HELLO!!!!
My, how time has flies. This is the last update I am sending before
leaving for the States!!! I can't believe that I have been in Uganda
for over 9 weeks now and that I am currently preparing to return home.
Before I tell you about our week, I want to share with you our travel
plans.
Regina and I are scheduled to leave here late Thursday night (Aug 1).
We will arrive in Amsterdam on Friday morning (Aug 2). We have a 10 ½
hour layover in Amsterdam and plan to go out into the city to do some
exploring. We will then leave Amsterdam around 5:00 pm on August 2
(which is 6 hrs ahead of east coast and 7 hrs ahead of central time
zone); we are scheduled to land in DC around 7:50 pm on the same day.
Regina's family will be picking her up at the airport and I will be
spending the night there until my flight to Little Rock Saturday
morning (Aug 3). I will be back in Arkansas around 2:00 pm on August
3rd!! At this point, I am VERY excited about being home.
Unfortunately, my time in Arkansas is limited; I will be heading back
to Durham around the 14th. But, I am very much looking forward to
seeing everyone very soon!
Now to share a bit of what's been going on since my last update (we've
been busy!):
First of all I want to say a huge THANK YOU to Gina Miller and Banks
United Methodist Church in Franklinton, NC for the package we received
last week filled with over 30 lbs of art supplies for the kids. When
Regina and I arrived in Uganda, we brought some supplies with us;
however, we were NOT prepared to have 180 kids for art. Needless to
say, we did not have enough supplies. Gina so graciously asked us if
there was anything we needed because she wanted to send us a care
package. I immediately told her about our need for art supplies due to
the number of kids we were teaching and she shared the need with her
congregation. Their response was an amazing act and outpouring of love
as they began to gather supplies to send to us—over 100 lbs of
supplies was collected!!! (This is a church that averages about 75 at
worship on Sunday mornings! "It just shows you that even small
churches can make big waves" –William Lucas) Praise God for that! We
were sent just over 30 lbs of the collected supplies—it is CRAZY
expensive to send stuff here, as you can imagine. We have been
awaiting the arrival of the package since June 19th and were VERY
excited when it was brought to us. I was shaking with excitement as I
opened it and marveled at all the surprises I found. SO MUCH LOVE PUT
INTO THAT BOX!! They truly went above and beyond with this and we
cannot thank them enough.
On Thursday we presented the gifts to the whole school. I was so
happy to be able to deliver the package to the school and to reveal
what was inside the box! The excitement on the kids' faces was
priceless. They are very thankful for the gifts and the love that
accompanied them. Little did we know that we were also going to be
presented gifts from the school; some of the students presented us
with A LOT of gifts including sugar cane, pineapples, mangoes,
avocados, jackfruit, ginger, and maize. We had several present us with
letters they wrote us. I decided I was going to wait until I am home
to read the letters—I can't wait!!! There is no doubt that these kids
love us and are going to miss us.
On Tuesday night we were invited for dinner at the Bishop's residence
again! It was a dinner to say a final farewell to the chancellor of
the diocese, who left for Rome last Wednesday. Little to our
knowledge, the Bishop also honored Regina and I since it would likely
be the last time we were all together with the Bishop. We even got to
help cut the cake. We also met two other Americans, Dean & Chris, who
are from Colorado. They got here the beginning of July and will be in
Uganda for a year. They are sponsoring and helping in the construction
of a secondary school in one of the villages, which cost about
$40,000. This is their fourth year coming to Uganda and they normally
spend their time in the States finding sponsors for children's school
fees and raising money for the school building. They are very aware of
the challenges villages face, such as no electricity, very limited (if
any) access to drinking water, and a limited amount of qualified
teachers. All of the teachers want to teach in schools that are in
towns, like Luweero, that has access to drinking water and
electricity. While the challenges are many, the three I listed are
probably the biggest. Plus, people in the villages are very poor, so
sponsors are needed in order to ensure that the children in the area
have access to an education. I'm very thankful we got to meet them,
but regret that it was so late in our stay here. They seem like a
wonderful couple and very clearly have a passion and calling to here
serving in this capacity. They will even be staying in the village for
the majority of their time in Uganda. I ask that you keep them in your
prayers as they face the many challenges that are ahead of them.
