Mission Uganda Day 12

Woke up really early this morning so we can get started to Queen Elizabeth National Park for our safari. It was going to be about a 2 hour drive. The countryside here on the west part of Uganda is so beautiful. Such great scenery and people. Got to Queen Elizabeth National Park and as we are driving to get there we see a herd of elephants on the side of the road eating . A herd of elephants! Wow! It was awesome. Such a great day and the animals God created. Will post some pics on facebook. I also was able to stand on both sides of the equator. So I was in the northern hemisphere and southern hemisphere at the same time. Awesome! Had a very good day. Look at the pics. See y'all soon!

Paz y amor,

Raul

Mission Uganda Day 11

On a bus headed from Tororo to Fort Portal. Left the hotel at 630 this morning. Gonna be a long 10 hour drive. We are going to see if we can go around Kampala because they are having some kind of riots right now. I think that would be a good idea. Made it to Fort Portal and checked into our hotel Mountains of the Moon. When we checked in we went to Sunrise House and visited the orphans there that are in secondary school and college. I had the pleasure of Bishop Kumenere. He is the bishop of the Church of Uganda. A very famous man of the church in Uganda. It was a pleasure and honor to have met him. It was like standing next to royalty in Uganda. Everyone in Uganda knows who this man of God is. Bishop Kumenere helped start Sunrise House and his son James and Stella have kept it going. They are doing such a great job with these young ladies and women. After Sunrise House we left and came back to the hotel to just hangout and relax. Had a terrific dinner here at the hotel and headed to bed. We are going to go to Queen Elizabeth National Park for a safari. So we are leaving at 630 am. Gonna get some shut eye. Miss all of y'all and looking forward to seeing y'all soon.

Paz y amor,

Raul

Mission Uganda, Day 10

Woke up extra early this morning to go hike and climb The Rock. The Rock is a mountain that all the Ugandans call in Tororo. It's a big mountain in the middle of Tororo. When you get to the top you can see for miles and miles. We started out at 7 am sharp and made our way to the mountain. It was a pretty steep hike and climb. I thought I was in okay shape. Boy, I was sucking wind pretty fast. I just had to adjust my VO2 max as I was elevating. It got pretty steep pretty fast. No ropes were needed you just needed to watch your footing and not lose your balance. Made it to the top of the mountain and the view was just awesome. You can see for miles and miles. Spectacular. You get to the top of that mountain and how can you not believe in God. How can you not believe in a God that crated such a beautiful place here and everywhere. Made our way down the mountain which was a bit easier. You still had to watch what you were doing and keep your balance. Made it to the bottom and there at the bottom of the mountain was a big cave where this man lives and has a church in the cave. That was pretty cool. So I did what I usually do. I explored the cave and that was awesome. The cave was not really deep into the mountain but still cool. Took a picture with the man who caretakes the cave. After the hike/climb got back to the hotel and took a much needed shower. After the shower had a super quick breakfast because we needed to get going to the village of Abur. When we got to the village they were so excited to see us. They hugged us, sang for us and just celebrated with and for us because we were there. They had a program for us with singing and dancing. They love to sing and love to sing and praise God. There at Abur were the Yum Yum Gardens in which the people in the village and nearby village farmed. They decided as  a group of villages that they were going to work together and farm the land to make money and provide for there families. This endeavor had worked and has been profitable for them. They grew corn last season and sold it and now they are growing watermelons. They were saying that watermelon is the most profitable for them because they can get 1500 - 2500 shillings per watermelon. Remember that it is 2000 shillings for one american dollar. Pretty cheap for watermelon but very profitable for the villagers. They also had other gardens in which they grew different vegetables to sell and eat. They had a lunch for us that was a feast and very good. I have been very pleased with the food we have eaten here. Very tasty and the fruit is amazing. Towards the end of the day Pastor Peter came and joined us for a bit and Kent and I went with Pastor Peter and Pastor Lawrence to a couple of other villages. We went to the village of Soni.  We were the first people to have visited their village. They were a good sustainable village. They did not wait for handouts from people. If they wanted something  they  found a way to get it done and Pastor Peter loved it. They had some sewing machines where they make dresses and shirts. That was a neat experience to be part of. After that village Kent and I headed to a nearby village called Wikusi and went there to see a classroom where Mama Jaquelyn was teaching english to the local women. Great ministry Mama Jacquelyn was doing. After that visit we headed back to the hotel to get some much needed rest. As we were making our way to the hotel there was a huge rain storm and it was crazy. I think Africa has crazy thunderstorms. Not looking forward to tomorrow because we are going all the way to west uganda to Fort Portal and that is a one days drive on a bus. Oh well, it'll be nice to the the rest of the Ugandan country. God Bless y'all and miss y'all. Looking forward to being home.

