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RISK more than others think is safe.

CARE more than others think is wise.

DREAM more than others think is practical.

EXPECT more than others think is possible. 

–cadet maxim

What does this look like in your life? Attempting to figure out what it looks like in mine...Looks like we're on the adventure together finding out...might take years and lots of miles!

I'm back home in Uganda as of a week ago, following 4 months of leave (aka. home assignment) in Tanzania and USA, where I was able to spend time with many of you who are reading this right now and unfortunately not with some of you who are reading this too. Either way I am thankful for the time and have been reminded of how blessed I am to know many of you and have you in my life as well as have the opportunities that are laid before me.

I am preparing to return to the Ssese Islands this week for the first time since being back home. I'm sure I'll have some stories to tell in the next week or so, but in the meantime I only ask that you consider praying for me and our team as we reunite and particularly as I re-acclimate to the team and work transitioning back in, but hopefully with more creativity and risk...

Thank you Thank you for everything, your thoughts, prayers, and support making the impossible for many a little more possible! I'll tune back in soon to give a little recap of my leave as well as some stories from the lake and neighborhood!

God bless and keep us all in His grace...

Note: Lake view from a distance...

Abdul says thanks for making snacks and toy trucks possible!!

HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD YEAR!

So much for tuning back in a day or two later...here I am two weeks later after traveling from Philly to Utah to Boston and back! Thanks for your unmeasurable grace and patience with me!

I plan to give a more detailed account of my time in the US once I’m finished this home assignment period and am heading back home to Najjanankumbi, Uganda...only a few weeks from now! I’ll be sure to include snaps to narrate some of the moments that have blessed me!

The past weeks and months have been full of opportunities I could have never planned, moments of celebrating with those rejoicing and praying with those on their knees. It has been a healthy time of reconnecting with the body of Christ here in the US and particularly with my sending church, Liberti and our focus on the Gospel of Jesus Christ who came as a child for the purpose of redeeming His broken creation to restore peace and provide a way for us all to be restored to the image He intended, to make all things sad come untrue. This ultimately is my only hope and that which spurs me on in my life and work! It is easy to loose sight of the Truth when I’m not weekly/daily being reminded of them directly, so I am grateful for this time home to come back to my identity and be reminded of the Truth which is the hope for which I practice as a nurse and care for the children and people around me.

Before Christmas rolls up in a week and I wrap up my time here in the US visiting my family and friends, I'm touching base to...

WISH YOU A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS,

HAPPY HOLIDAYS, AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

With that said, I also want to THANK each of you for your love, support, examples, encouragements, and prayers over the past two years! Without you, none of the relationships, learning of language, culture, and medicine, and extension of Christ’s compassion and care for men, women, and children would have been and continue to be possible.

On January 08, 2013 I will be on a flight home to UGANDA! I am planning to continue in the community health development work in the Ssese Islands with Africa Inland Mission, which I have been involved with the past two years focusing on Maternal Child Healthcare Development in the rural fishing camps. I am looking at another 1-3 years at this point and ask you to continue to join with me in this work by prayer and financial support as you are able and as God lays on your heart.

Prayer Needs: As I return to Uganda at the beginning of the year I will send some specific ways you can continue praying for myself, our team, and those we work with. But as always please pray that we would keep our eyes fixed on Jesus and that God would give us wisdom in our lives and work.

Financial Needs: Below I’ve listed a few ways/funds to which you can contribute as a monthly or one time gift. If you are interested in being a part of the work and ministry through giving, please feel free to contact me or click here to see information on GIVING toward "Melanie Musselman"

    - Monthly support

    - Vehicle fund

    - Work funds (for medical/teaching supplies and travel expenses)

THANK YOU FOR JOINING WITH ME IN DEMONSTRATING THE 

CHARACTER OF JESUS TO ALL NATIONS! 

