Saturday, May 31, 2008
We are back in the STATES!!!
We are back in the states! After a 40 hour long trip from Soroti to Pittsburgh - we have landed safely and all of our luggage arrived too! Thank you so much for all of your prayers - we are so thankful for a safe trip. Keep checking during the next week - we will update our last few days and upload more pictures!
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Long journey home about to begin
It is Friday morning around 5:15 am here in Uganda and the bus will be here soon to begin our journey home. We will be heading toward Entebbe with a few stops along the way to shop and sightsee. Then on to the airport to head back to the states.
I know many of you were concerned about Lauren...she is feeling much better now. Thank you for your prayers for her health as well as the rest of us.
We will have many stories to tell when we get back.
Continue to keep us in your prayers as we make the long trip home.
I know many of you were concerned about Lauren...she is feeling much better now. Thank you for your prayers for her health as well as the rest of us.
We will have many stories to tell when we get back.
Continue to keep us in your prayers as we make the long trip home.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Tuesday evening/Wednesday morning
Tuesday evening/Wednesday morning
Today in VBS we acted out some stories of Jesus’ life including his birth, death and resurrection. The kids made a craft of crosses with gold glitter. We played some of the same games with them again, including freeze tag. Each day when VBS is over – it is hard to drive away because the kids all gather around the van and surround it. The older kids often bring their younger baby siblings – so many of us get to hold the babies during the story.
Tim and Angie ate dinner with us here at the house. It is great that we are all able to stay at the house together and have our own yard (which is gated and has a guard dog - don't worry), and our own living room and dining room. Janet is our cook and comes each day to make us delicious meals including rice, potatoes, cabbage, cooked carrots, chipotti (pita bread), chicken, fish, beef and pork. We eat lunch each day at 1:00pm and eat dinner each day at 7:00pm and then we are in for the evening. Herbert is our groundskeeper/guard and lives in the back house where Akambe and Jon have a room. Fortunately, we have 4 rooms and 2 bathrooms for the women.
Wednesday morning
We had fewer girls this morning because classes started and some girls did not want to miss class. We probably had about 20 – 25 girls today. We worked on shooting, but most of the girls play in their barefeet so it was difficult to practice. During our devotions we talked about sin and how there is a winning team (God’s team) and there is also a losing team (Satan’s team). Abby talked about sin and no matter how “good” we are we still cannot reach God because we all sin.
Please continue to pray for us as we have our last VBS meeting this afternoon and our last soccer clinic tomorrow morning. Lauren is feeling a little under the weather – but is still participating and will share her testimony at VBS this afternoon. It has been very hot this week. Yesterday we were guessing what the temperature was. Angie said that her thermometer outside the window (which is in the sun…. but so were we) said 109*. Lauren was chilling with 2 pairs of sock and sweats on – while the rest of us were sweating!! She is feeling a bit better today.
Today in VBS we acted out some stories of Jesus’ life including his birth, death and resurrection. The kids made a craft of crosses with gold glitter. We played some of the same games with them again, including freeze tag. Each day when VBS is over – it is hard to drive away because the kids all gather around the van and surround it. The older kids often bring their younger baby siblings – so many of us get to hold the babies during the story.
Tim and Angie ate dinner with us here at the house. It is great that we are all able to stay at the house together and have our own yard (which is gated and has a guard dog - don't worry), and our own living room and dining room. Janet is our cook and comes each day to make us delicious meals including rice, potatoes, cabbage, cooked carrots, chipotti (pita bread), chicken, fish, beef and pork. We eat lunch each day at 1:00pm and eat dinner each day at 7:00pm and then we are in for the evening. Herbert is our groundskeeper/guard and lives in the back house where Akambe and Jon have a room. Fortunately, we have 4 rooms and 2 bathrooms for the women.
Wednesday morning
We had fewer girls this morning because classes started and some girls did not want to miss class. We probably had about 20 – 25 girls today. We worked on shooting, but most of the girls play in their barefeet so it was difficult to practice. During our devotions we talked about sin and how there is a winning team (God’s team) and there is also a losing team (Satan’s team). Abby talked about sin and no matter how “good” we are we still cannot reach God because we all sin.