Paz y amor,

Raul       

Mission Uganda, Day 9

Woke up today excited about what our day was going to be like. Had the usual breakfast but had a bacon and toast sandwich. I thought it was bacon. It sure was good. Had family time on the morning and talked about the day before. Great stories about what teams did and how God was working in our lives and in the lives of people around us. Such touching stories. Love it. We were headed to the Beeson neighborhood where the Karamajong Tribe is located. The Karamajong have a long history of the tribe that everyone picked on. So the Karamajong Tribe lived in the slums outside of Tororo. There is a story that the kids in the neighborhood would walk around looking for food in the trash heaps to bring home to eat. This 10 year old little girl found a piece of meat in the trash that had a dead rat. She tore the piece of meat off and showed the other kids that were around her. The kids around her got jealous and started chasing her for her piece of meat. The little girl was scared and wanted to bring home the piece of meat for her family so she stuffed the meat in her mouth and ran and she grew violently ill and died. This is how bad this neighborhood was until Smile for Africa showed up and Feed My Starving Children. There was also another story of a baby named Esther and she was dumped in the trash after she was born. Her mother cut the umbilical cord with her finger nails and left her in the trash. This was about 6 months ago. I cannot possibly fathom that. I got to hold Esther Ruth and she is a healthy 7 month old baby. She is beautiful and loves life and smiles so much. Thinking about this story really makes me cry and think how can a mother do that and how many others are out there who have done that where the baby has not been found. That is why Smile for Africa works where it is at.  Smile for Africa is a ministry that Pastor Ruth directs in which they teach and educate widowed women and orphans. These women have been widowed by a husband who has passed away from HIV or some other disease or the husband just left. Smile for Africa helps these widowed women be self sustainable. The women take a year long course on accounting, finances, business and other courses so they can have a business for them selves and support their family. Today there were 14 graduating and all of them were so excited. Right before we were going to eat lunch there was about an hour to hangout with the kids and play. We were also there to help feed the 400 children that were there at the compound. The kids were suppose to get Feed My Starving Children meals but the containership was stuck on the border of Kenya and Uganda. What happened is that the government of Uganda has budgeted money for the taxes to be paid for the containership of meals. It just needs a signature to get the food shipped from the budget person from the Ugandan government. They just held there elections in February and there are some new politicians and things have been crazy with the government here. So, Feed My Starving Children is mad at Hope 4 Kids for not having the containership yet and has nothing to do with Hope 4 Kids but the government of Uganda. Bottom line its all about the money. It takes $24,000 in taxes to be paid and get the food. Hope 4 kids has been trying to get the shipment. Hope 4 Kids is hoping to get the food on Friday. Please pray for this that they get the food for all these children. The food will go toward Smile for Africa, the school in Juba, true vine ministries school and other places. I was blessed to help serve food to the 400 children. They ate this meal called posho (poh-sho). It is made up of finely ground corn(looked like mashed potatoes), beans and a sauce on top. Let me tell you the kids really sat and were very patient for there food. Everyone got the same thing. Not one of them saying I want something else or can I have this or I don't want it. They ate what they were served in front of them. We started with all the babies and toddlers then all the way up to the secondary kids that were there. All sat patiently and waited for there food. Amazing. It was just a different experience and just so awesome at the same time. These kids prayed and sang to God for the abundance  God has given them before they ate. They had smiles on their face and loved us. Unconditionally. That is the way God loves us. Unconditionally, no ropes attached, nothing…just loves us with a smile and open arms. After Smile for Africa about six of us went to the Tororo prison. We went to the prison with Pastor Eric who has started a ministry there and is doing such an awesome job. We got to the prison and they were hanging under a mango tree singing waiting for us. They were singing worship songs and praising God. It was such a sight to see about 300 prisoners singing and praying and enjoying themselves. Prison in Uganda is tough and is not a place where you want to go. In Uganda you can serve time even before you go to court or anything. Just because someone has said you did something or stole something they can put you in prison until you are found not guilty. Kind of crazy. So we get to the prison and they have seats ready for us in front of everyone as their honored guest. Let me tell you it was a bit intimidating being there in front of the prisoners. I had the privilege of preaching to the prisoners. They really liked what I preached about and took it to heart. It was such a great time and so moving. A lot of those prisoners looked as if they were under 18 even though the prison was for convicts 18 years and over. They were very glad we came and that we shared with them. Such a great day. Went back to the hotel ate dinner and got some good rest. Looking forward to what God has in store for me tomorrow.

