AND AWAY WE GO!!!

The walkway to PT
(PT room is on the right)

OK....I was told things move very "Polan, Polan" Slowly-Slowly here. Well...that is ONLY if wrought by human hands. Apparently, God has heard the cry of the children and has put the rehab renovation into fast forward, not to mention a whole handful of other projects at the same time! 

Yesterday, the mason came by to talk with me about what I needed. The crew showed up an hour later to begin the work and I hadn't received the estimate yet!  Father Raymond approved the supply costs though this was all the estimate was for (not the whole project as I had hoped). I realize now they do things in sections. I have no full estimate of what this is going to cost in the long run. Apparently we haggle the labor cost AFTER the fact. HMMM... now I know why many houses are started but rarely finished here...it's all starting to make sense! HAHAHA. I was a bit panicked about this today BUT realized I have to have some Faith. I will be sure to maintain some common sense and I can be a tight negotiator when I have to be. Father Raymond will also help with this. 

PT room looking towards the door

I was planning on taking nice pre, during and post pictures especially before the project started. I had to scramble today to take the PRE pictures. They are rather dark as we had no power for lights and it was a cloudy day but you can get the general idea. The larger room is about 19 X 22 and the smaller room is 9 x 10. Nice size for what we need to accomplish. 

I also met with a metal worker this afternoon for making a mat table (quote expected tomorrow...hopefully he has not started making it yet!). I had planned on making this out of wood but was quickly discouraged by Father Raymond, who is in the know about these things. Wood does not last long in this environment. This is a GOOD piece of information to find out! We will have a smaller one made for the smaller treatment room/office.

PT room (sans clutter) 

The small room will house a table and file cabinet for the PT’s. There will also be a smaller mat table for sensory integration/cranial sacral therapy work and Speech Therapy/communication.

The equipment that we will need to either fabricate or purchase will be things like: floor mats; parallel bars; bolsters and wedges; therapy balls; standing poles and a standing wall ladder. We also need a few standing frames (yet a popular method that PT’s use here and will most likely continue to be so for awhile) I hope to do an outing with the 2 PTs next week to visit 2 rehab facilities to see their room set up and to ask about how to procure equipment. I might have the metal worker make me a pulley weight system that attaches to the wall. I brought pulleys and carabiners with me to do this. This worked nicely in Afghanistan though they didn’t like to exercise there. The PT here, however, is very excited about this, which is fabulous!

The small back room now mostly
empty! 

So…picture this…while all this negotiation and wall knocking out is going on, I have a new volunteer that has started the last 2 days and wanted to help out in PT. This gentleman is a local Ugandan who is trained in Social Work and Counseling. He wants to do something productive while looking for a job. A VOLUNTEER?? I was told there are no local volunteers when I first arrived. I had wanted to get a team of them together to help with the kids. As of Saturday…I have 2 local volunteers! How crazy is that?!

I was trying to show him what to do, running back and forth to check on the masons, work on bids and discuss the plans with Father Raymond AND I was trying to work with the PT who comes 2 days a week to have her show me what/how things are done PT-wise here at Busega. This along with the regular train of children holding onto my pants, trying to reach in my pockets (to give me trash…which they think is funny…or to remove my keys, phone, hanky, pen…you name it)

I had another miracle of sorts happen today. I had wanted some of the able bodied boys to help cart the kids back and forth to PT…the walk is rather long and time consuming. This has not worked well as they are easily distracted and also in school most of the time. I now, as of today, have a boy wanting to help me out! His name is Brian. He is new to Busega as of 2 weeks ago. He was living alone on the streets, is very smart but was abandoned by his family with a skin condition requiring a hospitalization. The Brothers have taken him in and obtained treatment (which is now helping). He hasn’t yet melded with the other boys yet and had been hanging out by himself most of the time. I make a point to talk with him when I come. I understand how hard it is to be “new” and not quite fit in.

Where the new door/ramp will go
(before construction)

The urinals which will be lowered for
the little ones with grab bars on both sides

He has been wonderful. He is a quick learner (how to move a WC with 2 kids piled in it up and down 3 steep ramps…not OSHA standards by any stretch but functional). He has watched the boys when I have to run back and forth to be sure they don’t get into trouble AND to be sure the able bodied boys don’t sneak in and grab the only soccer ball I have! It’s rather humorous in a way…they watch when I leave and then sneak in. I have to lock the door every time I leave now, which is a PAIN. I don’t blame the boys…they are bored and have NOTHING. It’s sort of a game…I will mock “mad face” at them and they run off giggling.

One of the 2 upper courtyards at Bethlehem Home
Dorms in the background

The soccer balls need constant repair as these kids play HARD! The first time I didn't lock the PT room door, mine went AWAL in 15 minutes. I had to track down the ball first then manage to pry it from the kids, but not without split seams! Brother Festis reduced the pressure for me so at least I can still use it for PT. It just doesn’t roll very straight. No one seems to mind. The boys in PT beg to paly with the ball. It’s my one most precious piece of equipment as they will stand and walk just to kick it!

The Dorm Matrons shelling
"Cow-Peas"
they got a kick out of the fact I had never seen
those before

So I have taken to NOT missing any prayer times. I have quickly realized this whole project is NOT and has NOT been in my hands at all! I now pray that I remain open to what I am supposed to do that day, listen for the cues and be the warm body that I am asked to be! I can’t even begin to tell you how I get a hits all day to do someting only to find an issue that needs to be addressed. Today I got a hit to turn to my Left while walking to the PT room with a child. I suddenly spotted a red spot on a boy’s hand. Turns out is was scraped down to the fascia and bleeding. He was not crying or making any signs of pain. This might have been missed otherwise. I was able to get Brian my helper to take him to the clinic to see the new Medical Officer, who at that moment was walking towards us.

Again today, I got a hit to grab a couple bath towels that had been stored in the PT room before I headed down to grab my first group of boys. It was quite chilly today. The boys were finishing their baths. They usually drip dry but today they were all FREEZING! I was able to dry them off so they wouldn’t get a chill. It’s as if I am getting hits on what to do, where to turn or look or what to listen for without knowing where this is coming from.

That is why I decided I need to “pray” more than “plan”. The plans are already taken care of from above and are being implemented faster than I can even keep up. I need to pray for stamina and openness only (and sleep). It is rather nice in a way... There is a deep level of PEACE just being a servant in all ways.