Thursday May 27 and Friday May 28

On Thursday we got up and went to an African Coffee shop. We got drinks and sandwiches and spent some time just talking and enjoying the beautiful weather. Everything is very open here since there is no air conditioning. The breeze is wonderful though. We went into "The Mall" next to run into the supermarket. I saw a coconut and decided it would be fun to try. We left and jumped on some bodabodas (I guess the best way to describe these is a mix between a motorcycle and a moped) and they drove us to the main road. Here we got on a taxi and let me tell you...I've never in my life experienced anything like a taxi ride. The drivers constantly pick up people from the side of the road to make more money (even if there is no room) so people are piled on top of each other in this van going extremely fast down a crowded street. The lines on the road don't mean much here and people pass and drive when and wherever they want trying to avoid people and bodas. So now we are all jam packed into this taxi and then lady in the very back needed to get out so when we stopped everyone in her path had to exit the van and then pile back in. This happened to me 3 times before our stop. It is definitely an experience I won't forget. Normally when we go places we take Kenneth though. He drives pretty safely and knows different routes to dodge traffic. When we got back to the sozo house we gave the kids the new shoes, underwear, and backpacks that were donated. They were thrilled and are starting to learn some more English so they were walking around saying "sandals" and "backpack" and "sank you" they are still working on their "th" haha. Later I started shaving the coconut which the kids loved. We enjoyed that together until clumsy me hit my head on the open window. My day was done after that. It bled for a while and Esau was my nurse. He brought me a wet rag and cleaned me up and then came back periodically to check on me. When I came to sit in the living room he sat beside me and made sure I was ok. Jay sat in on the kids prayer requests last night and the trouble maker of the house, Dennis, asked if everyone would pray that he would behave better and have a better attitude. He is only 5! How precious is that. These kids are really in tune with God and believe in the power of prayer. It is fantastic!!

Today is Friday and I am stuck in the apartment feeling like poo. My head is aching which in turn is making me nauseous. It is a fun combination lol. Everyone else is going to a little island called Bethany where there is an orphanage. They are all going to see how that orphanage is run and maybe get some ideas for sozo.  

Please continue to keep us and the children in your prayers. God has some wonderful things ahead and we are so excited to see His work in action! Thank you for your constant support and I hope to hear from all of you!

Kwagala nyo

Tori

Finally

Sorry it took so long. We are all four sharing one internet so it took a little while to get adjusted. We didn't get internet until Monday night, but I tried to update everything! Here it goes...

Well we made it and now we finally have internet! Woohoo! It is very limited though since we are so busy all day and all have to share a computer at night. The first few days here have been nothing short of amazing. I LOVE IT!! We arrived around 7:30 on Saturday night and got stuck in traffic on our way to the apartment and our 45 minute ride turned into a 2 ½ hour ride.  We are here in our apartment now though. Uganda is a little different than I imagined, but I definitely love love it! Our welcome to Africa was a beautiful sunset in the plane. You could see dusk above and night below separated by the horizon. It had to have been one of the prettiest things I have ever seen. It looked like God painted the sky.

I guess since I haven’t been able to update yet, the easiest way to do this is to separate it by days.

Saturday May 22

Saturday we got up and went to the bank with Patrick to exchange our money. This was a treat because there is air conditioning lol. Patrick made the comment that they only give us air when we are giving money haha. We gave a few bills and got a TON in return. 1000 Ugandan Shillings is about 50 cents. Then we went the Super Supermarket (a little grocery store) and got a few things for our apartment. Then we were off to lunch with everyone. We had chicken and chips (fries) and African sodas. Then we headed to Sozo to meet the kids and bring them all the goodies we brought. There are pictures on facebook of them getting their new clothes. The kids were very interested in my camera and took lots of pictures for me! J We got to experience our first dinner at sozo and were amazed at how each child cleaned their plates and then proceeded to clear the tables and do their own dishes. The average age is 5 or 6 and the oldest is only 11!! The two year old Mercy even dropped a bunch of her food and immediately cleaned it up all on her own. Then we headed back for a long night of unadjusted bodies trying to sleep. It was a deliriously hilarious night.

Sunday May 23

Sunday was a field trip for everyone. We got up early and headed to sozo to get all 17 kids ready for church. I ironed clothes most of the morning. When it was time to leave we each held on to a couple of kids and started our trek to the street to try to find a taxi to hold us. Eventually an empty van pulled up and all 23 of us squeezed in and piled right on top of each other. When we arrived at church we unloaded all of the kids and headed to the service. It is outside and absolutely beautiful. It was an amazing view of God’s beautiful creation. It made realize though, how much we take for granted in America because I don’t know many people who would sit outside in 90 degree weather for church. Let alone the 4 hours we were there. We happened to come on the 5 year anniversary of the church so the service was extra long. The church had just had a soccer tournament and they gave the winning team a special prize…A GOAT!! Haha. The kids were really well behaved throughout the entire service. During worship Ivan danced and praised God the whole time. He is such a sweet boy. Dennis sat with me the entire time and if I moved an inch he moved with me lol. This is going to be an every week occurrence for us so we definitely need some prayers for patience!  When we got back the kids did some laundry and dishes. I learned how to do both. For the dishes they take 3 big bins of water. The first is to soak and wash the dishes with soap. Then they move to the second where they are rinsed and checked. Lastly, they move the third bin for a final rinse to make sure they are spotless. Laundry works about the same way. The clothes go in soapy water and are twisted then rinsed. Then they process is repeated. They are rinsed in a final water bin and hung to dry. It was a lot of fun to help the kids. I was amazed that little 2 year old Mercy was out there running the laundry show. She has such a big personality for such a little girl. We all say she is a 30 year old woman in a toddler’s body! She’s a hoot!

