Last day(s)!

We have made it home, safe and sound. I think I fell asleep before 9pm last night. We had a great last day, but it was a very, very long one--and it extended from early Monday morning until Tuesday evening!

We woke up Monday and shared our final breakfast at the hotel before gathering our things and packing up. Since many of us planned to leave most of our clothes behind, we had to organize everything and make sure that we left enough money for the clothes to be washed by Jennifer Hansen's neighbor, Eva. We brought everything downstairs and waited for our driver, Moses, and Rev. Toko, our longsuffering guide.

We began our day of switching from missionaries to tourists by visiting the Uganda state museum. This muesum offered hilights from the history of Uganda, as well as an overview of Ugandan culture and archaeology. We learned about traditional headdresses, native species, food, etc. We also were able to see some examples of traditional Ugandan huts. Rev. Toko told our team that his family--which he hoeps to bring to Mukono from southern Sudan very soon--lives in a similar hut. Before we left, we had the opportunity to play a number of traditional Ugandan instruments. The women who showed us how to play them also played a traditional stringed instrument. It was as if we had traveled all the way to Kampala in order to hear some bluegrass!

After the museum, we made our way further into the city center to visit the Feng Fent restaraunt for some Ugandan Chinese food. We have loved our matoke and chapati and other traditional foods, but a little variety is always nice. We all enjoyed sitting outside at the Feng Feng--and Nikki's food came in a boat.

Once we had devoured our enormous lunch, we headed to Entebbe to visit the Wildlife Education Center, a zoo which housed the kinds of animals one would find on a safari in Uganda. As we walked up to the gate to pay our entry fee, we were greeted by a number of monkeys who followed us around all day. One of them tried to take Judi's bag, but she prevailed.

The zoo was a great way to end the trip. While we were not on safari, we felt as if we were viewing these animals in their natural habitat. In a sense, we really were viewing these animals in their natural habitat! In addition to the monkeys, one hilight was the rhino exhibit. Our faces were just near the rhino pen when one of them decided to walk over and check us out. We jumped back quickly as the rhino came over to us, rubbed up against the small bars separating us, and stood for a minute. It was certainly the closest most of us will ever be to a rhinocerous!

After the zoo, we stopped at the Flight motel for a soda before heading to the airport. We unloaded our bags, said goodbye to Moses and Toko, and made our way through customs. After two flights, some layover time in Amsterdam, and about thirteen security checkpoints in Atlanta, we were finally home! It has been an incredible experience for us to share time with the folks in the East Africa Conference and at Humble School, and we look forward to deepening our relationships in the future. Thanks to all who have supported us, prayed for us, and checked in with us as we traveled. Though we are home from Uganda, we know there is lots of work to be done!

Worship at Nabulagala

I don't know what kind of traffic you ran into on your way to church this morning, but here is what stood between us and worship.

Moses, our driver this week, skillfully maneuvered around the livestock, and we drove through Kamapala to Nabulagala. We were invited this morning to be worship at Nabulagala UMC, a congregation of Congolese refugees. Worship was slated to last from 10am-1pm, and since almost everything we have been scheduled to do so far has run over (hey, it's Africa!), we were not sure what to make of our plan for 3+ hours of church.

We could not have been more misguided. The church service was beautiful. The choir at Nabulagala was among the best any of us have ever heard. The voices, the harmony, the indigenous music . . . it was all a wonderful way to worship. We were blessed to be joined for worship by Bishop Wandabula, who brought along with him certificates for each member of our team. He graciously thanked our team for the work we have done this week, and he spoke warmly of the relationship between the North Georgia and East Africa annual conferences. We were also privileged to have Rev. Toko Manasseh and Rev. James Mwoho, both district superintindents, to be present with us today. John told the team that he was upset that he had flown 3,000 miles only to have to listen to Dalton preach, but everyone survived. By the end of the service, which lasted only a little bit past 1pm, we all felt as if we had just arrived. The entire service was a wonderful way to worship and a fitting way to spend some time with the congregation and other conference staff whom we have grown to love.

After worship, we went to the Triangle Hotel with Rev. Mwoho and Moses and had a delicious lunch. While we have loved the Ugandan food, it was nice to eat some more familiar dishes.
Finally, we drove to the Theater Arts Craft Village in Kampala. We needed to spend more money, and we certainly did! We enjoyed a little friendly negotiating with the vendors, and we came home with more gifts for our friends and family.
Tomorrow, we will visit the Uganda museum and the Entebbe Zoo as we prepare to leave Uganda tomorrow night and arrive home on Tuesday. We won’t be updating the blog until we return—but we can’t wait to see all of you and share our stories. See you soon!