MAY GOD BLESS YOU ABUNDANTLY THIS SEASON

melanie JOY

Nothing like the nostalgic warm feeling of this season in NE America
Decorated the tree with my Maama, placing these old childhood
ornaments of my brother and I on the tree...

Happy White Christmas from snowy Utah

This was a happy Thanksgiving with family and friends from
Elverson, PA, USA and UGANDA at the
beloved Maama and Taata's home!!

I'm coming back...back to the blog and Uganda!

Hello Hello Hello!!

Just want to say, I'm working on a little post, so check back in the next day or two...ONE MONTH to go til my return to Uganda God willing! Can't wait, but at the same time soaking in the time I have with family and friends this side while missing those that side...Hard to believe two months have passed since I arrived in the US. Thanks again for your continued support! It's still needed...more to come...

Check back soon...
m

"The grass is greener where you water it" -Neil Barringham

I appreciate this quote…In fact I don’t have words to add to it other than the following to express how true and important it is…

It ought to be the quote of our Island team as we work to invest in the training and lives of those working in fishing camps to bring about transformation and change in their lives, homes, and communities as one teaches one and truth spreads on…that’s how we’re “watering” so to speak…And we do see patches of green immerging!

MONKEY HEAR…MONKEY SEE…MONKEY DO!

Monkey Hear: Imagine…I’m the Monkey.

August 13-16—BuruBuru, Nairobi, Kenya, East Africa…

My Colleague and I flew from Uganda to Kenya to HEAR and participate in our first of several trainings in the current model and strategy being used in our work in health care development in the Ssese Islands. Community Health Evangelism (CHE) Training of Trainers Part 1 (TOT1). Brief History is that in the past, our CBVs (community based volunteers) were trained in this model and have been using it as the strategy and method for teaching and developing their communities ever since although of late little training has been invested in them and performance has diminished. CHE is a model used to disciple and multiply disciples, to identify and empower leaders in communities, and to encourage communities to look within for solutions to problems. Neither my colleague nor myself were trained before now, so we joined this training. We were the only non-Kenyans in the group and it was extremely helpful! We spent the week interactively and practically learning the tools and methods for this model in a repeatable manner that we can take forward and teach to others in a way they too can teach others. We spent the week in a large circle and smaller circles working on projects together and in essence being facilitated to teach ourselves what we already known as adult learners and explore ways to help our communities identify and solve problems themselves and with their own resources! Brilliant. I never knew that it could be so easy to teach before! Haha. Anyway, one of the highlights and benefits of doing this course at this time and place was the experience of learning along with our colleagues in various work throughout East Africa and from the people themselves.

Monkey See:

            August 19-23—Ikuza Island, Tanzania, East Africa…

A week of review and continued training of the CHEs. I was blessed with the opportunity to travel to Ikuza to observe the review training that my unit leader conducted with the Tanzanian CHE team. Here I was able to spend time interacting with these lovely people, hearing there stories, watching them work together to solve problems and teach, and intentionally focus on learning more Kiswahili all day every day! I was thankful for the opportunity to not only learn from hearing these models, but this week I was able to SEE it in action in a fishing camp, a similar context to the communities we work in and are teaching people within!

Monkey Do:

            September 03-08—Boyovu Island, Ssese/Kalangala District, Uganda

It’s not enough to hear and see…learning takes one more step…DOING! This is the week that came into play. This week my colleagues and I worked together to conduct a review CHE training with our CBVs in the camps we work with in the Ssese Islands. Only six of our 15 camps were represented, but it was a great group. We laughed, we taught, we learned, we shared, we ate, we sang, we danced, we acted, we planned, we read, we prayed…all in all we applied and those who have spent some time now (2+ years) without reviewing the training, found themselves encouraged and in turn motivated us to continue “Watering” the few so they can multiply and grow others to grow others to grow others! It is toward these ends we work and pray now…

           

2 Timothy 2:2 (a verse used over the past few weeks sums it all up…)

“and what you have heard from me through many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will be able to teach others as well.”