Please continue to pray for us as we have our last VBS meeting this afternoon and our last soccer clinic tomorrow morning. Lauren is feeling a little under the weather – but is still participating and will share her testimony at VBS this afternoon. It has been very hot this week. Yesterday we were guessing what the temperature was. Angie said that her thermometer outside the window (which is in the sun…. but so were we) said 109*. Lauren was chilling with 2 pairs of sock and sweats on – while the rest of us were sweating!! She is feeling a bit better today.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning
Monday Afternoon/Tuesday
On Monday afternoon we had around 150 kids again at VBS. The lesson was about Jonah ! We did another skit (which the kids LOVE) using Tim’s van as the boat that Jonah was on. The kids get a kick out of us acting out the story. Everyday we have sung Funky Chicken/Crazy Monkey/Silly Kitty and the kids love it. We made a craft of Jonah, water and the boat. Then we always play games with the kids. Today some of the younger kids cried when we left.
Josh came over tonight and shared with us his experiences so far as a missionary. He shared what led him to become a missionary and his life in Nigeria and for the last year here in Uganda. Ask us about some very funny stories that happened in Nigeria.
We are so grateful to learn from Tim and Angie and Josh and Mandy and about all they are doing here in Uganda! They are taking great care of us and we appreciate all they do here and for the people of Soroti.
The water is as intermittent as the electricity here – and we have only cold showers – but no one has complained at all. Everyone is getting along well and we are learning a lot about eachother!
Tuesday Morning – Soccer clinic
Tuesday morning we worked on passing with the girls. We did several different drills and contest and finished with a game – which is there favorite. Our talk with them for today was about coaching and how God is the best coach, and He wants us on his team, He knows our strengths and weaknesses and wants us to live up to our potential.
While playing we would sometimes tell the girls to “grab” a ball. Tim told us after practice that grab a ball actually means steal the ball. So we will try not to use that phrase anymore.
While we were having our talk with the girls at break, Akambe talked with about 15 young guys from the school in one of the school buildings. He explained the message of salvation and he said that 11 of them said that they wanted to accept Christ into their lives. We hope he will be able to talk with them more tomorrow and also put them in touch with the pastors here is town.
On Monday afternoon we had around 150 kids again at VBS. The lesson was about Jonah ! We did another skit (which the kids LOVE) using Tim’s van as the boat that Jonah was on. The kids get a kick out of us acting out the story. Everyday we have sung Funky Chicken/Crazy Monkey/Silly Kitty and the kids love it. We made a craft of Jonah, water and the boat. Then we always play games with the kids. Today some of the younger kids cried when we left.
Josh came over tonight and shared with us his experiences so far as a missionary. He shared what led him to become a missionary and his life in Nigeria and for the last year here in Uganda. Ask us about some very funny stories that happened in Nigeria.
We are so grateful to learn from Tim and Angie and Josh and Mandy and about all they are doing here in Uganda! They are taking great care of us and we appreciate all they do here and for the people of Soroti.
The water is as intermittent as the electricity here – and we have only cold showers – but no one has complained at all. Everyone is getting along well and we are learning a lot about eachother!
Tuesday Morning – Soccer clinic
Tuesday morning we worked on passing with the girls. We did several different drills and contest and finished with a game – which is there favorite. Our talk with them for today was about coaching and how God is the best coach, and He wants us on his team, He knows our strengths and weaknesses and wants us to live up to our potential.
While playing we would sometimes tell the girls to “grab” a ball. Tim told us after practice that grab a ball actually means steal the ball. So we will try not to use that phrase anymore.
While we were having our talk with the girls at break, Akambe talked with about 15 young guys from the school in one of the school buildings. He explained the message of salvation and he said that 11 of them said that they wanted to accept Christ into their lives. We hope he will be able to talk with them more tomorrow and also put them in touch with the pastors here is town.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Monday morning - the start of our soccer clinic
Monday was our first day for the soccer clinic. It went so well! We had about 35 players and a bunch of spectators. Today we worked on foot skills and played games that implementing the skills we taught them. We also ended the clinic today with a scrimmage. The girls and us had so much fun! They are great and we are starting to really know their names and them ours. Tim also brought a cooler of water for us and the girls. Although we weren’t able to give them a lot of water they really appreciated the water that they did receive as they normally don’t get water. We took about 45 minutes to talk with them and share a bible verse with them and told them that when they are on God's team - they are always winners. Thank you for your continual prayers and support. We look forward to sharing in more detail everything that has been happening. We love you all and see you in a week!
