Uganda week 1

Above: Our last hawaiian sunset...

Day 82– Sep 19, 2005, Monday: One team off

We started off the week with a “sending off” ceremony during our Monday morning worship. Each team was brought forward and prayed for in all of the classes. Our class (DTS) had 9 teams, and there were other classes that were sending people off to outreach as well. It was fun to see all the people and hear where they are going…exciting.

Darleen Cunningham then spoke to our class for about 45 minutes for our final send off. She is a really talented speaker. She has so much life experience! She spoke a little about fear and standing firm in what God has done for us in the past. Often God does things a little different than we expect. She had so much wisdom that all came from experience. It was really a pleasure to listen to. She said that when times get tough we need to write ourselves a ‘grace ticket’ and trust that God will get us through. I’m not giving her justice by paraphrasing it, but she was great.

The rest of the day was mostly packing and cleaning. Our kids played a ton with the Sunnex kids because they left today with their Israel team. It was really weird watching the first team leave. The whole class went out and waved them off and prayed with them. Then they just drove off. They actually looped around the driveway twice while honking…a fun tradition.

Once they left it really sunk in that we would be leaving soon. We decided to go out to dinner with the Bells and Drew offered to watch the kids while we did. We had a great night out. We went to a place called Huggos which is right on the water. We sat in beach chairs in the sand and ate pizza. We’re sort of working up to having to say goodbye to them.

Day 83– Sep 20, 2005, Tuesday:

Ruth did some serious packing today. I mostly played with the kids in the pool. I called lots of family and said some goodbyes. Tomorrow is it.

We had to have all of our stuff packed by 2:00 today because some of it is being stored on base while we go. I think we’ve got it all packed right. We’ll find out!

Tonite we went to Hula Bean with the Bells, the Richards and others. I had a coffee float, which is icecream covered in a shot of espresso. Hmmmmm.

Day 84– Sep 21, 2005, Wednesday: The never ending day…

Today started at 4:30 am because that is when one of the teams was leaving. I don’t like getting up this early. Then a team left at 6:30, another at 8:15 and another at 9:00. Now the campus really feels empty.

We ordered pizza between the Richards, Bells and us. We called it “the last supper”. I suppose some might think that sacrilegious, but it’s not about religion anyways, it’s a relationship right? So we ate the pizza and dragged our bags down to the pickup. It was tough saying goodbye. Dave and Donna (the Bells) were a tough one. I’m sure we’ll see them again though. The biggest bummer is that they are going on a longer outreach, so we won’t get to see them at the end. They’ll actually be gone for 5 months.

So we scraped through all of our goodbyes and jumped in the van. It was weird. Exciting, but weird. When we got to the airport we had our first little snafu. Somehow the entire Richards family got taken off of our 2^nd leg of the journey and their was no room left on the plane. We thought to ourselves “well, I guess we pray” so we did. We were there a full two hours early and it took about 2 hours and 10 minutes to get the Richards family booked on the flight. But they made it! It was a little nerve racking seeing how it was THE very first step.

Day 85– Sep 22, 2005, Thursday: Seattle and Minneapolis

Somewhere in our flight it turned Thursday. It was a typical redeye flight. The kids, fortunately were great. They slept quite a bit and were just awesome. In Seattle, the Richards had to get their bags and then recheck them in and get seats on this leg of the flight. They were dreading it, but it went really smooth. I’m chalking it up to prayer because last night there were no seats left on the flight and this morning there were enough for their family of 5.

The rest of the flying went smooth as well. We had a few hours to gear up for our 2^nd redeye, leg number 3 to Amsterdam.

Below: Saying good bye to great friends was tough

Day 86– Sep 23, 2005, Friday:Amsterdam

The flight was pretty good. It turns out that two redeyes in a row almost equal a night of sleep. Again, the kids were awesome. They slept some, watched a movie, played, drew…did it all again.

