Family Found

Hi everyone,

The Giselle and Arsene are found! Brother and sister to Bertine who lives in Wyoming.
They are in Kampala staying with a very nice person who has helped them for about a year now. He found them living in a tent city by InterAid offices about a year ago.
They are healthy although a bit reserved and one can see the trauma in the young man's eyes. They do not know how to speak english but speak french and swahili fluent (also congolese of course). Spent one day looking for them, then met at Uganda Red Cross. We applied to have messages sent to their family in Congo to see if anyone there is still alive. We were able to print out the picture of their brother (Bertine) and his wife and give them a few items, like soap, tea, sugar, bread, etc. Arsene was very emotional when he saw his brother and kept touching the photo...he and Giselle slept with the pictures I am told and could not stop looking at it...they were so happy to hear news of their brother after 14 years! Then it was off to see about their registation status in the country of Uganda and paperwork. Well..lets just say I should not be surprised right?! It is a long process of standing in lines in multiple places and ending up at Office of Prime Minister who grants the final assylum for refugees to stay in Uganda. Giselle's paperwork was filed last year and so she is registered. The number I was given for Arsene from the Senator's office in America is not him...this they wanted to see him and accused him of lying etc. Oh it was awful. I nearly cried too..but somehow we convinced them to look further and they agreed it was not the same person (after hours of sitting with no water in the heat!!) His appointment for registration is for March which will miss the meeting for assylum acceptance so I am trying to get the info from the states to push the appt forward. It will not be good for the brother and sister to be separated in an application process again..should be as a family. So keep up the prayers.

Next, I stayed in Entebbe at CC-Entebbe Summer and Zane McCourtney's guesthouse to save some money and take their latest baby with sickle cell and Steven (sponsored by AIDSpirit and Angie and Tom Osborne) to sickle cell center as he was found to be very anemic again and was transfused last week. More later, as he we investigate the underlying cause. Keep him in your prayers!

I am on to Kayunga to see the Tender Mercies, kids...Roger and the others sponsored by AIDSpirit, spend time with Prichard (Kenny's brother) and see the school where the kids are attending. Rumor has it they are only getting porridge, posha and very few beans. No fruits and vegetables...which is not good for the sickle cell children like Steven at all.! Will try to start a vegetable garden there also..thanks for sending back more seeds.

The container is another story but in Kampala..pray the drug authority check Monday goes without problems! The customs taxes are paid and of course even more than the first amount quoted over 3 weeks ago! So I will be back in Kampala for that. I look forward to seeing the Feb Laurel team Wednesday night and am making the arrangements!! Whoo hoo!

Most of all, I feel God's presence carrying me and have been blessed immensely and able to get things done! Thank you so much for the support and prayers!

Love, Nadine