First week in Uganda

It has now been a week since I arrived in Uganda. I have had the most amazing, heart wrenching, seven days. I never knew my heart could be stolen and broken at the same time. It is a powerful, sometimes overwhelming feeling.

After arriving on Sunday, I spent the night in a hotel in Kampala (the capitol of Uganda). When I got to the hotel I met the other volunteers. It was a first time experience for me to be the only American in a group of people. The volunteers are from Australia, Norway, England, Canada, and Japan. I have met the most amazing people and have thoroughly enjoyed living under the same roof with so many different kinds of personalities. I already feel that I have learned so much from each one of them. On the five hour bus ride from Kampala to Fort Portal (where the volunteer house is) I fell in love with this land. Every single aspect of it. The mountains, mango trees, red clay, all the people going through their daily routines, the school children walking down the road in their uniforms. Everything. I wonder why I waited twenty years to come here!

On Tuesday I walked down to the school and met all the children and the next day I started teaching! The school consists of three little wooden buildings with three classrooms in each building. The floors are dirt, the walls are pieces of wood with cracks between each one, there’s no playground or gym….but the kids are SO eager to learn and appreciate every lesson. My classroom is the P1 level which is equivalent to about first grade in America. I have the privilege of getting to teach, play with, and love on fourteen of the most precious children I've ever met. About half of my students live across the street at the orphanage, the other half are from the village. After we have our English lesson each day we have snack time. The workers from the orphanage bring over a big pot of porridge (rice powder and hot water) and give each student a cup. Snack time is hard for me because the kids who come from the village literally lick their cup (and other students cups) until there is not one drop left. I know the kids who live at the orphanage are provided three meals a day, but I'm afraid most kids from the village don't eat much besides their porridge and lunch during school. The amazing things is if a child happens to have their own snack that day (usually a piece of bread) they will break off a piece for every student. They share everything. After snack is break time which consists of playing tag or hacky sack with a balled up trash bag with rubber bands around it. My heart hurts every time I notice anything like the trash bag hacky sack ball, but I have to act like things like that are normal because the kids here don't know any different. I think about the variety of toys I had to play with at their age and it makes me nauseous.

You are free to come and go from the orphanage as you please so I get to spend a lot of time with my students and the other orphans there. We play lots of soccer there in the afternoon, they absolutely LOVE it!  I also go the orphanage in the evening for prayer time. Prayer time lasts for about an hour and consists of singing, dancing, and prayer. Imagine witnessing sixty orphans thanking and praising God....I know I'm a lucky girl. When the children pray they don't just recite the same prayer all together, they kneel on the ground, bow their heads, close their eyes and each talk to God like they're talking to one of their friends. They all say their own prayer at the same time. The room is so full of love, it's impossible for it not to touch your heart. It is honestly one of the most moving things I've witnessed. After experiencing this and seeing how all the orphans are like a big family, it got me to thinking. Coming from a first world country to a third world country, you usually feel that if you could bring the kids home with you that they'd have a much better life. Until I came to Uganda I thought that too, but spending time at the school and orphanage has altered my viewpoint. These kids love each other, share with each other, and truly care about each other. They are so full of love, life, and Jesus. They talk to Him every day, multiple times a day. They are grateful for what He has given them. Kids who are raised in orphanages like this are the ones who are actually rich. The people in first world countries who would rather spend all their time and money on things just to benefit themselves are the ones who are living in poverty. Sure, in America we could give these kids a college education and lots of material things, but isn't faith, hope, and love worth SO much more? That's just a thought that's been heavy on my mind lately.

Africa is no longer just a picture in a magazine to me. Africa is Kaijuka, Jordan, OPuuli, Aaron...and so many more. Africa has faces now, and I will never be able to forget them. Not that I'd ever want to anyways.

xoxo

Carson

My home for the next three months!

My classroom

Precious little faces

Our first craft! They loved being able to use markers!

Some of the volunteers and myself during our hike to the crater lakes

Crater lake....a picture doesn't do it justice

Next stop...AFRICA!