Monday May 24

Monday was going to be our big prep day to get the kids ready for school. We were going to go get all of their supplies and uniforms so they could start on Tuesday, but, as we all know, things don’t always go as planned. We had surprise visitors from North Carolina come and spend the day with us. We all ate lunch together around 3 lol. We watched Harry Potter (which the kids all love thanks to Jay). It is funny to see them watch these movies in English because most of them barely understand the language at all. They all sit there and watch very intently anyway though. As the day went on we had a bunch of kids begin to get sick. They all had climbing fevers. Julius had to go to the doctor and we found out that it is malaria. Almost all of the kids are on malaria medicine now and are speedily recovering. Thanks be to God!! We were all scared there for a while.

Tuesday May 25

 Today I got peed on. They call it susu here. I was holding Julius and he fell asleep. Not too much later my lap was warm and wet. The Uganda’s say that being susued on means blessings haha!

Most of the day was spent in town getting school supplies for the kids with Brenda (she is like a mother at the orphanage). As we were leaving town we drove through an area of traffic where children would come up to the window and ask for money. Brenda said that sometimes their parents would give birth to them in the streets and leave. It broke my heart. L We stopped by the school to get their books and then walked home. It is such a blessing that the school is within walking distance because it saves so much money on transportation.  I helped Brenda write their names and class on each of their 6 books and Vivian helped me by handing me a new book each time I finished one. She is so sweet. Then Kirabo came to join me and we worked on her reading. She knows every letter of the Alphabet and read each child’s name to me from the list. She is only 5 and hasn’t had much practice so I was very impressed. Then the kids colored and got ready for bed. Catherine and I sat in on their prayer time before bed and I was so touched. They quoted a verse in English and Luganda and then sang a song. Then they all fervently prayed and cried out to God for 5 minutes straight. It was a beautiful sound to hear. I didn’t understand a word they were saying, but I could hear the passion and fervor in their voices. I teared up a few times. When they were done we tucked them into bed and told them all goodnight. Tomorrow is their first day of school!

Wednesday May 26

Today for us is a rest day. We are going to try to go to the market to get some fresh fruits and vegetables and then maybe play some games and update our blogs! Finally!!! I miss all of you guys and hope to hear from you through comments or email. My email is trklamberg@crimson.ua.edu. I would love to hear from you. Thank you for all of your prayers. God is really blessing us in mighty ways! You can visit the sozo website at sozochildren.org. All the kids are on there! They are all so happy now that they are at sozo 

15 days!

So wow...only 15 days. It doesn't seem real. In just 2 weeks I will be on the flight for the summer of a lifetime and I am so pumped!! God is really building up some great things and He is really preparing my heart. Prayer is the absolute most important and most needed thing right now. Our mission team needs prayer and the people who we will come in contact with need prayers as well. I am constantly praying the God will just speak through me and all the glory will be to Him and Him alone! For I am nothing without Him. I cannot even begin to fathom the wonderful and mighty things He has in store for us. He says faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains so with all my faith resting in Him, I am expecting outrageously huge miracles to occur!! God will provide! As our departure is nearing, a few things have changed, but of course, for the better. Asbury church in Birmingham (our coordinating church) wanted to begin a project called Sozo Children International. The word  sozo means to save a suffering one. The organization was developed to plant orphanages in different areas of the world, one being Kampala. The details are still in the works, but as of right now the organization is set up where each child in the orphanages will have 3 sponsors (health, education, and basic needs). This project was supposed to span a couple of years of planning and developing, but in God's perfect timing a need arose in Kampala. Two members of our mission team, Jay and Allen, are already in Kampala and they have been working with an orphanage there. Not long ago, we received word that the orphanage was being shut down by the government and all the kids would just be left to fend for themselves. So this is where Sozo begins. Jay and Allen are taking 20 of the kids and starting the first orphanage, where we will now be spending a lot of our time this summer!! How AWESOME!! God is Great! If you follow this link you can see the video that Jay and Allen created...
WARNING: I cried... just letting you know!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqJL1iMrg-8
It is truly amazing. As I watched the video peace and affirmation flooded within my heart. God is really doing something incredible here and I am blessed beyond measure to be a part of it!!!

I'll keep you posted! Thank you for all of the prayers and donations!

"Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. " -Ephesians 3:20