Close to in Congo/Bittersweet return

Ok, so I am back, but i haven't been able to type since my hand is all jacked up, but I'm going to give it a shot. so here we go.

9/3/09
We're heading over to Congo, there is a chance that we might get to cross over. We went with Darrie and Debbie Turner, who are resident missionaries in Uganda. I think it would be rad to get one of those stamps in the old passport. We drove from the Turners house in Kampala over to the Kasese district which is in the far west of Uganda at the foot of the Rwenzori mountains. The Rwrenzori mountain is actually the tallest solid rock mountain in Africa i believe, but anyways... it was huge. We stopped at a place that made handwoven baskets in the village of Rubono. I got one due to the extremely discounted price, they sell these things in Kampala for like 3 or 4 times what they do where they make them. Its a pretty rad basket. We went on through Fort Portal, and then south to Kasese. We saw the bible college that the Turners had been affiliated with for so long. They had installed a set of solar panels that powered a pump for irrigation and elephant fences around the colleges crops. He did a very good job. He has to be one of the smartest guys I know. We stayed at Kigongo Hospital in some rooms that they have for people who come to help out. It looked out over the Rwrenzori foothills. Steven and I shared a room with 3 beds... we had plenty.


Next day we went over to drop Derrie's Wife Debbie off at a church that was way the heck out the middle of nowhere. We could have almost thrown a rock over into the Congo. it would have been an unbelievable throw, but it was realistically maybe 2 kilometers. It was a really pretty place. The roads to get up there were crazy. I saw some of the biggest washouts on the road that I think I have ever seen. All the while, Derrie takes them at like 35 or 40 mph. There are some very beautiful people over there. After we dropped Debbie off we drove around for the rest of the day. We went and saw some of the crater lakes in the Rift Valley. there was one called Katwe that was HUGE. the Ugandans would harvest salt from the lake. They do it pretty much the same way that we do here by letting the water evaporate and scraping up the salt, only there they do it with their hands, and not machines.

***Sidenote***
I just went #2 for the first time in 5 weeks without my feet going numb in the process. Im sure the girls that read this know what I'm talking about, guys; not so much maybe. ...or, maybe it is a guy thing because girls always have to squat when they don't have a toilet... and know to do their business quickly... before the feet go numb.

back to the story:
We also drove through Queen Elizabeth National park and saw a Huge Bull Elephant just chilling off by himself. we got out and I had to get on Derrie's Luggage rack on top of the Land Cruiser to get a good shot of his butt; he wouldn't turn around completely, but its still a good shot. We saw a high school that was quite nice. they had vocational classes and nice facilities. They even had a dormitory for the children that lived too far away to walk to school every day. The kids were all away on Holiday though, so it was just us and the school master there, who was wondering who the heck we were but wouldn't tell us we couldn't be there. People in Uganda are very hospitable. We crossed the equator several times. I didn't do the cyclone toilet bowl trick thingy, but that would have been neat to try. I'm talking about how the water drains in a toilet clockwise in southern hemisphere, and counter-clockwise in the northern hemisphere.
The time to pick up Debbie was getting close, so we headed back up to the church was speaking and hung out with some of the children there. They were a little shy, but we got to stare at each other and just wonder at what was going on inside each others heads; I remember wondering about all the things that those children have seen in their lives.
We left the next day. On our way back to Kampala we stopped at a coffee shop (awesome coffee in Uganda) and ordered some drinks, then went on to this place called "Camp Croc" we got to see a bunch of crocodiles that they slaughter for their skin. they sell the meat to 2 restaurants in Kampala, and the skin is sold to places like Gucci in Europe. It was a nice place that looked out on Lake Victoria. A lady there was telling us that it was a Military camp that Idi Amin had set up; pretty fascinating really. If you havent seen "Last King of Scotland" I recommend it. It is about Idi Amin.

Have you ever noticed that when you take a speed bump at lower speeds it is almost worse than going over them at a little higher speed? well as I mentioned before, Derrie is a speed bump assassin. He would take speed bumps at like 90 kph (which is like 60 mph). There would be a set of 5 speed bumps, and he would just take them all. it was quite smooth. Whoever thought speed bumps were a good incentive to slow people down on the highway (yes, highway. Ugandan highways have speed bumps) must have not have given that much consideration. ...because in Uganda, it makes people want to go faster. At least it makes Derrie want to go faster. =) It was a thrill.

