All our adventures as missionaries, past and present.

MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 04-29-2011

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It’s been a busy month! We had our annual Uganda Field Conference earlier this month. This was our first Conference in Uganda (we arrived last year just days after the 2010 Field Conference). One of the requirements of the Ugandan government for NGOs (non-government organizations) is that the NGO have an annual business meeting of all it’s members. The Conference fulfills that requirement. It also gives missionaries from all over the country a chance to fellowship with one another. It was great to get to see some of the folks we had met years earlier and renew those friendships, and also make some new ones. It was a good time. We went to the capitol a day early and got a bunch of things for Brennah taken care of, which Anna covered in her last blog entry. Brennah had her first visit to American soil when we went to the U.S. Embassy for our passport/CRBA/Social Security card appointment. This was her first venture abroad after being born, and a reminder to us how much of a drag it is traveling with newborns. 🙂

Last week was more adventuresome than usual going out to Nakivale. It was Easter, and we were having a joint service of all the churches out there. Three couples were getting married, and there was also 14 baptisms. It was a very eventful and excellent Easter. We were bringing the marriage certificates, expertly genned up in InDesign by Anna, and 35 liters of Grape Kool-Aid for the meal afterwards. Naturally, we get ourselves loaded into the car nice and early and ready to roll to get to the service in plenty of time AND the car won’t start. And it’s Easter Sunday. It’s nothing short of miraculous that we were able to get our mechanic out to look at it. It turned out to be the battery. We got it fixed and were on our way again, albeit late. On the way, one of the 5L containers broke from the bouncing and spilled grape Kool-Aid all over the back of the Pajero. The cookies Anna baked had spilled on the floor and were ruined, about half of them. It was a comedy of errors. We finally got there, and the service went great, but there was a lot of hassle GETTING there. Next time I have to do something like this, I’ll be using better containers, and making sure somebody holds the cookies. (We got the car cleaned up, so everything is cool).

In a week, my wife’s parents, our Pastor, will be coming to Uganda for a visit, so we are going to be very busy getting ready for that. We have to make a trip to the capitol to pick them up, and of course to return them when the time comes. There has been some small rioting in the capitol lately due to the loser in the Presidential election stirring up the people. Yesterday, fearing another protest march from Besigye and his followers, police and army commandos arrested Besigye at his home. He and his aides were beaten and he was hauled away in a police van while his followers peppered the police with rocks and sticks, whereupon they were promptly tear-gassed. Pray we will be able to get to the capitol to pick up our parents safely and get back without problems. Pray for the peace of Uganda. Pray our car performs well for the trip and that we can get there and back without issue. Pray for our churches and ministry here as we continue to do the work of the Gospel in Uganda.

MISSION: Uganda Email Udpate 03-28-2011

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Mud, mud, and more mud. The rainy season is officially here! Everything is getting green and lush, and my gardens are doing well. We had our 1 year anniversary on the 23rd, which is bizarre to consider. Time has gone by so quickly. I won’t get into the gritty details, since you can read my wife’s blog post A Year in Review here. Everyone is doing very well, including Brennah, who is growing quickly and enjoying her new spot as youngest child. Gaelin is in love I think. He just adores his new kid sister.

Yesterday was entertaining. It had been raining most of the night, and was still raining when we got ready to head to Nakivale. The roads were, of course, sloppy in the extreme. Thank God for 4-wheel drive! We made it to the camp in time, but here is the catch: Djuna, the national Pastor and translator is out sick (Pray for him. He’s in Kampala seeing a doctor, which is how serious it is). He had arranged for another man to come and do the translating for me at Juru. I arrived at the appointed time, and he was nowhere to be found. Turns out, he couldn’t obtain transport because of the the rain and mud. Naturally, he didn’t do anything to inform us about it, by actually, you know, telling anybody or anything. So, I sang the two Swahili songs I know with the kids, showed them picture of Brennah (they hadn’t seen them yet), and then I had to go.

Nevertheless, I got to Ngarama, and found that rain had delayed the start of service there for 45 minutes. I was then in the position to do the Kid’s Service there so that the Bassett’s could get to Sangano in time. Then we had a good English class and came home. Always high adventure here, especially in the rain.