Sunday!
It is already Sunday and none of us can believe how quickly time flew by. Today we split the team in half and went to two different churches. One group went to church with Tim’s family and the other group with Josh’s. Both were incredible! There was a ton of people packed into a tiny hut singing and praising God. The service was long but none of us knew because we were enjoying it so much.
At Josh’s church, Jon-Boy was given the opportunity to give his testimony and did very well. One of the most interesting things that happened was that Amber and Jon were asked by the pastor to dedicate two babies. This was an awesome opportunity, and it was great to be a part of the dedication. After church at Josh’s, we were given refreshments by an elderly woman of the church.
At Tim’s church, we had a few less people but no less fervor. We began worshiping with them, their guitar, and drums. Abby led our group in song with the Ugandans, and we sang “Holy is the Lord God Almighty” with the word “Uganda” instead of “earth” in the phrase “The earth is filled with his glory.” We had a visiting pastor from Kampala with us who used good illustrations and much animation in his speaking. Everything was translated by Pastor Patrick, and we enjoyed following the message.
Then we all met up and headed for a village about 45 minutes away. This village was not in Soroti but in another district, called Kaberamado. They gave us a warm welcome beyond our imagination, greeting us at the entrance with white flags, flowers, and singing – Aiye-aiye-aiye-aiye-aiye-aiye-aiye-aiye-ya! Before eating, they introduced all of the family members to us. Each one gave us a greeting and it lasted about one hour. Refreshments and lunch was served after that. We all were hesitant about the lunch because of its authenticity. They had liver, goat intestines, rice, spinach, peanut sauce, chicken, goat, fried termites, and much more. For the most part, we all tried to have a taste of everything (except coach), but it was hard to muscle down. Then we sang some worship songs for them and then said our goodbyes.
Tonight Josh and Mandy came over and Mandy told us about their experiences living in a remote village in Nigeria. It was interesting! She also brought us brownies (and Angie had made some for us the night before) – they did not last long !
Tomorrow we start the first day of our soccer clinic and we are all very excited.
Thank you all for your prayers! Please continue to pray for us! So far everyone is healthy and feeling well - so we are so thankful for that!
At Josh’s church, Jon-Boy was given the opportunity to give his testimony and did very well. One of the most interesting things that happened was that Amber and Jon were asked by the pastor to dedicate two babies. This was an awesome opportunity, and it was great to be a part of the dedication. After church at Josh’s, we were given refreshments by an elderly woman of the church.
At Tim’s church, we had a few less people but no less fervor. We began worshiping with them, their guitar, and drums. Abby led our group in song with the Ugandans, and we sang “Holy is the Lord God Almighty” with the word “Uganda” instead of “earth” in the phrase “The earth is filled with his glory.” We had a visiting pastor from Kampala with us who used good illustrations and much animation in his speaking. Everything was translated by Pastor Patrick, and we enjoyed following the message.
Then we all met up and headed for a village about 45 minutes away. This village was not in Soroti but in another district, called Kaberamado. They gave us a warm welcome beyond our imagination, greeting us at the entrance with white flags, flowers, and singing – Aiye-aiye-aiye-aiye-aiye-aiye-aiye-aiye-ya! Before eating, they introduced all of the family members to us. Each one gave us a greeting and it lasted about one hour. Refreshments and lunch was served after that. We all were hesitant about the lunch because of its authenticity. They had liver, goat intestines, rice, spinach, peanut sauce, chicken, goat, fried termites, and much more. For the most part, we all tried to have a taste of everything (except coach), but it was hard to muscle down. Then we sang some worship songs for them and then said our goodbyes.
Tonight Josh and Mandy came over and Mandy told us about their experiences living in a remote village in Nigeria. It was interesting! She also brought us brownies (and Angie had made some for us the night before) – they did not last long !
Tomorrow we start the first day of our soccer clinic and we are all very excited.
Thank you all for your prayers! Please continue to pray for us! So far everyone is healthy and feeling well - so we are so thankful for that!
SATURDAY!!
