Back to Africa

Emily is now back in Africa, in a avery different place – Cosmo City, a huge development near Johannesburg. built to take people out of the township of Diepsloot. Oasis works in healthcare, youth training for work, children’s homework clubs. The healthcare has involved Emily in diverse activities, from drawing up vaccinations for Mums and babies to giving out condoms and AIDS information in Extension 4 of Cosmo City.

She lives in extension 5, in a house of 13 people. I believe that Emily, Rachel and Lorna are the only white Europeans there. One evening they each had to cook a typical dish – one of which was chicken neck and legs and some worms. Emily cooked a potato and bacon gratin, which sounds much nicer.

Thank you for prayers for her settling in and for a friend. She has been there almost a month now and has stuck through the initial difficulties, when she found it so difficult after the wonderful team she was with in Uganda. Her closest friend there is Obrey, who also lives in the house with them. Yesterday they went to Diepsloot and bought a puppy. I am a bit concerned until she gets it vaccinated against rabies, but she sounds very pleased, despite the mess she came down to this morning – yuk. Obrey named it Cosmo.

Thank you for your prayers and for lots of you who ask how things are going. I’d be really grateful if you could pray for her health. She still hasn’t got into a routine of taking her tablets. She took her blood pressure at the clinic yesterday and it had dropped, so I hope that will show her the need to take them. Please pray for Oasis’ wonderful work too and for the relationships that they have with the local people. I’m thrilled that Emily has been invited to work in the clinic and to have a uniform. They have to be accepted and invited by the nurses, otherwise it is felt that white Europeans come in and take their jobs.

That’s it for now. Thank you for reading and for praying. There’s a photo on my Facebook if you’re interested, also an Oasis South Africa page on FB and you can see Diepsloot and Cosmo city too by googling.

God bless

Sarah

coming home

Emily arrived home on 8th May – just a day later than planned. Their flight had been cancelled and they had taken one to Nairobi, in the hopes of spending a day in Kenya’s capital. It turned out that they would have to buy a visa to leave the airport, so they spent several hours at Nairobi airport, yet still had a huge panic as they realised that they wol dhave to print off their new tickets and their flight for Heathrow was about to leave.

It was a wonderful moment when she walked into Arrivals and we had a great big hug for the first time in three months.

Emily seems to have got used to life in the UK again, but she would like to do a similar mission trip again in the future. She is thinking od DR of Congo. We really might be a bit more worried about that one!!

7th April immunising babies

Olivia had another text from Emily today. They have been immunising new babies. Apparently they are handed a needle and told to go for it – no hygiene, no training. What a different world!

6th April

Olivia had a text from her sister today, saying how much Olivia would have enjoyed the day Emily had. They had helped at a clinic, taking blood pressures, feeling pregnant bumps to tell which way up the baby was presenting and even holding a baby one hour old! Cute .

31st March

Sorry these are so rare; Emily can’t get online easily and I am not great at all at keeping blogs updated.

I just spoke to her. She is on safari and having the most wonderful and exciting time. They have seen amazing animals and travel around on the roof of the mini bus. They are going on a river trip tonight to see crocs.

Steve spoke to Em last week as well. They get a little bit frustrated because lots of the things thay want to do – like prison visits, helping the prostitute project – get cancelled or not organised. They are hoping to return to Rukungiri at some stage.

Her first letters have finally arrived in Jinja, so thank you to Debbie – 2 parcels have arrived so far, one still on its way. I guess if anyone wants to write or send a parcel, you’d better be quick as there’s only a month left!

YWAM, PO Box 739, Jinja, Uganda, East Africa.

She sounds so happy and excited – thank you to all for prayers.

Sarah xx

Friday 12th

A (rare!) text has arrived from Emily…

Rukungiri is amazing. Simon and Sue are here and everyone loves them.

11 March

I’ve just had a text from Sue Morgan as follows:

Emily + team have arrived in Rukungiri. They are all excited if tired after 5am start and long journey.Lots to talk about over supper. Be in touch. Sue x

3rd March

One of the highlights of the week has been Emily driving the team home in ‘a broken automatic with no petrol’. There are no rights of way; you just hoot a lot and go. Suits Em’s style of driving down to the ground. There were some lovely photos on facebook of them all having a latenight swim at the pool. The only contact I’ve had has been on facebook chat, but one of the other girls put up some news that yesterday they were due to help weigh and immunise new born babies!  On facebook, Emily says she dreams about living in Africa for the rest of her life. I would miss her, but the house is tidy!!

Hi, Emily’s Mum here. I guess updating this is down to me. Emily doesn’t get online much, she says there’s too much else to do! Emily still loves Africa. They got up early yesterday to go and pick maize for a lady with AIDS. Her three children have it too, although she hasn’t told them. The eldest is 13 and apparently, they start having sex at about 14 (surprised me, seeing as they’re not even allowed to dry their underwear on the line as it’s ‘inappropriate’!). so one hopes he finds out before he spreads it further. Last week they were at a school and were all very upset by the discipline regime ie beatings. Even worse for them was that it was a disabled boy.

They have been teaching – Emily and Anna doing the English class, although she says the grammar isn’t good but they daren’t change it!

It’s been bucketing down with rain and is now the official start of the rainy season, which means cobras will come into the compound. Didn’t stop Em walking around it in her bare feet in the pitch dark on the phone to me last night! She said there was a light from her phone. Liz le Ros says cobras aren’t too bad; thanks Liz. They are all quite bitten – I gather the mosquito repellant stinks. Hopefully they’ll start using it more often despite that. Public transport’s quite whiffy too!

We’ve seen some lovely photos on Face book, but the resolution’s low, so I won’t upload them to this. There’s a fab swimmming pool down the road and they can swim and have a shower (no, not a hot shower, Mum) for 3,000 shilllings – about £2. It overlooks the Nile.

There are lovely pics of the children and of some of the ex-prostitutes. Emily is keen to get more involved with that project.

She’s hoping to see Simon and Sue in Rukungiri while they’re there, although it’s about a 10 hour journey! The transport looks pretty terrifying to me – especially the bicycles with a cushion on top of the back wheel, which they sit on side saddle (as they wear skirts – who’d've thought it!) and go bombing down the hills. It’s great fun.

It’s great to talk to her; amazing to be able to call her mobile in Uganda! At 8p a min we chat for as long as we want – well, until she gets something else to do anyway!

Wednesday 17th

The internet access is very slow for Emily, so here’s some news that i got today when I spoke to her on the mobile. She had such a lot to say that I hope I’ll get right what I do say.

She absolutely loves it. Even loves the food – I think she’s the only one. Most of the forty children who were living in their garage have now left as there is a roof on their classroom and they have moved in there while they wait for the dormitories.

Today Emily and the group have done home visiting and have visited a clinic where they were very moved by a 14 year old lad with cerebral palsy. They have also met Mary, who runs a programme called WAR – can’t remember what it stands for, but they go into the bars to rescue the prostitutes, bring them home for a meal, tell them about Jesus’ love for them. Some of the girls, including Emily, want to be involved in that tomorrow evening. They are not quite sure how the 7pm Mission Direct curfew will fit in with that! She did say,’Mum, there’s nothing I’d come home for.’!  We are waiting with bated breath for pictures!