Such a Great Day

We have now been back in Ugnada for 4 days and I am so happy. Today was such a great day. Went to Musana today to work with the women. They are doing so great and there are two new adorable additions to the team. Fatima and Nicole- my new baby "sister" (Eve's baby). I love them both so much.
I also got a lot of work done for getting "I'm Proud to be a Girl" going again. Met with headmasters of different schools and found a great new partner who is really passionate about the cause.
I love these people I work with here, they are truly amazing and so giving. They have so little but give so much, they are a great example to me and I learn so much from them.
I am so happy to be here with my amazing Ugandan friends who just radiate with love and kindness.

After working on other projects and meetings, Camille and I went to get fitted and design our own custom African dresses from the same women that made my Gomesi for me last year. I am so excited to wear it when its done!

The perfect way to end this perfect day is to listen to the screaming pastor, on his traveling stage, blasting through speakers, located just down the street ;) He'll go to bed soon but will surely be there at 6am tomorrow to tell us more about Jesus

Ps I got my suitcase after 2days :)

Nothing is Easy

Well, Camille and I made it to Uganda but not with out plenty of road blocks. The road started becoming rocky our last day in Amsterdam when a baucket of rain water fell on my head and then we had to go get on another plane.
After 4 days of traveing we made it in to Ugnada and we were suppose to wait 6 hours until the two other women met up with us- that will be living with us here. After 6hours of waiting it turns out they missed their flight and on top of that my suitcase with ALL of my stuff never arrived! After alot of airport workers telling me to just, "wait a little longer." they finally (after 8 and a half hours) told me my suitcase wouldnt be coming  today and they will call me when it does come in... I'm hoping that means tomorrow.
well anyay, we couldnt wait any longer for the others so Camille and I had our friend taxi driver take us to our favorite hotel in Mukono, two hours away (with traffic). Now were here  and exhausted but things are looking up. Since were "long time friends" (from last year) we got a discount and an upgrade to a nice room (with internet). SO here we are and we are finally comfortable. I hope to get my suitcase some time soon- otherwise I am going to be really smelly here in the next couple of days...

Pinky Promise

If I ever need immediate happiness and gratitude the first thing I think of is Eve, my African Mother. She was the one that got me through any hard day I was having last summer, held me whiled I cried and told me to "be tough!", cared for me while I was sick, made me laugh everyday and made sure that I addressed her as "Mother". One of the hardest things I ever had to do while in Uganda was watch my amazingly tough- despite circumstances- mother cry. I only saw it twice. Once the day I left and the other when she was so sick she couldn't even walk straight. It was about a week or so before I left and she was not only pregnant but also had some kind of stomach issues. She laid on the back porch and I held her hand and saw a tear run down her cheek... I knew she was really sick but, being the strong woman that she is, she refused any help.

Since I have been home from Uganda I have thought and worried about her often and was so relieved to hear she was able to successfully give birth to a baby girl- which she jokingly told me was named Abigail.

Whenever I think about Eve I also think about the PINKY promise I made to her while walking through the streets of Lugazi. (for anyone who doesn't know pinky promises are the promises of all promises-you can't break them) It was a promise that I would one day come back to Lugazi to see her and her new child. At first I was reluctant to make such a promise but she kept insisting with such passion, and holding her pinky so firmly towards me, that I finally had no choice but to agree to promise. We entangled our pinky fingers and I promised her that SOMEDAY I would come back. (She added after that I should bring my future husband with me but she's just  going to have to live with the fact that I haven't gotten one yet)

SO, I am fulfilling a promise that I made and going back to Uganda to see my precious Eve. I never thought that I would be going back so soon but one thing I've learned in my short life, so far, is that you should never delay things today, that you are not sure you can do tomorrow. Life only gets busier as we grow older and how much longer can I keep running away to Africa? I hope even after this trip I will go back to Africa again (maybe with my husband?) but who knows... all I know is that if you get a chance to do something amazing in this life, you take it! 
So Eve, thanks for making me feel even more obligated ;) I love you. Here I come. 

If you would like to find out more about Eve and her story go to: http://musanajewelry.org/