Meet Sarah Nanyondo

Here she is. Sarah Nanyondo. So many love her for good reason. I met Sarah in 2005 on Lingira Island in Lake Victoria, Uganda. As they say in Uganda, we are "age mates". Our lives could not be more different yet somehow, despite my doubts about deep/meaningful cross-cultural relationships, God brought the two of us together in a way that we both agree has been life changing...and hilarious as we navigate the waters of "You do WHAT in your culture?!?!"
In 1998 Sarah left her home village of Kayunga, central Uganda, to look for work due to her mother's lack of school fees to send her to school. (Sarah's father had passed away in 1989.) This led her to Lingira Island where she became a Christian and enrolled in discipleship training classes. She also began to teach at Joy Preschool (where you do not need a degree to teach) which is where I found here when I moved to the island. The teachers there often do not receive wages for the work they do because it depends on the students bringing their school fees. The teachers often do not turn away students who continue to come without school fees. We taught together for several months but Sarah desperately wanted to go back to school. I couldn't believe the way she would soak up anything we would do together in the preschool. She was so eager to learn and she showed such love for the children as she served them.
She had been "sitting" for nine years waiting for a sponsor when suddenly some people stepped forward to sponsor her. I couldn't believe the fervor that she exhibited as she stayed up all hours of the night to study. Her humility was incredible as she joined school with girls so much younger than her. I once visited her at her dorm and was so impressed by the way she treated all the girls as peers who were clearly so much younger than she was.
Which brings us to today. Sarah (far left) with her current roommates at University! Sarah has received sponsorship to attend the University of Kyambogo in Kampala, Uganda to pursue a degree in education. In Sarah's own words: "As a professional teacher, I believe I will teach the youth how (to) walk morally upright and also do some counseling. And, to pass (on) God’s love, which will be spread to the whole community and world.” Her short terms goals "are to study hard so that I may be able to become a professional and loving teacher" and her long terms goals are "to get a job either being a tutor at the university or becoming a headmistress, especially in the islands.”
(Sarah, far right, with the other teachers at Joy Preschool on Lingira Island 2005 before receiving sponsorship to go back to school.)
Which brings us to the need. Sarah has three semesters left to go in her schooling and due to several factors, a few of her sponsors are unable to continue sponsoring her so she is $1,000 US dollars away from finishing university and being able to teach. It truly will be a gift to Uganda to have such a talented, compassionate, committed woman serving their youth. ANY amount will help. Below I will link a You Tube video so you can see how incredibly grateful Sarah is for anything she receives. If you are interested in donating, it is very easy! Go to:
http://www.globaloutreach.org/missionaries.html#SmithA
1. Click on Andrew and Karina Smith "support"
2. Fill out the credit card info
3. Send me a message to let me know you donated so I can contact Andrew and Karina (the ones in charge of her school fees through their organization Shepherd's Heart.)

If you prefer just sending me a check, let me know and I will send you my address! She would be so thankful for whatever you can do to help her! Thanks for reading!

Evidence of her thankful heart :)
http://www.youtube.com/user/03CoJack?feature=mhee#p/a/u/2/8Rj4m1xXAtA

And one more video for you Sarah Groves fans out there :) ...this video shows Sarah's spirit too!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yJwbNZJG0Y

