Thursday

We are HOME!! Safely arrived back in St. Louis at 1:00pm yesterday. All flights were smooth and pretty much without incident - just like we like them.

On our last day in Uganda, we left Jinja and stopped by the village of Kateete for a quick rendition of one of our favorite songs "We are happy to receive you, welcome." (Sing this to the tune of "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain" and make the word "welcome" 3 syllables long and you will get the picture!)

We left in the early afternoon to do some shopping before heading to Charles' home. We left for the airport around 6:30pm; our flight left on time at 9:50 pm. Some of us showered in Amsterdam. Seems like everyone slept at least awhile on the 2 longest legs of our journey home so we felt fairly good when we touched ground in St. Louis.

It's always so good to see family and friends at the gate waiting for us. It was a wonderful, productive trip. Thank you again for prayers while we were gone. Please continue to pray for the people of Uganda as they move forward.

Tuesday Morning

Our last morning in Uganda! We had a great evening under the stars. We used our remaining tissue paper flowers and decorated all of the chairs where we eat. Afterwards we gave them to our waitress, Eunice - she was thrilled!

We will be checking out of the hotel this morning and leaving for Kampala. The plan is to do some shopping, go by Charles' house, and be at the airport in Entebbe by 6:30 pm. Our flight leaves at 9:50 pm (1:50pm Missouri time). We should get into St. Louis at 1:08 pm tomorrow.

Please pray for safe travel. It has been an incredible week!

Monday Evening

We are back from a great day in Jinja. Started the morning by driving to the land that Charles has designated "perfect" to build a seminary on - 25 acres on Lake Victoria. It's a beautiful spot. We hiked around the perimeter; a great way to start a Monday morning.

We came back to town for lunch at the Source Cafe and did some shopping. Some of found a great little spot - Rita's African Crafts. She had the best prices ever and we definitely spiked her sales numbers for the month! She was a lovely lady; even threw in some tapestries as a "thank you". Pastor Jay takes the prize for being the best shopper of the day!

After shopping we headed to the Source of the Nile where we not only got to admire how gorgeous the area is, but we took a boat ride! Absolutely beautiful. So glad we added that to our itinerary!

We are back at the hotel. We need to pack up this evening and then enjoy our last night at the Sunset. Ready to see our families, but not so sure everyone is ready to leave this wonderful place!

Monday Morning

Hello everyone! It's been a great weekend in Uganda!

Saturday evening we watched the USA vs. Ghana soccer game. Charles concluded that the USA team lost "honorably", unlike the team from England last night! We put together 50 tissue paper flowers to help decorate the church in Nakabango yesterday morning. There are no bat incidents to reports.

Yesterday morning, Chuck and Tim headed to Bufula and the rest of the team went to Nakabango. Tim and Jay, from Hope Lutheran in Lubbock, both got the chance to preach. Jay also baptized and confirmed several. Tim had the chance to present a motorcycle to the village of Bufula! Later, James drove him over to Nakabango on the back of the bike - a ride I'm sure he will never forget.

Worship in Nakabango was a mere 3 1/2 hours! A 2o-minute speech by a local politician at the end was a bit of a stretch. We actually met in the new church building - with tarps put up so that we would have shade. It was a warm day, needless to say, but we all had kids on our laps and beside us, so we didn't think about the heat. It seems there are more and more kids in Nakabango, to the point of being overwhelming at times. They are all so precious.

After the service, we had a feast for EVERYONE!!! I wish I knew the number of people who got to eat rice,meat, and soda that day.

We met with 10 more of the sponsored kids and even gave some packets to the mothers of some kids who weren't able to be there.

We presented some more gifts to the congregation and ended our visit by presenting 21 goats to various women in the village. That is always a thrilling moment; it means so much to them.

We have a low-key day today, although Charles did mention something about a boatride on the Nile. Hmmmmm. We shall see.

Tomorrow we will pack up and leave the Sunset. I will have a chance to update this one more time before we head home. I can't believe our time is over, but it's good to know lives have been touched - ours and theirs!!!

Saturday Evening

Wow! Made it back to the hotel in time for one more post! A quick recap of our day:

We left Jinja and headed to the village of Kawete. Spent several hours there playing with kids, looking at the construction of the new school, and visiting with the teachers. Also got to try casava (sp?) fries - they were great. Met a precious little boy, Matayo, who was around 8 and borrowed Carrie's camera to take pictures of all of us. He was just a doll and so proud of his photographic skills!

Stopped by the local market in Kawete - a new experience for all of us. Everything from clothing, to produce, to shoes, to goats - you name it. Great fun. Chuck bought some soap; I bought 2 granite bowls for forty cents each!