Arriving in Amsterdam was fun. We had to get all of our bags and take a train and a bus to the YWAM base here. We are only staying here one night, but it is a Godsend. The base is really nice and we slept from about 11am to 2pm. Then we cruised around town and got some great sandwiches with Gouda cheese.hmmmm. For dinner we had Crokets (I don’t know how to spell this one). They are little dutch meat pies. Hmmm.

We cruised around the red light district a bit. It doesn’t seem too crazy in the daytime. It seems you can buy pot at just about any ol’ coffee shop though.

For me, it’s just fun to be in Holland. There are so many things here that trigger memories for me, accents, faces, buildings, words. I’ve only been here once before, but I guess it’s engrained in me a bit. But now the jetlag is catching me, so I’m off to bed.

Below: the team mid-travels in the Amsterdam central train station

Day 87– Sep 24, 2005, Saturday: Planes, trains, and automobiles

Ruth here: Today was a travel day. We started out on a bus in Amsterdam at 7am that dropped us off at the train station, which then took us to the airport. I sat with the kids next to a guy in his 20’s that is living in Amsterdam. He spoke English great and we talked about how many languages he knows. I mentioned how surprised I had been to hear so much English spoken in Holland. Supposedly, they are required to learn English and German in school. It made me want to learn another language.

The Amsterdam airport is huge! It totally overwhelmed me to walk through there and keep 2 kids in my sight. When we checked in we found out that my tickets were messed up. I ended up at a ticket counter for about an hour while they tried to figure it out. I have to say I have never heard so many people get my last name correct! By the time I got my ticket and made it to the gate they were boarding our luxurious 777. This has to be the nicest plane I have ever been on! The best food too! (Dave was happy) The best part was that we each had our own TV screen and head phones and a wide selection of movies, tv, and games. At one point we all had our head phones on all watching different movies. This plane took 7 1/2 hours to get to Nairobi, Kenya. What a contrast the Nairobi airport was from Amsterdam! Before we boarded our flight in Nairobi to Entebbe Jonny had his bag searched. The guy was examining each lego and car and train like they were suspicious. It was all I could do to not laugh! (He even examined a pull-up diaper) This flight was short (50 minutes) and not as glamorous as the 777. When we arrived in Entebbe, Uganda we discovered 2 of our bags were missing. Praise God we had toiletries with us in our carryon! We met some guys, Fred and Tom, from the YWAM base who picked us up in a bus/taxi. They took us to a local hotel to spend the night. It was almost 1 am Uganda time by the time we got to sleep. I wanted to cry I was so tired!

Above: we had to get at least one Windmill picture in from Amsterdam

Above: Our bus that took us to the hotel and to our new home in Jinja

Day 88– Sep 25, 2005, Sunday: First Impression

We arrived in Entebbe, Uganda lastnight at about 11pm and got to our hotel by 1am. We are so messed up sleepwise, I cannot figure out when to sleep. Jonny was just plain wired last night when we got to bed. We encouraged him to sleep with a little benadryl.

This morning we woke to a nice breakfast of papayas, bananas and toast with jam. It really hit the spot. Then we jumped in our bus and headed back to the airport. We had to go back because 3 of our bags were forgotten (by KLM) in Amsterdam. They came in on the next flight. We were very happy when they actually did come because two of them were Ruth and my bags.

We then drove for about 4 hours to Jinja, Uganda. The drive was awesome. The things that most stick out in my mind are the smells. Diesel cars and smoke. It was really nice driving for a few hours through the country just to get a feel for it. We went through Kampala, the big city here. It was very crowded with cars, people and bikes. We drove through a lot of country areas with dilapidated houses and little shacks all around. Every now and again there was a ‘normal’ looking house. There are people walking everywhere. Also on bikes. These people can put more on a single bicycle than I could store in a car. I saw one guy with 5 gallon water jugs and he probably had about 30 of them hanging off of his bike. At one point we stopped at a make shift farmers market. I just stayed in the bus and they came to my window offering me things. I bought some baked bananas, 4 for 1000 shillings (about 60 cents). I’m sure that I overpaid, but the funny thing is that I thought I was only buying one and then he gave me 4. They tasted awesome. I passed them around the bus and everyone loved them. I’m hoping all the food is this good. (as you probably have realized I like food). Jonny kept seeing little goats on the side of the road and he insisted that they were baby cows. That boy is stubborn.