All Over God's Creation

We had an early morning wake-up call today so that we could head to Jinja to briefly visit the opening ceremony of the Women's Empowerment Center in the Jinja district and tour some churches and projects, before heading to the source of the Nile.

We did visit each of those places, though not in that order exactly. We had our first experience of, shall we say, "schedule flexibility." Rather than beginning with our apperance at the dedication, we were driven to the Women's Project in Wanyange, a sewing and beading cooperative set up at Wanyange Central UMC. The DS, Rev. Isaac Kyambadde, met us to show us his church, and then he and the UMW President of Wanyange gave us a tour of the cooperative. We were very impressed with the co-op, especially as the center’s model teaches women marketable skills which they can then use to support their families. This model seems to be taking hold in many places, and it is a very good thing. There are fourteen sewing machines at the center, and women pay a small monthly fee to be take classes and learn these skills. One thing we learned was that the center does not have fabric on which the students can practice, so they sew paper clothes. Judi said she would have been happy to have work the paper skirt we saw! The rest of us felt as if we had walked into a Project Runway challenge.

After we saw the sewing room, we had a chance to do our first real shopping! The women had made a number of beaded, stuffed, and woven crafts, and we bought gifts for many of our friends and families. We were especially happy to shop at the cooperative, as all the proceeds from the sale of these items go back into the training program.

Once we finished emptying our pockets of Ugandan shillings, we again boarded the bus to see Trinity UMC, also in the Jinja District. Trinity, funded by a congregation in Indiana which was building a new building and decided to offer a tithe of the project to the East Africa Conference, is a beautiful church of approximately two hundred members. We especially loved the handmade pews, a gift to the church from Bishop Wandabula.

Finally, it was time to drive to the opening ceremony. As we expected, the ceremony was already underway by the time we arrived. We took our places of honor behind Bishop Wandabula and members of his cabinet, and we watched as the program continued. At one point, the Bishop had our team and certain dignitaries from the area join him behind the tent for the ribbon cutting of the Empowerment Center. It was truly an honor to participate in such an important day in the life of the conference. Once the ribbon had been cut, we went in to consecrate the building. We also heard from Rose, the head of the conference UMW. One room in the center will be used to teach young children. The rest of the rooms were dedicated to classroom space for women in the Jinja district. It is the plan to teach these women skills including sustainable agriculture. In fact, the center sits on two acres of land which will serve as a living classroom.

After the consecration and tour, we returned to our seats and anticipated preparing to leave for lunch so that we could make it to the source of the Nile before its closing. And we listened and waited, and we listened, and we waited. We enjoyed the program, of course. It was a blessing to see our friends from the Hope for Africa Children’s Choir again. It was an honor to hear from the Bishop and DS. It was special to see the ways in which the multiple religious traditions present for the dedication (Pentecostal, Catholic, United Methodist, and Muslim) participated in life together and celebrated the opening of the center. We just didn’t know we would be there that long. By the time we did finally leave, it was nearly 3pm and we were three hours behind schedule. Though we were hot, the team enjoyed the program and remained engaged the whole time (take note, preachers whose congregation members are on the team).

We decided to skip lunch and stopped only for a quick soda before heading to the source of the Nile. As we drove in, we noticed monkeys climbing all around the guard house! We hiked down to the source and listened as our guide told us the story of the source’s discovery. Truly, we were surrounded by beauty as we stood at the intersection of Lake Victoria and the Nile River. It was a good end to a good (but long!) day.



As we made the drive back to the Ridar Hotel from Jinja, we watched outside our windows as we were surrounded by very serious situations of rural poverty. We have been exploring the issue of poverty all week, of course, in our work and in our reflection sessions. But today’s trip into a more rural area (and on the back roads in the town of Jinja) reminded us again of the work we are called to as Christians, as we feed those who are hungry, give drink to those who are thirsty, and welcome those who are strangers.

Having sat through a three hour church meeting, tomorrow’s three hour service at Nabulagala will be a breeze! We have heard of the church’s beautiful choir, and we very much look forward to hearing them in worship. We are also beginning to look forward to coming home and seeing our families. We will be home soon enough!

Final day at Humble

Today was our last day at Humble School. We knew our time here would come to an end, but we did not realize it would seem so fast. We have quickly made so many friends here, and we were sad to say goodbye. But we did have a full day of work ahead before the goodbye, so we knew we had to get to work!