Last week was our last week to teach in the schools. It was a very
emotional week as we began to say goodbyes. Yes, I cried. Yes, I am so
in love with the kids here. And yes, it is going to be difficult to
leave. This place will forever have a special place in my heart. As I
was saying goodbye to my Senior 1 class at the secondary school, I was
really touched at some of the things they had to say. They sang songs
for us and some of them made speeches thanking us for the work we had
done. It was wonderful to be able to hear about some of the fruits of
our labor. There were a couple of boys, who I would have guessed
hadn't learned much of anything due to their lack of participation and
seeming interest, thanked us for teaching them how to be able to read
the Bible. It was very touching and made every frustration completely
worth it. Regina and I were also told that the Senior 1 classes, which
we teach, have consistently had better Scripture lessons/reflections
and prayers during assembly every morning. We were happy to hear that!
Saying goodbye to the kids at the primary school was not any easier.
In fact, I think it may have been even more difficult. We also
experienced a closer relationship with the teachers at St. Jude, so
saying goodbye to those we had worked so closely with for nine weeks
was no easy task itself. We have had such a wonderful experience at
St. Jude and the last week was no exception. Between the gifts, the
letters, and the love we received there was no better way to spend our
last week than just enjoying it all. Last week we had some P4 kids
braid our hair, complete with flowers!!! One commented that they were
"decorating their mzungus." It made me laugh; they really do claim us
as one of their own. We have gotten so many questions as to when we
will be back and I wish I had an honest answer for them. While it
would be wonderful to return to Uganda, the reality of it is not as
accessible and it breaks my heart to know that I will probably never
see them again; I have come to love them all very much.
We will be visiting the school on Tuesday to say our final goodbyes
to the kids. I am expecting that there will be some tears from both
ends! It will not be an easy nor a fun task, but unfortunately the
time to say goodbye has come.
Last Thursday night we had dinner with the Sisters and with four
Germans who help sponsor a few children at the secondary school. It
also turned out to be a farewell dinner for Regina and I!! Sister
Goretti and Sister Agnus were the hosts and most all of the teachers
were there. There were also some students who sang and dance for us!!
We had a great time meeting the Germans, who raised enough money to
insert a well (about $5,000) not far from the parish. There were some
speeches made thanking us for our time at the school and lots of
laughter. We stayed a bit after and found ourselves dancing with the
teachers and with the children. My favorite moment came at the very
end; after the event was over the students had an opportunity to eat.
I noticed that there were three students who were serving everyone
else, so I gather Regina and told them to get in line to eat. We
continued serving the students their dinner. I could tell they were
surprised by our actions but also so very excited to be receiving part
of their dinner from us. It was most definitely a special moment for
me!
On Friday night the parish community in which we have been staying had
a farewell celebration for us. There were speeches, gifts,
entertainment by both St. Jude and St. Cyprian, and food! St. Cyprian
even used one of the songs we taught them in their presentation; that
was a pleasant surprise for both Regina and I. Fr. Joe presented us
with African dresses, which we changed into for the rest of the
celebration. We ended by dancing the night away with the some of the
kids and staff of the schools and, yes, even the priests!! I even got
to teach Fr. Matthias how to slow dance. The kids LOVED that we were
dancing with them and were having such a wonderful time. I don't think
I've ever had so much fun dancing!!! I also don't think I've ever been
in an atmosphere where this white girl's dance moves have been enjoyed
so much. Haha.
We have continued to play Dutch Blitz and I am still kicking butt!!!
I'm just over 12,200 points and Regina is at about 10,400. I'm sure we
will continue to play this week and the scores will only continue to
grow!!
That's all I have to update you with for my last update from Uganda.
We do not have anything else planned before leaving except to spend
some time in Kampala and Entebbe before heading to the airport on
Thursday.
Be looking for a final update that will come to you sometime within a
few days of returning home. Thank you for all of your prayers and your
support during the past ten weeks. I do ask that you continue to pray
for us as we travel back home. I also ask that you continue to pray
for me during the transition back to life in the States. I am not sure
what to expect but I imagine (and have been told by many) to expect
some culture shock. I pray I can be patient with myself and pray that
those around me also find patience with me. I'm a bit nervous about
returning, but feel like I am preparing myself the best way I can
prior to leaving. Thanks again for your tremendous amount of love and
for being a part of my life!!!!! I love you all and can't wait to see
you in just a few short days!
All my love,
Corey Namata
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