Happiness is Tiring

Monday, September 28, 2009 - 1:37am by Uganda Team.

After traveling for 32 hours, a flat bed never felt better on the first night. The airlines got us to Uganda with all but one bag, but it was delivered to us 2 days later so that was a blessing (especially for Shane since it was his bag ). It turns out recently there has been a power outage in the area where we are staying, so we only have electricity (and room temperature water) when the generator is running. It seems like more of a blessing than a hardship, as we spend more time as a group, conversing with the people, and playing with the kids, instead of playing with electronics.

On Thursday, our first day here, Duncan (a volunteer at the academy) took us on a walk in the area around the academy. Along our walk, he took us to see a local boy named Katoadle (pronounced ka-tong-a-lee), who is deaf and mute and is sick with a very hot fever. His mother spoke of it being Malaria. We could not take him to the doctor right then, so we prayed for him and continued our walk. On our way back, we stopped and looked at an ant pile. This does not sound very exciting, but a small Ugandan ant pile is like three feet tall. So this ant pile we were gawking at was about four feet tall, and Eric was claiming if you tap on the pile, the ants will click at you to ward you off. So the ants start coming out, little black ones and bigger black ones with huge, razor sharp, pinchers. The bigger ants were probably the size of the red ants we have in Texas, but Eric claims they are at least 5 times bigger than our red ants. Eric then proceeds to try and grab one of the big ants, and loe and behold, it pinched him. He yanks his hand away to see his cut finger that is bleeding, all while Shane is saying, “Why would you do that??!?” Turns out the razor sharp pinchers are for more than just show. Eric is fine, as it was just a tiny flesh wound.

Later that day we got to visit Humble School for the first time this trip. They had a short program for us that included a performance by the 2008 choir. We also got a chance to pass out the pen pal letters individually. The children were very happy to receive your letters. Unfortunately there are still some children that do not have pen pals, so hopefully we can match those children when we return. We then got to play with the children for the rest of the afternoon. Our trip to Humble School was such a blessing and we cannot wait until we get to return. Later that evening we took Katoadle to see a doctor where they drew his blood and diagnosed him with Malaria. They gave him some pills to take, but because he is deaf and mute (he does not know sign language either), it was a struggle to get him to take the pills.

On Friday we went into Kampala to meet with the Bishop. Our meeting was delayed, so we went to exchange our money and buy hairspray for Becca. At the mall, Becca and Julie came walking out with a plastic bag that looked like it contained a bus. This bottle of hairspray is the king of all hairsprays standing at least 2 feet tall and weighing at least 5 pounds. It is a sight to see. Our meeting with the Bishop and his associates went very well and we were pleased with the outcome. Our trip home from Kampala was a very long one , but we stopped for Chapat (sort of like homemade flour tortillas but better), so it was a good ending to a great day.

In our short time here we have received so much love and generosity, so much that we do not deserve. We have been very blessed by the people here and we pray we can be a blessing to them in return.

-Uganda Team

“Hi Aaron and Drew Drew , we love you!”
-Shane and Kristie

“Hi Pickle, hi Peapod, we love you so much”
-Eric and Becca

“Mom, Dad, and Ethan, I send my hugs.”
-Lauren

“Moms and Dads, we love you, and give our love to Boobear, Toddles, and Pippin. Tell Toddles to stop barking.”
-Daniel and Keturah

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