How to celebrate Christmas 'African style'!

I have very much enjoyed my African Christmas. We had a whirlwind 5 days of exciting and entertaining events with the children. There is so much I want to tell you about what we got up to that I think that the best way to try and tell you some of what we did is through photos.

23rd December

Staff Christmas Party

The House Mum's presenting their songs at the Staff Christmas Party. We held a Talent Contest and each department presented a song, dance or sketch. The House mum's came in 1st place.

The 'Single Ladies' dancing during the Missionaries song! The party was great fun and everyone got to eat together and have lots of fun. Each staff member got a Christmas gift, a Christmas Bonus and a bag of 'fresh' meat from the farm.

Christmas Eve

Cookie Decorating

This was a mess but great fun. Each child decorated 2 cookies with a LOT of icing!!!

Lauren showing off her creations!

African "Snowball Fight" (aka water fight with melted snowballs!)

It took us around an hour to fill 300 water balloons and they were gone in about 10 seconds!!

The 'Snowball' fight in full swing

Bonfire with juice, snacks, carol singing and dancing

A very special Christmas Eve night around the bonfire with all the children

Christmas Day

Present Opening. Each child got a stocking Christmas morning.

I was blessed this year and also received many gifts to open!

Christmas Day Church service including nativity

The little girls taking part in the Nativity. Mercy, one of our special needs children was Baby Jesus and behaved perfectly!

Christmas lunch and kids party with even more gifts

Ready to serve Christmas Lunch

Joel enjoying his soda!

Helping to hand out the presents

Gayla very happy with her new doll!

Christmas Skype at sunset 

Just as the sun was setting on Christmas day I managed to get a Skype connection which enabled me to chat to my dear family and share my day with them. After this I was able to enjoy the movie "Elf" and some yummy snacks with my house mates and the visitors. A perfect end to a fun filled day.

Boxing Day

Lunch in the village

On Boxing day we were invited to our house helper's home for lunch. Betty is an amazing lady and on Boxing Day invites the elderly to her home for a free lunch. We were special guests so had to dress up in our tradional dress ('Gomez'). Here I am carrying Betty's Christmas gift.

Balloons, bubbles and lolly pops for the village children.

The Boxing Day lunch guests

27th December

Quad Biking for the Teenagers!

As a Christmas treat we were able to take the teenagers on a Quad Bike Safari along the River Nile. It was so much fun!

The girls during their Safari and then it was off to town for Chicken and Chips!

I have been part of a special celebration this year which I will treasure and remember for many, many years to come. My special African Christmas! How blessed I am.

Happy Christmas Eve!

It’s Christmas Eve and I am sitting here reflecting on the season that is before us.

I have enjoyed the Holiday season but it has been very different this year. I have experienced a bit of homesickness but have also had lots of fun trying to recreate a special Christmas feel in the middle of a very HOT season. You know, having scorching hot weather makes it pretty hard to feel like it is Christmas! We have been playing Christmas music, been carol singing, had a staff party, decorated our own tree and done some Christmas baking. I do however find myself reflecting on what all my friends and family will be getting up to at home; missing the family traditions, the cold and Christmassy feel that naturally comes with the icy weather, Christmas parties, spending time with friends, having candle lit carol services and all the yummy delights that come out at Christmas, like brandy snaps and Christmas pudding! I then naturally think about all the stress and work that everyone at home must be under with the shopping, buying, cooking, wrapping and manic rushing that comes with this time of year!!! This has made me realise how much of Christmas is overtaken with the expectation from the consumerism side that money must be spent and that everthing must be perfect – what a distraction we have in the west with 3 months of adverts and shops playing music ‘demanding’ that we buy gifts and that Christmas be ‘made’ special. 

This year I have been able to enjoy the Christmas season without any hype and have truly discovered how special it is. We do not need to make it anything – it’s all there in front of us ready to be enjoyed;

Matthew 1 v 23 says; “The Virgin will be with Child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” which means, “God with us.”

I have had a real chance to remember the real meaning of Christmas and to truly think and reflect on the fact that Christ was born and came to be with us so that we could be saved.

