this is me. not quite as excited as i was 15 minutes ago.

okay blogger. you cheater. you just deleted my last entry even after telling me ever 2 minutes that it was saved!! joy spoiler you :)

so... alas, with much less enthusiasm. today's big news is that our flights are scheduled for the trip. [believe me, the first blog was MUCH more animated thant this! i was all excited... trying to rushingly count out the hours. it didnt work. i did learn that Brussels is in Belgium. we'll be flying through there - i figured i should probably know what country it was in, thus the learning that brussels is in belgium as i didnt know that before].

and anyway, through many joys i explained that i leave ridiculously early (something like 4:30am) on July 20th, and arrive in Entebble (by way of newark, new jersey and brussels, belgium) around 9:40pm on July 21st.

perhaps one of you all being excited to learn this information will reignite my excitement (okay... i admit it. its already coming back. and it will strike fiercely when i wake up tomorrow morning.. either at 5am to exercise or 6am after not exercise!)

anywho - its now 10:42pm, may 28th, 2009. i gotta go to bed!

and a side note - if anyone out there reading this is a pray-er, my stomach is seemingly unhappy again when it comes to food. this may have to do with me eating chocolate again (how sad that it may genuinely be better for my body to not eat it). anyway, it of course has me a tiny bit concerned thinking of what food & my body will be like in Uganda. so prayers that i could accept that chocolate might be the root of my problems rather than the answer & that then, in turn, my body would go back to happily accepted normal food would be appreciated :)

I apologize if you get tired of 'WOW'

Thanks to some exercise after work today, the first time in a long time, it's 10:35pm and I'm wide awake! the fact that my apartment is a toasty 83 degrees probably doesnt help! this could prove problematic when it comes to work tomorrow, but I figured I'd take advantage of these few extra minutes.

I don't have much to offer as far as updates.
I'm 2/3 of my way through my shots with the hope to get the last 2 on Monday. I've been amazed how easy that part has been. I'm having to work pretty hard to get the Typhoid shot - this is the 2nd week they thought it was available but is nowhere to be found.
I'm 48%... yes, that's FORTY-EIGHT PERCENT!!! 48% into fundraising. [insert MANY wows here]. if you're reading this and are part of that 48%, THANK YOU. I truly lack the words to express clearly and accurately how much your generosity blows me away. In the past 2 weeks I jumped from 10% to 48%. There's still quite a ways to go to reach the full 100% but I approach that with eagerness.
I am enjoying the opportunities to tell other people about this trip - from the reactions I've received, shock seems the most common when I talk about the work we'll actually be doing. it's quite simple to forget that not everyone has a nice comfy place to sleep like we do (or at least I do). I think its a very special thing to be able to provide such a thing as Sweet Sleep because most of us wouldnt have a clue how to help even if we did know about the bed shortage. [now, of course, there's so much more to it than a bed shortage... but you get the initial point!]

I really cant wait to come back from Uganda and tell you all about it. Thanks to the internet, I've been able to learn a bit about some of the other people who are going on this trip also. Many have been on trips with this organization before, many who have said, like myself, when i heard about this trip i knew straight away I wanted to be a part of it! Thats a very neat thing to share in common with strangers. I'm looking forward to not only falling in love with the kids we meet in Uganda, but forming great friendships with others on my team.

Well, I guess that's about everything I could tell you for now. If you're interested in supporting me financially or with prayer (I'll periodically email a prayer list of some specific things you can pray for), please email me @ theugandajourney@gmail.com for details. Thanks again for stopping by, and for all those who are and will be part of this journey with me!

oh that's right... i DONT know it all (duh...)

well, here's to yet another day of being humbled. [have I mentioned that that's happening quite regularly these days?] I had the pleasure of starting my day at my doctor's office again. Today I started the Hepatitis A/B shot series. I was pleasantly surprised once again when the shot itself really wasnt a big deal. I dont remember if it stung. I remember the nurse telling me to, once again, be sure to stick to the tylenol/advil rotation so that I wasnt in pain for the next 48 hours. And so far, feeling good! Yellow fever last week was definitely the worst of them yet, but even that just stung a bit (well, and there's a half-dollar sized red mark on my arm where she shot me). Only two more weeks of shots. That's very exciting.

Anyway, I've discovered a humorous trend about myself... I'm really excited about this trip when I'm talking to people who hardly recognize that Uganda is a country (okay. minor exaggeration there...). But when I talk to people that have been to Uganda, or anywhere in Africa, I'm suddenly much slower to speak, suddenly very aware that in fact no, I dont have any first-hand knowledge of the entire continent! true, yes, I've been trying to learn - I've watched videos, read books, occasionally spoken to other people trying to learn in that same fashion. but I'm seemingly quick to forget that the arrogance that creeps into my words is so uncalled for! I feel the need to remember that I'm just as clueless as the next person. I truly do value the advice of others who have gone before me [aka if that's YOU, feel free to share your thoughts!] someone recommended I try to learn some Swahili before I go, which I would love to do, but I'm also afraid of making a fool of myself trying to speak something! [I cant help but think of all our leading politicians who open their big mouths & hysterical, completely wrong things get said!]
With that said, I'm hoping that my aptitude for humbleness increases over the next 2 months in preparation for this journey... that selfishness would take a back-seat and that I would be nothing but truly grateful for the whole process!