I will be going to Kampala tomorrow to pick up my passport and new work permit, get Anna’s paperwork turned in, and pick up Brennah’s long form birth certificate. Pray all goes well with that. We must have the birth certificate, or we won’t be able to do anything at the embassy next Monday (we’re taking her in to get all her American legal documents squared away). The remainder of the week, we will be at the Uganda Field Conference. Pray everything goes well with that, and that everything goes smoothly with the driving we will be doing. Last time I drove to Kampala, I got in a wreck. I would prefer this not happen again.

God bless and keep you!

On Having a Baby in Africa

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As you've likely heard, Brennah LaDynne Huckabee was born March 6, 2011 at 2AM Uganda time. When we told our families they told others "My niece was born tomorrow!" 😀

Having her here has been quite the experience all around. It put me way out of my comfort zone. First of all, in the states I know who to call and what to do to go about getting prenatal care. Here I didn't know anyone. After asking around a little, a Dr. and hospital were recommended in Kampala. I made an appointment and saw her last fall. We really liked what we saw at both the hospital and with the Dr. It looked like a "real American hospital". As we talked with her, though, she kept asking us why we were driving all the way to Kampala to have our baby. She recommended a good hospital in Mbarara for us to check out. I didn't really want to. In my mind having as close to an American experience with the whole thing as possible was my goal. Each time I saw the Dr. she said the same thing – that we should check out the hospital here in town. Still I wasn't convinced.

However, as the time drew closer and I realized how little I enjoyed trips to Kampala, the idea began to seem a little more appealing. Not to mention the fact that the Dr. wanted us to come and stay in Kampala around my due date until she was born. Its very expensive for a family of our size to stay in Kampala even for a day or two, let alone for more than a week!

So James and I went and saw the hospital here – Mayanja Memorial Hospital. What we saw impressed us. It was very clean, very organized, all the staff that we met seemed knowledgeable in their job. The rooms were very nice! So, after much prayer and thought and consideration, we decided to try for the delivery here, rather than in Kampala. The midwife we met and saw there said, "We'll see you soon! Just come in when you are in labor!" If only it were that easy!

So we waited, and waited. The due date came and went. We kept up with my blood pressure and stuff and all was well but no baby was born. On Monday, February 28, James and I talked and I asked him "At what point do we do something about this instead of just waiting?" He replied, "Let's give it until Friday. If nothing has happened then, we'll see what the Dr. suggests." So Friday I went and saw the Dr. at the hospital here. They couldn't get a good feel on the babies position or size and since I was past due they wanted to do an ultrasound. The ultrasound showed that the placenta was alarmingly calcified and that we needed to deliver the baby right away. I suggested waiting until Monday but he didn't even want to wait that long. He told us to come in the next morning and they'd start the induction then.

Next morning we arrived at 9AM. However, one of the Drs that they needed to be there didn't arrive until almost 11AM so we sat and waited for a LONG time in our room. Then they assessed me and determined that we had to go the long road – half of a little pill that should help things get ready and maybe even start labor if my body was ready to do that. So I took that half of a pill. Within half an hour, contractions started. They weren't super painful but they were there. After six hours, at 6PM, they checked again. No significant progress so they gave me the other half of the pill. WHAM! In 30 min. The contractions were coming very hard and very regularly! I couldn't hardly believe how fast things went then. By 10PM I was 6 cm. dilated and by 12:30AM I was complete. However, the Dr on duty in the night didn't want to check me until 2AM!!! James told the nurses they better get him before then or we'd be delivering that baby without him. 🙂 At 1:30 I started pushing. I was so tired that it was hard to work with my body to finish it. After a couple pushes I was finally able to start to feel and remember what to do. By 2AM she was born. It was such a relief to hear her little cry and to have her laid up on my chest for me to hold and touch. Then they took her off to clean her up and finish things with me.

There are so many things that were quite different than the other deliveries I've had in America. For one thing, the nurses and midwives kept coming in to make sure I was eating and drinking. I was encouraged to eat all the way to the end of the labor process. For another thing, they were avoiding as much as possible doing anything intrusive. They never even suggested an IV. We were pretty much left alone except for brief visits to check my blood pressure and the baby's heart rate. And after all the clean-up from delivery was finished we were left to sleep until morning. It was wonderful!