My Christmas is going to be different and certainly one to remember this year, being able to celebrate it in Africa. It’s good to remember that God is always trying to communicate with us, to show himself to us in our everyday’s. I am grateful that I am in a place of quiet and calm where miracles are seen daily amongst the most adorable people, who have such huge faith in such difficult circumstances. During the holiday season it sometimes seems harder to hear the message that God is with us due to all the extra volume that surrounds us. This Christmas I wish you a joyous time filled with moments when you can reflect on the true season. I pray that your Christmas does not deteriorate into a buzz of jingling bells and frazzled days, one's that are full of decorations, deadlines and dashing! 
If God is with us, then God is with you. If God is with you, then there is no reason to fear or doubt anything. I’m thankful and blessed that I have had God with me every step of my last 5 months here. In all the fun and tough times I have had I have not been alone. I'm happy to be experiencing an African Christmas this year and am grateful for the best gift I have ever received - that of Jesus Christ.

Mercy Ministries Party!!

Last Thursday GSF hosted a Christmas party for the villagers who are signed up to the Mercy Ministry programme. On the programme we have two groups;

Elderly villagers who have financial problems and little family support so are unable to buy themselves food.
Babies, children and their families. The babies come from poor families who are unable to supply the nutrition they need. They are sometimes cared for by their parents who have a low income and some are cared for buy grandmothers/aunties who are also feeding a number of other mouths.

Enjoying Soda!

As it's Christmas, GSF thought that we should celebrate and love on this very special group who we see weekly when they come to collect their food supplies and visit the clinic. It was the first time that GSF have held a party for the Mercy Ministry folk and it was well received.


There was dancing, singing, praising, presentations, speeches, cake, soda and lunch!! I enjoyed watching the fun and laughter that young and old had together. 

A humbling experience to have a grandma on her knees thanking you.

One of the wonderful grandmothers and her twins!

When the Christmas gifts were given out it was very emotional, I had a tear in my eye. The men and women were so grateful and thankful to God and GSF for giving them Christmas gifts. It was a honour to be there and watch as they knelt and thanked and thanked for the gifts they were presented with. Everyone got a basin, t-shirt, bag and some food supplies. The children at GSF had made the t-shirts themselves the previous day so it was fun identifying each one which was a personal gift from each child here.

Decorating t-shirts to give as gifts

Tie Die!

At the end of the party (and after lots of dancing!!) I opened the clinic for a short time to offer free health care to those in need. I always really enjoy these sessions and seeing women and children who have not had medical treatment because of a lack of funds. What a gift it is for me to be able to open the clinic door and easily treat cases of malaria and infections....for free! And what a gift we are reminded of at this time of year, the free gift we have received in Jesus Christ coming to earth for us. A free gift that God offers us: the gift of complete forgiveness, freedom from sin, and eternal life with Him in heaven. 


John 3 v 16-18 (The Message)  "This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person's failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him".

Faziri

Faziri is a 4 year old boy brought to us a couple of weeks ago. His family were unable to give him the care that he needed and were also unable to maintain the hospital bills that were constantly coming in as he is a ‘sickly’ child and often in and out of hospitals and clinics. He has been with us a few weeks and on our first visit to the doctor to investigate his unusually large stomach we were told that he had Hirschsprungs disease. Sadly this has never been picked up before despite the numerous times he has been taken to have medical treatment.

“Hirschsprung's disease (HD) is a disease of the large intestine that causes severe constipation or intestinal obstruction. People with HD are born with it and are usually diagnosed when they are infants. Less severe cases are sometimes diagnosed when a child is older. An HD diagnosis in an older child or adult is rare".

We are amazed that Faziri has survived until now. His growth and development have been stunted and he has suffered from years of pain, dicomfort and missed medical diagnosis. We hope to have him admitted to hospital in the New Year for surgery and for him to have a biposy and then to have a Colostomy formed. Please hold him in your prayers as he is likely to need up to 3 operations. 

Care Packages

Below is a list of items that many of you have been asking me for. 

So many of you have already supported me and treated me to many amazing parcels and for that I am so grateful. For anyone still wondering what would make me happy I have had a think and here it is. 

