Friday, June 24, 2011

When JOY is the destination...the journey is FULL of delight!!

This will be the last time I post before I am back in the US.
I want to spend my last two days...with my people here...in Uganda...every second that I can.
Many different opportunities for this church are becoming more and more available...and through the power of prayer and Jesus Christ...they will ALL be answered for the glory of God! Please continue to pray for this church...for these people...and for our BIG God to continue to be working here in Kampala, Uganda!!
I read for the last time with a few of my readers today....and I had to fight back tears realizing that it was the last time to read with them and tell them about Jesus. I spent every minute I could with them...and wish I could spend more!
I don't know how I will be the first few days I am home...it will be hard for me...and it will be totally different.But I know through God...all things are possible!!!
Coming to Africa was something that I never thought would be possible for me...a small town girl...who dreams of being a mom and a teacher! But being here has changed my dreams from what I want...to what God wants...I have learned here...to be obedient...to answer when he calls...because how beautiful are the feet of those who teach the word of God!!
I still..after 6 weeks..catch myself asking why do these people live here and live like this? Why is their lives? Why do these children not have a mom to hold them or a dad to pick them up? Why can they know nothing more than Kampala? Why was I SO blessed to be placed in a Christian home, with a loving and generous family who has enough money to buy me food and clothes and buy me things I never really needed to begin with?
WHY DID GOD CHOOSE ME!?!?!?
That is the something that I may never fully understand...but it IS something that I can thank and praise God for EVERY day!
I praise God for making me available to come here this summer...to spend time with His people...to grow with them...build relationships..cry with them..love on them...pray with them...and leave them with a hope and joy that I pray they have forever!!!

Psalm 72:12-14 says-
"For he will deliver the needy who cry out,
   the afflicted who have no one to help.
 He will take pity on the weak and the needy
   and save the needy from death.
 He will rescue them from oppression and violence,
   for precious is their blood in his sight.
I love this verse...it helps me feel at peace with going home...the people here-EVERY ONE of them-are needy, are afflicted...and God sees them as PRECIOUS and that makes me feel SO much better!!!
I have dreams and goals from this experience to take back home to my church...my family...the CCSC...and my own life. A NEW me..a "Jesus Christ Version" is something I want to accomplish from now on!!-Patient, gentle,  kind-hearted, loving, forgiving, slow to anger, understanding, faithful, giving, a servant.Others before me...and Jesus FIRST.
It's crazy to me...that a few people placed in my path...on a six week journey...in a dusty city in Africa...could push me to be something new...to be something radical...to be the change that Jesus called us to be.
Tomorrow is our last day of reading...our last day to see our readers...
Sunday is our last day of worship...our last time with these people...
God sent me here to break my heart...
God WILL mend it back...but it will be bigger and stronger...to LOVE his people even more back home.

Pray for our last two days here in Kampala....
Pray for our journey home!
We will be in Dallas at 2 pm (America time) and we will be staying the night there....
Tuesday  the 28th we will get on a plane for Little Rock, Arkansas and arrive back home around 5:50 pm!!
Pray for our hearts to be strong...and our emotions to be stronger!
Thank you for praying for our team throughout this journey-thank you for supporting us as well!
We will forever be changed...and will forever remember the summer of 2011 in Kampala Uganda!
Love you all!
See you all VERY soon!!!<3

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Final Countdown

It is officially the final countdown to our trip back home!...Our last week....
I am sure our family and friends are ready for us to be home....but I'm not sure if I am quite ready to go...