SATURDAY
Saturday was yet another exceptional day. We started our morning just like any other, with our daily devotions and breakfast. After that we went to SACAB (Soroti Agriculture and Crafts Association of the Blind). This is the center where the blind are. We talked to the lady who started it, Angeline. We all learned what it truly meant to walk by faith and not by sight. Angeline was an inspiration to us all. She read Psalm 23 in her braille Bible and showed us her solar power audio Bible. Here at SACAB, blind people come to get back on their feet. They teach them about Jesus, help them plant orange trees and harvest them, and teach them how to knit so they can be self-sufficient. The blind here are of all ages. We will be going to the blind school SACAB runs next week.
After praying for Angeline and her ministry we said our goodbyes and drove to the Bethel Bible College. International Teams is partnering with Bethel Bible College to train up Christian leader with character and integrity. We met Pastor Francis, who is the founder and head teacher of the college. They showed us around the college and told us how it started and where they would like to see it be in the future. There is an uncompleted building and roof which remains uncompleted because of lack of funds at this time.
Today we also ate out for the first time. We ate in a local restaurant in the market that served beef burgers, which were equivalent to our hamburgers. We also had some French fries. We got a chance to walk around the market and shop at some of the local shops and saw meat dangling from strings with flies all over it and some fresh produce.
After lunch we all decided to take taxis back to the house. We all road the botas, which are bicycles with a cushion on the back. It was a great experience but very nerve racking at times. One of the team members actually fell off the bike when the driver ran it off the road it toppled them both off. Guess which mature freshman fell off? We’ll tell you when we return. Don’t worry there was only a couple scratches but a larger dent to her pride.
VBS also went well today. We had around 130 kids show up. We talked about the story of Noah and had an interactive skit with the kids as they played the animals on the ark. We also sang some songs and did a craft. They colored a rainbow. Boo also was able to learn some African dances. Her friend Kristen that she met on an earlier day of VBS played some music and taught her some African dances that she could dance with her. Then we played Duck, Duck, Goose and some futbol.
Tim came over again and continued our talk about our identity. He taught us more about God's will and God's plan for each of our lives. He is a great teacher and we really appreciate his ministry and all he has taught us so far.
Saturday was yet another exceptional day. We started our morning just like any other, with our daily devotions and breakfast. After that we went to SACAB (Soroti Agriculture and Crafts Association of the Blind). This is the center where the blind are. We talked to the lady who started it, Angeline. We all learned what it truly meant to walk by faith and not by sight. Angeline was an inspiration to us all. She read Psalm 23 in her braille Bible and showed us her solar power audio Bible. Here at SACAB, blind people come to get back on their feet. They teach them about Jesus, help them plant orange trees and harvest them, and teach them how to knit so they can be self-sufficient. The blind here are of all ages. We will be going to the blind school SACAB runs next week.
After praying for Angeline and her ministry we said our goodbyes and drove to the Bethel Bible College. International Teams is partnering with Bethel Bible College to train up Christian leader with character and integrity. We met Pastor Francis, who is the founder and head teacher of the college. They showed us around the college and told us how it started and where they would like to see it be in the future. There is an uncompleted building and roof which remains uncompleted because of lack of funds at this time.
Today we also ate out for the first time. We ate in a local restaurant in the market that served beef burgers, which were equivalent to our hamburgers. We also had some French fries. We got a chance to walk around the market and shop at some of the local shops and saw meat dangling from strings with flies all over it and some fresh produce.
After lunch we all decided to take taxis back to the house. We all road the botas, which are bicycles with a cushion on the back. It was a great experience but very nerve racking at times. One of the team members actually fell off the bike when the driver ran it off the road it toppled them both off. Guess which mature freshman fell off? We’ll tell you when we return. Don’t worry there was only a couple scratches but a larger dent to her pride.
VBS also went well today. We had around 130 kids show up. We talked about the story of Noah and had an interactive skit with the kids as they played the animals on the ark. We also sang some songs and did a craft. They colored a rainbow. Boo also was able to learn some African dances. Her friend Kristen that she met on an earlier day of VBS played some music and taught her some African dances that she could dance with her. Then we played Duck, Duck, Goose and some futbol.