(Please understand that this blog is here because of demand and not in the slightest because I want or need anything! Having lived among the people here in Uganda for the last 4 months I have learnt quickly that I do not want or need for anything and what a privilege and security that is. It is humbling to see how little some people have and to see the Real needs that they face. I am blessed to have been brought up never having to experience that and I am so thankful each day for all that I do have and have been given).

Things that would make me (and the children!) smile if anyone would like to post them;

• Baking packets to cook with children i.e fairy cakes, instant cake mixes
• Sunday school books/material/gifts age 10
• Cooking packets like beef stew, pasta bake
• Bubbles for the toddlers
• White and milk chocolate...actually any chocolate of any kind and in any form will not be rejected! (my guilty indulgence) :D
• Teabags
• Cereal bars
• Snacks like pretzels, nuts, yoghurt covered raisins
• Chewing gum
• Dessert/pudding mixes
• Nail varnish
• Hot chocolate

If you do not want to send a package but would just like to write to me, letters and post cards also make me smile a lot! You can post them to;

Katie Mead

Good Shepherd's Fold Orphanage

PO Box 1281

Jinja

Uganda

Thanking YOU all for all your continued support :) x

Speech Day

Last Thursday I was invited to attend "Speech Day" held at the GSF school. At Speech Day all the classes present a song, dance, drama sketch or poem to the audience. Some of their parents come to watch and it is a celebration of the end of term, their achievements and an occasion where they are presented with their end of term reports. There was a big buzz in the air that day and I was excited and honoured to be included in the occasion and have another reason to wear my beautiful Gomez (Ugandan dress)!

Speech Day was also a particularly big day for K5 (the oldest Kindergarten class) who were graduating and will next year be in Primary 1!

The day was long starting at 10am (an hour late) and finishing at 4pm when lunch was served. However, I really enjoyed watching another cultural event and taking in the music, songs and traditions of this group. It was awesome to watch the spirit of celebration and some very proud parents and grandparents who were there supporting their babies! The teachers, children and parents danced and sang together throughout the event.

My two favourite parts of the day were the achievement awards and the children's presentations.

During the achievement awards certain pupils were called to the front because they had been the best in the school that year for punctuality, discipline, kindness etc. There were also awards for the top 3 positions in each class. As each child was called to the front they received a glass or china plate and a lolly as well as a certificate. I got choked up every time a very proud grandparent or mother ran to the front to congratulate their child and have their photo taken!

I also really enjoyed the children's presentations especially their dancing and singing. It is custom here that when there is a group on stage dancing those in the audience will go forward and give money to the one who is dancing/performing the best. This encouraged all the children to give 110% and also encouraged lots of hip swinging and bottom wiggling as that is the language of the dances here. I loved watching as more and more parents went forward giving money to children and the children got more and more energetic!!

At the end of the ceremony the children all received an end of year report with their test results in and the all important information of whether they were being promoted to the next class. In schools here in Uganda children do not progress through school by age but by ability. This means that each class will often have very mixed ages. There was a lot of excitement from the children who had performed well enough and after the summer holidays will return to school and be in a different year.

So, now it is the summer holidays! The compound here at GSF is quiet. The school is closed for 6 weeks so we will have around 250 less children and staff on site every day. I am looking forward to the pace slowing a little and getting some quality time to sit, chat and play and to enjoy December with those living here at GSF .

Thanksgiving

Last week I celebrated my first ever Thanksgiving here in Uganda. I had fun learning all about the history of the pilgrims, The Indians and the Mayflower ship. I loved being a part of the fun and excitement baking and preparing dinner for the 30 or so Americans who came to GSF to celebrate with us. My favourite part was dressing up as an Indian!!

But….there was something missing. In all the fun, excitement and joyfulness of the day it was a stark realisation that part of my heart is missing. I am here and having an awesome time but I desperately miss my family and friends and just wished they had been here to celebrate the fun day that we had here at GSF.