Paz y amor,

Raul     

Mission Uganda, Day 8

Woke up had the normal breakfast minus hard boiled eggs. They ran out of eggs. So the usual pineapple, watermelon and toast was on the agenda for me. After breakfast had our family time and shared about the day before and sang some worship songs. I love having my guitar with me. Being able to just grab my guitar and play and unwind from a long day is great. Plus being outside and looking at the stars is so awesome. Last night I was looking at the night sky and saw the big dipper upside down. Back home the big dipper the right side up. That was really cool. Well, today we were on our way to the village of Bupoto (Boo-po-toe). The ride was going to be about maybe two hours. I kind of like the long van or bus rides because I can take in all the culture, people and country. Where this village is located it is so beautiful. So beautiful. We arrived at the village and the kids at the village were excited to see us. They were singing and ready to greet us. They gave us all hugs and said that we were very welcome. We brought with us dresses and britches that Lord of Life made, mosquito nets and flip flops. We had enough nets, dresses, britches and flip flops for all the children in the village. Such a great feeling that they will be sleeping mosquito free. Praise the Lord! The children were so very grateful for the things they received. I cannot express in words what my feelings are about this. Other than God is good. Simple things in life is what puts a smile on these children's faces. The children have such unconditional love for us and have such beautiful smiles. They make me smile. I love taking pictures of them because when I take a picture I show them the picture on the digital camera and they love it and giggle. Sometimes this might be the first time this child has seen there face in a picture. Today was a good day. Tomorrow we are going to Smile Africa and some of us, including me will be going to a prison to pray, talk and give a gift to some of the prisoners. Let you know how that goes. Much love for all who are reading. Miss y'all and looking forward to talking to you about this country of Uganda that I have fallen in love with.