One of my very favorite readers name is Cate...she is PRECIOUS! Cate is a 52 year old widow and a member of the church here. She makes and sells beads with the women here at the church to support her six children that all still live at home. Cate's husband passed away in 1998 from AIDS. She is renting a room here in Kampala for herself and her 6 children. Cate is SUCH a strong believer. She has nothing...yet she knows that God WILL provide for her.
A few times...Cate has seriously blown me away with the trust...faith...and love she has for God. We were reading the lesson of Elijah and Moses appearing to Jesus and how the cloud came and spoke to Peter, James, and John. After the story, I asked Cate if God had ever spoken to her. She said, "Oh yes! God speaks when we sleep. He came as a visitor in my dream after my husband died. He was in shiny clothes and a voice told her to let the visitor in...so she did and then the visitor said only one thing to her-'I will take care of you." Another time was when we read Luke 11:1-13 and discussed prayer. I asked Cate if she truly believed that if she prayed continually that God would answer and she said, "Oh yes! I KNOW he will!" When I read the verse that said  'Whoever continues asking will receive" Cate said 'AMEN!'. We talked about prayer and prayers that had and had not been answered. I asked her if she ever got mad or angry with God because of unanswered prayers-her reply, " Oh no!!I have NEVER been angry with God!!"
Lesson from this story....BE A CATE!<3
Saturday was a day with the kids....they were all here and we played and enjoyed each others company! I read books with Jone and played on the swings. There was another good rain storm Saturday too, so we stayed under the covering most of the day. One of the boys, Joseph, got us a Jack Fruit down from the tree for us to share. We played UNO later in the day and then went and watched a movie with the members of the church.
Joesph is an AMAZING boy! And he is such a great kid!!! Joseph lives at the boys home and has lived there for about a year. Before then, Joseph's life was pretty average for a child living in Africa. He lived with his mother, brother, and sister in a small town. When he was 2, his mother took him to the village where his grandfather lived. Joseph stayed there until he was 11. He went to school and worked on his grandfathers farm where they grew cassava, yams , and maize. When he was 11, he moved to live with his uncle and his wife  He said he would wake up, drink tea, and then go play soccer- he said he use to get in so much trouble every day from his aunt because he wasn't home to do work. He said he would play soccer till almost 7 at night. He left his uncles house when he was 14 and took a bus to Kampala. A woman saw him and asked him to  come work for her washing dishes. So he took the job and got paid enough to rent a room. He worked for her for about a year and one day a man saw him working and asked him if he had a home. He told the man no and the man told him about the boys home and how he could come live there and attend school as well.He moved to the boys home and has been there ever since.  I asked Joseph if he ever gets to see his brothers and sisters and he said no, that after his mother died, he never heard from them again. I am praying that God continues to bless this boy and provides for him throughout this life here in Kampala.
That night...we went to eat like normal...a few of the younger boys from the boys home followed us there. Their names are Jumba and Aby. I was asking them to go home because I knew that the boys had curfew back at the home and it was also dinner time. They would never turn around! They just kept saying "I want to go to America with you!" They thought we were leaving right that minute! And they did NOT want to be left behind!! I explained to them that we were not going to America but they just continued on. They sat in the restaurant and eventually left...only to return later. They waited for us the whole time...I finally had to go speak with them and remind them that they MUST go home...it was already 8:00 and dark by this point. I told Jumba that he must take Aby home now so they could get home safe...to be strong and big...because I didn't want them on the streets at dark. Jumba started crying and said how they were hungry and how they had missed dinner. I explained to them that if they went home...they could get food. Then he started crying more and said "They will beat me!!" It broke my heart-I didn't know what to do or say....so I just told him I loved them and they had to leave to get home safe. I had to eventually walk away....they eventually went home...and it was just heart breaking to know what might be done that night to those boys....all because they wanted to go to America with us SO bad!!