Before dinner we took the time to share for a moment something that we were thankful for. I shared a little with the group but had so much more in mind that I was thankful for that I didn’t have time to mention.  Thanksgiving gave me a purposeful opportunity to stop and take time out to think of all the things that I am thankful for and am blessed by each day.

I am thankful for my wonderful family. For my mum, dad, brother, nan and all my aunties, uncles and precious family who will do anything to help me, support me and keep me encouraged with phone calls and essential supplies. They make me smile and get me through the good and bad days that I am going through here even if they don’t always understand every cry or complaint that I make about all that is living in Africa. They are the ones who have helped mould me into me and taught me how to love others and serve as Jesus taught us to. I will be forever grateful to them for teaching me the values I have and for loving me unconditionally.

I am thankful for my best friends who walk beside me on this journey and keep my feet fixed firmly on the ground. They tell me when I am crazy, support me on difficult days and listen for hours on end to my stories of life in Uganda. They are a support, encouragement and amazing part of my journey here. They have such sweet hearts and spend so much of their time caring for me.

I am thankful for all my supporters and friends who have enabled me to be here doing what I was called to do. For all the times they have opened their homes to me, hugged me, spoken words of encouragement over me, sent money, prayed for me and shared their lives with me. I am so thankful that they have allowed me to journey along with them as I have fundraised and been on the road to Uganda.

I am thankful for the blessings I have in my life. I am thankful for the simplicities of water and electricity. For my health and for the fact that I have been privileged to have been brought up in such a loving family, with kind, honest friends and in a developed, safe country. I am also thankful to God for having brought me here to GSF and that I am able to serve Him in Uganda. My eyes have been opened to the poverty and sadness that life can bring when you are born into underprivileged family in the village in Sub Saharan Africa. I am thankful to our God who is in control and in whom I can trust even when I don’t fully understand the how’s and why’s in the situations that are before me.

Each new day I am to be Thankful for the days that are before me still. I am only a short way into my year here and every day brings unexpected joys and blessings. It’s exciting what the days ahead may bring and I am pleased to be able to continue to share it with YOU who are as much a part of this as I am.

I am Thankful because I am blessed and pray that I can, with God’s guidance and help share God's love and bless those that are brought into my path.

Philippians 1:3 "I thank my God every time I remember you".

New Children

In the last 3 months we have welcomed 3 new children to our home here at GSF. 

Kenny is around 2 years old and his mother can no longer care for him so he has come to live with us. He has cerebal palsy and some learning difficulties and came with some health problems. In the last month he has settled in well, is growing fast and is being much loved by all. He is a happy boy and we look forward to watching him develop in the future. We were recently blessed by an American physiotherapist and a doctor from one of the hospitals in Kampala who came to visit us and have measured all of our special needs children for specialist equipment. They are delivering it this week, all paid for!! Kenny has been measured for a standing frame and a chair. It will be great to see him being able to interact better whilst being properly supported. He has the best smile but sadly I can never get it on camera as he cries whenever a white face comes near him!! 

Little Jeremiah and Baby Ketty Miracle also arrived this month (see previous blog). They are also settling in well and Jeremiah especially is enjoying the fun of living with other little boys his age. The day he arrived I took a bottle of bubbles over to his house so that he could be distracted whilst I did his malaria test. He loved them and I presume from his reaction had never seen them before! Now every time I go to his house he gives me the biggest grin and always makes me weaken - we have gone through a lot of bubbles since that day!! Baby Ketty Miracle is thriving and a joy to cuddle and watch. Thank you to all my supporters for your prayers for this family. The children are doing really well. 

Be Prepared - Part 2

On Friday, Keren, our Social Worker again came to me asking me to accompany her to the village. Aha! I thought, I am prepared and know exactly what I need. This time I grabbed my water, bag, money, camera and medical kit and hopped in the van ready to go. I would not be caught out two days in a row!!! 

Just before we left Keren explained the story. A neighbour had come to GSF to express how concerned she was about a local lady who she knew who had 'produced' (as they say in Uganda!!)  a baby last week. The mother already had a 2 year old and since the baby was born she had been locked in the house not letting anyone in or anyone help her. Before having the baby the neighbour was helping the mother out, as she had been sick. The neighbour was becoming concerned that the mother was not coping and that the baby had not been fed for days.