God's Peace and Love,

Raul

Mission Uganda, Day 7

I love waking up in Uganda. This country is so beautiful and the people here are so great. We are always greeted with a smile, handshake and a hug. Had the usual breakfast this morning. Loaded the bus and headed to the village of Pasikula (Pass-ee-koo-la). There we were going to distribute the britches and dresses that Lord of Lifers had sewn, the school supplies that LOL had collected and give away 60 goats. First we needed to make a stop in Juba to pick Pastor Peter up to come with us. As we arrived Pastor Peter is holding a limp child in his arms and his mom was following him. Pastor Peter enters the van and says hurry lets go we need to get to the clinic soon. This child limp and so weak in his arms was suffering from malaria and was not doing well. It was an experience being in the van with a child on the verge of maybe dying and the mother sitting right in front of me. The little boy looked so frail and weak. We arrived at the clinic and took the boy inside. In Africa you pay for treatment up front first. So some of us gathered some shillings for the family and they were admitted. Talk about a life changing event for anyone. As we were driving down the dirt roads to get to the clinic I was praying a prayer of healing for the little boy. Hoping he would get well. We found out later that the boy got the treatment he needed and will be okay. I am glad I was able to help this little boy's life. After that situation we made our way to Pasikula. It was such a joy and experience to see all the beautiful smiles and hugs. To give clothes to these children who have maybe one pair of pants, shoes (maybe), and one shirt. For these young children to have another pair of pants and for the young girls to have another dress is huge.  For the children to have school supplies for them to simply have a pencil or pen to write with. The goat is a way of life for the families for the children. The children learn to raise and take care of the goat and have them multiply so they can have more goats. Use the milk of the goat and be able to trade a couple goats for a cow and so forth. Teaching the children responsibility and having them educated is important for these young children. Education here is Uganda is not top priority but for some pastors in the villages and some adults it is important for these young children to be educated. That is why it is important for the village to have a well or have one close by. It was a matter of the parents choosing for the child to go to school or go get water from the water hole which is a half days walk back and forth. Getting the water was more important in the parents eyes. So being educated and/or going to school is not top priority. Also part of the day were some well dedications. There is someone on the team here with us that raised over $75,000 to help make seven wells here in Uganda. That is just awesome. One of those wells was in the village of Waneaga. What was great is that we were the first white people to have been in that area of Uganda and that village of Waneaga. The original water source for the village and surrounding area was a six by five foot water hole that was very deep. In order for the children or women to get water they needed to walk along a log and bend over and get the water jug filled. It was a dangerous adventure because the log would get slippery or they might lose their balance and fall in. They had two children the past year drown in this water source that they were using for drinking or other things. So having this well drilled was so important. Water such a simple life giving substance. Such an amazing thing to have and witness people come to a well and know that the water they are drinking is safe and can keep them from contracting cholera and/or thyphoid fever. God is good! 

Grace and Peace be with you all,

Raul

Mission Uganda, Day 6

Woke up refreshed and had breakfast. Very good. Today is Sunday and we are going to worship at the village in Juba. The church in Juba is Pastor Peter's church. (Not our Lord of Life Sr. Pastor Peter) We got to Juba and worship had already been going on for about two hours. They were in the intercessory prayer and they were all praying. We were invited in the church and were escorted to the front where they wanted to us to be the honored guest. We were singing Lord I Lift Your Name on High in Jopadola the local language and in English. We sang, we prayed and we worshipped and it was great. I was asked to preach for the church this morning. So I preached in an African village called Juba and that is something that I will remember for the rest of my life. Normally the pastor talks for 2 hours but I was not going to do that. I managed to preach for about 12 minutes and they loved it. Once I finished Pastor Peter thank me so much and asked his church what have we learned from our preaching today. Lots of people raised there hands and said things they learned and that was pretty awesome. One of the other pastors stood up and said I have learned lots from this man and reminds me of Proverbs 25:25. "Good news from a distant land is like cold water to a parched throat." Wow! Pastor Alex stood and said we have heard good news from this man from America, Lord of Life. I was just in awe of everything. I just can't describe it. It was I guess a holy moment in my life. I have had many holy moments on this trip and so much to share. After worship we all sat in the church for about another couple hours talking over sweet bananas and pop. We talked about the village of Juba. How it was back during the civil war in 1986. And just lots of talking about how God is working in Juba. After that we headed back to the hotel and ate lunch. After lunch I was excited to distribute some of the soccer jerseys that I brought with me. I also had the chance to play with a Ugandan team. It was such an awesome experience. It was a friendly match at the local pitch by True Vine. I distributed enough jersey's for the two teams. I handed out a set a red jersey's and blue jersey's. They were all so grateful for the jersey's. It was such a great experience. I was also asked to play with the red team. They found out that I play goal keeper and they had me start the game for them. Let me tell you, I was nervous. The teams consisted of  young men between the ages of 18 - 24. Different continent but same rules and same game. It was an awesome experience and I loved it. The other team tried so hard to score on me but failed. I made about four good saves and they loved me for that. Kept the score 0 - 0 at half. Some players played bare footed, some players had to sew their shoes, taped their shoes whatever to play. They play because they love this beautiful game. So so awesome. Loved it. After the game we took a group picture of all of us together. I was very humbled by this experience and so many experiences this trip. After the futbol match we headed back to the hotel and ate dinner. I have had such an amazing experience so far and we have another 7 days in Africa. Gonna be a good week. Looking forward to tomorrow.   

