Welcome Alivia Grace Mink!!

I am so excited to welcome precious Alivia Grace!

I am so sad that I am not home right now but am so happy and excited for Bart and Mana. I woke up this morning telling everyone here that i had a feeling Alivia would come today so I have been glued to my computer all day waiting to hear the news and what do you know! She was born this afternoon at 6lbs. 6oz. and is the most perfect baby i have ever seen!

To Bart and Mana: I Love You both SO much and am so happy for you! I wish i could be there to meet her in person but Aunt Ally will bring skype soon!I love you and I know this is the greatest day so enjoy it and I will talk to you soon! And give Alivia lots of kisses for me! Love you all!!!!

More to come about my weekend in Africa tomorrow! It has definitely been an intersting one so stay tuned!

Prayer

What can I say? My first weekend in Kampala has definitely been an interesting one! I awoke Saturday morning to a crazy thunderstorm that sounded like it was going to wash the house away yet was comforting at the same time. You know you are in Uganda when it storms like crazy and instead of worrying about other things you think "Yay, One cool day without dirt flying in my eyes and we get to play in the rain!" This was of course my reaction as i prepared for the day. Class was cancelled that morning so I was able to sleep in and relax throughout the morning, which included a little reading and the amazing fresh pineapple that we have each morning.

As the day went on, I went to class which was an interesting discussion/ debate on the book Things Fall Apart. We read a poem that really stuck out to me so i will post it soon for everyone else to read! I just don't have it with me right now! Once class was over we walked back to the house and as soon as I walked in the house I knew it wouldn't be a good night. We were having fish for dinner and it was strong. For those of you who don't know, I am highly allergic to fish and can't be around it at all! So, I went upstairs to refrain from the fish smell until dinner was ready and then made myself a good peanut butter and jelly sandwich and stayed upstairs for the rest of the night. Now keep in mind, this is a Friday night in Uganda when everyone goes out. Because of the fish smell, My chest started to hurt really bad and i ended up taking benedryl and going to bed at 8 'o clock. My first stage of homesickness kicked in because when I feel bad there is nothing better than staying at home and sleeping in my own bed all day. But at least I got a good night's rest for what was to come the next morning!

On Saturday morning, I awoke bright and early to prepare for something that no one is able to prepare for. We were told to be ready by 9am because students from Cornerstone University here in Uganda were coming to take us around the city and teach us how to use the Matatu's which are the taxi's that seat about 15 people. My cornerstone assistant was the first to arrive. Fred (my assistant) was so welcoming. We got into our groups and learned more about the Matatu Challenge for the day. Fred was going to teach us how to ride the Matatu and take us to the Owino Market... I was so nervous for what the day was to bring.

My first experience on the Matatu wasn't actually that bad because Fred payed and told us everything we were suppose to do, including where to get off! The Matatu was packed with i think 16 people when it was a little bigger than a mini van. I am not going to lie, I was hanging on for dear life as we flew over potholes and in and out of cars, then the driver would slam his breaks on to let someone out as boda bodas (or motorcycles) would maneuver there way through all of the traffic. Keep inmind there are absolutely no traffic laws so you drive wherever you feel like it... If someone is going slow it is perfectly fine to pass them and just stay on the other side until another car is coming at you head on! It is the craziest thing I have ever expereinced.

Once we finally arrived at the Owino market, I was in complete shock through the whole tour. Thousands of people swarmed through tiny isles that went on for miles haggling and buying everything imaginable, from raw meat and vegetables, to clothes and any electronic possible, and i cant even think of other things it was so crazy. I found it really interesting that one station just had huge bags of everything that you could buy for 10,000 shillings which is about 5 US dollars. You do not know what is in the bag when you buy it but most people just hope for the best and set up their own stand in the market and sell everything that they just bought, hoping to make a profit. The smells were so overwhelming in a few areas that I almost couldn't stand it. In the food area the smells of rotten fruit mixed with fish and raw meat and peanuts just didnt mix well together for my nose. As we made our way through the market, I found myself scared at some points but Fred was very protective of the 2 girls and made Rob walk behind us to make sure nothing happened to us. As we attempted to make our way through the mud and crazy crowd, I was proposed to at least 3 times, had at the minimum 5 men grab my arm and say "So beautiful, marry me, so cute" and many other things, and probably heard Muzungu yelled at me probably 50 thousand times. It was a very overwhelming experience. I even found myself falling asleep that night with nightmares from the crazy day. Little to say that will remain a one time experience! Also, I have already realized that when I get back to the states I will probably call everyone a Muzungu for a while because I have found myself doing it so much here when I see another white person... so be prepared!

