Saturday 9/27/2025

Hi, wonderful people!

In 48 hours, I will be boarding a plane that will eventually get me back to Uganda! As usual, and an important part of my pre-trip ritual, my home looks like a tornado ripped through the garment district. 😂 I ordered a few extra supplies from eBay, and I am waiting on 2 more packages, which are supposed to arrive today/tonight. But let's back up and catch up...

As usual, I am overwhelmed and overjoyed by your generosity. 💖 Many of you made monetary donations that will help me cover the extra costs of luggage and supplies, and direct donations to MHI that will help them get a new ambulance. Thanks to my fiber-folks, I will be bringing 70 baby hats, a duffle bag full of yarn, and enough knitting supplies for more knit kits! Between donations and multiple thrift shop raids, I am also bringing a large number of beautiful, colorful scarves as gifts for the midwives and birth center staff. I'm also bringing extra pens and thumb drives for the midwives, which can be very expensive in Uganda. All of this is made possible because of your support! 

I gave my presentation to a group of approximately 30+ people, most of whom had not attended my prior talk and did not know me. I received some wonderful feedback and great questions. I hope some of you are reading this right now, welcome! 

I am about 80% packed, so I'll finish up tomorrow, which will give me time to make any weight adjustments if need be. Now that I have my own hut, it's nice that I have been able to leave some things in Atiak and I am bringing a few more things that I can leave behind, more room for supplies! I will have an overnight layover in Amsterdam, but it won't be longer than 24 hours, so I won't have to collect my luggage and drag it to the hotel with me. Thank goodness for that! 

Well, I just wanted to check in before I leave! Allan, my IT wizard and friend in Uganda, keeps making improvements on my ability to stay connected from the north, so I will keep in touch as much as possible. Another adventure awaits and I'm glad to have you along. 😍

Much love,

Jo/MB