Mission Uganda, Day 5

Woke up this morning really refreshed. I felt like I slept really well. I guess I am getting adjusted to African time. Breakfast is usually the same. They have eggs, beans, fried potatoes, hard boiled eggs, eggs, fruit (pineapple, watermelon, and banana), juice, sausage of some kind of meat that I don't know and have not tasted and toast. A great array of food to choose from. After breakfast we hopped on the bus and headed to True Vine Ministries in Tororo. There we took of tour of the facility and people here on Mission Uganda were able to visit the children they sponsor. Laura and Kent were able to see Julius and Pius the two sons they sponsor. Julius is in P6 and is 14 years old and Pius is 20 and he is in his first year of technical college. Pius will be done with technical college next year. The others that did not have their children they sponsored there at True Vine played with the elementary kids. One greoup od us played with some kids and a parachute. The kids loved that. They also did and puppet show with the younger children and they loved it. So many smiles. I became pretty popular when I pulled out a soccer ball and some of the older kids wanted to play. I was able to play futbol with some of the boys and they had so much fun. I know I had fun. About  1 o'clock we headed back to the hotel and ate lunch. After lunch a group of about 6 of us headed to the village of Bukaya (Boo-Ky-ya). It was about 45 minute drive from our hotel to the village. We went thru some roads or maybe trails to get to this village. The drive was an adventure but fun. It is so great to take a drive thru the African road, trails or whatever and see all the people. What is great is that I wave at people from the bus or van when I am riding and amazing the smiles they have on their face. The smiles they have because I just waved at them. Especially the children. So awesome. We make it to the villager and we are going to paint the clinic they have there. The clinic they have there is a two room clinic and each room is about 5' x 10'. Not very big. This clinic will help people from 20 miles away. The village and Pastor Godfrey who is the pastor of the village and the church were so grateful we were there to paint. We painted and then the pastor invited us to come to his house and eat dinner. As honored guest of the village we had to be there. So we stopped painting and went to the pastors house. We enter his house and it's a modest house. All six of us were sitting in the living room and Pastor Godfrey tells us all, "I'll be right back I need to prepare the animal." We all looked at each other and said,"Did he really say prepare the animal." Yes he did! The feast they had for us was modest and very good. It was more than what the village ate the past few days. We had, chipati, rice, broth, chicken, boiled meat (probably goat), and some greens (looked like cooked grass, but tasty). I washed it all down with a coke. I was so honored to have eaten with Pastor Godfrey and that he and his family provided this meal for us. After our meal we were invited to worship. Worship was great. Music and singing fantastic. One of the six people that was with us was invited to preach. Larry who is a pastor in California, his congregation adopted this village and help build the clinic, pastor's house, church and the well in the village. It cost about $40,000 to adopt a village. Any takers? During the church service it started to rain. Then it rained harder, harder and harder. When I thought it could not rain any harder it rained harder and then hailed. The church has a tin roof. It was so loud in the church that you could not hear anything. It was crazy. Worship ended and we had to leave pretty fast during the hard rain before it got any worse and we were stranded in the village for the night because of the roads being not drivable. But we made it back to the hotel and were glad. Ate dinner and wanted to take a shower. But the water was shut off. I was really mad. But then I realized I have nothing to complain about. I am here in this hotel and have all the amenities and nothing to complain about. I let it go and not worried about it. Looking forward to tomorrow.      

