This has been an amazing experience.
We left Uganda yesterday...let me share a bit about the end of our time there.
We only had three days there and we saw tons in that little time. I can't wait to go back again! Our last day we spent much of our time seeing the projects they have going that help sustain the children's home and school. We left in the morning and went outside the city to the farm land they have purchased and began to farm. The area we were in is quit humid and has very tropical vegetation (reminded me of Hawaii), so the farm was lush! We we stopped by a house in a village to park the van because we couldn't drive any farther. Then we walked over to the property. The head farmer took us on a tour of the farm, corn, tomatoes, and lots of other stuff we ended at the cabbage area. He explained that he was experimenting with organic fertilizer and with a laugh he said in our language we call it manure. It was cool to see that the area they had used the fancy ;) fertilizer the cabbage was ready to harvest and the others were still small...he was very proud and asked us to help him harvest some. So, we each picked some cabbage and carried it back to the little storage building they have. Two silly things...I was a bit scared of snakes while we were there...after hearing stories about cobras. Also, I got sunburned...if I was a farmer I would definitely need to wear a hat!
Then we went back to the school/children's home and then walked to lunch. Then we found out they had hired motorcycles to drive us out to the village. :) I was a bit nervous but also excited. I rode with my new friend Haril and it was fun! We went out to a village where they have a ladies project...the ladies are making bead necklaces and learning to sew bags etc that are all being sold to help Musana. I bought some and you can buy some too :) The ladies had prepared two songs for us...specifically for us, the words were about Musana and about our visit and they thanked Andrea and God. Then they took us on a tour to meet some of the mothers of children that are at Musana. It's interesting in their culture there are many children in one family and often the parent can't take care of them all so they send them to orphanages. Part of Musana's goal is to educate and strengthen families so that children can stay with their them.
Then for dinner we went to the Sol Cafe. This is a cafe they started that also gives all proceeds to Musana. They were having Trivia night...it was packed. The next day we headed back to the airport...taking Andrea and Haril with us to Kenya and S. Sudan. We stopped and saw the Source of the Nile! And I saw a monkey off in the distance. :)
Today in Kenya...
We spent the day in a slum. It was not an easy day and it is hard for me to even think of what to tell you about it. The gist is that LIA has connected with some pastors that are in the slum and we spent the day with them doing a prayer walk through the whole area. One of their goals is that in two years there will be no drug or alcohol problems in their slum! We ate lunch with the pastors in one of the church buildings...about 25 kids got to come in and eat too...I had fun with them. Then we split up into groups and went to do home visits. Andrea and I went with two pastors to a lady's home...she is a mother and her oldest daughter died of AIDS and she took in her granddaughters and has some of her own kids at home too. There were 6 of them living in a tiny place and some of the kids are HIV+ and one girl is very sick. We prayed for them....now we are back at the nice guest house with full bellies and it's hard for me to reconcile the fact that I was born into such comfort and others were born into such struggle.
Here's a link to LIA's video that was mostly shot in the slum we were in today.
http://vimeo.com/16181404
Tomorrow we go back...we will split into groups to go to churches. I'm preaching at one of them...crazy! So, I better get going to prepare something. :)
Monday we leave for South Sudan...and won't have internet access till we get back on Friday.
Thanks for praying! We are all healthy and doing well! Pray for our health and safety and for wisdom!
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