Leah Stirewalt

Out of Deep Waters

Update from Uganda!

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It’s Saturday! I’m excited about that for various reasons, but I’m especially excited today, because it means I get communication from my daughter, Anna, in Uganda! She’s already over half-way done with her month-long mission trip, and communication has been very minimal. I knew it would be, but it’s still hard for this mama to adjust to that. Anyway…I received a nice long email from her this morning, and we were able to “chat” briefly via instant messaging. I told her that I planned to share parts of her update with you, as well. So…out of the mouth (or the typing fingers) of Anna herself…(I’ve explained further where I thought explanation might be needed)…

UgandaHello from Uganda! I’m finally feeling 100% better!! (She had been very sick and ended up going to the clinic in Uganda for medical treatment, so this is a BIG praise!)

I can’t wait to see you and tell you all about my trip! You’d be the best person EVER if you had a fruit tray waiting for me at home. I know they are expensive, but I’m craving fruit. Whenever we get fruit (which is rare) it almost makes us cry tears of joy!

PLEASE don’t worry about fixing rice, beans, plain noodles, hard-boiled eggs, bread with butter, or freshly plucked and killed chicken for me anytime soon! 😉 Oh and if you cook fish, please do not include the head, tail, and spine chopped up in it. Thank you. 🙂 Besides fruit, I’m craving Chick-fil-A, something to drink besides water, and a toilet! 🙂 I don’t have many mosquito bites, just bed bugs. We were able to walk to Lake Victoria this Wednesday…which was beautiful! I will make chapati for all of you at one point. You’ll love it!

Here is some Ugandan lingo for you:
Slippers- Flip Flops (that’s what Liberians call flip flops too, by the way)
Blue Band- Butter
Malik- Milk
Buusa- Butt
Ovacado- Avocado
Moo Moo- Cow

Random Ugandan Facts:
1. Animals aren’t respected, especially dogs.
2. Everyone calls us Mzungu (crazy white person)
3. African men blow kisses at the girls on my team.
4. Three of my team members (including me) have already been proposed to.
5. All Africans want you to take their picture.
6. If your money is not from 2006 or later, you can’t exchange it.
7. Smaller bills equal worse rate while exchanging money.
8. It is a normal sight to see Ugandan men walking their cows down the street.
9. Sweet potatoes are white.

Highs and Lows of each day:

Sunday (High): I don’t know if you can call it a high, but it was the funniest thing that has happened to me this whole trip. Our water was out, so Helena (one of Anna’s leaders) was showing all the girls in my house how to manually flush the toilet with a bucket. I went into the bathroom to use the squatty real quick. All of a sudden, the door is flying open led by Helena and followed by my 5 housemates. It was so funny! Helena said “good position!” And walked out. I laughed the rest of the night about it!
(Low): Two other girls and I were sick, so we had to miss church. I was really upset, but I had to rest so I could get better.

Monday (High): We went to a primary school and six of us, including myself, spoke. We also sang a few songs. When we left, kids were jumping up and grabbing our hands like we were Justin Bieber on stage at a concert. Then we were attacked by an insane amount of hugs! I’ve never felt so much love before!!! As we drove off, kids chased our bus for at least five minutes!
(Low): I’m still feeling sick.

Tuesday (High): We went to another primary school today. They brought us water during the service, gave us seats in the shade (well except for mine…I ended up in the sun), and we got to hang out with the kids at the end! I took lots of pictures, and the kids giggled when they saw a picture of themselves. Afterwards we went to the market. I only spent 14,000 shillings ($5.45)! I bought toilet paper, 100 baby wipes, and 4 packs of kleenex), a new toothbrush, orange Fanta, and Pringles!
(Low): Each morning I’m awakened to the Muslim call to prayer. Remind me to sing it for you because I have it memorized! People let their cows roam around, so they moo all morning too. Roosters crow as well. Mornings are not in our favor.

Wednesday (High): Monday was laundry day, so I put in 6 things to be washed. We finally got it back today. I felt like I was on a shopping spree going through everyone’s clothes to find mine. I felt like I had a whole new wardrobe. We are going to Jinja, Uganda on Monday!
(Low): We don’t have water to shower with or flush the squatty with. Our house smells of poop. TIA. (This is Africa)

Thursday (High): We went to the beach! Only five of us walked in the water though, because everyone else was scared of the parasites in Lake Victoria.
(Low): I fell an twisted my ankle during ministry and it really hurts.

Friday (High): When I was sick, I didn’t really eat. Even after I was better, I only ate my American snacks. I’m finally able to eat African food again! So delicious!
(Low): I have a really bad heat rash, which is quite ugly. I have a bunch of red, itchy dots on my hands, arms, legs, and feet.

Common meals we have:
-Beans and Rice
-Bread and Blue Band (breakfast)
-Beef and weird African noodles
-Potatoes – LOTS
-G Nuts (ground nuts boiled with water)
-Chapati

Our Staff:
Pastor Henry- in charge of everything!
Ruth- chef and does our laundry
Baboo- driver
Isaiah- fixes everything we break
Jessica- Ruth’s daughter who helps out
Martin- our night guard
We have many more wonderful staff members, those are just our main ones!!

Overall, we’re having a great time here in Uganda!! I can’t wait to see you all! Miss you guys! Love you!

Quirkiness

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towelAfter yesterday’s heavier post topic, I needed something a little more light-hearted for today. This came to mind while I was eating with my family at our local Cracker Barrel, and I began laughing at my husband. No…not just randomly…this was well-deserved (at least I thought so).

Joel has this quirky little habit whenever we eat out that involves gathering all of the paper trash on the table and putting it in one pile. Specifically, if I take the paper off a straw (for example) and crumble it all up and lay it by my glass, he’ll come looking for it to put with his trash pile and anybody’s else’s on the table. Tonight, I had a corner of that straw paper wedged under my water glass, and he even spotted it and dug it out from there to add to his little trash pile. I started cracking up, and he smirked, because he knew EXACTLY why I was laughing. He might be a little O.C.D. in that area, but he’s not alone.

We all have them! Yes…even YOU. 🙂

I, too, have my quirky little habits (probably a lot more than my husband actually). And…being the list-maker that I am (yes…another quirky habit), I made a list of those personal oddities:

  1. If I have more than one towel hanging on a towel rack, they need to be hanging evenly side-by-side. Can’t have one hanging lower or higher than the one beside it. (Yes…if you’re familiar with the old movie thriller, Sleeping With the Enemy, I’m like the psycho husband in this area.)
  2. I can’t wash dishes in a sink full of dirty dishwater unless all of the food was rinsed off first. I don’t like food floating in my water (not even a little bit).
  3.  OK – this might be a little TMI (too much information), but I’m on a roll now. That said, I change underwear twice a day. Yes – lots of laundry in this area, but I like wearing a clean pair in the morning and again at night. Remember how your mother always told you when you were little to make sure you wear a clean pair of underwear each day, because you never know if you’ll be in a wreck. Well, let’s just say I’ve been very obedient in that area.
  4. The seam of my socks has to be slightly on top of my toes. I can tolerate it on the edge of my toes but definitely NOT underneath my toes.
  5. After turning on my computer at work, the first thing I do after I sit down at my desk is to grab my three pens (pink, green, and blue) and go ahead and open them up and line them up side-by-side on my notepad.
  6. All my towels have to be folded in thirds and then thirds again with the rounded side facing out when stacked together in the linen closet.
  7. I even have an “order” to my prayer time each morning.

Okay, now that I’ve totally made you think I’m some kind of a freak (I assure you I’m not), I’d love to hear some of your quirks! 🙂