We've been having random water outages and I guess Saturday was one of those days. So the hospital was without water by the time I finished delivering. They did have water that they brought in so I got a sort of sponge bath, but there wasn't water for a shower or anything. By next morning the water had been turned back on and we had some water for flushing toilets and washing hands and stuff. It was interesting to say the least!

The morning after Brennah was born, several total strangers came to visit us to see the Mzungu baby. Since white people don't have many babies (they think) seeing one who did was quite the novelty. Three ladies came to visit and all wanted to hold her. Then, a little later another lady and man came in to see her. It was pouring rain outside and kind of chilly, but I had Brennah wrapped up and warm with a hat on. Still, they thought she was cold and kept telling me that. They said she needed a "shawl" which is a big heavy fleece blanket. Whew! It made me hot thinking about it for her! I just kept telling them she was fine. Even the Dr. told me not to let her get cold and to wrap her well. Sigh. I told him I'd had babies in America where it was MUCH colder than here and she seemed fine to me. 😀

Our discharge was super easy. James paid for our bill and we were free to go. Less than 12 hours after she was born, we were home and able to rest in our own beds and be around our family. It was really nice! The kids were so excited to meet her and she seemed really content as they took turns holding her and we got pictures. She still really likes to have them all around and tries as hard as she can to see them. It is so precious to see all of the kids so excited about their new sister.

MISSION: Uganda Blog Update 03-07-2011

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Brennah LaDynne HuckabeeAs you can see, the 2011 model Huckabee has arrived. Our sixth child, Brennah LaDynne Huckabee was born at 2AM on March 6, 2011, right here in Mbarara, Uganda. Her and Anna are doing great. The birth went smoothly and without complications of any kind. Thank you all for praying about it. Anna has always had trouble getting labor going without chemical assistance. We had decided that if nothing happened by Friday we would go see the doctor. As it turned out of course, nothing happened, so we went in Saturday morning and began the process of inducing labor. We used the private hospital here in town (Mayanja Memorial), and I'm quite glad we did. I can't imagine going through the exhausting process of driving to Kampala, enduring the exhausting process of having a baby, and then having to drive all the way back. This was so much better. We live five minutes from the hospital. If I needed something, I could run back home to get it or to check on the kids (one of the other missionaries has a teenage daughter who volunteered to watch the crew while we were gone. She is such a blessing). When we needed a meal, I could send one of my employees to get some food from one of the local restaurants. Then, the very next day, since there were no complications, we could come home. Plus, it was super cheap by American standards. The whole experience couldn't have been more positive.Mayanja Memorial Hospital

Having an infant in the house again is fun. The kids are beside themselves with excitement. They don't remember Gaelin when he was a baby, so they are enjoying getting to know their new little sister. Elizabeth is digging getting to have a little sister. She prayed for her, and God answered. Pray for our new little girl.

Pray for rain. We have been getting more rain lately, but not in the quantities that will be needed for growing crops around here. It will get unbearably hard for folks in Uganda if the drought continues. Pray for the preaching, the growth of the churches, and the English class we are teaching out at the refugee class. Pray for our continued study of Runyankore.

God bless you all!

Water and Labor

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Mbarara Pump HouseGot a bit of a scare yesterday. I read in the local paper that the water in the Rwizi river was getting low. This is the river that supplies Mbarara with it's H20 llifeline. We are in a drought at the moment. The rain we should be getting this time of year, we're not. I decided to go and check it out myself. So, I drove out to the local pumping station to take a look. Wouldn't you know, I passed Julious, a fellow I know from the early months here (he did a lot of the electrical work on the house). He happens to be an employee of the National Water and Sewer Department. Thanks to him, I got a full tour of the facility. The water in the river is a bit low, but it's not at the catastrophically low levels the paper made it sound. The only way we will run out of water here is if Bushene runs out, and they have been getting plenty of rain. However, that said, the lack of rain is going to hurt a lot of people who depend on their gardens for food. Pray for rain. 

Anna has been in labor all day. She ate some pineapple, which is supposed to help advance labor in some cases. It seems to be helping her. We went for a couple long walks today to keep things moving along. Pray that things continue, and conclude with a baby tomorrow. 

In other news, our mutual parents finally got the Christmas packages we sent in October. Sigh. It's not actually Uganda's fault this time. There has been an embargo on foregin mail in the US for months now, thanks to some mail bomb threats. Ah well, Christmas in March, right?