Off to Naigobya after that. So wonderful to see that completed church building, health center, and carpentry shop. Played frisbee with some kids and handed out candy. We had a bone-jarring hour and a half ride home!

Off to dinner at our reserved tables! I will update again on Monday. We are worshipping in Nakabango tomorrow!!

Saturday Morning in Jinja

Spent a lovely evening at the restaurant at the Hotel Triangle last night! We always eat there one night during our stay. Pastor Charles Bameka, that we work with, believes it is the BEST tilapia (whole) that you can find. Jeannette and Pat definitely polished theirs off last night - I believe the eyes were the only thing left. Carrie and others had the fillets; she tried to convince us all that the batter was almost like Long John Silver's!!

We went from the hotel to the village of Busabira yesterday morning. They have a great school there and the local congregation uses their school for church services. Very precious kids. We also got to have a snack of roasted maize and passion fruit juice - provided by Charles' mother, Jane.

Next we headed to Bufula, the village Hope Lutheran is partnering with. Immediately after we arrived, Tim had the pleasure (?) of helping slaughter a goat that had been given to him the day before by the village leader. The meat was to be given to the children - a very special treat. We had the good pleasure of getting to enjoy some fried goat ourselves later in the day. We definitely knew it was fresh!!

The women made bracelets with the women while Pastor Chuck taught the kids about the Apostle's Creed. Next we got to enjoy tea made by a local Muslim woman that we have visited with on all of our visits here. Let me just say that this form of tea was recently "harvested" cow's milk, boiled with some kind of leaf. Carrie, always the optimist, tried to convince us it was a hint of cinnamon. I wasn't seeing it.

Next we made tissue paper flowers with some of the older kids and the women (and a few men.) The younger kids were all given a "Jesus Loves Me" bracelet. We had our snack of fried goat and enjoyed a precious program put on by the kids. Great renditions of "Blessed Assurance" and "Above All".

Chuck had a brainstorm for our annual Christmas card picture that involved spelling out Merry Christmas with bricks. What he didnt' realize is that I would ask him to stand on top of the bus to take the pictures! After the color returned to his face, we got the bus into position and climbed to the top. The looks on the faces of the people in Bufula were priceless! It was great fun getting the kids all arranged around the letters. The results are amazing!

After we left, we stopped back by the Source Cafe in Jinja for a bite - grilled cheese, chips with guacamole, etc. It was an exhausting but rewarding day.

Today, we are off to visit with the people of Naigbya and Kawete - villages sponsored by Mike Schaser and friends, and Rudy and Dorothy Schaser. A school is being built in Kawete with funds donated by the good people of CCLS in Kirkwood. I'm excited to see the progress!

I won't be able to update again until Monday. Tomorrow we will worship in Nakabango and present some gifts. We also are hoping to have a feast for the kids, men and women. Should be an amazing weekend! Please continue to pray! God's hand is surely on this trip!

Friday Morning

We are up and ready to head out again. I believe the plan is to make a brief stop in Mufibira and back to Bufula. Possibly having lunch at the Source Cafe in Jinja today. We are having tilapia on the banks of the Nile at the Hotel Triangle tonight.

Dinner was great - although the Chinese food chef was still missing (due to illness) and they are still out of beef samosas. Personally, I had to resort to drastic measures and order pan-fried tilapia. I do NOT like fish - but this was wonderful. Carrie and Kelly split a pizza and some pasta. Toni even tried the tilapia!!! Oh, the things we do.....

Great night for getting to know each other even better last night. The 3 pastors on the team shared their "most embarassing pastoral moment" - that was fun! Even found out that Pastor Jay used to be an archaeologist! Didn't we ALL want to be one at some time in our lives?

I have lots of customers coming into the business center, so I need to focus on them! Hope to get to update again this evening. A reminder - we will have no internet access on Sunday.

Joe - thanks for the update on the chicken nugget fest. :) Violet filmed an impromptu Three Avocados commercial yesterday - you will LOVE it!!

Thursday Evening

We are back from a day in Bufula. I'll try to update before I get kicked out of the business center! Actually, the woman who runs it has me sit in HER chair every day now and has shown me how to log everyone in as they come in. I think I may stay here - I have a job!

Our visit began with a tour of the premises! Bufula has some beautiful gardens and they were anxious to show them off. We traipsed through a lot of crops getting to the back of their property. On the way we got to see their mushroom crop - located inside a small building built just for that purpose. We also saw lots of coffee trees, passion fruit vines, and the piggery. At the back of the property, they are having a latrine built. Two men were digging a hole 15 feet long and maybe 2 feet wide. One guy stayed at the top and hoisted dirt to the top with a rope and bucket. Much to my surprise, there was another guy AT THE BOTTOM digging the dirt out. Can't even tell you how claustrophic that would make MOST people. The trench was only as wide as the guy's shoulders and it was 30 feet deep at the time. They will dig until it's 40 feet down! We all took a peek - but not without someone holding onto their hand.

