Our home.... for the next few weeks at least.

I realised the other day we still hadn't put up any pictures of where we live - we have just been so busy travelling all over looking for land and going back and forth to Kampala to do paperwork for registration. 

We are incredibly thankful for our new friends who we met through looking for land - they are a godly christian couple who just happe to have a spare little boys quarters ( like granny flat) so we have been saving money by staying there when in the city  - and HIlda is a great cook too :) 

But here are some photos of our little house in Mityana where we live..

Its a smallish town - very basic.

We lose power most days but thankfully not as much as Lira town where we lived before and we havent lost water once :) 

We live in a compound - there is three other homes but they are all under construction and we are the other tenants - there is one other beautiful old JAJA ( grandmother) who lives in the compound who is the landlord's mother and is caring for the place until all the construction is done.

Her mentally handicapped daughter is also with her and she is lovely.

Jaja loves us being there and loves hezekiah and crys when we talk about the fact we are only there for a few months. 

She brings us yummy fresh food from her village and her farm..... and she is so funy.... constantly trying to find rob a job locally and trying to convince her kids ( the landlords) to lower the price of rent so we stay :) 

We only have a few weeks left here but we have enjoyed our time in this place but its not somewhere we would live long term - feel like we are in a bit of a prison in this compound and so noisey and on a very busy road!! 

We have no furniture so still living very basic as we made decision it would be too difficult to move things - rob is currently working on a dining table at least though so that will be helpful with meal times - :) 

Dinner time on the floor :)  

Ours is the one with the gate open - the rest are all still under construction - the construction work is noisy and not always safest place for baby - but ziah loves the work men and they love making him laugh as they work ....

You can see big black bags in front of our house - thats just some of the washing waiting to be washed after we try and kill bedbugs in the sun  

OUr bed and ziah's tent...we now have a mosquito tent up around us and ziah sleeps with us as his little tent is too humid and hot 

We have a flush toilet - no shower and no hot water just a wash area and tap but its good - thankfully ziah loves cold baths ;

Our living area - and where we eat and everything else 

hand washing is much more difficult with a baby - so we now do it outside in the compound where ziah can at least play in another bucket of water.
He loves to suck the wet clothes ?????? 

ZIah trying to help daddy cut wood for furniture 

The endless weeks spent washing and cleaning our things from storage that had bed bugs in it - meant this little man spent a lot of his jetlag on mummys back 

Rob getting jackfruit ready for us to eat.... courtesy of the JAJA who lives in our compound... 

Ziah loves the avocados here!!

Hezzy enjoys an outdoor bath most days

We found one little motel in town that has cold drinks and grass!!! So ziah enjoys giong there every now and then to crawl on grass 

Photos from our travels looking at land

I thought I might share some photos I've taken lately on some of the MANY day trips we've had to look at land. 

We have seen so many places its hard to keep track of them all. 

The search continues but we know God has the perfect place for us. 

In the mean time we are making precious memories as a family and with our friends who help us look. 

This includes me and rob re experiencing some of the things that make Uganda so special and Hezekiah getting to experience them for the first time.... like being inside a car and pulling up in town and feeling like your in a zoo as everyone tries to see who is inside the car :) 

So I've put a collection of photos for you to enjoy from our most recent days looking for land. 

These photos are from various places but are common sites all over Uganda. 

Women cooking bananas ready to give to people selling to cars going by

When a bus, or taxi, or private car go through a town they can stop and out of nowhere people come running with various food, snacks and drinks.... they have made special holders so they can lift things up to the really tall buses.... or on some occassions people will just hang right out the bus.... the people selling food will run alongside the buses etc to catch their money if bus leaves before they've got it :) ..... you really have to experience it to fully understand.... if your in a car lower to ground its a crazy... overwhelming feeling with the car completely swarmed by people trying to sell you snacks etc.... especially when they realise a mzungu is in the car... and even more so when they realise a bi-racial baby is in the car....
We have had some HILARIOUS conversations with the women that swarm our car when they realise a local man is married to a westerner :) ..... I wish we had a go pro so you could really get a sense of what this is like 

I 

A man squished on a bike with Matoke - or green bananas.... i am constantly amazed at boda boda riders and how they can balance such heavy things or so many people on their likes. 

This taxi was OVER FULL... and I mean over full with people and luggage.... but overcrowded is not in the ugandan vocabulary..... so lets try ad squish even more luggage and people in .... this is usually us..... squished inside there too - but we dont have to do this as often now we have a car! Thank you GOD!

