Abari!
Greetings from Tororo! :) :) Hanna and I ventured out today and found an Internet cafe so I am finally able to write! Hmmm where to begin??? We arrived safely in Tororo last Monday from the post-bus...it took about 6 1/2 hours with LOTS of stops along the way...but we were able to meet some Ugandans AND we got to see a whole bunch of baboons in the road in one town!
Tororo is much different from Kampala...it is a smaller town with the center of town being a rotary with a couple shops and things along the road as well as the market (think Duxbury...? lol) It is still busy here with cars, taxis, bodas, bicycles, and people all sharing the road but not nearly as congested as Kampala...its funny because they drive on the "left side of the road"...which basically means wherever you can drive to avoid everyone and everything else, including potholes. We have become quite accustomed to getting around on bodas...the very first ride was terrifying and exciting at the same time but we're getting the hang of it! Bodas are like mopeds and there's guys all over the place to have you hop on the back and drive you around (don't think about it too hard mom) We have found a couple reliable boda guys who drive us to and from Smile everyday.
The first couple days here were a little rough as the house we are staying in was not quite ready for us and we were a little more on our own than expected. But we are really getting to find our way around grocery shopping at the market and the supermarkets (which are really like small convenience stores that sometimes have things and sometimes don't), riding bodas, and doing our own laundry....as well as making friends with the geckos and other little critters that live with us :)
Oh boy WHAT can I say about Smile and all of those beautiful little children who I already love so much! As expected, it was a little overwhelming at first because there are just SO many children all over! I was afraid I would never learn any of their names. The minute we stepped inside the gate we were greeted with a round of "Mzungu! Mzungu! How are you? How are you?" and instantly had 10 children fighting for our hands and attention. After a few days there though, I can say that I am beginning to learn many of their names and its wonderful to start seeing some of the same faces each day. The children are just so hungry for any sort of love or attention...many of the younger ones especially just long to be held and touched. They are crazy about any kind of books we can bring (oh how we wish we brought more!!) because they do not have books here...or hardly any paper...or pencils...Oftentimes are days are spent just loving on them, reading with them, playing with them, helping to serve breakfast and lunch (porridge and rice). The older ones are especially hungry for the Bible, which is amazing to see...and also quite sad as none of them actually have a Bible. We have 2 children's Bibles with us but again, I wish I had brought more! On Friday we performed a skit about Jonah and the Whale and we have taught them a few songs that they love. This week we will really start to implement some more organized and planned activities like Bible stories, games, and crafts. Prayers for the organization piece would be great because our biggest challenge right now is just how to manage 300-400 kids who are all vying for our attention!
It has also been awesome having Kelly and B here as nurses..they spend much of their time in the clinic doing their best to bandage up wounds and help with the sick children. A few of the children have had malaria. There is one boy named Eli (well, we named him Eli because no one knows his name) who is probably about 2 or 3 years old. He is so sick and very sad...we still have yet to figure out how he makes it to Smile and have had to ask one of the older boys to make sure he gets home. His little arms and legs are so thin and his belly sooo big. He had become my little shadow the other day and it was just so hard to leave him, for all of us. It just goes to show how all kids really are the same and how they all just long to be cared for and held, especially when they're sick.
The teachers at Smile are wonderful and I have enjoyed getting to know them just as much. I am completely amazed at the teaching that they do...though it is nothing compared to what our children get in the States. We have been able to sit in on class time a couple days now (its usually about an hour a day) The P1 class I sat in on had more than 50 kids crammed into a classroom half the size of mine sitting on wooden benches in rows. No paper or pens...just a chalkboard. Constance did a wonderful job teaching shapes with what she had. I was able to make Constance a number line to hang in her room and Christine made her shapes posters. The teacher were so excited!! Stella is another teacher...she is only 22 but I love her story because she says that she used to be just like these kids. Her mother died when she was 4 and her father abandoned her. She got sponsored and it changed her life...her sponsers paid for her schooling all the way up through university and now she is teaching at Smile! Her joy is contagious and I love seeing her teach because I can tell that she really loves the kids. Please pray for the teachers as Smile can be very very draining and they do not get paid well at all.
Well I guess I should wrap this up but hopefully this gives a small taste of all that I've experienced in the past week. I just know that time will fly and I'm already dreading having to say goodbye to the children in about 3 weeks. God is good and oh so faithful and none of this could we do without Him! I am also very thankful for the 5 girls that I am with and get to share these new experiences with...we have had many wonderful conversations and countless laughs!
Goodbye for now ~ hopefully we will be able to make it back here sometime soon!! Thanks for the prayers; they are truly being answered. <3

A voice cries: In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD;
make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.
And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."
Isaiah 40:3-5