Sunday it rained ALL morning!!(Who knew I should've packed my rain jacket to Africa!!!) We went to the early morning service which is in the local language(Luganda). It's really amazing to hear people worship and pray to the same God but in a totally different language. Church was delayed a bit because of the rain. After services...we loaded up and headed to Wabigalo to teach Sunday School! We did our lesson on Daniel in the Lion's Den...I read the children a book...and then we passed out craft supplies for the kids to make lion masks out of paper plates, lion puppets out of paper bags, and regular paper to draw the story of Daniel and the Lions. There were kids of all ages!! Babies who were just walking to 15 year olds! My grandma Treva made several cloth headbands for me to bring on this trip...I took them with me to the school to give to the girls there...I began giving the headbands to the girls and tying them on their heads...this however, did not last...because the boys started wanting them too! So...now the girls AND boys of Wabigalo are wearing homemade Arkansas cloth headbands! It was SO cute!!One little baby girl, snotty nose and smelling of pee, was the most precious little girl I have ever seen.She was ALWAYS smiling at me when I looked at her! She LOVED my full attention! When class was over and everyone was headed home, she was just walking down the road alone with her lion mask in hand and a daisy headband tied around her little head-an image I will NEVER forget! We left all of our extra craft supplies and materials for the school and church to use whenever they need them!
Yesterday was our LAST full off day in Kampala. Abel drove us ALL around the city!! We went to one last craft market and enjoyed our time there. Then we went to Garden City which is JUST like an American mall!! It was so cool! And we even ate there. We ate at a nice restaurant and the food was SOOO good!! We loved walking around and seeing all the stores!! We got back in the car and drove around a little more and then returned to the hotel to rest for a bit. Then we went back to town to eat at Sam's. Sam's is a restaurant that we first heard of from a friend of ours who lives in Kenya. He said that we MUST eat there while in Kampala...not long after that...it was on a television show on Discovery Channel! So of course we HAD to eat there! And we had WILD AFRICAN GAME!! We had the mixed grilled platter which included Spring Buck, Kudu, and Wildebeest....and it was SOO good!! We left there VERY happy and full!
We only have six days left...six days of God blessing EVERY minute here with his people!!<3

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Be available and God WILL use you!

Sunday was another AMAZING service at the Kampala Church of Christ! Francis preached on Romans and dying to self, yet being alive in Christ. His main point to get across was to tell us to be available...and God WILL use you!!! I LOVE that!! Sheba...a woman at the church...spoke bf communion about how we can reject God when we disobey Him..and He in return might reject us...but she also spoke on how Christ was rejected and if we follow Him...we WILL be rejected by people of this world. Sheba is a beautiful woman and is SO smart! I love when she speaks on Sundays! Godfrey spoke before the offering on 2 Corinthians 9:7-"God loves the cheerful giver!"It was a GREAT service...but makes me sad that I dont have many left. What I love MOST about the church is the little things-as soon as the people walk through the gate...(late or on time) they sit down and pray alone before doing ANYTHING else! They get their minds focused and right on track for their worship to God. They have ALL of the children come to the front of the church before going to Sunday School...and the preacher prays for all of the children..blessing them and giving praise to God for their lives...All of the adults raise hands toward the children while the preacher is praying for them. After the offering is collected..they get the basket of money and place hands on it and pray for it to be used and blessed for God. All these simple things make the service SO much more special!!!
After church we had lunch and we enjoyed some time with people from the church. We went and used a few hours to rest back at the hotel before going out for the evening! We met back at the church and went with Francis to a small community called Wabigalo. Francis helps with the church in Wabigalo. Wabigalo is in the middle of the slums. This is a different slum than the one we have been to before. This slum is dirtier and messier....the smell is rather strong...and there are beautiful children running around ALL over! The homes are made of twigs..scrap metal...or clay.Right on the backside of this slum...is a small school. This is where they have church as well. There are a few rooms in this school and are all decorated with numbers and letters and posters drawn on cardboard or pieces of paper. The school was made there because it is a safe place for children to be...away from the busy streets...and it is cheap for the children to go there..seeing as how most primary schools in Africa are very expensive to attend. The children performed songs and dances for us and the teacher...founder...and Francis all spoke for us. It was a GREAT time!It rained the whole time we were in the school but just as we left the rain cleared up!! Praise God! He is good!
We then took a mini-bus (a taxi) and headed to a RUGBY game! A few members of the church wanted to take us there and show us what a rugby game was like! Uganda was playing against Zimbabwe and so it was a very exciting game! We had a GREAT time! Rugby is such a crazy game! It made me think of my brother Cody the whole time! He would LOVE the game! We finally headed home and enjoyed a dinner with some men from the church- it was buy one get one free pizza night!! So of course we ate TONS of pizza!!!
Monday we met Isaac at the church and went to the chicken project. It was about a 30 minute drive away in a tiny little community. The site of the chicken project is at Francis' house. He donated part of his home for the project. There are four rooms to this building- one room is his bed and a desk- the other three go to the chickens. There are over 250 hens there now...laying eggs for the church to sell. They feed the chickens a type of corn ground up with fish bones and other materials like that...What they discovered was that this corn was not enough to produce many eggs...they were only getting two and a half crates of eggs a week...so they decided to try something else...they found this vine that grows around the house and started feeding it to them once a day..the chickens not only LOVE it...but it has DOUBLED the amount of the eggs produced!  They sell the eggs to help support other ministries that the church is doing. Francis had prepared some boiled eggs for us and they were SO good! He also gave us some Jack Fruit..(which is AMAZING!) from his yard. He is a very kind man and is a great asset to the church!! We got in the car and headed down the road to a family's home where they also raise chickens-however, their chicken houses were MUCH bigger! They had 1,000 chickens in each house. 1 house that size costs around 5,000 American dollars. Which is a lot of money here in Uganda. The church hopes to one day have a chicken house like that to help support their other ministries even more! I thought of my dad and grandma a lot at this chicken house! They would've loved it!
We had street food last night for dinner....we ate grilled chicken...rolex(which is just like our breakfast burritos) and sausages....one part of the meat was on a kebab...and we weren't sure what type of chicken meat it was...so we decided it was best NOT to ask! The street food is by far my favorite! It tastes SOOO good...but it is best...just don't ask!:) We had a fresh pineapple for desert that Cade cut for us and it was DELICIOUS!
Today starts week 5...it is crazy to me how fast it has all gone by!!
Praying that God uses us to the fullest the last two weeks we are here and putting trust in Him that He will protect these people after we leave....breaks my heart that I may never return here...fully relying on Him to give me a peace to know that they are all going to be okay!!
I have LOVED my life for the past four weeks...it has changed me for the better...and I cannot wait to go home just so I can share the new me and the love of Jesus with others!

