In Uganda Again!

Our long trip began at 5:00 AM Wichita time on Saturday, the 17th... Fifteen of us - all a little sleepy, but excited about the opportunities ahead of us, met at the church, loaded up our baggage and headed to the airport. Our orange t-shirts attracted a lot of attention at each stop and allowed many of us to visit with others about our mission. Arriving in Entebbe, we found a much more modern airport than we remembered. Praise God that ALL our tubs and luggage arrived at the same time we did! Certainly, for Pastor John and Debbie, their reunion with their daughter, Alexis, was a far greater blessing than the luggage! Alexis has been serving with missionaries Tim and Colleen since September.

The familiar smell of smoke from charcoal fires and sounds of screeching brakes wafted through the open windows of the vehicles as we were transported through the darkness to the home of our host missionairies. Blurs of brightly dressed people, glimpses inside open roadside stands, visions of bright lights, burned into our senses as we flew past.

Our long trip ended when we finally arrived in Kampala, Uganda on Sunday, October 19th around 10:30 PM Kampala time (2:30 in Wichita) after an hour ride from the airport... Fifteen of us - all a little sleepy, but excited about the opportunities ahead of us to touch the lives of those we meet.

For those of us who have been here before, reunions with Tim and Colleeen, Glenna (missionary nurse), Pastor Moses (who was in Wichita last summer) and so many others were joyful... like coming home.

A sunny Monday morning revealed the beauty of our surroundings. It came early for some being awakened by the 'laughing' birds and crowing roosters, others managed to sleep in before starting our busy day of preparations. All the crafts and gifts we brought crammed into 15 plastic tubs had to be sorted and divided for the two villages we will be visiting. Miss Brenda's preliminary planning and amazing teamwork resulted in a stress-free time with everything ready before supper giving us plenty of time to pack for tomorrow's journey west to the village of Kasenke. We'll be spending four nights there building a church and friendships. Our team will be assisting with roofing and flooring of the church along with leading activities for all ages and visiting AIDS patients.

Brenda and Hannah were surprised by the arrival of two Children of Promise during our orientation... Both children sat quietly with excitement in their eyes while we finished up our meeting. The adults were just as excited! What a joy! (Hannah met with Carol Bentley's child while Brenda got some quality time with hers.)

We ask for your prayers as we start our next adventure tomorrow.