The morning's work was more of the same, which means that we have now become experts at moving bricks and tying ring beams. We are not as expert as our new Ugandan friends, but we have made progress! The morning brought several brick lines and collaborative efforts at twisting wire to form the beams. The brick workers were hard at work mortaring the bricks, and we did our best to stay out of their way, as they are much faster than we are! We just hope we did not disrupt them too much! While some of us were throwing bricks, Yvette went and helped to serve the morning porridge. Justina, the cook, was so thankful to her and to the team that she made us popcorn over a fire! Now, maybe I have just been missing popcorn, but it was the best any of us had ever had.

After we had worked for several hours (including the requisite popcorn break), we sat behind the school office with Muhammad, the scout leader for Humble who has been working with the initiative that connects the scouts in North Georgia with the scouts at Humble. He wanted to share his story with us, and it was a powerful one. We were blessed by his story and his willingness to share it with us.

By the time Muhammad had finished speaking, it was time for lunch. Though the lunches at Humble have each been wonderful--the best meal of the day, hands down--today's lunch took the cake. Chapati, spinach, fresh beans, potatoes, peanut sauce, rice, banana, pineapple . . . I could go on. It was delicious, and Justina was gracious to cook for us and serve us.

Once lunch was over, the children at Humble gathered under the tree in the middle of the school and gave us a concert. The school's choir (many of whom have traveled to the United States and performed as the Hope for Africa Children's Choir) sang and danced for us for over an hour. Their gift in song meant so much to us as we were preparing to leave. We were fascinated by several of the songs, as there were both religious songs and very descriptive songs about HIV/AIDS and the ways to prevent transmission. It was a difficult and stark reminder of the continuing problem of HIV/AIDS in central Africa and elsewhere in the world.

Once the concert was over, we waited for the bus to return us to the hotel and spent time saying goodbye to the children and staff at Humble who have meant so much to us. Several of the children gave us gifts, and many of them wrote us letters (Yvette has a backpack full!). Saying goodbye was very difficult, but we left Humble knowing that we have dear friends there, and we have a deep appreciation for the work that is being done by the East Africa Annual conference. We also were pleased at the progress at the girl's dormitory. Each of our hands--as well as those of our Ugandan friends--touched each of those bricks.

Tomorrow morning, we head to Jinja, with a couple of adventures ahead! Stay tuned!

Kindom of God

We caught a glimpse of the kindom of God today. It looks like this:

Because today is International Women's Day, school was out of session at Humble. The students who commute home each day were not at the scool, and the students who live at the school (largely because they have been orphaned) took the day off from class to play soccer, sit and talk, and help our team move a giant pile of bricks. The teachers helped, as well. It was amazing to see the dedication to the project of building the girls dormitory, such that even on a national holiday when school is not in session, the teachers reported for work and help out with construction. The smaller children who were unable to move the heavy bricks even formed another fireman's line behind us and moved a small pile of stones they found on the ground. Truly, the kindom of God was on full display today at Humble.

While some of us moved bricks, others began the hook and ring process, building the structural elements for columns in the dormitory that come from the rebar we straightened yesterday. This process was MUCH easier than yesterday's, though perhaps it was easier because we were not the ones bending the rings! Several of our Ugandan friends bent the rings using several nails tacked into a board, sticking a pipe into one end of the bar and bending it around the nails. Once the rings were done, we set them around four long pieces of rebar and used wire ties to complete the column structure. The children helped us with this project, as well, and those of us who were working on it had a chance to sit in the shade for once!
 

After a delicious lunch of chicken, matoke, rice, vegetables, and more (seriously, lunch was delicious), we had the opportunity to join Rev. Jonathan and the teachers at Humble School for their weekly prayer service. It was truly a blessing to sit under the tent with the teachers and to hear their concerns and celebrations. Keith gave a powerful message about Christ's presence in our lives even during the storm (a sermon, I will point out, he learned he would be preaching about five minutes before he gave it!). At the end of the service, one of the teachers collected prayer requests and assigned each of them to a particular teacher or member of our team. We all gathered in a circle and joined hands, and those of us who were assigned a particular request were asked to pray aloud. The sounds of our prayers entertwined was very moving. It was almost as if we were present at Pentecost, with the wind whipping through the tent and the prayers, though unintelligable in such a large group of speakers, having one purpose and one mind.

After the prayer meeting, we went back to work, some of us sitting down to play with the kids at Humble and others getting back to the ring and beam work. We hope to finish the ring and beam work tomorrow so that the dormitory can be finished. The progress is clear! We are thankful to be a part of this opportunity, and we look forward to the day when the dormitory is full of girls, laughing and learning and visiting with one another. This, too, points to God's realm. What a blessing!