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Psalm 86:10

It has been an exciting day here in Kampala! We actually had a big rain storm..with HAIL!! I know...sounds crazy...but it's true!!
Anna was sick the other day..with a tooth ache..mind you this tooth gave her problems in America..and the dentists there never really fixed it..so...Anna got to visit a dentist in Africa! What a GREAT story to tell!!! She found out that her wisdom teeth are coming in!!! Then on top of that...she got a sinus infection!! Not a fun mixture!! However..yesterday...we went and bought a mustard and ketchup bottle combo from the supermarket..except in Kampala they dont use the mustard bottle for mustard..they use if for chilli sauce! We filled it to the top with warm water and salt...then made Anna squirt it up her nose!!(Dont worry..We got it on video!!) But...she is MUCH MUCH better and she actually got some sleep last night!! Thanks for the prayers!
We were just talking yesterday how we do not even notice the dirt on our feet anymore...we just get home at night and stick them in the bathtub to rinse them off!...A mosquito net is also normal to crawl into at night and brushing your teeth with a bottle of water is just the norm! Quiet streets...Electricity and warm water for a shower...What is that!??!:) Oh Africa!! How I love you!!! And how much I will MISS you! EVERYTHING about you!
Mrs. Karen and Emily-Cade rode a Boda-Boda to the post office and I am sure he will tell you ALL about it! He enjoyed EVERY second of it!:)
I have a reader who I can TRULY see God working in every time we read! I will tell you a little about him!:)
Abdisamad Sharif is from Somalia. He is 26 yrs old and attends school here in Kampala. He is just learning his general studies now but wants to continue to get a journalism major. Abdi is Islamic and speaks English VERY well. He is a genuinely good, sweet guy who is trying very hard here in Kampala.
Abdi was born and raised in Somalia. He lived there until the war began in 1991. He said that living conditions were dangerous and not safe for any family. Somalia  was ruled by a dictator that either left or was thrown out and that is when the civil war broke out. Abdi was around 20 when he left his family in Somalia. He moved to Egypt to continue his education at an American school where he learned to speak English. His family stayed in Somalia for a short period of time and then moved to Kenya. Abdi tried to get to Kenya, however, Kenya is very particular with passports and visas and Abdi's weren't ready. Abdi stayed in Egypt and his family moved to America. Abdi left Egypt and came to Uganda because they allowed him to enter without all of his passport information. Abdi is still trying to get to America to be with his family. His family works and some of his sisters attend a university in America. He said that it is a lengthy process and he is now waiting for an interview before he is allowed to go to America.
We read the story about the wise man and the foolish man building their houses. Mind you, Abdi is Muslim. He always agrees with how kind Jesus was and how good he was to the people. After reading that story, I asked him what his foundation was built on...he said "Well I think you know my religion. And I am not a very religious person, but I think my foundation is built on rock or God. I just try to obey and worship him every day."
We also read the story about Moses and Elijah appearing before Jesus and after I retold the story in my own words and explained it to him...he just looked at me and said "That is a beautiful story!!" He continued asking  "Is the true??" I just continued telling him that it was ALL true and that Jesus showed so much love and kindness and forgiveness. I then asked him if he believed this...or if he thought it was true...and his reply.." Oh yes!!"
God is working....God is BIG...
I invited him to church tomorrow...not sure if he will come or not...but I did invite him...and I am praying God is working on him EVERY minute of EVERY day!!!!
You Alone Are God<3