Bananas for sale :) 

Meat on a stick anybody for take away..... this is one of the snacks I haven't tried ;)

Mine and hezekiah's favourite roadside snack - Gonja.... roasted plaintain bananas

Some of the precious children we desire to help who are living on the streets

A local little restaurant inside that blue door - women cleaning and preparing out the front.  

That little store in the middle has chappatis 

roadside shop 

These women can carry anything on their heads! And I mean anything..

Washing bays like this are common to find next to a swamp or water source... you park your car and men will wash and clean your car with the local water. Not uncommon to see young boys working here and taking their baths at same time. 

HEZEKIAH turns ONE!!

 Cannot believe our little miracle baby has turned one - where has the last year gone!

7 months of it were spent with Hezekiah and I battling health issues and medication withdrawals....trying to get him to gain weight and progress... they were also filled with joy having family and friends around us in Australia...
.
And then at 9 months bought us going to USA for a month to meet Rob's sponsors...

And then at 10 months we arrived home to Uganda.

And then the last two months have been spent busy travelling all over Uganda looking for land and processing paper work for the organisation - so so busy

Due to the fact we are still have to remain in the city for appointments with our lawyers re registration - Hezekiah's birthday was spent in the city and not in our home.
We are continuing to stay with friends there.

Rob and I found something we wanted to give hezekiah but was so expensive so we are currently making our own for him - it should have been finished but because we ended up in city for his birthday he will get it when home.
Thankfully two little gifts from Australia came -
He loved waking up to the 4 balloons we had and a two little presents.

I decorated some plain cakes I managed to find at supermarket since we don't have cooking facilities - and I think it turned out pretty well  - a SIMBA... or LION
We searched all over for a place to have lunch with some friends where the kids could play that wasn't too expensive.
Thankfully we found an amazing little place that we never had heard of that had a sandpit and toys so Ziah and the three other boys had lots of fun. The three other boys hadn't played on playground like it before so aunty leah was showing them what to do

The food was nice and we had a relaxed time celebrating our precious miracles first year of life.
There are some more photos from Hezekiah's birthday in the link below.

Here's a little bit I wrote in Hezekiah's baby book about his first birthday

HEZEKIAH JABARI SITUMA MAKANDA

 - YOU ARE ONE TODAY

YOU CAN NOW - Talk multiple words, you can even speak a few words in three different languages You can also already put two or three words together - Thank you Dada.... Bless you :) 

You can do the actions to happy and you know it, the wheels on the bus, heads and shoulders ( you can even roll your hands around and around) 

You have just started taking steps - you can currently take 6 on your first birthday. 

YOU LOVE - people, cuddles, tickles,  family,  music, spoons, anything circle shaped, switches/buttons and handles, books, elephants, lions, banana's, avocado and all fruits, you love skyping and seeing family on the computer and cry when they are gone...

DEAR HEZEKIAH, Hezzy, Ziah, Tiger, Kiah....

 A year ago today the baby my Dr's said would never happen drew their first breath. 

The gift and miracle that our incredible God blessed us with. .... was YOU!
Through the miraculous pregnancy... All the time we nearly lost you... more times than people know...... you held on.

I will never forget the moment I first heard you cry and knew you were finally here in our arms.... 
Those first few weeks...months were full of so many challenges... Ill never forget the moment your body went limp in your daddy's hands and you were unresponsive ... or your high pitch cry as your body went through withdrawals.... or the moments when you would defy the odds again and again. Your pain tolerance is so high - Doctors couldn't believe what you'd cope with or how well you handled everything. 

Hezekiah Jabari Situma Makanda.
What a joy bringer you are my darling boy.
When we named you we had no idea just how much you would live up to your name even before u took your first breath.
You certainly were and are strengthened by God and you are courageous and brave and you already point people to a miracle working God just like your name declares.

You are such a happy baby .. you love people and music... and you are already so intelligent like your daddy ... already speaking in multiple languages and spending time working out how things work. You will sit for ages playing with circle shapes on cement, or working how a switch goes... or even working out how to wiggle the gate lock back and forth enough to get out the front gate...

 And you already love to talk just like your mama ... 

You already have a sensitive heart and know the people who need cheering up - you crawl up to them or give them an extra big smile .

 Whether a lonely old lady or a hungry little child on the street.
You already see people and draw them in and bring light to people. 