Mission Uganda, Day 4

I had to use my mosquito net over my bed last night. I have never used a mosquito net nor have to use one to cover me while I slept. That was a first for me. I felt like a princess. Even though that is kind of weird. So glad I did. Then, the power went out in guess in the town or our section because nothing electrical was working in our hotel and my room warmed up really fast to where it was very uncomfortable to sleep. I woke up at 3 am decided that it was okay because it was 6pm back home and gave me a chance to call Rhea and the girls. After our 10 minute phone call I decided to give sleeping another shot and I slept till 7 am. Ate breakfast and we had family time at 8 am. Talked about the schedule for the day and what we were going to be doing. This morning we headed to the village of Juba where Pastor Peter is the director and pastor of the church. When we parked and got off the bus we were surrounded by some many kids. So many kids. All of them wanting your attention and holding your hand. It was overwhelming but so awesome. The kids are so loving and so so cute. They have smiles that could light up the world. We were in Juba to be part of a graduation ceremony for their pre-school kids who are moving to primary school. The graduation was awesome! The schools choir sang great songs, dance solos, dances, and all sorts of fabulous things. There was a great message from the headmaster of the school. Everything he said translated so much to raising our own kids here in the United States. He hit the nail on the head. The adults, parents, and teachers were so appreciative for us being there. Everytime we were greeted by them they would tell us,"Praise the Lord," or  "You are most welcome." or "You are most very welcome." They came up to us and hugged all of us. They have never met me and have no reason to hug me but they did and said they loved me and glad that I am here with them. It was such a great morning and very heart warming. After being in Juba we headed back to the hotel for lunch. We split into two different teams. Kent and Laura went with the team back to Juba for a women's tea. There they pampered the women, washed their feet, painted their toe nails, had lipstick for them, a gift for them and more. In Uganda, women are looked down upon, the bottom of the pecking order and are made to serve everyone around her. But this afternoon was about them and them being served. Some of the women travelled by foot for two days to get to Juba. So you know this was an important thing to do for us.  Heard great stories from the team that went. They laughed, they cried, they prayed and laughed some more. The women really really appreciated it very much. I went with the team that went to the village of Seka (Say-ka). Seka was about an hour away from our hotel. We drove on a road that bordered Kenya and Uganda. On one side of the road was Kenya and the other side was Uganda. Pretty awesome being in two countries at once. While on this road and every road we have been on so far on this trip. There are people always walking on them. Walkin walking walking. Either with their water jug headed to the well, or a pig strapped to the back of a bicycle, hauling rice bags, or whatever. They are walking, riding a bicycle or a motorcycle. At Seka, we brought a lot of the school supplies that we collected at Lord of Life and they were very appreciative for those supplies. Thank you Lord of Life for those donations. I also brought a few soccer balls and the kids went crazy for them. We also took a tour of the village. They had a church, school, and a two room clinic. The church was a building that they used for church on Sundays and then for some classrooms. The school has ages from nursery to 8th grade. The clinic they had was just two rooms attached to the church. That being a clinic they had very little means and need so much more. One of the rooms in the clinic had a young mom with her infant daughter suffering from malaria. They had a bed made of papyrus on the floor. The infant was lying on the floor with her mom next to her. I prayed a prayer of healing for them in my head. It is so hard to see suffering like that. Especially a young infant. After the tour we all went into the church and there we had an hour long explanation about washing your hands and why we should wash our hands. Sounds kind of silly but they needed this educational moment. Not just them but their parents who were present. In our world we have restrooms. In theirs they have outside latrines or the bush. So needing them to be sanitary and wash their hands can help the spread of germs and diseases. All the kids sat through that presentation quiet and listened. After  the presentation we were going to go outside and play some soccer with the kids but rain came very hard. So we had to make our way back to the hotel before the roads got worse. Got back to our hotel about 7 pm. Dinner was at 730pm. Now I am really tired and headed to bed. Have a good night/day. Looking forward to posting pictures sometime soon.