Tim came over again and continued our talk about our identity. He taught us more about God's will and God's plan for each of our lives. He is a great teacher and we really appreciate his ministry and all he has taught us so far.
Friday afternoon
We had our second day of VBS today! It went well. We had over 150 kids come. Today, Alli gave the lesson of the Fall and Akambe talked about what sin is. The craft the kids did was to color a clothespin snake. After the service we took the kids to the large field. The older kids played soccer and the younger kids were taught Simon Says or “God Says.” After VBS we all came back and had dinner. We also had sometime of prayer and worship lead by Abby which was excellent. It was good to be able to rest in God’s presence after a busy day. Then we watched some videos Tim had made for his ministry. A few of us also watched “Unconventional War.” This movie was about the LRA. It was very informative but also very hard to watch. It was so honest and graphic. We learned a lot about the war going on and it was good to see how spiritual of a war this truly is vs. the political side of it.
Friday, May 23, 2008
Friday...Our time is going so quickly!
Today is already Friday and we can’t believe it! Our time is going so quickly as we enjoy beautiful Soroti. Today we all woke up at 5:30AM to climb a huge rock mountain. We climbed to the very topped and watched the most beautiful African sunrise. We also spent about an hour with God doing our personal devotions and praying. Being up there cleared our minds and was a great way to start a packed day of ministry. We then drove back to the guest house to eat our breakfast and get changed. Today we had some cereal as an extra treat. Our house keeper Janet, did not know how to prepare it. She kept asking coach, “Do I cook it in oil? Do I make it in a pan?” So we showed her it was just as simple as putting it in a bowl and pouring milk on top. After breakfast Tim and Angie and their two kids Moses and Avalien came over. We gave them their suitcase full of food and they were so grateful and did not expect it. They loved everything! After they unloaded the goods, we all walked down the road to the Amacet orphanage. This orphanage is an AIDS orphanage that saves kids when they are abandoned or when their parents cannot take care of them or when their parents die. Amacet isn’t like a regular orphanage. The kids stay there for three months or until they are stable then they go back to their homes if it is possible. Amacet provides continual support and check up on the kids that go through the center. Amacet started in 2001 by people from Holland and they have already had 238 kids go through the center. There we held the younger children and babies and played soccer against the older ones. During the soccer game it was our team vs. all of them and their skills prove to be better than ours and we lost 6 to 4! Regardless of the loss we still had a fantastic time and Tim said that we may be able to go back later on in the trip. Now we are back at the house resting, eating lunch, and preparing for another VBS service later this afternoon.
Hopefully we will be able to post some pictures for everyone soon. Your prayers are working so keep it up! Love and miss everyone! (Written by Lauren Ashley Londino)
Hopefully we will be able to post some pictures for everyone soon. Your prayers are working so keep it up! Love and miss everyone! (Written by Lauren Ashley Londino)
We're HERE!!!
Well, we are finally here in Soroti, Uganda. Our travels could not have gone any smoother. We arrived at the Pittsburgh airport with all 11 people and 24 bags and our connections gave us the perfect amount of time. We met plenty of wonderful people along the way that were headed to Uganda and gave us great information about where we were going. As we stepped off the plane in Entebe, we got a little apprehensive of how 11 people were going to get 24 bags through Immigration. However, the lady just asked us shockingly why we had so many bags then just let us walk right on through. It could not have been any easier.
The first night we stayed in the airport guest house and it was beautiful. When we woke up in the morning we were all eager to take as many pictures as we could and excited to get on our way to Soroti. As we waited for the bus to arrive Boo got a bit creative and decided she would give Alli a haircut. We all assumed Alli would be resistant to this idea, however Boo with her $0.99 scissors chopped off about five inches. Don’t worry Mr. and Mrs. Berlin, her hair to our surprise looks fantastic and even!
After the morning excitement we and our luggage loaded the bus and took off. The bus was actually pretty comfortable and we all had enough room. We saw so many great things on our way. The changing of the landscapes, Lake Victoria, we drove over the Nile river, the Mandella Soccer Stadium, and just the beautiful people of Africa. The bus ride was a total of seven hours. The first hours were fine but towards the end we got restless as we were just eager to be there. The last hour of our bus ride was the worst storm we had ever been in. The rain was coming down so hard we could not even see out the windows. However, the bus driver refused to slow down or stop and kept on going. At times he would even talk on his cell phone (not the most comforting of things). However, we did arrive there safely.