You are our absolute delight ziah.... Our little Hezzy... Small in size but mighty in strength and character and personality.

Today we celebrate you and the joy you bring to ours lives.... And to all those around you. You are so incredibly loved - you should see all the birthday messages for you from people all over the world.
We also celebrate the incredible God who blessed us with the miracle of you.
Your life has strengthened our faith and we will never question if miracles exist again.

And we speak over your life the words of what is written in the bible about King Hezekiah - This is our prayer for you on your first birthday our darling boy for as your grow...

" Hezekiah did what was right in the eyes of the Lord... Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the Kings before or after. He held fast to the Lord and DID NOT stop following him; he kept the Lords commands He had given. And the Lord was with him, he was successful in whatever he undertook". 2 Kings 18 

Mummy and papa adore u and love you.
Happy 1st birthday our joyful boy.

TO SEE MORE PHOTOS OF HEZEKIAHS FIRST BIRTHDAY JUST FOLLOW THE LINK. 

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10156895757315615.1073741859.704520614&type=1&l=785e333c05

Registering THE MBUYU FOUNDATION as an NGO

OUR IMPROVED LOGO

We have had a CRAZY busy few weeks - all so unexpected but definitely ordained by God.

We were having trouble working out who we should get help from in the matter of registering our organisation.
Thankfully - one of our new friends new of a great christian lawyer who did that for a living.

After our first meeting it was clear he was the man for the job.

So many people here - many of who have gone through this process - told us how difficult and costly the registration could be - with much bribery often needed to get the process through.

We prayed from the beginning for God's favour and for doors to be open and for it all to go smoothly.
We believed it - but many said it would still be difficult.
Well after only starting the whole process about 3 weeks ago we have now submitted all the paperwork.

The lawyer we are working for has been wonderful, and affordable and has said never ever in all the years he has been doing this has he seen it go so smoothly and without any bribery requests.
The paperwork and applications all have to be stamped off by local governments. Some of these people take months to stamp an application.
We got majority of all the stamps we needed in JUST ONE DAY!
Our lawyer cannot believe it!

God must be behind this because there is no other explanation he said.

So all the hard parts have been done now - our paperwork has been submitted to the NGO board and now we wait to be registered and get our certificate as a NON GOVERNMENT ORGANISATION :) HUGE HUGE HUGE
.....

We have opened a small office space for the next two months as the application goes through and eventually we will move it to be where we start the ministry.

I've attached some photos of our office space and of our banners and flyers etc.
I've also attached our new LOGO - I've played around with it a bit and am finally happy with it.

We also have a website that should be up and running before too long.

Exciting days ahead.

Our very own stamp with logo

OUR office space - very quick shot

We have made the decision that due to the fact that we still are yet to find the land we like and once we do find it we will have to build on it - we are going to start the first stage in a rented facility in coming months.

The need is urgent for more places for abandoned babies and orphaned babies.

We are currently living in a small village town but our lease will be running out soon - so for conveniance sake in relation to babies home and in continuing to look for land we are on the look out for a house to rent just outside Kampala city where we can live and start the babies home. This will make it easier when police need babies to be taken or babies are left at the hospital - it will also be more central as we look for land.

We are praying for a compound with two living facilities - for a price we can afford and with grass!!

Once we have found it and registration has gone through we will then be able to furnish and start setting up the babies home and then start taking babies in.





Once we have found the land ( which we will continue to look for now ) and have build something to house the babies then we can make plans to move to the land.

We just feel the need is too great and we can rent for the time being and start loving children and caring for them while we purchase the land and build.....

Thank you for all your continued support and belief in us.....

WELCOME HOME HEZEKIAH



WELL WE HAVE ARRIVED HOME IN UGANDA



Hezekiah was wonderful again on the plane with two long haul flights again plus a domestic one and two long layovers....... even with cutting two more teeth he was wonderful . 


   

      

Hezzy playing with his friends at the airport AND ON THE PLANE



CRAWLING AROUND AIRPORT MAKING FRIENDS - CONSTANTLY AMAZED BY HOW PEOPLE ARE DRAWN TO HIM



He is such a wonderful traveller we are so blessed and he has taken everything in his stride - all the different time zones, food, locations and people.

He is such a joy bringer and attracts people wherever we go.

I love sharing the joy that he is with other people and that people see what a miracle he is when they hear his story.... I pray people always see Jesus through him.

