mind knowing this is where I am suppose to be. Thanks so much for your prayers and I hope to hear from you soon!

Love always,

Lea

I've made it!

Hello everyone! June 16, 2:00pm

Well as you have assumed by now, I have made it safely to Uganda! My flights went very smoothly and I arrived in Uganda around 8:15p. As I was waiting in line to get my visa the electricity went out in the entire airport and I paniced for about three seconds until I realized that this was normal. It came back on very quickly though and only went out once more after that. I was picked up at the airport by Jim Nadiope, the man who runs the African Child Foundation, and it took us about 30 minutes to get to his house. It was very dark by the time I got in so I was not able to see any of the landscape. It was a bit scary riding as a passenger on the left side of the vehicle, considering I wasn't the driver, not to mention that there are no posted speed limits and the driving rules here are hardly ever followed. It was quite the first experience. When I arrived at his house I met his wife who showed me where I would be sleeping and the rest of thier home. They have 5 biological children and 18 adopted children, all of whom are at a boarding school about an hour away. It's pretty common for children to be sent away for school and I've been told that it is because it helps them concentrate better. So the house was not very full but I can only imagine what its like when all of those children are here. There is also another volunteer staying in a room in the house. She was with a team from Canada and decided to stay an extra week to do some site seeing before heading back home tomorrow. I woke up this morning to a dog barking and a chicken crowing very loudly, which was a surprise but what can you do? Today I went into Kampala, which is only ten minutes from where Jim and his wife Sarah live, to exchange some money and purchase bottled water and toilet paper. The exchange rate is $1 US to 1,566 Ugandan shillings. So I have them two bills and got back about thirty. To give you an idea of how much things cost I purchases 48 bottles of 1.5 liters of water and ten rolls of toilet paper and it costs me 48,200 shillings, which is about $30.77. So not too bad. Tonight I will be spending the night at the Nadiope's home again and early tomorrow morning they will be driving me out to the Children's village in Katebo. I've been told the drive will take about an hour and a half. I will be teaching in the school there but still do not know what age I will be in charge of.

Well I hope that this update has been helpful and informative. A few prayer requests to keep in mind would be for my health. I seemed to have come down with a tiny cold and my stomach has been upset by what I think was the airplane food on the second flight. Also, prayer for safe travels to Katebo and that I will have the courage and wisdom to do what God has called me to do. I didn't sleep very well last night due to jet lag so also pray for that. I'm not sure when I will be back here to be able to update you again, but as soon as I can I will. Thank you so much for your prayers and I can't wait to let you know about all that I will be doing!

Love always,

Lea

Hello everyone!

Well today is the day that I depart for my adventure in Africa. I will be leaving from MSP International Airport at 3:15pm and flying 8 1/2 hours to Amsterdam where I have a four hour layover. From Amsterdam I will have another 8 1/2 hour flight to Uganda where I will arrive at 815pm on Sunday night. I wanted to take this opportunity to let you about what has gone into getting ready for this trip and a few more details I have about what I will be doing while I am there.

These last few weeks since I have been home from school have been full of seeing friends, spending time with my family, and working as a PCA. It has definitely gone by a lot faster than I thought it would but I feel good about how I have spent my time. I have also, of course, been preparing for my trip. I think my least favorite part of the process was getting a total of nine shots. I received six of those shots in one day and my arms were sore, to say the least, for a few days. I have also made several trips to Target picking up the supplies I will need while I am there. The most exciting purchases I made where those of school supplies that I will be bringing with me to share with the children in the village. It was fun getting to be able to buy things like crayons, paper, pencils, and other school supplies knowing that they will be of great use where I will be going. The best purchase of the week was a pack of 50 small play-doh containers, each a different color, that I am very positive the kids will have fun with. I'm excited to share all of that with them. 

With all of that said, I have learned that I will be teaching in the Katebo Children's School in the Katebo Village. I do not know exactly what age or what I will be teaching but from 9 am-4 pm Monday through Friday I will be spending my time in the primary school. I have also learned that I will be living in a compound with other volunteers where there will be no running water, no electricity, and no public transportation. Even though I knew this was going to be the situation it took me a few minutes to wrap my mind around that information.   But I know that this is where I have been called to serve God this summer and in that aspect I will be fully taken care of. 

Well that is all of the information I have for you as of right now. I am hoping to update about once a week but I don't know if that will be possible or not. I will have to wait until I get there to see how easy/difficult that will be. A few prayer requests would be prayer for safe and uncomplicated travels, prayer for my health and that jet lag won't hit me too hard, and also prayer that I will be ready for whatever God has in store for me. 

Thank you so much for your prayers and I hope to be writing to you again soon!

Love always,

Lea

Start of a journey.

Hello everyone!!!

This is where I hope to be posting updates and information about my experiences while I'm on my outreach. The tentative departure date is about 8 weeks away now and I am getting excited about how its all coming together. I will be posting more frequently towards the start of my trip and during the outreach but for know I just want to make sure we connect so you know where to find my blogs.

I applied for and received my passport so I'm all set in that department. I have an appointment to get the vaccinations that I need to keep myself healthy while I am in Africa and hopefully that appointment will go smoothly. There are about six different vaccinations that I need and I will be doing that at a travel clinic here in New York.

I want to, again, say thank you so much for supporting me in my decision to travel to Africa this summer. I am so blessed to have the love of so many people and I'm excited to see what God is going to do through me with this trip. If you have any specific questions for me or would just like to be in contact my email address is leabean22@gmail.com.

Look back for updates as the date of my departure (June 14th, tentatively) gets closer!

Love always,

Lea