Our host missionaries, Tim and Angie and Josh and Mandy, are great. They have truly made our time here very comfortable and are great leaders. Wednesday night after when we arrived, we had are first taste Uganda food, took some showers, watched the Manchester United vs. Chelsea game at a hotel next door, and went to sleep.
Thursday we woke up bright and early and did our personal devotions and had some breakfast. Then we headed to Tim and Angie’s home and met some of their exotic pets such as two monkeys, an eagle, iguanas, and hedgehogs. After meeting them we all headed inside their house and had an orientation meeting. This meeting was very informative and helped ease some stress now knowing everything we would be doing when we were here.
After the meeting Tim took the team to the weekly market. This market is a traveling market that goes all over Uganda. They had just about everything that a local would need there. Food, bikes, cattle, clothes, and so much more. We enjoyed our time at the market as it was our first real interaction with the locals. We felt a bit awkward at first because with the thousands of people there, all eyes were on the Mzungos (white people). The awkwardness did subside and we were able to have some casual conversations with the locals.
We left the market and went back to our guest house for some good Ugandan lunch. Our food has been great here and we couldn’t be more thankful. We’ve had beef, rice, chicken, collard greens, pineapple, and potatoes.
We had about three hours after lunch to prepare for VBS and get a siesta in. We anxiously arrived at VBS and began our ministries. Unfortunately we forget our soccer ball, but played with the local’s. Their balls are much different then the $70 Nike balls we are used to. The ball was rolled up trash. Playing with it was very humbling and the children loved it. Then our VBS service began. The translator started the service with some African songs. We then talked about creation, embarrassed ourselves by singing “The Funky Chicken,” ask Boo to show you, and had the kids color. After the whole thing was over we all went into an open field and played “Duck, Duck, Goose.” The kids absolutely loved it. They caught on real quick and laughed the entire time. We started with about 30 kids and ended with about 50 kids. We are hoping that the numbers will continue to grow throughout the week. As we were driving away the kids ran after our van waving and yelling. We are very anxious to see how VBS turns out tomorrow since it went so well today.
Exhausted we returned back to our house and had dinner then Tim came over for our evening discussion. Tim talked about our identity in Christ and how important it is to know who we are in Him. As we began the discussion the electricity that we hadn’t had all trip turned on and we were all very excited.
We thank you again for all your prayers and support. Keep lifting us and our trip up to the Lord because it is truly helpful. We love and miss you all so much and will continue to write as much as we can. (Written by Lauren Ashley Londino)
The first night we stayed in the airport guest house and it was beautiful. When we woke up in the morning we were all eager to take as many pictures as we could and excited to get on our way to Soroti. As we waited for the bus to arrive Boo got a bit creative and decided she would give Alli a haircut. We all assumed Alli would be resistant to this idea, however Boo with her $0.99 scissors chopped off about five inches. Don’t worry Mr. and Mrs. Berlin, her hair to our surprise looks fantastic and even!
After the morning excitement we and our luggage loaded the bus and took off. The bus was actually pretty comfortable and we all had enough room. We saw so many great things on our way. The changing of the landscapes, Lake Victoria, we drove over the Nile river, the Mandella Soccer Stadium, and just the beautiful people of Africa. The bus ride was a total of seven hours. The first hours were fine but towards the end we got restless as we were just eager to be there. The last hour of our bus ride was the worst storm we had ever been in. The rain was coming down so hard we could not even see out the windows. However, the bus driver refused to slow down or stop and kept on going. At times he would even talk on his cell phone (not the most comforting of things). However, we did arrive there safely.
Our host missionaries, Tim and Angie and Josh and Mandy, are great. They have truly made our time here very comfortable and are great leaders. Wednesday night after when we arrived, we had are first taste Uganda food, took some showers, watched the Manchester United vs. Chelsea game at a hotel next door, and went to sleep.
Thursday we woke up bright and early and did our personal devotions and had some breakfast. Then we headed to Tim and Angie’s home and met some of their exotic pets such as two monkeys, an eagle, iguanas, and hedgehogs. After meeting them we all headed inside their house and had an orientation meeting. This meeting was very informative and helped ease some stress now knowing everything we would be doing when we were here.