He is such a blessing

ARRIVING BACK IN UGANDA

It was so incredibly awesome to fly back in to Uganda.
As much as Australia will always been apart of me and my home too.... this is home as well and I feel that when we fly in.

I have many homes.... mainly wherever Rob and ziah are or where family is.... but I am blessed to have two countries to now call home.

I am excited that for Hezekiah he gets the blessing of having two countries to call home also. The beauty and culture of both.
There are times of sadness when you have two homes as it means you are always missing someone... or somewhere but I think the beauty outweighs the pain.
Hopefully since he will be doing it from the beginning it may be more natural and not so difficult for him.
I guess home sickness or missing family means you are blessed because at least you have someone or a home to miss in the first place..... many don't have that....

Flying in to Uganda and seeing the sparkle from all the tin roof huts up against the red soil I was filled with excitement and fear for the unknown. Not really fear - just an awareness that now so much has changed being a mother.
We have such big dreams and so much ahead of us.... but at the moment the road is still very unknown.... we didn't even know what sort of place we were staying in that night......
Its all apart of the adventure and making memories.
Rob and I have such wonderful, funny and sometimes scary memories from our first few years married here..... now we get the blessing of adding Hezekiah to those memories.


I thought Ziah may find the airport here very overwhelming. Its very small but crowded.... very very crowded.
He was again handled it very well.... .
We quickly had to strip hezzy down to his nappy as the humidity hit us.

FIRST TIME IN CAR WITH NO SEAT BELT
JUST LEFT AIRPORT ON WAY HOME

Hezekiah loved meeting Robs brother who came to meet us - Rob and Geof resemble each other especially when they smile so Hezekiah very quickly went to Geof and loves him already - I think he knows he is a safe person.... he knows he is family already which I love.


UNCLE GEOF

After landing we headed straight to the place we had arranged to rent up country in a place called Mityana.
It Is not somewhere I have ever been before but was an area a few hours out of the city where we feel maybe we may be able to find the land to set up our ministry.
My brother in law managed to rent a small unit in a compound for us for a a month or maybe a few months.
We hadn't seen it before until we arrived..... when we arrived in th dark - being that its new...there was no bulbs in the lights ..... that's something you have to do yourself. So we ended up a very basic motel down the road late that night with a very tired baby.






We have no furniture at the moment as we are starting from scratch again as it was too expensive to store our items. We only stored a few bags ...... which bedbugs got in to .....

So our first week was spent washing and boiling and laying things in the sun to kill the bedbugs.

Our house is empty besides our bags...a little gas cooker and our mattress and mosquito net. But it is full of love.

 Mityana has a lake near by so we went for a boda boda ride... about twenty minutes to see it.

Rob and I and ziah all sat on the back of the bike together.

 It Was Hezekiah's first boda ride and for us both it was very special.... the last time rob and I had been on a boda boda together we were on our way to put me on the airplane back to Australia..... with all the complications the pregnancy was having Rob and I didn't know whether we'd ever have a baby to bring back to Uganda... But God knew.

So instead of rob holding me and my preganant belly here we were holding our miracle baby boy.

I was also more keenly aware of the dangers involved in boda boda traveller so I pray even more when we travel like this now.

The lake was pretty but not much access to it - just a little fishing village that still fish with the traditional nets..... they all looked rather surprised to see a white women and her baby and her Ugandan husband there.... just to have a look.

They offered to take us out in the small tiny boat..... the ones with the water all ready in them and they aren't even out in deep water .... haha

We said we'd come back another day with some friends and pay them to take us in the bigger boat... it looked a bit sturdier .

SOME OF THE PHOTOS FROM OUR HOUSE TO THE LAKE

CHILDREN WAVING AND LAUGHING ON SIDE OF THE ROAD

THATS A SMALL MOTORBIKE CARRYING GRASS TWICE THE HEIGHT, WIDTH AND LENGTH OF THE BIKE

Weve had to spent a fair bit of time in the city since we came going to Immigration and sorting out Hezekiah's citizenship and things with our permits, banks and looking into registering our organisation.

I have been reminded quickly that time is different here and things move slower - not necessarily a bad thing ... sometimes its good ... just something to get use to again.

We are still doing paper work etc for the registration of The Mbuyu Foundation and have already been in contact with some people regarding purchasing land.