Monday, June 6, 2011

The Village of Wakiso

Sunday...we got up and went to church here at the Kampala Church of Christ...Again..it was a BEAUTIFUL service..very uplifting and encouraging...the people here are so wonderful and so full of love for Christ. After church...we ate a normal lunch of rice,beans,posho,meat,and greens...and then loaded up in a bus to head to the village of Wakiso. We had to bring the cow trough...or our "baptistry"...along with us! We took several people from the church and traveled for about 30 minutes outside of the town of Kampala. We reached Wakiso...which is a BEAUTIFUL village...green in EVERY direction you look. Fruit trees were EVERYWHERE!-Mango, Bananas, Guava, pawpaw, and even avocado trees! We were greeted first things by a handful of children-naturally...I went straight up to them to shake their hands-in Uganda...EVERYONE shakes EVERYONE'S hands...to say hello..goodbye...anything...and you usually hold hands like that for some time...I was SO excited to see that many children! Children of ALL ages as well...They usually just stared at us...until we began to wave and then they would smile..wave back and then turn their heads to giggle! They eventually started warming up to us and it was PRECIOUS!!! It started to rain so all the kids and adults got under a tarp that was strung between some trees... Terzol played the song "This is how we overcome" which says;
Your life broke through my night
Restored exceeding joy
Your praise fell like the rain
And made this desert live

You have turned my mourning into dancing
You have turned my sorrow into joy
You have turned my mourning into dancing
You have turned my sorrow into joy

Your hand lifted me up
I stand on higher ground
Your praise rose through my heart
And made this valley sing

You have turned my mourning into dancing
You have turned my sorrow into joy
You have turned my mourning into dancing
You have turned my sorrow into joy

This is how we overcome
This is how we overcome
This is how we overcome
This is how we overcome

