HELLO FROM UGANDA!! Although today was only our second day, it was one for the books! If I had to describe today in 5 words, I would say… Sleep deprivation, team bonding, and provision. While you read this update, parts of it may not make complete sense due to the fact that I am half asleep while writing this… just try and get the main picture 🙂
Today, we started off somewhere in the air, flying for what seemed like the 38th hour. I was personally nervous about the travel portion of this trip and the sheer amount of time we would spend in the air. Before this, I had only been on a plane for, at most, 7 hours at a time. Sooo… let’s just say 20 hours was quite the jump.
As we made our final descent into Uganda, I sat there with my headphones on, watching Top Gun: Maverick, reflecting on the faithfulness of our God thus far. Not only did he provide us a safe time of travel, He also grew our team closer and closer before the true mission trip even began. Something about the stress of traveling in a group of 16 to a foreign country will really bring some people together.
Not only this, on our last flight from Rwanda to Entebbe, a group of students from Storybrook, TX, boarded the plane on their way back from a week-long mission trip to Uganda. Hearing their stories and how God moved in and through them was truly inspiring and uplifting. The fact that the God of the universe met our team in Rwanda, Africa at 2 am just to have someone say the encouraging words we needed to hear, truly blows my mind.
After going through customs and getting all our luggage packed up, we began our drive to where we would eat breakfast, Cafe Javas (or CJ’s if you ask Cole). As we walked off the bus, though still dark, we could hear the monkeys making noises all around us. (I’m not sure why I was baffled when Cole told me that we could see the monkeys when the sun came up, but that was a revolutionary thought to my sleep-deprived mind.
Getting to eat that first meal together as a team was very special. This time allowed for a time of reflection and anticipation. Excited to see what our Lord has in store. After eating, we walked over to the tall windows where we watched the monkeys run and swing from tree to tree as the sun rose behind them. This will be a memory that replays in my mind for years and years. Hearing everyone laughing and conversing, the monkeys living life in the background, the cafe workers’ confused looks as to why we were so amused by the monkeys that seemed so normal to them. It was all perfect!
Shortly after, we began our drive to the equator, where we stopped and took a couple of pictures. This was a quick pit stop due to the long drive ahead of us before reaching our hotel.
Many laughs and waves to locals later, we arrived at the hotel where we dropped our bags and ate lunch. This was a sweet time to get to know the workers with whom we will spend the next week.
All that to say… that’s a wrap on day two of our mission trip to Uganda. Please be in continual prayer for our team members and staff. Our hearts are expectant that God will use this situation for His glory, and we are ready to be His hands and feet!
