The market was a lot of fun to shop at because we could barter, although I am sure we still paid too much. I was missing Henok, our guide in Ethiopia, who went to the market with us there and would help us negotiate. There were lots of fun instruments, jewelry, and art work. I had already purchased most of my gifts I could from the ministries we were visiting so I knew that at least my money was going to a good cause, however, I did find the most beautiful painting in the market place and can't wait to have it framed to hang up! When we were shopping, it always seemed rushed so there was little time to think about which stuff was the really great stuff to get at the time. I know now for our next trip, the shop with these paintings is where I need to go. After figuring out that the exchange rate and realizing that it was about $5, I kicked myself for not buying more.
We had lunch at The Source, which apparently is code for "where the Americans eat". We met lots of Americans who were living in Uganda now and apparently this was the internet cafe to hang out in. After lunch, we were off to visit our last ministry. Pastor Andrew has been working with the Karamajong tribe in Uganda and the ministry is really still in it's infancy. We only visited one village of this tribe, but as soon as we arrived we quickly saw this to be what you think of when you think poor living conditions in Africa. It looks like those infomercials with the naked kids with bloated bellies and terribly unsanitary living conditions. No place we had visited had been good living conditions, but this was the worst. The other ministries we had been with were more established and had been around for a while so they had rules for the children and had worked really hard to teach the kids manors. All of the ministries had a focus on teaching the children not to beg and as a team we respected each leader and followed their direction when handing out candy or other goodies. At a lot of places, we gave our donated items right to the leader to hand out at another time so we were free to just enjoy our time with the kids and they didn't see us as only a means to stuff. These were big steps for the children and for us Americans. I write all of this to say that I know a goal of Pastor Andrew's is to bring these children some of these same values, but they were not there yet.
This part of the Karamajong tribe is an outcast group in Uganda and there is much prejudice against them. It's difficult for them to find what little work there is because of their position in the tribe. There are no schools these children are allowed to attend, so Pastor Andrew is working on building them. They are starting with a preschool, which a friend on the trip is raising funds for. We got to see the beginnings of the construction while we were there, and our friend was able to bring the first installment for the building project. That was a wonderful sight.
When it came time for us to break into two groups, one to stay with the women and one to go with the children, I chose to go with the children. It sounded like the other group had a good time meeting with the women and doing manicures. Those of us with the children did not have it quite so easy. The children one on one were sweet and affectionate, but as a group were unruly and aggressive. We were given instructions to just pass out our items and since this was our last stop we brought everything we had left. There was one teacher there that tried to make a line for the children and we tried to help her keep that line, but it was no use. It was intense and at times a bit scary. After a few minutes and breaking up some fights in line, we quickly passed stuff out and got it over with as fast as possible. The leaders of the other ministries had told us how hard they had worked with their children from homes with no father, many children, and little constructive discipline. I had not realized what an amazing job they had done until now, but I also saw such hope for Pastor Andrew because I had seen that the children could still be taught. Without these skills, there would be no chance of attending school with other children and no opportunities of finding good work as they got older. 
After this crazy time with the kids, we headed back to join as a group again. Some of the older children put on an AMAZING show for us displaying their tribal dances. It was one of the greatest treats of the trip! I was regretting not purchasing the bells that go on your legs in the market earlier. I didn't quite understand how they worked until I saw them in action. The dancing was unbelievably beautiful as were the people. After the dancing it was almost time for us to go, but first we wanted to purchase some necklaces from the women because this is one of their only sources of income. Like I said before, this tribe is still rough around the edges and each woman sells for herself, so we had to buy an equal amount from each woman so as to not cause problems. Our group only had enough to buy one from each woman because there were quite a few women. A much better place to buy necklaces than in the market though.This tribe was the hardest group for me to be with and a bit exhausting especially at the very end of our trip. I wonder what my feelings would have been if we had visited them on the first few days of our trip. Instead of being in a bit of shock of what I saw, maybe my heart would have broken a little more for them. I think I will have to visit them again someday and see them from a different view.
Back at Canaan's, I used our free time to pack. With my bags ready to go, I was able to enjoy a delicious dinner and sleep happily for my last night in Africa.
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