Travel: I met the rest of the team in Atlanta around lunchtime on Thursday, 5/5, and it took two long flights (8+ hours) to get to Uganda (via Amsterdam). We arrived late on Friday night and checked into the Kolping House, where we would stay for the first 3 nights.
Saturday, 5/7: We visited the AMG office and met some of the staff, then we visited Upendo. We had a little tour of the grounds and met some of the kids and staff, including Daphne, the house mom in the girls' dorm. Next, we had lunch at a nice restaurant, then visited the the Bukoto Child Development Center (CDCs) in Kampala. Edith, one of the staff members there, took us to meet two of the sponsored children at their homes in a nearby slum. We also stopped by another CDC and unexpectedly ran into Barbara, one of the kids my parents sponsor (more on that story another time), and two other kids sponsored by people in our team.
Sunday, 5/8: We enjoyed worship and teaching at Agape Baptist Church in Kampala. After church, we went to a Chinese restaurant for lunch and spent a couple of hours shopping for gifts and souvenirs at a little market.
Monday, 5/9: After breakfast, we checked out of the Kolping House in order to relocate to the LTCC, where the Pastor's Conference would be held. (Reuben also wanted us to be a little further away from the city center during the President's upcoming inauguration, just in case there was any unrest). During the days on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, our team was split into three main groups: the ladies worked with Dorcas (AMG's outreach to girls and women), some of the men participated in the Pastor's Conference, and the other men did some work at Upendo.
On Monday morning, the ladies met the staff of the Dorcas ministry for fellowship, then we had lunch at AMG with the staff and our whole team. In the afternoon, we checked in to the LTTC and attended the opening session of the Pastor's Conference. That evening, the stomach bug hit me.
Tuesday, 5/10: The ladies spent the day with the Dorcas ministry again, but this time we went out to visit mothers and children from the Namugoga CDC. We had fellowship in the morning with a large group of ladies, then went to visit a few homes. We had lunch at the center with the guys, and went to another home together.
Wednesday, 5/11: The ladies visited the Masajja CDC for more Dorcas work. Here, the staff, girls, and mothers had prepared a whole program, including several speakers from our team. The program consisted of: singing; dances performed by the girls; dances performed by the mothers; a word from Florence, Bianca, Catrina, myself, and Lindsay; and a fashion show by the mothers. This was one of my favorite events. After lunch, we were joined by the rest of the team for some home visits. By the end of the day, I was finally starting to feel normal again.
Thursday, 5/12: This was the begining of our "chochote," which means surprise. For each team that comes, Reuben plans a chochote, which is some kind of fun outing for the team to have together. This time, we went to a tent camp at Lake Mburo (on one of the national parks). Don't let the name "tent camp" fool you--this was a really nice place (with toilets and warm showers and all). The drive was longer than expected (partially because of a flat tire on the way), but we enjoyed a short drive around the park looking for animals and a nice meal. After dinner, we had a campfire and some time to share about the experiences we'd had so far on the trip.
Friday, 5/13: We started the day with a great breakfast followed by a boat tour around the lake. We saw hippos, water buffalo, crocodiles (barely, from a long distance), fish eagles, and other birds. After a tasty lunch, we packed up and headed back to Kampala. On the way, we got to stop and take pictures at the equator. In Kampala, we had planned a surprise stop at Upendo for Chuck's birthday. We sang some worship songs with the kids, squirted Chuck with silly string, and had birthday cake.
Saturday, 5/14: In many ways, this was the big day for us--the dedication ceremony for Upendo. We got an early start to do some decorating, then watched and participated in a lengthy ceremony, followed by lunch for the whole crowd. We were able to spend the rest of the day hanging out with the kids, which was really fun. Dad and I got to take a group picture with all 3 of the kids he and mom sponsor. (He had not yet seen all three at the same time/place).
Sunday, 5/15: We went to Vincent's church (he's the construction manager at Upendo). This was a much smaller church than Agape, but we really enjoyed being there. After church, Vincent came with us to lunch at a nice coffee house/cafe, and we stopped in to the supermarket next door. Then we headed back to the LTCC to freshen up and hang out for a few minutes before heading to the airport. We arrived with plenty of time to shop, eat, and meander around the airport before beginning the journey home.
Monday, 5/16: We had a longer layover to explore Amsterdam before flying back to Atlanta, where I parted with the rest of the team. Mark picked me up in Detroit, and we got home around 9pm.
So, that's the outline of what we did. There are some pretty cool stories that I glossed over or didn't mention, and I hope to post about some of those over the next week. I'd also like to know if you have any questions about the trip. Please feel free to post questions/comments, then I can write about the things you're interested in knowing!
No comments:
Post a Comment