Here’s a few snaps…a peak through the window into the last two weeks mentioned in Tz and Ug…

Ikuza, Tanzania CHE

On our way to Boyovu with our cook and the teenage son of
our colleagues so excited about getting their photo taken,
what's up with that one? ;)

Boyovu, Uganda CHE

One of my lessons...A creative method for Problem
Identification and Prioritization in Communities

Group Project times...

Requirement for Phone ringing during teaching...singing
or dancing...Pastor here choose his traditional dance :)

Our skit to demonstrate my lesson on using methods to
develop and carry out plans to begin to address the
huge problem of people not taking full doses of
medication...little did they know I have an actress side ;)

haha, didn't finish my full dose as a sick patient with
malaria, now worse and "aggressively vomiting" ...they
enjoyed that drama and all in Luganda!

Now very sick at the clinic with a huge bill and a friend who
doesn't know how he'll pay it and get me to the mainland
for proper treatment before I die! true stories put into
skit form...this is life here! 

Minus one who had to leave early, this was our group this
week...these are the ones to pray for and encourage and train!

The youngest two members of the group...maama and baby!

This is our lake...this is its weather...this is us on the way home
and one of the 4 storms on every side of us...somehow
we didn't get wet or struck by lightening...God.

Home to Najjanankumbi in Kampala to my precious friend
welcoming me home...a familiar face to you if you follow
my life here at all...Love Him!

A short note: I am preparing to go on my “Home Assignment”… this is a time we working with AIM are allotted to revisit our 'homes' where we come from, rest a bit, reconnect with all of those who are supporting us through prayer, encouragement, and finance.  A time to give a face and stories and bridge the gap between "the two worlds", recognize just how much a part of the work this side each of you are and appreciate you for it! It's also an opportunity for us to receive more training if we need and maintain certifications, etc... So I’ll be in the US from October 06 to January 09! Perhaps I will see you there J But, just as a heads up, I may not be blogging much until I return at which point I hope to do a better job of it! I appreciate insight and comments as to improvements!!

Thanks again for tuning in! Stay Well...Until Next Time! - Melanie Joy 

“If it scares you, it might be a good thing to try.”-Seth Godin

ebbanga ddene! (Long time!)...Apologies for this form of neglect!

            Please send this poor lost soul a tutorial on “how to blog”.

                        Appreciation in advance. God bless you as you will bless many !!

You know how you find those tiny windows in old castles, sometimes round, sometimes thin slits in the wall? When you look through them you get this tiny glimpse of the landscape outside, you know it? A view similar to that in a pair of binoculars when you're looking at one elephant among a herd in the distance. Well, that’s what I hope to give you here…a little glimpse of the vast landscape that makes up my life and the work I’ve been involved in these past months.

“If it scares you, it might be a good thing to try.”-Seth Godin

I love this quote, because to be honest, it is often exactly how my life and choices go. It presents a fright and so I try it! In life and fun these past few months that has included diving in the ocean, learning to ride a motocross motorcycle, water skiing, flying a small airplane, driving a boat, swimming in lake victoria and the indian ocean, and a few other little adventures. In work, when presented with challenges I try to have the same attitude and motivation!

Here are few windows:

Motivation seems to come and go, especially when you don’t know how to fit into a picture you’ve recently entered. The past few months I’ve learned a lot surrounding the work in the Ssese Islands of Lake Victoria where I’ve find myself working. Invited to work with Maternal Neonatal Child Health Care (MNCH)…rare to non-existent in these communities…what can my miniscule self do and what hope is there with this need? It’s been easy to let the fear of what it doesn’t look like swallow the hope of what’s possible and I think I let myself go to far down that road. So, now over the past few months, I think God has graciously and slowly been opening my eyes to see the need, some ideas to go about MNCH, and how maybe I can be a person to start emphasizing/caring/showing the importance, possibilities, and value in going above and beyond to care for children, particularly among these island communities. A few particular circumstances that have helped pick me up and push me to try:

• Last year after coming across a woman with a very sick child in one of our camps, we spent the past year following and encouraging her in the care of the child when we visit the camp. Both maama and baby HIV+. Child was less than a year, but only a few kilos in weight with full-blown AIDS when we found them. Now almost a year later, I’ve received news of the child’s death. Maama had begun with some encouragement to take baby for testing and to get drugs and baby had some improvements along the way, but it seems something happened and baby’s health declined until the point of death. Unfortunately, we had not been in that camp for a little while and were unaware of this cascade. After the fact, I was informed baby died, but sadly baby died more from neglect, as it appeared to the community that the maama lost hope and disregarded the child until a few days before his death. Two sides of the coin…1) I can understand the maama’s discouragement and burden and now grief or relief (only she knows), but 2) I cannot understand neglecting a child to the point of death! This is one circumstance that spurred in me something I haven’t felt before. These maamas need teaching, support, an understanding of the value of human life, accountability, hope, and empowerment to take the best care of their children as is their God-given responsibility even to the point of death. I still have a heart for kids to know the value and care of their creator and sustainer even from an early age and believe it starts with the parents!

• Upon arriving for a recent visit to another camp, one in which there is a small government health center, I received the news of the death of a 16 year old girl leaving behind an infant to the care of the grandma. Cause of death, hemorrhage during childbirth at a health center not equipped or staffed to handle such complications…tragic!

• Walking through a camp, a boy of about 2-3 years runs by screaming (not from the sight of a white person this time, but rather from pain). Upon looking closer I spot two abnormal things: 1) A large swelling, looking like mastoiditis, 2) A string with an unripe eggplant tied around his neck. Upon inquiring, I’m informed that this is the traditional ‘treatment'. The maamas believe that the child will heal by the time the eggplant ripens there around their neck. Some die, some live with severe damage, some heal, but none are taken to the clinic for the proper antibiotic and pain management treatment and the children are left in excruciating pain with infection brewing near their airways and brains in hopes they will recover!

• Maama after maama deciding to deliver from their homes/huts in the islands with health services a several hours boat ride away…I’d be terrified too of giving birth!

• As Alice and I worked on translating into Luganda my teaching materials for our next round of community health teachings on Nutrition, I learned so much about MNCH in this cultural context! Whoever knew you don’t feed any children milk or meat or even certain vegetables in a village with a case of Measles! Truth of the matter is that is exactly the foods they need to get well and prevent complications! Or that you don’t give injections or place IV canulas in a child with measles when again the truth is that they often need just that! Just one example of cases where cultural beliefs hold strong sway over health care!

• A short time helping in a Tanzanian clinic with maama after maama coming for antenatal care left me asking this question. How can/what can this start to look like in the next 5 years in the Uganda side of the islands?

I’ve left you with a few small windows…So, what do you see ‘outside’? Scare you? Scares me often…now picking up to give it a try! I'll be in touch with how it's going this next month, God willing!

The newest edition to a couple who run a clinic in one of our camps! Didn't even know she was pregnant, haha, welcome to Africa :)

Maama, baby, and me!

Boyovu Company! Thanks Dogs and Boys for watching out for us! This is a cobra for those wondering...

Inside toilet and shower in the islands!

view from the front door of the island house

Island house from the outside...what a blessing it is!

Deworming for everyone!!

If this doesn't scare you from staring a cobra in the face and force you to turn on your heels to run I don't know what will!

ready to replace now blind maama as guard dogs!