I just looked at the time on my computer and realized that our time change from Kona was exactly 12 hours. Maybe that is why our schedules are so off.

Back to the trip to Jinja. We made it over the Nile, which was just awesome. It really sunk in that this is Africa when I saw the Nile. It really didn’t look much different than any other river, It’s just soo Africa. There is red dirt everywhere here. It is kind of like on the island of Oahu, dark red. In Jinja we stopped down town and had lunch at a Indian restaurant. The food was very good. The kids had some pizza that was too spicy for them. Then afterwards we walked outside and lots of streetkids came around asking for money. Jonny immediately started playing with them and talking to them (they all spoke only Swahili). They were laughing at him and mimicking his words. He was loving it. Then Ruth gave them our kids pizza and they all just loved it. They were the cutest kids. Seeing them kind of hit me mentally. They just walked up to us in town, for some reason I thought we would have to search them out a little more. There is so much need here it’s just crazy. But the people just smile so big and are so accepting and fun.

Now we are at the base. I am sitting on the porch watching a bunch of kids play soccer. I’m hoping to join them soon. It’s just surreal to actually be here.

Ruths First Impression:

Wow! I can’t believe we are in Africa. I can’t say it is anything like I pictured it. The land is beautiful, green and lush and the ground is dark red (quit a contrast). The people are beautiful – so friendly and hospitable (especially here at the YWAM base). On the bus ride to the YWAM base Jessika said to me, “Mommy, I think the African people are the best people!” I asked her why and she replied, “Because they are the most beautiful and the strongest”. Needless to say she is having no problems making friends here.

To be honest, culture shock hit me hard core in the first 24 hours here. I wanted to take the next flight home to my cozy, clean, and convenient world. There are so many things we take for granted in our Western culture. Like hot showers, paved roads, trash cans, variety of food and drink, ice cubes, freshly brewed coffee, clean drinking water, pasteurized milk, washing machines, refrigerators, and electricity!

Our first night on the base was crazy. We came in and our rooms weren’t ready so we went to another building temporarily. By the time we went to our room it was nearly dark and time for dinner so we just dropped off our bags and ran. While in the dinner line the electricity went out and stayed out the rest of the evening. I have no idea what I ate! After dinner we made our way in the pitch dark to our “home” (makes for awesome star gazing and fire fly chasing). It was interesting, to say the least, getting the kids ready for bed in the dark (with one candle and two flashlights). Mind you I hadn’t unpacked anything and didn’t even know the layout of the room. I had several times when I thought “and what am I doing here?” Today has been an easier day. Life is very interesting here and just so different. I keep reminding myself “this is just for two months, enjoy it all to the fullest”. Today the kids played with chickens, roosters, dogs, and even some cows were grazing outside our door. One ran by our window and startled me so much I screamed! I did a “load” of laundry in the sink and (my mom would be proud) hung them on the line to dry! Please keep us in your prayers for safety and health. It will be a true miracle if the kids don’t get sick – they are filthy constantly! Jessika has been having some allergy problems (runny nose and sneezing). Pray also that we will get past the culture shock and barriers and be able to serve God fully and to do all He has intended. Pray that we will step over the threshold of fear into the wild unknown of God’s glorious power and grace! We love and miss you all – hugs & kisses!

Above: this is a sample of what town looks like...
Below: crossing the Nile...WOW, the NILE!!
Below: Jonny made friends with some street kids
Below: jess and jonny with our neighbor Esta

Day 89– Sep 26, 2005, Monday: Taxi to town

Today was mostly a time of getting adjusted to Uganda, from a time and culture perspective. We had a time of worship with the whole base this morning. It was really cool. There were about 30 of us total. We had two guys beating a drum and lots of awesome clappers and some good singing too. It was a nice culture jump into the way that they worship God here.

