More Gulu pix

So I haven't been able to sit down and write about our trip yet...but here I am now...and you can read another angle on Tina's blog. She was there for a few days and I replaced her when she had to return to Kampala.
Well to start with the 6 hour bus ride up was most interesting. This country is so lush and green and there's life everywhere. Just when you think you're in the middle of now where you'll see an ancient lady hoeing her vegtable patch.

We stopped numerous times and each stop we're surrounded by sellers desperate to sell their produce, goat sticks (like shish kebab) and even liver kebab (yuk). The lady next to me bought a roasted bannana the first stop and what looked like a roasted turnip another stop.....they really love their tasteless, roasted corn too.

On arrival Shane picked me up and delivered me straight into the 12 FS Bible class the we continued to hold every morning for a group that varied from 15-25 local pastors, workers and just friends that had heard about it. For lunch Robin, Shane and I returned to the hut they had been sharing the last few nights along with Charles, a pastor and our translator and guide from those parts. The lunch was local dishes of something that looked liked mashed leaves but tasted better than spinach, beans (they had pulled them out for this "special" occasion) and a sort of brown bread that Shane discribed as "mochie mixed with sand"....I didn't mind it. As I was waiting for the fork.....I realized it wasn't coming. It was after that lunch that Shanes stomach would take no more and he had to politely decline over the last few days.

By nightfall we visited an area Charles had grown up in and was currently planning to build an childrens home for the 300 registered orphans he cares for. But Charles went walk about, Robin drove off to find diesel for the generator to run the projector and Shane and I set up the sheet and projector then had to entertain hundreds of gathering children with action songs. Soon enough Robin arrived and the crowds arrived for the showing of the Jesus movie. Charles gave a running translation in local Acholi and the response was awsome! After each miracle the crowd gave thunderous applause and especially when Jesus rises from the dead. Where every life is touched by the atrocities of rebels and the harshness of poverty you could tell the salvation of Jesus love is really ALL they've got. I felt like a real missionary.
What I've seen up North makes Kampala look like the "land of opportunity"!

Well, thankfully a hotel (...more like a motel) was gracious enough to donated the use of 2 rooms for the remaining nights in Gulu. So hot showers and clean sheets was a dream after the long, hot days.
On day 2 we visited the childrens ward of the general hospital. The nurse that invited us attended every single morning class after pulling night duty. We were first given a tour. I cannot even find the words to describe what I saw. The capacity of the ward was about 50 patients and they said they usually have 80 and the mothers have to stay too along with other healthy kids they may have so there were mats all over the floors where they slept. Most of the young children were suffering from malnutrition. A very sad picture. What was encouraging was that the hospital had a program where they started a veggie patch from scratch and teach the parents how to cultivate and what type give what vitamins and minerals. Anyway, I really could go on and on but to make a long story short we were able to encourage the parents and make some of the babies smile with balloons and sweets. It was one of the highlights of my visit.
Oh, I'll have to tell you about the IDP camp....we had to stay the night! Next time, Shane's waiting for the computer...Here are more pix!