PLAYING IN THE DIRT INSIDE OUR COMPOUND

PLease pray with us as we look for the right land - we are also in need of a car so we are praying that God will find one for us within our budget.

Travelling is much harder now with a child especially as we live up country a little way.

Road safety is not a big thing here.

And Rob certainly understands the risks being a doctor here.

Although travelling on the back of a boda boda or in an overcrowded taxi is apart of the adventure and I would say something that we will always have to do to some extend..... it is certainly not the safest especially in certain places or times of day so this is our prayer at the moment for God to find us the right car.

Traffic has gotten worse here - its beyond crazy... its ten times worse than anything you'd see in Australia.... mixed with everyone going all over the place doing their own thing....

you can imagine what a sight and danger that can be when on the back of a bike.

Hezekiah thankfully loves all these adventures and just snuggles in to mummy or daddy in his wrap and smiles as the wind blows his hair.

One of the challenges of where we are living now is lack of phone and internet reception.
 It is much weaker reception than where we lived before although we are closer to capital city - it is a much smaller town.

I will post some photos and info about our town in the next blog.

One of the beautiful things about being back in the city a few times is that we got to fellowship at the salvation army and take Hezekiah to meet everyone there.

There was much celebration at our return and Hezekiah clapped and bopped along to the music.

He Is Ugandan in every way.

He loved getting to play in the dirt with the other children in the afternoon and had a lot of fun making new friends.

SOME OF HEZEKIAH'S FIRST THIS WEEK

- TRAVELLED IN CAR WITH NO CARSEAT.... travelled and slept from airport to our new home on daddy's lap

- STARTED HAVING BATHS IN COLD WATER - I boiled water first few times but tried him on a cold one and he has taken to it very quickly

STARTED HAVING BATHS OUTSIDE

- STARTED LEARNING WHAT IT IS TO HANDWASH - mummy has to learn how to hand wash with a baby around... we have discovered its much easier outside when you have a BABY

- EXPERIENCED HAVING TO SLEEP UNDER MOSQUITO NET EVERY NIGHT -

and being lathered in mozzie cream

- TRAVELLED IN HIS FIRST TAXI VAN... THIS IS AN EXPERIENCE - ONE HE HAS DONE MULTIPLE TIMES NOW

- WRITTEN ON BACK OF BODA BODA BIKE... NOW AN EXPERT AT THIS

- EXPERIENCED HIS FIRST POWER OUTAGE.... AT DAY AND NIGHT - HE SCREAMED WHEN WE LOST POWER FIRST NIGHT.... IT IS EXTREMEY DARK HERE WHEN YOU LOSE POWER. There are no street lights or anything and the stars aren't as bright so it is pitch dark.

Amazingly after it happened first few times he has now adapted and as long as he knows your in the room he is quite ok. He has better night vision then me.

Much more like his father - must be his Ugandan genes coming through.

- EXPERIENCED A COMPLETE STRANGER COMING UP AND CARRYING HIM OFF and playing with him and walking around with him... mummy knows this happens but just had to remind herself and get use to the idea again. Children are dearly loved here and raised by the village so people come over and pick him up and play with him a lot.

- HE HEARD DADDY SPEAK ANOTHER LANGUAGE - AND MUMMY TRYING .... or multiple languages..... first time he stared at rob.... now he is completely surrounded by it.

- HE TRIED MANY LOCAL FOODS FOR FIRST TIME.... AND LOVES THEM ALL.

- HE ALSO STARTED USING THE POTTY AS IS THE UGANDAN WAY TO START PUTTING BABIES ON POTTY AS SOON AS THEY CAN SIT.... he is doing great and so far mummy has had to wash a lot less dirty nappies due to learning his habits and using some local teaching on toileting .

- HE ALSO IS STARTING TO LET GO WHEN STANDING AND HAD  MORE TEETH COME THROUGH SINCE WE ARRIVED ALL WHILE BEING JETLAGGED
.. and coping with the humidity which has been his hardest battle ... especially at night we have no fan and our windows are all stuck shut .... hoping to buy a fan in city asap.

HE HAS HANDLED ALL THE FIRSTS SO WELL ESPECIALLY WITH MUMMY AND DADDY BEING SO BUSY HAND WASHING EVERY SINGLE DAY ALMOST SINCE WE ARRIVED.

WHAT A BLESSING

WHAT A BIG TWO WEEKS FOR SUCH A LITTLE GUY

PLAYING WITH UNCLE GEOF AND JOSH