We had a short program of school and church reports, as well as music provided by the kids. Their voices are just so beautiful!

Pastor Tim and Pastor Jay were thrilled to be in the village that Hope Lutheran in Lubbock, Texas is partnering with. They got to meet with all 49 kids that are currently being sponsored while we made mirrors with the women. Pat and Chuck entertained the kids - back-breaking work for sure!

We had lunch that included matooke, rice, beef, chicken, cabbage, and pinto beans with casaba. The beans were a nice treat - something different. After that we were entertained by a travelling group who sing and put on skits about HIV/AIDS prevention. Of course we got to hold lots of kids while that was going on. We left around 4:30 and are now back at the Sunset Hotel, getting ready for dinner.

Back to Bufula for awhile tomorrow, as well as a short visit to Mufibira. Everyone seems to be sleeping fairly well and feeling good. Thanks for the continued prayers!

Thursday Morning

Gorgeous morning in Uganda - but aren't they all?

Headed to Nakabango yesterday, after stopping by the market for popcorn, oil and chalk (not to be used together!) We got a huge greeting when we arrived - there's just nothing like it!

In the morning we worked with the women to make banners to hang in the new church building. They cut and glued felt all morning long, but the result was amazing! Can't wait to show everyone pictures. The women were so proud of their accomplishment.

Pat and Tim helped construct 20 new benches for the church building. I'm pretty sure Pat planed wood for 3 hours straight. (In between swinging kids through the air.)

We had some roasted maize for a snack and then got to meet with the sponsored kids. We handed out cards and letters and gave the kids a questionaire to fil out for their sponsoring family. They also got to paint some pictures and decorate some wooden crosses.

The kids played tug-of-war with the guys and tons of Ugandan "futbal". Lots of time spent singing songs and reading books to the kids. We introduced hokey-pokey to a big group of kids and they giggled at "put your backside in" just like in the United States.

We had lunch/dinner in the village and then thought we were going to be able to watch a movie with the projector we had brought. Due to technical difficulties (we're still not sure exactly what they were) they never got the movie to work, but the best part was being in the village after dark and having popcorn!

We got back to the hotel around 8:30 and went straight to our outdoor restaurant to eat dinner and unwind. Just as we were placing our food order, Charles arrived and announced we would be moving to the indoor restaurant to watch Ghana play Germany. We had our Ghana World Cup shirts on so we were ready!!! It was so much fun.

The funniest part of the evening - mid-game, a bat flew in through the window and buzzed our heads for a solid 5 minutes. Charles and Chuck began a valiant effort to swat it out of the air with their hats. This was tough for Chuck - he was as scared as any woman in the room, but he fought the good fight! Don't believe I've laughed that hard in a long time. Tim joined in the fray - with no success. Finally, Jay rose to the occasion and swatted it out of the air. He took it outside and deposited it on the grass, came back in, and said to Chuck "I never really saw it fly away". Immediately looked in his hat and realized it WAS STILL IN HIS HAT!!!! The laughs began all over again. Much fun!!!!

Ghana didn't win - but it was a great night anyway. Today, we are off to Bufula. Please continue to pray for our safety and ability to "do whatever it takes"!

Wednesday Morning

Another lovely night in Uganda. Violet and Charles needed to make a quick run to Bulumwaki so the team gathered outside for some starters (appetizers) that included chef's buttons (fried mushrooms, we think), beef samosas ( a personal favorite), and chiplati (a flatbread). They got back to the hotel around 7:30 and we had dinner after that. Good conversation and, for the most part, good food. My cheese pizza was covered in black olives, mushrooms, bacon, and some other mysterious meat. Several people had the "pan-fried" tilapia for the first time and said it was wonderful. Chuck and Tim's pepper steak was questionable - not so much in flavor, but in "chewability".

After dinner, Tim, Pat, and Chuck attempted to show us their hacky-sack skills so that we can teach the kids in the village. The consensus after the demonstration was that we'll just let the kids teach themselves! Even our waiter, Stanley, was no help!

We put together 2 assembly lines and created treat bags for the kids that we will hand out after the feast in Nakabango on Sunday. The process would have made a great You-tube video! The kids will LOVE the dum-dum suckers, bracelets, cross necklaces, and super balls or hacky-sack balls!