9/9/08
Before we left for Congo, I was playing on the Neutron Spinner with some of the kids. They are brilliant. they figured out how to make that thing into a gear. they will find a big stick and put it in one of the holes on the underside of the handles. then the boy will walk around in a circle on the inside next to the pole pushing the stick. he walks at a slower pace, but the kids that are holding on to the handles are going so fast that their bodies are at a 45 with the ground. Anyways, I was playing, and got a pretty nice blister on the palm of my right hand. I didnt think too much of it. On our way back from Kasese,
it started getting very tender, and turning red. Then is started swelling. It became infected and swelled my middle finger, ring finger, and the whole upper pad of my hand. The pressure was outrageous. There was a good amount of pain, so when we got back to the orphanage, I asked Betty's husband John. who is a doctor, to take a look at it. he gave me all these pills to take, and said that it would get better. I took the pills. There was an antibiotic, and a pain killer called Dicofin. The next day it had gotten bigger and started being really painful. It would keep me up at night. So I went in to show the Nurse (who hadn't seen it yet), and she gave me some additional antibiotic pills to take and a cream to rub on it. So by this time I am taking the pain killer, Antibiotic A, and 2 pills of Antibiotic B. Then the puss started showing up. My skin had healed with the blister, so there was a pus pocket that was starting to form under my skin. Everyone would get all grossed out at it. The kids loved to look at it though. The day that we were leaving to come home the pus bubble had gotten maybe the size of a dime. So I took it to the Nurse, and she decided that it would be best to pop it. ...It was glorious. She filled 4 gauze pads with all different shades and hues of pus. Steven and I were wishing that we would have at least taken some pictures; it was so gross. So after she drained my hand, she decided that I needed another pain killer. I got a shot this time. She got out the syringe, and this little jar looking thing. she filled the thing with the pain killer fluid. I could not believe that she was about to pump all that into my arm. It must have been like 1/4th cup, not kidding. At least that's what it looked like to me. (Maybe you should ask Steven about it to get a realistic description. I just want to pump myself up and make it look like I am the man) I just sat and took it. There was a little bulge on my arm when she was done. Then she just attacked the thing; rubbing it in. My goodness, it felt like someone took a sledge hammer to my funny bone. So then we wrapped it up in a bandage, and that was that. she gave me some things to make new bandages with so that I could do it in an airport or something. While we were driving to the airport I had already filled the bandage with pus, so I had to setup "Adam's Backseat Kampala Road Clinic". Try driving over a million potholes and replacing a bandage totally saturated with pus. Double points if you can manage not to get blood and pus on your pants or the car. ..or your backpack. Adam's clinic is an international establishment. It has also been seen in Airport bathrooms, terminal waiting areas, and even airplane bathrooms. I wouldn't say it is the most sanitary of locations, but I got quite good at it.
Having my hand jacked up made it very hard to write or type, so I knew I wouldn't be able to blog or anything till I got home and my hand got better, so I had to scribble notes in my notebook lefty; and I mean SCRIBBLE. it looks like my brothers daughter got a hold of my pencil. Scribbling wasn't the only thing that I had to do lefty either. Try eating only with your left hand. You don't see many people eating with forks in the villages, so we ate with our hands a good amount. I had to lift the food from the floor to my mouth (I couldn't hold the plate in my right hand either) with my left hand; disaster. Try going to the bathroom not using your dominant hand. ...for anything. I have so much more respect for anyone who had the extreme misfortune of losing a hand. ...or any body part for that matter. Its better now; at least to the point that I can type.

I don't know how many times we would go to order some food on a menu in a restaurant and they would come back 2 minutes after we would order and say, "we don't have Beef"
"well what about a chicken sandwich?"
"We don't have lettuce, tomatoes, or mayonnaise."
"I see. Do you have hamburgers?"
"No."
"Ill take the beans and rice."
You have to love it. It makes for a good time.