We then made it back to our room(s). (yes, the kids have a room of their own.) We unpacked and made it home. I’m sure most of you realize that Ruth did a majority of the making it home. We just hung out for a while and caught up. We also met our neighbors, they are David and Catherine (that’s the 3rd neighbor named David we’ve had). They are Ugandan and very nice. We have met a ton of people in the last day, I can’t remember most of the names.

Then we had an orientation meeting and tour of the base. We found out that there is Internet access here on base for the outrageous fee of 10,000 shillings per month (that’s less than $6). They have a wireless CDMA connection through a cell phone that gives a little faster than 56k modem speed connection. It’s not super fast, but much better than what I expected. They also have some really cool programs here on base, the coolest is what they call VTS (vocational training school). They take kids that have no chance, either from loss of parents, or the war, or just poverty. And they bring them here to teach them how to make a living. Most of them are so desperate that they cannot even make a decision of what they would like to be taught. They say “just anything”. So they start out teaching them 3 things, like gardening, carpentry and brick laying. Then as they progress, they start leaning towards a preference and that becomes their specialty. The program lasts a year, and they basically heal people physically, spiritually, and financially through it. It costs $230 US dollars for one person to take the class for one year.

We then took a taxi to town to buy some necessities. This is quite an adventure. The taxis are almost all small versions of a van that seat about 16 people. They would probably fit about 8 people if they were in the US. They run on diesel and just fly. It seems getting anywhere is a race for these drivers. They are willing to pave a new road if it means they can pass a truck. Right side, left side it doesn’t matter. It takes about ½ hour to taxi into town. When we got there, it was very 3^rd world, and very dirty. Lots of red dirt everywhere. Again, it’s more like Mexico than anything I’ve known, but the poverty seems worse.

Above: lots of red dirt...this is our feet after a day of sandals and dirt :)

Above: our new home with Jonny modeling in the front...

Day 90– Sep 27, 2005, Tuesday: We’re starting

For breakfast we had pourage. It was very similar to cream of wheat. It looked like it would be horrible and pasty, but it was sweet and tasty. After breakfast we came back to the room and discovered a small spider invasion. By small I mean that the spiders were themselves small. The invasion was large (to us at least). The kids bed must have had some spider eggs hatch or something. Ugggh. There were little baby spiders all over the bed. Luckily it didn’t happen at night. We went through most of a can of spider spray and ended up late to our prayer meeting with the team.

We had a great prayer time in the prayer garden. We were mostly asking God what he wanted us to do while here. The kids were playing with sticks and legos and chasing each other around while we prayed. Then we went to lunch. Somehow I arrived a little late, and I got the bottom of the barrel. It was potatoes and beans with some local pasty stuff (I forgot the name). It was really good, so I was happy I got to eat. I also had to eat with only a knife because the silver ware ran out. Then the clean water jug broke so we couldn’t get clean water. It really made me realize (at a simple level) what these people live like when they can’t get water, food, and utensils. It’s a whole different way of thinking when you can’t get water for your family. Of course the water jug was fixed later, and we do have a filter in our room, so it was no big deal, it just made me have a little taste of what it is like for so many people.

After lunch Ruth did some laundry and hung it up out next to the goats. She just can’t help but laugh when she walks around hanging stuff up with these little goats around her. Then later we had a meeting and found out that we have been asked to help with the kids here on base for the week. Half of us (Ruth, Meagan, Meagan, Laura, Jess and Jonny) are going to help the preschool age kids with craft time for an hour or two a day. The other half of us are going to do worship and devotions with the 10-15 year olds for 1 hour a day and then 3 hours on Friday. It should be fun. Most of the older kids are from devastating backgrounds (orphans, refugee camps etc…) and don’t know anything about Christ, so it will be good to help them. Pray for wisdom in dealing with them and loving them. Then, this Sunday we are in charge of the church service, so that should be interesting. We’re not sure who’s speaking yet. I have a feeling we’ll be stretched a little bit, but it will be good.