You have turned my mourning into dancing
You have turned my sorrow into joy
You have turned my mourning into dancing
You have turned my sorrow into joy
Well of course...I HAD to teach the children the dance moves to this song...and so...the children of Wakiso and I danced in the rain under a small orange tarp..in the middle of Africa...to these beautiful song! It was SO much fun!Their smiles and laughter is ALL the proof I need to see why God sent me here...these children were beautiful.
After the rain stopped, we played a little bit of soccer and then had church. They laid a tarp out on the ground for the children to sit on...naturally...once again I was right in the middle of the children...sitting on the tarp with them!Sharing a tarp with dozens of homeless, hungry, sick children made me feel a new kind of love...a crazy kind of love...that ONLY God could provide to me at that moment.
We baptized 12 people..carrying in the water to fill the baptistry was a task in itself!...I am just SO thankful that I may never see these people again here on Earth...but I KNOW one day we will meet again and we can talk about that PERFECT day that we shared together in the Wakiso Village.
I later found out that majority of those children I was around were homeless..living on the streets and in ditches...many of them were HIV positive as well...The owner of the land where we had church, his name is Godfrey, has SO much land and it is FULL of fruit trees...He allows the children to come and get as much fruit as they want...most of them live off of his fruit.I am SO thankful that Godfrey is there to provide those children with some type of food.
I am not sure if you can tell or not...but I really do love that place...it had a special tug on my heart.
As I was leaving...I just told each child "Nkwagala"(I Love You)...because thats all I could leave them with...I just pray that my simple words went deep into their hearts and brought some joy into their lives!
Pray that God does BIG things through the Kampala Church with the growth of the Wakiso church!
We are starting our 4th week today! Pray that our time left here is spent in glory of God!
Love to you all!!!<3


Thursday, June 2, 2011

The Hand of God

I thought today...I would tell you about the people who work here and keep this place running...some people who have greatly influenced our life here in Kampala...

Isaac- Isaac is constantly working with us as a team. He is ALWAYS on top of things...making sure we have only the best and making sure that we are the most comfortable we can possibly be! The other day...we asked Isaac what his hobbies were or what was one of his favorite things to do....his response...." I love going to the villages to preach the word of God."....Isaac is such a Godly man..helping the people of Uganda daily! The people come to him when they are struggling financially...spiritually..emotionally..and physically...He helps them in whatever way possible and covers EVERYTHING he does in prayer!
Abel- Abel is the guard here at the church. He lives in the back in a small room and takes care of the place. He locks up at night and opens everything up in the morning. He is the "go to" man around here! One thing about Abel...is that he is one of the most kind hearted men I have EVER met! We all said from day one that we wanted to take him back with us! He would do ANYTHING for ANYONE! He LOVES children! He actually teaches Sunday School here at the church. Abel doesn't have much...but Abel doesn't need ANY more than what he already has! He is SUCH a joy to us and lifts our spirits daily! He has taken us around town and has shown us good places to eat!I love to hear stories of his family and how he lived when he was younger. He is the protector of the place and he lives for Jesus. Last night...he wouldnt even eat a french fry until he had prayed for his food....we were all blown away! One thing Abel said that really was amazing to me was about the church services here...he said..." We just let people worship how they want to here at church. We have SO many different types of religious denominations present that we just let them worship God how they want." I wish we ALL could be this way in the church.
Joseph- Joseph works here and is a big part of the community center. He works in the office by the library that the church provides. People can come and check out books here from the library for 2 weeks at a time. Joseph handles most of that. If he isn't in his office...then he is on the porch playing chess....and i have NEVER seen this kind of chess gamed played in my life!...4 moves and he has the person beat!...these men here play chess for HOURS straight! And they LOVE it! Joseph is ALWAYS smiling and wanting to know how are days are right away! He is always trying to make sure we are comfortable and that we have the things we need here at the church.
Terzol- Terzol is a student here in Kampala...supported by an American family in Texas. They help pay for his schooling and a little extra spending money for food. He is SO grateful for this! Terzol has been kind of our "tour guide" from day one! He loves taking us around the town and he also enjoys laughing at our American ways of how we do things. We have had a GREAT time with Terzol and have appreciated his help SO much! He lives behind the church too and is also a guard. He goes to bed around 3:00 am and then wakes up at 5:30...then goes to school....The boy loves music....and he is NEVER negative or frowning about anything...He lived on the streets for MANY years...digging through the dumpsters and getting food thrown out so that he could sell them in the market to make a little money for food to eat. He did random jobs...shining shoes and other things...just to have money...his story is amazing....and his life today proves just how generous and caring our God really is!
These are just a few people that are here at the church that have made us feel SO welcome and who have placed high spirits in front of us daily!! We love these people and feel as if we have known them for years...when it's only been a few weeks....
We truly experience the hand of God here....and it's a beautiful hand...reaching down...and holding us tightly!
Pray for the people here...many are getting sick with malaria...
My precious little Jone has malaria and has been getting injections at the hospital for the past few days...He is on medicine now and his mother said that he is feeling better....Pray for that baby boy that the medicine begins to work and that he will be back to his crazy 6 yr old self again soon!!
Love you all!

