Venturing into the Unknown

Evening all,

Really excited about heading off tomorrow and bags are finally packed! A long day ahead of me tomorrow but its so encouraging to know that God goes before me and will never leave my side. I just wanted to share some prayer points for my trip generally and as situations occur and when I arrive in each place I hope to specify more clearly which are particularly relevant. I would also just like to thank those who have encouraged me in the last few weeks with your cards, kind words and donations. They have all been much appreciated and I am grateful for them. When the tough times come on my trip I hope to be reminded of them and the verses of God's Word you have shared with me will be so cherished I'm sure.

Prayer Points

• That God would be glorified
• Opportunities to pour out Christ’s love and share the gospel
• That I can be an encouragement to those I meet and build up relationships with them
•  Personal quiet times and committing everything to God in prayer
•  Communication/ Language barriers
• Safety throughout my trip
•  Strength, energy and enthusiasm
• Good health throughout my time away
• Time management throughout my trip
• Means of contacting home to give updates and hear news from family/friends

      Next time from Uganda! Woohoo! :) Sarah

Excitement Explosion about to occur.

Only four days left until I set off for Africa! I travel to Dublin then fly out to Istanbul  at 11:05 have a quick layover 17:20 - 18:20 before heading to Entebbe, Uganda at 02:50 (via Kigali, Rwanda.) Once arrived I'll have to go through customs/immigration and hopefully will be awake enough to fill out necessary visa forms! Then a local hotel is collecting me and I'll hopefully then get some much needed rest.

The following morning I'll be picked up by the hospital and make the journey to Kiwoko Hospital. This will be my first stop and I'll be there for just over 6 weeks. It is part of my university course and I'm really looking forward to experiencing nursing in Uganda. It will be so different from the hospitals in Edinburgh and although I've read up on a bit of background information it will definitely be an eye opener! I'm expecting the heat, new dress uniforms, lack of resources and the bugs (unfortunately) but am really not sure about so many other things that will soon be coming my way! So preparing for the unexpected is proving quite difficult.

I am very excited though and looking forward to the unknown. I've laid out things to pack several times and it's just not happened yet. I think of something else and find myself doing other things and procrastinating (again!). So then I decided that before packing I should show you one of my lovely uniforms...

Dress Uniform ready to go!

And now that you've seen one I really don't have an excuse not to pack! So better go and get on with it! :) Sarah

Trip Overview

Ø  Kiwoko Hospital, Uganda (30^th May- 15^th July) where I will spend 6 weeks working alongside staff as part of my nursing elective placement for university. I hope to experience a variety of nursing settings and will gain valuable nursing experience which no doubt will come with some challenging situations I’m sure!

Ø  Amani Baby Cottage, Jinja, Uganda ( 15^th- 29^th July) where I will work a 35-40 hour week alongside the staff to help look after up to 60 children aged newborn to 5 years. I will be here for 2 weeks getting involved wherever they need assistance and getting stuck in anywhere they would like me to.

Ø  Gary and Mary Reid, Kenya (29^th July- 6^th Aug) to encourage and support them in the work that they do. I will spend a week with them among the Maasai people.

Ø  Samaritan Village, Arusha, Tanzania (6^th- 26^th Aug) is another orphanage where I will just join the staff already there and spend 3 weeks serving in whatever way they need me to. I have also been asked to teach God’s Word to the children so I have some talk preparation to do!

Ø  Stephen and Sandra Scheleen, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania (31^st Aug – 4^th Sept) to encourage them and spend time with their family.