KARIBU (kiSwahili "Welcome")

How do you begin to talk about 4 weeks, covering 3 countries and over 3,000 kilometers by road, boat, and plane through mountain, valley, savannah, lake, ocean, and air traveling as four people and interacting with ~100 others along the way? Beats me, but here goes a shot in the dark…

Disclaimer: my camera has a problem and decides to get tired or something and turns off on it’s own which discouraged me from photography these days, but here’s a few scenes. To be honest another excuse is that something about me meeting people the first time as a visitor just doesn’t click with me for taking snaps…I make a pretty lousy tourist I guess, ha. Anyway that wasn’t my goal. So…all that to say forgive me for the scant photographs and I hope I can paint a decent picture for you with words…When/if I return one day you’ll see the faces of the amazing people I met along the way…

Inpatient room in Dispensary at Bumbire Island

View from house on Bumbire Island

One of the Islands residential rather than fishing camp scene (difference from Ssese islands)

Sunrise across savannah (sorry while we were moving) on our way to Dar es Salaam

Jam :)

Dar es Salaam days often went like this...

Zanzibar :)

On our way to pass Mount Kilimanjaro (hidden from view) on the last leg of our driving trip to Kenya...This was a familiar view for Chris and I from the back seat this whole month :)

TRAVEL LOG

April 02, 2012—Hit the Road from Najjanankumbi with Chris (my boss), Dale (her husband), and Josh, my travel companions for the next month, toward the Uganda-Tanzania Boarder. After passing through immigration we continued on to a place called BUKOBA where we spent our first night. This began the start of an amazing trip through Tz where we found people they knew at every stop across the country…what a beautiful picture of the impact and importance of investment in relationships over years this side of the globe!

April 03-05—Chris and I boarded a small fiberglass canoe with engine and headed to BUMBIRE Island where they have a lovely home and one of the dispensaries developed through the years of community health evangelism in these islands. A place from which mobile clinics are sent out from as well to other camps. This is also the home of the old float plane which played a large part in the development of the health care and churches. Chris and I stayed there working, organizing, reconnecting, and seeing patients (mostly pregnant women for their antenatal visits) for a few days and then Dale and Josh came to join us and bring their speed boat to take us back to the mainland on the south side of the lake.

April 05—The four of us drove the boat south to KAHUNDA (one of the first sites/camps for island ministry). We spent a night there and explored the fishing camp and community that surround their property greeting people along the way as I stumbled through kiSwahili greetings and trying to pack away my now instinctive oLuganda (kiGanda) language! God did bless me with a few people along the way who new a bit of Luganda which was lovely to be able to communicate and not feel like a 1yr old again!

April 06-09—I accompanied Josh and his brother, Odhi, in their work for the weekend which was to take his SA sport fishing clients on a fishing trip to and around an island called RUBONDO (which is a game reserve island). This was a fun experience as the 3 of us worked together, a bit of a break, and of course fun to learn about engines, boats, and fishing as I helped out as crew and enjoyed the lake. Chris and Dale met us for the last two days of this time as we spent Easter on the island watching crocs and hippos float near the beach.

April 09-12—Dale, Chris, and I returned to BUMBIRE Island to continue some work. While there, an accident occurred that cascaded into a great opportunity for me to learn about and see people playing up a situation all in order to get money from whites…even after knowing them and working with them for all of these years. I learned a lot as Chris and I assessed, evaluated, cared, and dealt with this situation. I also got practice testing patients for HIV, Malaria, parasites, STIs, and being involved in observing and determining treatment for patients in the clinic. Good experience to see how health care works in this new context.

April 12-13—We drove the boat from BUMBIRE to IKUZA, another island where there is an old dispensary that they hope to reopen this year, which we visited along with a pastor who will be moving to this side in between a fishing camp and a residential community. From there we headed back to KAHUNDA again.

April 14-17—We spent the first part of the day driving and meeting the Bishop of the Africa Inland Church of Tanzania whom Dale and Chris have and continue to work very closely with. From there we continued on to MWANZA, the 2^nd largest (having said that a quite small) city in Tz. It is along the southern part of the lake and was the initial site where island ministry was based. We spent the weekend there meeting up with a variety of people who are close friends and colleagues and whom they have had a unique array of relational connections with over the years. Again beautiful to meet the faces, hear the stories, and see the importance and impact of relationship, language, and integrated life in this corner of the world.