It's back to Nakabango for a long day today! Our plans are to meet with the sponsored kids, let the kids paint and draw, build 20 benches, hand out soccer equipment, and, in the evening, we will show the "Jesus" movie that has been translated into Lugandan. We also hope to serve popcorn during the movie - a dream of Pastor Chuck's that I hope comes to fruition! It will be the first time we have been in the village after dark.

To God be the glory - great things He has done! What a privelage to serve with these wonderful people. Looking forward to all He has in store for us today!

Tuesday Evening

It's 5:30 on Tuesday and we are back at the hotel. A great day in Nakabango!! The church progress is wonderful - they are working on the beams for the roof - and it truly is a LARGE structure. The workers and the women cooking lunch for them are so very proud. It was a great affirmation of the partnership between Nakabango and Messiah Lutheran Churches!

Toni taught the women to make mirrors - complete with jewel decorations. We also made some glass bead witness bracelets. So much fun! Very hot in the small structure we were in though - wow! It was a new addition - a pole barn type building with papyrus siding. We also delivered all of the fabric we brought for the women; they were thrilled! They sent home lots of beads and necklaces, too. Watch for those at Celebrate Uganda this fall!

The school is growing! There are 200 children being educated in the smallest buildings imaginable for classes with 40 kids each. The teachers are excited though and many of the teaching resources we brought in January are being used! Pastor Chuck and Kelly both got to do a little teaching in one of the classes. Can't imagine the exponential growth when the church/school building is finished.

The women made us a lunch of rice, matooke, chicken, and beef; all washed down with an Orange Fanta soda.

The guys spent lots of time playing soccer, tug-of-war, and a new addition to our game repertoire - let the kids jump over a rope that is 4 feet off the ground! Great fun and some amazing jumpers in the group (the Nakabango group - not ours!)

We made tissue paper flowers with the kids in the afternoon. Again - lots of fun! Violet chose to wear hers in her hair. Gorgeous!

Rachel, my family's sponsored child, came home for a brief visit from boarding school. Pat Martens and Kelly Huning also caught up with their sponsored kids. We hope to meet with all of them tomorrow and deliver all the cards and letters sent by the sponsored families.

Most of the team is showering right now and we'll all get together for dinner and night under the Ugandan sky very soon. God is so good!!

Tuesday Morning

We are safely at the Sunset Hotel International in Jinja. Getting to ready to head to our first day in Nakabango shortly (I say that with much optimism!)

Had a great day yesterday. We left the hotel yesterday in our first official taxi ride. We all piled into a small van and took off down the streets of Kampala. About one minute into the ride, the back door of the van popped up! Kim, Melissa, and I were thankful the back seat was bolted down. Otherwise, there would have been 3 women laying in the streets of Kampala!!!

We visited Charles' office and had lunch. After that we stopped at the local Shop Rite for bottled water. We then headed to Jinja in the bus (about a 1 1/2 hours ride). We went straight to Bujagali Falls where our bus slipped and slid down the hill - another adventure! The falls were beautiful - some things never change.

It was fun to get to the hotel and recognize so many people on the staff! Guys who were here in January - Dylis, our waitress was here! We had dinner around 8:00. Jeannette had the first whole tilapia of the week and declared it delicious!. Violet is with us - what a treat.

Now it's off to breakfast. So ready to see the kids and the church building in Nakabango. Thank you for the prayers for safety and productivity!!

Monday Morning - 8:00 am Local Time

We are here!!! We landed perfectly on time at Entebbe at 7:50 pm last night (our time). After an hour and a half delay in Minneapolis, we didn't have much time to get to our gate at Amsterdam but we made it fine. All of the flights were great - smooth and varying amounts of sleep!

We are staying at a different hotel in Kampala. Pastor Charles Bameka felt like the Hotel Africana was raising their prices TOO much so he moved us here. It's a great place - atrium style with a pool in the middle - AND an elevator. Thankfully Pastor Chuck left his Speedo at home.

Most are up and ready for breakfast this morning. We'll be making the drive to Jinja some time this morning. Everyone is feeling well - no ill efffects from malaria medicine.

Thanks again for the prayers and support of this trip. We will do our best to keep you updated in the next few days!

One more day!

Everyone is in the midst of last-minute packing. We are trying so hard to get in as much of the donated candy, hacky sack balls, fabric, etc. as we possibly can. The nice thing is that everything that doesn't make this trip will be taken in January! There are going to be lots of happy kids in Uganda - thanks to generous VBS kids at Messiah Lutheran Church!

Please keep the team in your prayers as they prepare and say good-bye to their families in the morning. I always say that the families make a bigger sacrifice than we do! We thank them so much!

Preparations for the Trip

Another team of 11 will head to Uganda on June 19th. Please keep us in your prayers as we prepare for an amazing trip!!