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Africa at it's finest!:)

We are in week 3 of our journey that God has placed in our lives and we are SO in love with this place and it's people!
We loaded up early Sunday morning for our trip to the deep parts of Africa!
It was a five hr drive and it was BEAUTIFUL the whole way! NEW faces...sights..sounds..smells..ALL of it! Everywhere we went people were either working or walking-that is life in Uganda! The air was SO fresh out there and the grass was SO green! We have all agreed that the sky is MUCH prettier in Africa!
We got to see some wildlife on the way there..warthogs..baboons...antelope...different things like that. Lizards basically took over our lodging area where we stayed! And they are NOT like our lizards!! We stayed in the small huts called bandas and they were so cool! Wild game roamed around outside our bandas so we had to keep our eyes open and be cautious when walking around! We had great meals at the lodge and enjoyed sitting on the porch...listening to the birds..rain...and watching the animals in the field below us eating and enjoying the sunshine! There were mainly warthogs around our lodge. A family of them with 4 babies roamed around often and ate the grass and bugs. It was SO relaxing and peaceful there...and SO beautiful!
Later that evening...we went on a hike around the top of a waterfall. It was called Merchison Falls and it was BREATH taking! It is a huge waterfall that is part of the Nile River. We saw a ton of wild animals on the way there as well. Once we got to the falls...a guide took us on a hike around the falls in which we got to view it from many different angles. At the end..we got to stand RIGHT beside the falls....SO big and powerful! It just made me realize even more just how amazing our God truly is!He is SO much stronger than that waterfall...and let me tell you...that waterfall was STRONG! At one part of the falls...it is actually the most narrow pt on the Nile river...and Winston Churchill tried to build a bridge across it...the bridge only lasted 2 yrs....
The next day we got up VERY early and went on the safari! That safari was some kind of something!!We saw SO many different animals-giraffes...elephants...water buffalo...antelope...lion...birds..warthogs..and even hippos! Riding out of the top of the van was SO fun!! It was amazing to see those beautiful animals out in the wild and not in a cage!! The color of the animals are so much brighter and so much more beautiful out in the wild...the zoo really doesnt do these animals any justice!
After the safari we ate lunch and then went on a boat ride down the Nile!!! It was amazing!! We went to the bottom of the falls and it was SO beautiful!!! Such an AMAZING sight to see!! We saw SO many animals along the way too! We saw HUNDREDS of hippos!! EVERYWHERE! I can honestly say i LOVE hippos!!haha crazy looking animals who could eat me whole...but SO cool!We saw SEVERAL families of elephants...even some with babies!! Tiny elephants are SO cute!! They were all just standing around eating...drinking and bathing while we floated past them! We saw several LARGE crocs sun bathing and floating around and a few eagles and water bucks...all BEAUTIFUL creatures! The day was PERFECT...and the weather just made it all the better!! We went back and ordered dinner and then went right to sleep! It was a tiring day!
The next morning we got up and went chimp tracking!! We actually hiked through the African jungle and looked for CHIMPS! AND!! Best of ALL...we found a female chimp with a baby! We got to sit and watch her for some time! It was GREAT! I loved hearing all the sounds and seeing all the amazing new sites! After hiking for 3 hrs...we headed back to good ol' Kampala! I sure did miss this place and familiar faces! I was greeted first thing this morning by Jone...and boy did that make my day!
I cannot wait for the other boys to get here and for all of my other readers to get here as well!
It's a beautiful day in Kampala!
Hope you all have a WONDERFUL day!
Give thanks to the Lord..FOR HE IS GOOD!