Steve Nash

So I was sitting in Western Uganda with my friend Joseph having a riveting conversation about life when a group of about 50 school children happens upon us. They decide they want to take a picture with me, the white girl. I oblige cheerfully until I realize they want to EACH take a picture with me. After many, many pictures, my patience is gone and I lament to my teammates later "I just don't get it. Why do they each want a picture with me? They don't even know me?" And one of my teammates chimes in "Well, if you just happened upon someone unexpected, like Angelina Jolie, wouldn't you want a picture to remember that moment?" I responded that I honestly wouldn't. I would give her privacy and really couldn't care less about having my photo with her. There. I was totally justified in my right to be annoyed and in my insistence that given the same situation, I would NOT respond the same way as my Ugandan friends. Then came his name to my mind. Yep. Steve. Steve Nash. If I happened upon Steve Nash I would not only get a photo, but I would also remind him of the time he waved at me in the crowd in Phoenix or the time he yelled my name in the nosebleeds at the Timberwolves game and that we should probably get a video of us dribbling basketballs together simultaneously. And I would tell him that despite being called the most unattractive man in the entire NBA, I still love the way he plays the game. So, I stood corrected and allowed all the photos anyone wanted the rest of the trip.
I've been back in the states now for a week and wanted to update you all on the second half of my trip and all I could think about was my Nash moment. Hopefully something more meaningful than that comes out of me as I sit down to write. I got some flack from a friend the other day for the lack of updates on my blog and I reminded her that it was a LABOR OF LOVE just to do the one while I was in Uganda. So, here is the update on the second half of the trip!
The team and I headed to Mbarara for the last week of their time there so we could visit a couple who reaches out to street children. This area of the country is known for growing Matoke, the food the women are carrying on their heads. For some reason this picture has become one of my favorites from the trip. I think it is just the collision of traditional with modern life.
David and Esther were the couple we went to visit (showing off her homemade wedding dress that she made for her wedding recently...with matching attire for David.) They have 20 plus boys/girls living in their home to escape life on the streets. Here's their website for more info: http://joyofachild.net/
One of the most memorable moments from this trip was watching them do what they call Family Court. Family court involves each child bringing any grievances to the attention of the entire family that have happened in the previous week. It was amazing to see how this couple openly communicated with their children. Several of the siblings expressed the way one of the older boys was ganging up on them and I loved the way David talked to that child about what his strength IS to be used for, to protect and guard his siblings.
Here is the team (plus my college roommate's sister Amanda from the Peace Corps...can't believe I saw her twice in one year halfway around the world) at the post office where Esther works and where she also sells the crafts that the girls in her home make. Amanda was just there to visit me but ended up teaching the girls how to make cloth pads that they can sell. Yep, tis true. Can't wait to get my teammates pictures to show you the process. It's actually pretty genius as many girls miss going to school due to inability to buy disposable pads.


After the team left, I went to visit my good friend Sarah's (top right) home village. Sarah and I taught on the islands together when I lived there and her friendship has really changed me. I had been reading a book at the time called When Helping Hurts (I will probably devote an entire post to this book at a later time :)...it was that good) and I asked her "What is someone told you that the money it takes to bring me here would be better spent just sending you a check?" Now, I know that she probably is not going to feel the full freedom to give me an honest answer as I'm the one asking the question, but her response told me so much. She sincerely thought I was kidding, that's how ridiculous the question was for her. She went on to explain that you seriously can't put a price on relationship and that our interactions over the years have seriously changed the way she lives her life (and I can say the same). It really just solidified for me the importance of relationship and how much God can use honest, deep, meaningful relationships to really alter our lives.
Visiting Sarah's sister Tina's school where the children gave up a meal to buy me a jar of sim sim seeds and gnuts. I cried. They got uncomfortable. It was great. What a crew this was. They even learned how to say my last name before I arrived so they could greet me in unison. I can hardly handle the kid in the bottom right corner of this picture. Hilarious.
The first time I have seen a child with special needs at a school there. Here is Tina with this adorable child who has Down's Syndrome. He was so engaged in what was happening while I was there but Tina said it has not been an easy road to provide for his needs.
My friend Peter comes to pick me up from Sarah's and I come out wearing this hat and say "Peter, I'll give you one guess as to what I got for a gift from Sarah's family" and Peter says "A basket?" One of the funniest Ugandans I know. He kept telling me I couldn't speak English because it wasn't "British English". To him, it's not a car trunk, it's a boot. You don't honk the horn, you hoot the horn.
I also went to visit the Mabonger family in Namalunga (they also used to live on the islands with me). Their son Andy has decided that the goat is his pet so he has named it and began treating it like a dog. Last I heard mom and dad decided to cave and get him a dog. The goat looks THRILLED in this picture. :)
Mama O and Papa O! I got to visit with these two at my first Ugandan wedding. They do family ministry on the islands and also lived there when I did. This couple is seriously amazing as they long to learn the best way to do marriage and family life. Papa O's adult son Joseph told me "I want to be 100 % like my dad." Joseph said that when he was little, his dad was the only man he knew that didn't physically abuse his wife. And his dad was mocked for doing tasks that others deemed to be a woman's job. These two truly value family.