After the meeting Tim took the team to the weekly market. This market is a traveling market that goes all over Uganda. They had just about everything that a local would need there. Food, bikes, cattle, clothes, and so much more. We enjoyed our time at the market as it was our first real interaction with the locals. We felt a bit awkward at first because with the thousands of people there, all eyes were on the Mzungos (white people). The awkwardness did subside and we were able to have some casual conversations with the locals.
We left the market and went back to our guest house for some good Ugandan lunch. Our food has been great here and we couldn’t be more thankful. We’ve had beef, rice, chicken, collard greens, pineapple, and potatoes.
We had about three hours after lunch to prepare for VBS and get a siesta in. We anxiously arrived at VBS and began our ministries. Unfortunately we forget our soccer ball, but played with the local’s. Their balls are much different then the $70 Nike balls we are used to. The ball was rolled up trash. Playing with it was very humbling and the children loved it. Then our VBS service began. The translator started the service with some African songs. We then talked about creation, embarrassed ourselves by singing “The Funky Chicken,” ask Boo to show you, and had the kids color. After the whole thing was over we all went into an open field and played “Duck, Duck, Goose.” The kids absolutely loved it. They caught on real quick and laughed the entire time. We started with about 30 kids and ended with about 50 kids. We are hoping that the numbers will continue to grow throughout the week. As we were driving away the kids ran after our van waving and yelling. We are very anxious to see how VBS turns out tomorrow since it went so well today.
Exhausted we returned back to our house and had dinner then Tim came over for our evening discussion. Tim talked about our identity in Christ and how important it is to know who we are in Him. As we began the discussion the electricity that we hadn’t had all trip turned on and we were all very excited.
We thank you again for all your prayers and support. Keep lifting us and our trip up to the Lord because it is truly helpful. We love and miss you all so much and will continue to write as much as we can. (Written by Lauren Ashley Londino)
Thursday, May 22, 2008
We are in Soroti
We made the long bus trip to Soroti from Entebbe yesterday and all has gone well. We are hoping to be able to add to the blog later today.
Keep praying!!!
Keep praying!!!
Monday, May 19, 2008
We're on our way!!!
We made it to the Pittsburgh airport around 12:30 pm today and everything went pretty well. Had to do some rearranging of our suitcases to get under the 50 lb limit but we did it! We arrived safely in Detroit and now off to Amsterdam.
Please continue to pray for safe travels as once we have our layover in Amsterdam, we have another long flight to Entebbe. After staying the night in Entebbe, it's a bus ride to Soroti. Everyone is very excited to see what God has instore for us!!
We will write again and hopefully post pictures once we get to Soroti.
Please continue to pray for safe travels as once we have our layover in Amsterdam, we have another long flight to Entebbe. After staying the night in Entebbe, it's a bus ride to Soroti. Everyone is very excited to see what God has instore for us!!
We will write again and hopefully post pictures once we get to Soroti.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
One Week Until We Leave
Our trip to Uganda is only one week away! We are very excited - especially now that everyone is done with their finals! Thank you to EVERYONE who has helped us so far.... whether is was donating suitcases, food items, $$, or by coming to our car wash. We really appreciate the support we are getting from family, friends, and our Geneva faculty and staff. Thank you for making this trip a reality for the Geneva Women's Soccer Team.
PRAYER REQUESTS: Pray for each of us as we are preparing to go... and for our safety as we travel. Pray that the people we come in contact with will learn from us and that we will learn from them and that God's love will show through our lives. Pray for the missionaries we will be working and staying with --- Tim and Angie and Josh and Mandy and their families (checkout their websites listed below)
PLEASE continue to pray for us for this next week and while we are in Uganda! We all appreciate your support!
PRAYER REQUESTS: Pray for each of us as we are preparing to go... and for our safety as we travel. Pray that the people we come in contact with will learn from us and that we will learn from them and that God's love will show through our lives. Pray for the missionaries we will be working and staying with --- Tim and Angie and Josh and Mandy and their families (checkout their websites listed below)
PLEASE continue to pray for us for this next week and while we are in Uganda! We all appreciate your support!
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