April 17-21—The morning of the 17^th we hit the road before dawn and spent the day crossing savannah and passing through gorgeous mountain ranges to the opposite side of the country by the coast. We reached DAR ES SALAAM in the evening (about 16 hours after starting the drive). The following days we spent in a variety of offices that I never anticipated or dreamed of my feet stepping into here in Tz. Some of these offices and meetings included the Ministry of Health for Tz, the Nursing Counsel of Tz, Shipping and road works offices (in regard to bringing a medical cruise ship to Lake Victoria in the next year or so! More to come on that at a later date I'm sure...), and the Office of the President of Tz. Is this really my life?!?! All I can say is relationships, corruption, relationships, relationships, relationships…Over these weeks and many circumstances that I happened to be around or a part of, I learned an abundance about Tz and East Africa in the way of cultures, government, corruption, relationships, language, caring for the needy, food, life, health, myself, God, and the list goes on…

April 21-24—We took a weekend break away and since we were so close to ZANZIBAR we hopped on the ferry and went there for that weekend, chilled on the white sand beach, swam in the gorgeous clear Caribbean blue Indian ocean water, snorkeled, and walked far out into the seaweed fields to talk with the ladies growing and harvesting it (a huge industry there for the locals in the villages that make up Zanzibar). Such an interesting place…bandas along the beaches set just behind and among native Islamic villages and communities…anyone feeling called to start living Christ out in such a place, I’ll be right there with you!

April 24-26—We returned to DAR ES SALAAM to wrap up some meetings.

April 26—We drove north to ARUSHA where we stopped again to meet a long time friend of theirs and his kids whom we spent the night with to break up the long trip to Nairobi.

April 27—We finished the last leg of the driving journey across the boarder into KENYA and to NAIROBI. I stayed and hung out in Nairobi with the 3 of them at another of Chris and Dale’s homes and visited some of their family members and friends for a few days.

May 01, 2012—I boarded the evening flight home to UGANDA to complete the month long loop of East Africa. In many ways a survey trip and an altogether eye and heart opening experience for which I am very grateful I was able to be a part of this year.

You can see the places on this map, open and click on the link on the left entitled "east african wanderings", but sorry I wasn’t able to easily trace the roads and water-ways that we crossed from place to place! 

Joshua 1:9 “Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified: do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

GRATITUDE

1)     For all of those who support me and God’s work in prayer and finance who made this trip (a big one in heart and mind and maybe even direction) possible.

2)    For my boss Chris, her husband Dale, and Josh who hosted me as we traveled and worked together this past month. I was honored and blessed to have them welcome me into their lives, homes, car, boats, work, history, experience, joys, and difficulties and accompany them as we went day by day and place to place…

“God made you as you are in order to use you as He planned.”-J.C. Macauley

  

“I will give them an undivided heart

and put a new spirit in them;

I will remove from them their heart of stone

and give them a heart of flesh.

Then they will follow my decrees

and be careful to keep my laws.

They will be my people,

and I will be their God.”

-Ezekiel 11:19-20

In Summary, the truth is, this is what God has been and continues to do in me and this Tz trip was a big step in God showing me the undivided heart He’s forming in me, the new spirit that is not my own, removing my heart of stone and replacing it with a heart of flesh, teaching me to follow and keep His ways and showing me confidently that He is mine and I am His no matter what else…

He’s opening me to things I never thought I would be and even fought and He’s filling me with a spirit of peace about it all no matter how uncertain things appear.

As I write this I have to ask…Is this coming from me?!

Thanks for taking the time to read this lengthy post, but also thank you for your thoughts and/or prayers as I was traveling. Tune in again soon :) 

Melanie Joy

TZ

Hi, I'm on my way to the Tanzanian Islands in lake victoria for a few weeks to observe the healthcare and discipleship work that's been going on there for over 20 years. Please continue to pray for God's way behind, beside, and before. Catch ya on the Flip Side!

m