Chief and Gloria's wedding! First Ugandan wedding and as you can see, it was an EVENT. I swear no one is too shy to dance in the entire country of Uganda.
And now my usual tribute to the animals of Uganda. This dog is sleeping. For real. I love the jaw drop showing the teeth.
I've always wanted a picture of one of these and finally got it. They are all over in the city picking at trash. They're just so huge and weird looking with their fuzzy necks.
A snail we found on the door to the house. The thing just slid its slimy self down when it was ready to descend.

Well, it appears I've made up for lost time with the length of this post! Thanks again to those who supported this trip in so many ways. I will post again when I receive my teammates pictures for those who want to continue to hear about all that happened on this latest journey!

Update from the Pearl of Africa

Here it is! My final shot to try and update the blog before heading out to the zone of no internet. I'm so thankful to be able to write to all of you who have been supporting this partnership from the beginning. I tell any group that I talk to that I am really representing dozens of people who wish to meet them and learn about their lives. The other day I was processing with an American Peace Corps friend about living in rural Uganda. We both dubbed it the Africa 'high' and 'low' that you can experience really within minutes of each other. There really doesn't seem to be any middle ground at times. I picked this first picture because it represents a high moment seeing one of the most beautiful areas near the mainland by the Nile. I hope that through this blog I can convey the highs and the lows to help you get a glimpse of life here!
Some of my closest comrades on the islands. From the left Annet (taught at the preschool with her), Titus (government official on the islands), Jennifer (friend who struggles with not being able to have children, something that is very difficult for a woman living there), little Scovia (one of my favorite past students), and Sarah Nanyondo (what they call my "age mate" when I lived on the islands...heading out to her home village today to finally meet her family. I have no idea what it will be like but I will show up sugar and millet flour as gifts in hand!). Titus and I have had some really amazing discussions about life on the islands. He is a very deep thinker and really desires to see change among his people. He was once married but was separated from his wife during one of the wars. She was pregnant at the time and he gave up hope of ever meeting her. After years apart, he finally found her with his son married to another man because she thought Titus was dead. To hear him tell the story is heartbreaking yet this man continues to desire to make the islands a better place to live. Random Titus fact: He is the only Ugandan I know that always has honey around. Every time I visit it is what he gives me to eat while we talk about life.
The original team! We started with four of us Americans (check out those unplanned matching outfits!) hanging out with Mary (seated below), the founder of the WAR (Women at Risk) program. Eunice is one of her employees and both were so eager to learn and share their lives with us. Mary's life story is also really incredible. On the verge of suicide after years of selling her body on the streets, she was met by a pastor and his wife in a bar on a rainy night. The couple was forced to go inside the bar because of the rain and they ended up buying her a drink. Mary is seriously one of the most talented, patient, and wise women I have ever met. I watched her so much throughout the week to see how to handle so many situations.
Mary translating for me as I taught the women about the amazing facts of their physical and spiritual bodies. The first day I went to the program I had no idea that there were two classes of women: those who were finishing up the year long mentoring classes and those who were just checking in to see if they were interested. I asked one of my Ugandan friends at one point: What is the deal with some of the women? It seems as if they are drunk and not interested in what we are saying. She explained to me that they were drunk :) and that these were to the women who had just been outreached to. I could not believe the transformation that happens in these women's lives over the year. The difference in maturity was marked.

My other teammates on this trip led the women in art therapy lessons. We had an art teacher/counseling student, social worker, and photographer on the trip with us. They walked the women through some really amazing art therapy lessons as they looked at the reality of who they are before God. We interviewed the women in their homes in the afternoons and I really look forward to sharing with you the video of their stories. At one point we asked to be let into one of the brothels with a camera and couldn't believe they let us in. It was during the day and I know I will never forget the sick feeling in my stomach even being in that place during the day. Mary is living in the community of Mbeeko by choice (a community known for prostitution and high crime) and she is truly making a difference by allowing God to use her.

