After 33 hours of travel, including 19 in the air, shuttles, layovers, lines, escalators, 3 planes, and 4 countries, we are finally in Uganda! Our flights were long but thankfully smooth & problem-free - we are thankful! We are tired, jet-lagged, and more, but thrilled to be here! 

 

Our first night after our 11pm arrival included a beautiful hotel just minutes from the airport- ending with a dear man “mowing the grass” with a weed- whacker from 7am - noon. All for a peaceful morning - haha! 

 

We headed over to Mukono Town on a snazzy new outerbelt & checked into our hotel for the week. All the fans were broken & the delicate Americans needed our fans. Don Schmidt literally put several together from the box & even hung a few on the walls - “whatever it takes!” We sorted 10 bags of supplies & prepared for our team “sermon” at a church plant in a very rural, un-churched part of town. As we drove into the beautiful treed  community full of gardens & farm animals & hard-working people, I mentioned, “why would people open a church way out in this rural area?” Later in the service, a man said, “I am so  thankful these people opened a church here in our area- we have been here for years with no Christian church.” They have been open for 9 months & host visitors every weekend - they have outgrown all their space & trying to make future plans. All of this in the seat of witchcraft in all of Uganda! 

 

They introduced AWANA just 3 weeks ago - today, with rainy-season rains & mud, over 90 kids, 3-13, met on the church grounds with lots of fun active leaders & ran & screamed & laughed for over 2 hours. They sang the Awana song, then recited the club motto and verse together!Three weeks!!! Oh- and all this with not one scrap of legit equipment - no curriculum, no electricity, a few pieces of game equipment, no uniforms - but children of all ages learning about the God who loves them! So humbling - and fun! 

 

We drove home only to find no water in our hotel - sigh…. Tomorrow is an early day back out to this rural church for a session on planting & growing food as well as a Women’s Conference in the afternoon! On Tuesday we head over to Mukono Community Church for several days of teaching, training, meeting with church, school, and sponsorship church leaders, delivering food to the poor, a woodworking project with Don & David, lunch with our sponsored kids & an assembly where we give gifts to all 300 sponsored kids - always a fun day of celebration!

 

Coming up - more pics & stories of God on the move in Uganda! Don’t miss a word!