We rushed to the local home not knowing what we might find. As we arrived the mother was sitting just outside the doorway unable to walk or stand. She had a very obvious and nasty wound to her leg, which was covered, and I mean totally covered in flies. We got out of the van and stepped carefully towards the hut. The ground was covered in faeces and was very smelly. I walked into the hut to find the mother's 2 year old boy sitting on the floor covered in all sorts of not very nice things. We then came across the baby who was laying naked on a piece of cloth on the mud floor. The baby was also covered in dirt, faeces, the remains of the afterbirth and looked as though she had not been washed at all since being born.

I scooped the baby up and found that she was very dehydrated and floppy. This family needed to go to the local hospital. We carried the baby and 2 year old into the van and found that the mother not being able to stand or help herself had to also be lifted into the van. In the van I gave the baby some glucose and the mother explained that because of her wound she had been unable to mobilise at all since giving birth. This meant that she had not been able to prepare food, collect water, get outside the hut for the toilet or to get to a hospital to give birth. She had been managing at home alone all week.

We arrived at GSF and bathed and fed all 3 of them on the way to the local hospital. When we arrived at the hospital the mother had to be admitted and both children were declared medically ok to leave. One of the doctors stated that they could keep the baby for observation and 2 hourly feeds but that would have meant that someone would have had to stay with her in hospital and it is a very busy, crowded place. If at all possible we choose not to stay in some hospitals as they are not great places. We chose to bring her back to GSF and observe her there.

We arrived home and took the baby to it’s new home where my housemate, another girl and I hatched a plan to share getting up every 2 hours during the night to feed baby Miracle as she had temporarily been named.  We had a tough night. Our beautiful Miracle did not feed well.  She weighed only 5 lbs/2kgs and had not really fed for a week. Miracle struggled to take enough feeds orally so I passed a feeding tube. Amanda and I then set our alarms and woke every 1 ½-2 hours to feed and check on her. She was sleepy and even during the next day did not get enough energy even with the NG feeds to wake and suck. I made the decision the next afternoon to take her to a hospital we know in Jinja where she was admitted and treated with antibiotics to treat for suspected neonatal sepsis.

Amanda and I arrived home tired and drained but hopeful that as a team GSF had been able to intervene in time to help this family.

Update – The mother is still in hospital. She has had surgery and is on IV antibiotics. She is likely to be there for quite a few weeks.

Jeremiah (2yrs) has been treated for malaria and a chest infection. He is clean, happy and thriving in the toddler house.

Baby 'Miracle Ketty' has been discharged from hospital and has returned to us for continued feeding, love and care.
Please pray for this family as they recover, gain strength and heal. Also for the team at GSF who have to assess if and when the children will be able to be reunited with their mother.

I discovered during Friday that even with the learning experience of 'Being Prepared' on Thursday I will never be prepared for everything. I went into this situation physically prepared but nothing will have ever prepared me for what we saw. Our Social Workers state that it is the worst condition they have ever found a family in. Personally, I have never held children who smell so awful and are covered in such awful mess. The situation was heart breaking. The mother sadly was just physically unable to provide the care her children needed and had no way to get help for her family. I am today still processing what I saw and what we found. I have not gone into fine details in this blog as they are best left as a memory. I am grateful that we were alerted to this family and pray that we will be guided in the best way that we can help and assist them in the future.

Answer to Prayer – as I was compiling these blogs I was also preparing to write an email to my Church family, Supporters and Friends to ask for financial assistance to help Peace who has the burnt hand. On Saturday I had spoken to a doctor who is based in Kampala. He agreed to see her this coming Friday to operate! It had been playing on my mind that I had promised this family that I would help (we are told never to make promises here). Now that I had an appointment booked for her plastic surgery I needed to find the money asap in order for her to get the treatment. I then received a phone call from my mum who was on an Alpha weekend. One of the guests had donated £500 towards the ministry here. How amazing!! The money can go straight to pay for the operation and to provide transport, accommodation and food for Peace and her grandmother whilst they are in Kampala! God is good!