Oh this is so hard for me to write! There is just too much to sift through to figure out what is most important to convey to you all. And brevity has never been a strength of mine! I'll end with a funny story. The other night I was cleaning up after dinner and there were some leftovers in the kitchen on the counter. I saw two hungry dogs sitting by the doors the entire time I was cleaning. I really wanted to go into the other room to wipe down the table but I feared the dogs would be able to reach the leftover food. I decided to risk it and went into the other room. In the middle of wiping down the table, I heard noise in the kitchen so I started running into the other room screaming "No no no!" while clapping my hands. I felt horrible as I turned the corner to find a scared Ugandan cowering on the floor as he was trying to get a plate out of the cupboard. Then the language barrier prevented me from fully explaining that yes, it really WAS ok for him to get his dinner and eat that night. We both eventually were laughing after I looked like a complete fool trying to act out what happened.

In all of this, I have found that chanting three tiny letters is so effective: T.I.A. This is Africa.

Uganda Bound July 2011

I've wanted to start a blog for years now of these trips to Uganda but haven't. I'm sure most would think it was for some "technology deficit" but those people would be deceived. I simply couldn't come up with a creative title. Over lunch the other day my friend Jodi says "Let's call it Uganda" and the rest is history.
I thought for my first blog entry I'd walk you all through my Top Ten most asked questions about Uganda throughout the years.

#1 How did you ever end up teaching in Uganda for 9 months in the first place?
These little hammers! I originally wanted to return to East Asia where I had done missions work a few summers previous. My church at the time in Madison WI looked at my application and thought my passions fit Uganda well. I was supposed to go for a summer but decided on teaching on Lingira Island in Lake Victoria at Joy Preschool for a school year.

What animals live on the islands?


Lots of bats, monkeys, chickens, goats, mice, insects (including my least favorite cockroaches), and a few dogs/cats.

What do Ugandans do for fun?
Two things come to mind right away: soccer and listen to the radio.

What language do they speak?

There are many languages spoken in Uganda but one of the most common is Luganda. Several people on the islands speak English too!

How do you do everyday tasks on the islands?

The pit latrine is my students' favorite thing to learn about here in the states, hence to "flat Cheetah" mascot in the pictures. The second picture is where we take a shower using collected rainwater or Lake Victoria water with a cap full of bleach. :)

Do you often revisit the same people?





It is getting more difficult as I return to the islands because the population can be transient. Starting from the top, this is Sarah Nanyondo. She is my age and is one of my best friends there. I keep in pretty good contact with her as she is one of the most amazing people I've met in my life. The next picture down is Medina and her children. She has gone through much in her life but has the best spirit. We barely can speak to each other but the one thing we both know how to say in each other's language is "I love you sooooo much". The next picture are some of my favorite women on the islands: Annet, Jennifer, Justine, and Annet. It is so difficult to get some Ugandans to smile for pictures so I was thrilled to get this one! The bottom picture is of two children/students I've known since the beginning of my time there: Enoch and Gift.

What do you eat?


A lot of things I had never heard of before and few that were familiar! Matoke, gnuts, mukene fish, posho, beans, rice, sweet bananas, papaya, cabbage, eggs, chapati, millet porridge, and occasionally meat (goat/chicken).

How do you get around?


On the mainland you can ride a "boda" scooter, public transport vans, or on the back of a bicycle. To get to the islands, you take a two hour boat ride and are carried to the boat...no docks. :)

What do you bring with you when you go?

Anyone who has been around me when planning for these trips knows this is the part that stresses me out the most! Two bags with 50 lb limits equals crazy packing. I've had so many things donated over the years but one of my favorites was a college roommate of mine who decided to do a bridesmaid's dress drive and send me with all of them so I could have a party for the women. Each dress fit perfectly and I had a blast trying to teach them the electric slide.

I appreciate all the support over the years so many of given to me as God molds my heart for some of the most precious people I have ever met. I could tell you story after story of what these people have taught me and how they have treated me like family. I look forward to updating you on trip number four either while there or when I return at the end of August!


*I've had several people still asking how they can financial give to this trip. If you want to donate, go to http://www.weinternational.org/ and you can give online. There will be a comment box at some point in the process for you to write who/what it is for. You can also just send me a message and I'll let them know it is coming. Timing of the donation does not matter (before/during/after this trip). Thanks!