After we finally made our way out of the market the day turned out to be even more interesting. It was still overwhelming as Fred showed us around downtown Kampala as people crowded the trash filled streets trying to make a living off of selling peanuts and candy. I even saw one man selling passports! My heart then grew very heavy as I saw the faces of poverty first hand. There were countless amounts of young children sitting on the streets.. ranging from ages 1-5 with absolutely nothing but there hands held out hoping that someone would give them something to eat. As I watched the hundreds of people just walk by and act like the children are invisible, my heart broke and I began to think about all of the children in the world who are starving yet thousands of people just walk by and ignore them. It has had me thinking about the poverty here in Uganda and around Africa and I thought, if every person who walks by and almost walks over these children everyday gave 500 shillings (which is not even 25 cents in the US), what would downtown Kampala look like? I also found myself struggling with this idea because it becomes hard to know when to give and when not to give, but what if we even prayed for these children? What could happen? So I am asking everyone back home to just pray. For the people of Uganda and the children that fill the streets, just hoping that someone will stop and give them something small to eat. "For the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." -James 5:16

Saturday was definitely a day of heavy hearts and I know that as these next 6 months continue I will be faced with many questions and experiences such as these so i ask, Just pray.

Thanks! More to come about the weekend soon! I am playing catch up from not having internet for a few days!

Love you all!

Oh! And Rob bought a chicken at the market! Here is a picture of Rob, Fred, and Janet!

Hello from Uganda!!

As i prepared to leave for Kampala, Uganda and Kigali, Rwanda for 6 months, I was completely unaware of what was to come in my future. Last Wednesday, I said bye to my family and friends and flew to Phoenix, Arizona to meet the other students that I will be with for a 3 day orientation to prepare us before we left for Africa. I don't think I have ever experienced so many emotions in a 24 hour period of time. I was sad from saying bye to my family and friends, excited that my dream to go to Rwanda was finally happening, nervous for the trip ahead, anxious to meet the people that I will spend the next 6 months with, and many other feelings. It has now been a week since I left home and I have absolutely fallen in love with this continent.

We arrived in Enteebe, Uganda late Sunday night (or early Sunday morning for those of you in the states!). As I stepped off the plane the smells of Africa overtook me and I knew I was in the right place. Like the rest of the group, I was extremely nervous to see if our luggage had made it with us so after we easily made it through customs we awaited at the coke-a-cola covered baggage area only to find every ones luggage! Praise God! We then had to load all of the luggage into a rugged bus to travel to Kampala where we will be staying for the next 5 weeks. As we pulled into our compound, i thought to myself... is this really where I am staying? Am I really in Africa?

I have learned that our perceptions of Africa in America are nothing like what it is really like. I am living in an amazing house, with amazing food, the best fruit i have ever had, clean water, and yes, an endless supply of toilet paper! It is frequently said around the house how spoiled everyone feels! We have the greatest staff who take care of us and they Our cook, Grace, is the sweetest woman and makes great food... including many American meals such as pork and mashed potatoes! Yum! Our housekeeper, Howa, is so friendly and is willing to do anything for us! I have found myself telling her many times that i can out up my own shoes when i walk in! Along with Grace and Howa, we have 4 awesome security guards who make sure we are safe all the time. It is so great to see them smile and talk to them each morning as we leave for class. I feel so blessed and am so thankful to each and every person here who are working to make this a great experience!

As many know, while I am in Uganda I will be in class and then after 5 weeks will travel to Rwanda to take 4 weeks of class and then to start my internship which I should find out soon what i will be doing! Class started on Tuesday morning so we woke up bright and early, ate breakfast, took a first day of school picture like in kindergarten, and began a journey that we were not prepared for to class. The walk to class reminded me of when grandparents say "back in my day, we had to walk 5 miles to school in the freezing cold!" This is definitely what our experience is like everyday... a 2o minute walk completely uphill in the blazing heat. I was very discourged at first when i realized what each day would look like. Little to say, i will definitely be in shape when i get home! However, all of my doubts about class were soon gone once we reached the top of the hill to realize that our class is at a resort looking over all of Kampala. It is the most amazing view and feel so blessed to be able to sit in class and look over God's beautiful creation as i learn about this continent and country. Despite the long walk and heat, the walk is completely worth it. Not only is there an amazing view, but a pool that we get to swim in between and after class each day! Heck yes!

Besides class, this week has been spent getting over jet-lag, exploring the city, and lots of reading! Today is my first free day that I have had since I arrived in Phoenix so it has been spent relaxing, shopping, and exploring! I was able to try my first authentic African dish at a restaurant called the Ethiopian Village Restaurant and i must say, I am glad we have a cook here! I got to experience Uganda's signature food Injera, which is a supposed bread but really it tasted like a sponge to me. But hey, at least it was an experience and I am welcome to all experiences! This dish was the first to many of new meals to try in the future!

As we walked around town today, I was greeted by many Bagandan's (which is the term for the people of Uganda). We accidentally took a wrong turn and wondered down a dirtg road that was full of little shops and homes of the community. I was in a world that was unknown to me as i walked down this street and heard "Mzungu! Mzungu!" which means white person. I am in a place where i get the double-take after every person i pass and all of the children run outside to greet me. I find comfort in this and know that God is going to work through me and in me in so many ways through these next 6 months. I am where I am suppose to be.

I ask that you please keep me in your prayers as I live in these two countries and i will try to keep you updated often!

I would love to hear from everyone and can be reached at McElroyEA@hendrix.edu and on my facebook! I will also post pictures frequently on facebook!

Love,

Emily