Mission Uganda, Day 3

Woke up  this morning ready to go. Today we are headed to Tororo which is about 3 hours east of Entebbe. First, we had to drive through the capital city of Kampala. That was an experience. Seemed like there were no driving lanes. Cars wove in and out and motorcycles everywhere. Really, there were so many motorcycles. That is the vehicle of choice I think. Easy to get around town and much quicker. After getting through Kampala we made our way east to Jinja. But first I requested if we can stop at Mandela National Stadium. That was such a sight. Loved it. We stopped along the way on the side of the road for lunch. Let me tell you that when you are on a bus and you stop you get rushed by kids and adults for you to buy something. For lunch we got chicken on a stick. Very good. (Just getting warmed up for the MN state fair.) We also had this flat bread that looked like a tortilla but bigger called Chapati. That was very good! Yum. Then we had a Ugandan banana. Another good food item. I gave in an bought something from one of the kids selling pop. I bought a nice cold coke for 1,000 Ugandan Shillings. Just to give you an idea how much that cost in U.S. dollars. There are 2,000 shillings in one american dollar. When we arrived to Jinja we went to the source of the Nile. This is the place where the Nile River starts. There are two islands between Lake Victoria and the Nile River. Where that island is located there are fresh water springs that feed the Nile and spouts out 4,000 liters of water per minute. That was awesome to go to the place where this mighty river starts. At the site where the source of the Nile starts there is also a memorial for Mahatma Gandhi where some of his ashes were immersed in the Nile River in 1948. Powerful. I stood there and said a prayer for peace in our world. We loaded up our bus and headed to Tororo. On the road we stopped and feed the baboons on the side of the road. They are some scary looking animals up close. But a wonderful creation from our creator. After having fun feeding the baboons bananas we headed to our hotel in Tororo. We are staying at the Rock Classic hotel. Its not a fancy hotel but you know it is better than probably what a lot of people are sleeping in tonight. I am very grateful for what I have.  Checked in to the hotel and took a tour of True Vine ministries from our bus because it was pouring rain outside. Can't wait to get to work tomorrow. Rock Classic hotel will be my home for the next 8 days. Well I am going to get some shut eye and get a good nights rest. It has been such a great experience already. Can't wait for tomorrow. I still can’t believe that I am in Africa. So awesome. Till tomorrow's post. The internet connection here is really really slow.I am going to try and upload pictures on my facebook page. Like i said the internet connection is slow. We'll see if it works.

Mission Uganda Day 1 and Day 2

     Well Kent, Laura and I have finally arrived in Entebbe, Uganda. After what seemed like we trekked all across ther world. Wait a minute. We did! Seems like I have been travelling for two days. Started out Tuesday, April 5 leaving MSP at 315 pm, made our way to Amsterdam, had a five hour layover, then hopped on another plane to Nairobi, Kenya, had another one hour layover, hoped on another plane and finally arrived to our final destination. Somewhere in between all that plane hoping I managed to eat breakfast at McDonalds at the Amsterdam Airport. I know why McDonalds since you are away from home. I just wanted to get something familiar to eat before I start eating stuff that we are offered as guest in Uganda Villages. Flying over Amsterdam and Africa during the day was awesome. I took some awesome pics from the plane. The Alps are amazing, Egpyt, the Red Sea, amazing amazing amazing. I am totally stoked and excited to be here. We are staying in Entebbe tonight at the Imperial Golf View Hotel. I may wake up early tomorrow and see if I could maybe borrow a 9 iron and a putter and get 9 holes before breakfast. We arrived here at night so I hope there is a golf course. Has been a long day. Sorry so short today. I'll add some more soon. I need to head to bed, take a much needed shower and get some shut eye. Tomorow we are taking a three hour bus ride to the Nile River, and travel to Tororo, which will be our home for the majority of our stay. We will be staying at the Rock Classic Hotel in Tororo. Good night and I will post more later.