Hey everyone! I'm trying to kill time during my layover in London so I figured it would be a good time to update you all. I flew straight from Raleigh/Durham to London, my next flight which is straight from here to Uganda boards at 9pm (4pm for you guys). It is finally starting to hit me that I'm going to Africa but I honestly don't think it will sink in until I get off the plane and actually see Uganda with my own eyes. I have never been this excited, nervous, anxious, happy, scared, etc. about anything in my whole life! So many thoughts. So much change. It's such a myriad of emotions, but overall I am just grateful. Grateful to have this opportunity. Grateful to be supported when I do have this opportunity. And grateful for all the little Ugandan faces I have yet to meet. It's crazy to think that next time I'm in the London airport it will be the end of November and I will possess so many memories and experiences in my heart to carry home with me. The best way to spread love is to first show love. By taking a trip like this, it's impossible for your experiences and love to not overflow even when you return home. I hope when I get back to the States, the new love in my heart will cause a ripple effect and help to open others eyes about not only the change they could make in Africa, but anywhere in the world. I have to admit, it was difficult to say my goodbyes in Raleigh yesterday but I know there are so many hello's to come when I get to Uganda that will bring so much joy to my life. I never thought I would be ready to leave home, the people there, the ones I love the most. But I feel like God has done some incredible things in my heart to prepare me for this. As soon as I boarded the flight to London I just had this ease, I know everything is going to be alright, it's out of my hands. Like my dad e-mailed me just a few hours ago "The Lord will take care of you for me" and he's so right. I know I will be fine. I think I have finally reached the point where I have given up on my life as I knew it. I know things are going to change, and I'm so ready to embrace every aspect of it. I know this is exactly why I was created in the first place. I can't wait to see the world from the eyes who have absolutely nothing, yet have a smile on their face from ear to ear.

Well I should probably get off my laptop and go find my gate to board my LAST FLIGHT!! I just wanted to give you all an update on where I'm at, physically and emotionally! Crazy to think next time I blog I will actually be in Africa! I hope you all have a great week!!

xoxo, Carson

Welcome aboard!

Hey guys! I decided it would be a good idea to start a blog so I can keep you all updated on my trip. I’ve never blogged before so here goes nothing…

I’ll start by saying that with the help of funding from my wonderful family, friends, and an amazing offering from my church, today I paid the final payment to IVHQ to ensure my spot in the teaching program for three months in Uganda! How exciting!! Now, all I have to do is wait……I JUST WANNA GO NOW. The good news is I don’t have too much longer left! 54 days from now, I will be in the airport probably crying my eyes out as I say goodbye to my mom and dad (keep in mind I’m their youngest of six children) and the rest of my family and friends. Then I’ll hop on a plane and this girl will be on her way to Africa! What a crazy thought. Sometimes I still catch myself wondering if I’m really about to do this. It’s always been a farfetched dream that I couldn’t really grasp. I definitely think dreams come a few sizes too big so we can have time to grow into them. I finally think I’m ready and equipped with the knowledge, faith, and strength to face the daily trials in Uganda, and to truly appreciate the rewarding feeling of helping to mold innocent children’s lives. Of course I have fears, but my yearning to make my mark in the world far outweighs any fear imaginable. I absolutely cannot wait to be in the presence of amazing little faces every single day.

As some of you may know, I recently got back from a mission trip to Haiti. This trip eliminated any doubts I could’ve ever had about making the choice to spend three months in Africa. The feeling of pure happiness and joy that I felt while in Haiti is like an addiction that I can’t get enough of. It was like I found my meaning in life, and I knew I was supposed to be there. I’m counting the days until I get to Uganda and the same feeling consumes me. I cannot wait to get my feet in that red clay and my arms around those sweet children. As much as I’m ready to go, I know some days I will miss the “normality” of America, but I’m so ready to get away from all the distractions here and see the world from a new perspective. I wonder who I will be when I get home; I wonder what my eyes will have seen and what my heart will have felt.

It’s bizarre thinking about how things really do happen for a reason, and how God uses trials and tribulations to create something remarkable. I was dealt a pretty tough hand this past year, but that only provided me with the strength and ability to make this life-changing decision. I’ve learned that sometimes the most dreadful of things we experience are still blessings in disguise. I never thought taking a semester off from college would be in my plans, but then again that was MY plan, and God’s plan is completely different. I’m just grateful He lets me be a part of His plans. I can’t wait to see what He has in store for me and how He is going to use me in Uganda, but I must admit this is a bittersweet feeling. All my best friends will be starting their junior year of college, and it makes me think how different I had my life planned out just last year. I would have never believed you if you told me I would no longer be attending ECU, or that I would have no desire to major in apparel merchandising anymore. It’s so crazy! God has something even bigger and better in store for me, I know it. So that's why I am here, typing a blog on my MacBook about traveling to Uganda. Not because everyone thinks it's the best route to take, because believe me, I've heard my fair share of opinions along the way, and not because it's what's expected of me, and definitely not because it's going to be easy.

             Before I call it a night I would like to personally thank anyone who is taking the time to follow along with this journey, and to everyone who helped make this possible. You will never know how precious each of you are to me. And to my sweet parents, I don’t think you guys will ever truly know how much I appreciate your support and for always believing in my dreams. I know most mom and dads would have a hard time when their daughter drops the “I’d like to take a break from school and move to Africa” bomb. You two handled it with grace and have never made me feel like I can’t accomplish anything I set my mind to. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

Below are some of my favorite pictures from my trip to Haiti so you can all see what I've been up to this summer! LOVE to you all!