Bone tired

Bone tired, that's what we are! It was a long, productive day of work, and though it was undoubtedly a good day, it was a tough one. Jennifer Hansen, the GBGM missionary from North Georgia, met us this morning to help the team with our work, but even with the extra help, the Ugandan heat wore us out as we moved bricks on a brick line. Every time we felt as if we were nearing the bottom of the pile, a new shipment of bricks would show up and we would form another brick line and toss the heavy bricks from one place to another. Muhammad, the scout leader at Humble School, helped us move bricks and taught us a work song he and the scouts have used. We added a few of our camp songs and hymns, and we got through the morning. The progress at the girl's dormitory is very impressive! The workmen who are much more skilled than we are continue to do most of the mortaring, but several of us have tried our hand at it.

While some of us moved bricks, others straightened rebar. This sounds like a strange task--and it is. When we bought the lengths of rebar in town yesterday, they came bent in half for transport's sake. The team had to take each piece of rebar (there were many, and they were thick!), bend it out straight, and use a large hook-looking tamp to tap out the remaining bend in the rebar. That tamp was so heavy! The men who spent time working on this project could only bend two lengths of bar in a row before passing off to the next person. It was hard work, but it was important, so we were happy to serve.

All day long, Bob used a hacksaw to cut up lengths of large wire for use in the construction project. He had a continual string of fans who helped him with the work.

In between, the team broke for a delicious lunch of traditional African foods. Again, we ate with the teachers of Humble. After lunch and more work, we spent most of the afternoon playing with the children. Some of us taught class at the invitation of the Humble School teachers, some of us helped the children take pictures (always a hit), some of us played sports with them. Those of us who could get up out of a chair after such hard work (not many of us) spent time wandering around Humble with the children. Finally, about 6:30pm (about an hour and a half late, due to an all-too-common traffic jam caused by a motorcycle accident, our driver Moses showed up with the bus. We came back to the hotel, showered, and enjoyed a buffet served outdoors, including chicken grilled right in front of us.

It was a long day. But it was a good day. We remain blessed to be at Humble, and we look forward to tomorrow as Humble celebrates International Women's Day.

A day at Humble

We piled onto the bus this morning after breakfast and a devotion from Nikki and headed to Humble School. John decided to ride in the car with Vincent (the construction supervisor) which made him thirty minutes late (apparently you have to have gas for the car to run? And if you run out, you have to push the car up a hill. At least this is according to John).

As soon as we pulled onto campus, the children at Humble School ran out and greeted us and introduced themselves, one by one. I learned three hundred names today, and I probably forgot 299. I will try again tomorrow. The children were especially excited to see Hannah, a member of our team from Due West UMC (and a student at Duke Divinity School) who spent last summer as an intern at Humble School. The children did not know that Hannah would be coming, so they were certainly surprised to see her. They came up to her, all day long, and gave her many hugs. Her time in Uganda last summer was clearly well spent.

We took a tour of the facilities and had the chance to see first-hand the need for a girl's dormitory. The girls are currently sleeping in bunk beds crammed into a classroom. As soon as the new dormitory is finished, the girls will move into their new space, and the classroom space can again be used for its intended purpose. We also saw several classrooms full of children, the kitchen, the boys dormitory (similarly situated in space that is intended to be a health clinic) and the rest of the grounds. As we came up the hill, we heard singing. The children were all gathred under a tree at the school singing "Rise and Shine and Give God the Glory," a song that Hannah taught them last summer!

The team was seated to great applause, and the welcome program began. One of the teachers called the program to order and brought up the choir from the school to sing a few songs for us. These kinds are talented! They sang and danced for us, and the team agreed later that everyone's cheeks hurt from smiling so much. It was an incredibly warm welcome. It was immediately clear that we were going to have a very special week.

Once the program was over, we spent some time interacting with the children and playing some games. At that point, Stacey and Dalton went with Victor to negotiate the purchase of supplies (an all-day adventure) while the rest of the team stayed at Humble to work.

For about two hours, the team moved brick and busted up some concrete at the girls dormitory for a couple of hours. Then, hearing the lunch bell, the team went for a delicious lunch of stewed vegetables and rice. They were blessed to be able to eat lunch with the teachers at Humble. I have been told that this was the best meal they have had in Uganda so far!

After lunch, the team divided up, playing with the kids and doing some classroom work. Doug taught math! I have tried to tell him he may have missed his calling, but so far he's resistant.

At the end of the day, the team moved some more bricks in anticipation of some rebar work tomorrow, and we headed back to the hotel, dog-tired but having had a great day.

We are so blessed to be in Humble, and so blessed to have made many, many new friends today! We look forward to our work tomorrow. We miss you all very much! And we can't wait to tell you about all our adventures. Until tomorrow!