"Before" Pictures

hey everyone,
I'm thinking some of you have found your way here because you received a support letter in the mail & a little card promoting this site. I'm glad you're stopping by, no matter how you came to find me :) but as I am asking for financial support, I wanted to help you understand why we're going to help Africa Greater Life Mission and Caring Heart. If youre like me, visuals always help. so here are a few pictures (courtesy of Sweet Sleep - from their blog)

These pictures are from the first trip the Sweet Sleep staff took to determine where to focus our efforts during the trip this summer. Like i said before... the 'beds' these kids sleep on dont even resemble the bed you sleep on. I cant wait to be able to show you the 'after' pictures.

If you want to help me help these kids through financial donations, email me at theugandajourney@gmail.com and I will provide the details you need.

How to Help

Dear friends, family & everyone else,

As mentioned below, I'm seeking anyone & everyone to partner with me in this journey.
God has blessed me with a job in this present economy that will provide a portion of the funds for this trip, but not the full amount. Would you consider partnering with me in this journey through a financial gift, prayers or both? My goal is to raise a total of $4,500.00 through your donations and my savings. It is a lofty goal, but the purpose is worth every penny.

Financial donations are tax deductible! Checks should be made payable to Sweet Sleep. The memo line of donation checks must read: Preferenced to 0709UG – Melissa Rau. You will receive a tax receipt directly from Sweet Sleep, Inc. Just email me: theugandajourney@gmail.com and I'll tell you where to send donations. i REALLY appreciate any way you can help!

I look forward to hearing from you, partnering with you, and being able to show the children in Uganda your picture when they ask how they are receiving this gift!

THANK YOU in advance!!

Lost Boys of Sudan

It's May 10. Mother's Day. It's a rainy, overcast day in Little Rock. I just watched a documentary called "Lost Boys of Sudan". I didn't really know what to expect. It follows 2 guys in particular, starting just a few days before they leave africa to come to America and goes through their first year here. It was hard to watch. The picture of America in the film... it's not bad, but it captures the reality of this country in an interesting way. The major thing that stuck out to me was the independence of man. It was clear among the refugees that came to America - dropped in random cities all across the US - that this country is not exactly what they had in mind. In America, time is filled quickly with many things - studies, work, eating, sleep - those were the main things. Relationships with others ... well, gosh, that almost felt non-existent. And this makes me very sad. How do we break free from a world that is all about 'ME'? I'm so at a loss with the world in this sense.

There are many things within the past week that have led to me feeling prideful, arrogant. There's something in the pit of my stomach that is desperate for a humble demeanor, in life in general, but also in my uganda journey. At one point in the Lost Boys film, it shows a mother & son who talk about hearing the lost boys' stories and their hearts being gripped & so they try to gather furniture and such to provide to these new refugees... which is nice and all, but it seemed very out of touch with the Sudanese refugees' day-to-day situation and needs. It just reminded me that while I'm excited to get to be a part of this trip, I need to seriously take a step back every day, remember that I may say that I care, but that to consider others means finding out where that person is at in life, what their needs really are and then trying to see where I can help in that. Very hard to put into words right now the thoughts inside my head.

The Shot Heard 'Round The World

Okay... so maybe that's a bit of an exaggeration. But I just had to stop by here quickly before fully diving into my work load for the day because this morning I got my Tetanus shot! Last time I had this one was in 8th grade - I remember very clearly going back to school (spanish class!) and the kid behind me grinning & whacking my arm with a 'how's it going!'. I wanted to rip his head off! So when I got to the doc's office, nurse took me back to get my blood pressure and (as you can suddenly hear your heartbeat real clearly while she's doing that) I realized my heart was RACING! haha apparently I was nervous. However, she came back in, instinctively hiding the needle in her hand so I couldnt see it (dang, she's good!), told me to take 5 deep breaths. By the time I took the 3rd breath in, the exhale came out through a grin, as I know she was giving me the shot and I knew it was a piece of cake! Aside from just growing up & getting over my previous fear, its incredible what I'm motivated to do when I think about why I'm doing it. Knowing that each shot/vaccination meant protecting my health, meant I wouldnt have to worry about it while I was in Uganda & being able to focus on the task at hand - the nurse & I discussed what other vaccinations she'd recommend, discussed the Malaria pills & decided I might as well get 'em all, because it surely cant hurt to be over-protective! Especially now that I know I can handle the shots! YIPPEE!! what a relief!

Come on! Let's Get This Party Started!

Hey Everyone! So, since this blog came into existence, it's been a week and hopefully, like I'd asked, you came back! However, most likely, this is your first time here - which is GREAT! I'm really glad you're here. Tonight's blog purpose is simple, I want to tell you in my own words about this adventure, and ask you to come along.

With that said, videos are below. As I mentioned yesterday, best way to watch the videos - hit play, and then pause, and let the video load (red all the way across the play bar) and then hit play again!

VIDEO #1: Welcome!


VIDEO #2: Why?!


VIDEO #3: Am I Scared?


VIDEO #4: Sweet Sleep! (oh! by the way - I believe this is the video where I try to tell you the organizations we're working with in Uganda and was afraid I'd messed up the names ... Africa Greater Life Mission and Caring Heart!)


VIDEO #5: Help!

Let's Get Aquainted!

Hey Everyone! After much ado, I believe I've figured out the video world! This is the first of hopefully many little tid-bits about my journey! Thanks for coming along! More videos and blogs to come! (by the way, the trick to the videos is to let it load fully before watching-meaning the bar should be red all the way across... that way it doesnt buffer through the video!)