Oh look honey! One of the most disgusting looking birds I have ever seen. ...in my life!! =) I call them garbage birds because the eat garbage. I saw them sneak up to some dudes food while he was in the bathroom and swallow a whole chicken from his plate(Game hen size), then all of his french fries. ...but they eat garbage too, not just deliciously prepared food.



We went to see another movie; "District 9". It was a crazy movie. Different than any movie I have seen before. I liked it. I am not going to say it was amazing because I'm a people pleaser and many of you may not like it. =) but I liked it. I have this tendency to love movies that people hate. Steven and I both watched a ton of bootleg movies. You can buy new releases that are playing in theaters still. The DVD are just burned DVD with marker on them. its pretty funny.

We went to the Zoo near Entebee Airport on our way out, and checked some more animals out. We were at the Rhino exhibit, Steven was over looking at the board that had all the info about and just started shouting. There were ants all over his feet biting him. He had managed to stand in the middle of this huge and trail that happened to go right in front of where people are supposed to stand and read. Those things were so big.

On the way home while in Amsterdam we went to one of the coffee stores looking for a little caffeine. I was unable to sleep the whole time. sleeping on airplanes just doesn't happen naturally. There is just so much that happens. you cant get comfortable, your contacts are in and dry, there is a ton of noise.. i just cant do it. so i was looking to get some coffee. Steven was like "there is this place that I got some over here, he showed me. I went up to the counter and bought a macciato or whatever it is, however its spelled; I don't know. The thing was TINY. I had to pay 2.35 that is Euros, so it was like 5 bucks. what a joke. Although to its credit it had some good caffeine. I had to buy a small can of coffee on my way out of the place though. it was like a Starbucks double shot drink thing. We had to take a picture. It looked so pathetic next to my (amazingly) pathetic looking bandaged hand.


I know that I promised a "don't take these for granted" list a while back, so Steven and I threw a few together. These are a few things that we really noticed missing in our daily routine. Don't take these for granted!
Carpet, both hands, hand soap, chairs, not having to sleep in mosquito nets, dinner menus that can actually serve what you order, food with no bones or rocks in it, toilette seats, toilets, toilet paper, the English language, showering without using a jerrycan, not showering outside with the mosquitoes, and pavement.


It was really hard to leave. I haven't been able to play with the kids since I got back from Congo. The morning we left I got up real early (6:58) and all the kids were getting ready to go to school. I had the chance to say goodbye to a lot of the older kids that had already went to bed the night before. I snagged my camera and walked around hoping to catch some more pictures of the kids. I was walking over by the playground and just had to stop and take in God's amazing picture that he was showing me; the sun was rising in the distance over the hill on the far side of the church. Kids were swinging just before they had to go to school, but they were silhouetted against the bright and hazy morning sky. I could have stood there forever. I could hear kids laughing and singing. Just the commotion of the whole orphanage was beautiful. It was a picture more extravagant than I think anyone could ever take. God has this way of just touching you at times when you are not expecting it. Later in the day when we were leaving, the kids had mostly left that went to school in other areas The kids still there were starting to go to school in some of the homes. The orphanage has decided to put up a school on site because the local school upped its rates a little bit and made it too expensive for the school to send the kids to school. They hired some workers to put up a temporary school so that the kids can attend there until funding for a new and permanent school can be built. They are interviewing new teachers right now. Having a new school that they can control and monitor will really help the students focus and learn. Many of the younger children were failing most of their classes and could not speak English, so Jackson and Eve Senyonga decided this was the best decision for the children. I have to say; I agree.

My trip has ended. I'm sure that there will be more stories that pop into my head that I will wish I could have put into this blog, but I hope that I gave you the ability to see a little of what I saw and experienced when I was there. I know that many of the things that I said were just funny side notes, but just to reiterate; This trip was not so that I could have a good time while doing good, but to show some of the glory of God through my hands, which he made, to the children and mums in the orphanage.

I hope that you have enjoyed my blog, but I do not seek glory for anything that I have written. I hope and pray that in all I do, I can glorify our Creator and not myself. I don't see a need to continue to blog, so I will not be sending any more notifications that Adam updated his blog. I try to blog once in a while just to update people that may look about whatever is happening in my life. So thank you so much for your support by reading this. I pray that I'll be blessed enough to write some more about next year.