final final news...

i'm sitting in the internet cafe in kampala's "garden city" - we've just had pizza and seen a movie and lauren is printing off her flight ticket. and the internet is really fast, so i can finally post up last week's email just in case anyone ever reads this still...can't believe i'll be home in 2 nights and a day!!!

email from last Thursday:
So, I have changed my final nappy, cleaned up the last of the vomit (although my skirt still smells) and am almost packed up and ready to head back to Jinja tomorrow. I can't believe it's only a week and a night til I get home!!! All that's left to do now is say my goodbyes, do some shopping and eat nice food...and attempt to fit everything back into my suitcases. So much has happened here at Amecet over the past 7 weeks - babies have come and gone, we've had Penny, Kerryn and the Tongans come up from Jinja, we've had countless sicknesses including 3 of us getting malaria...and amongst the children, health has also become more of an issue. In my last email I said I often forgot that the kids are here because they're sick, but it's become evident now! Not only have we had fevers run through most of them, but there are one or two who needed more urgent attention. We have a 2-year old boy named Dennis who is something of a concern anyway, as he hasn't eaten in the whole 5 months he's been here (he's being tube-fed, but Els says she's never had a child remain on a tube for half so long before) but he was one of the worst-affected by fever, and then suddenly had his glands swell up almost overnight, so was taken to the doctor's for surgery. He seems to be doing fine, but it was scary to have something so serious happen in our otherwise pretty healthy "family"! Mattias is the other worrisome boy - he's a 2 or 3-month old baby who was doing really well until his skin started getting dry...and then it started peeling around his face and upper body, while his arms and legs began to look like elephant's legs. Despite our covering him in lotion several times a day, it got so bad that his face was so tight he couldn't suck his bottle properly, and he really looked like a mummified baby. Thankfully, he's been prescribed some steroids and antibiotics which seem to be helping, and we've been smearing him with vaseline every 2 or 3 hours, so he looks alive and well again - his face seems to have proper new skin now, and looks good! When I came here I expected the kids to be sick most of them time, but now I realise I'm glad they're not - i just couldn't cope with it! Last week, when they all had fevers, was one of the most heartbreaking - there was no way to stop them from crying, and I wished I could take it away for them. I can;t even imagine what it's like to have my own kids fall sick - it's bad enough with these that I've only known for a few weeks! I've thoroughly enjoyed my time here, hard as it's been - the occasional days that I felt well gave me a glimpse of how much fun it can be taking care of kids, and the other times just reassured me that it really isn't what I want to do...if for no other reason, then because they give you every virus known to man : )And I've learnt a lot more about God from these kids. The thing that sticks most in my mind is the lesson about patience - one time I was feeding a baby who was yelling and yelling for his milk, but it was too hot - and although he didn't know it was coming, I knew it would burn his mouth if I gave it to him too soon. It struck me that I'm often like that - demanding answers and things in life in my own timing, when God knows that it'll be so much better for me if I just wait til the time's right - which is not for me to know. I just hope my hands don't have to smell of baby vomit for me to remember that... And now, dear friends, I bid you goodbye - or "welaba" in luganda...until i see you all a week or so from now!!! Thank you again for all your support and encouragement this year - I still can;t believe I've been away for so long,that i actually survived it and that i really am coming home so soon...hurrah!