Strength and Teamwork

The last two days have been incredible. We have really been able to see God work here in Uganda, but we have also been experiencing a little bit of spiritual warfare. Every member of our team has been feeling a little under the weather. There is a nasty cold going around, and I’m sure playing out in the rain didn’t really help either.  So please pray that we are able to overcome this sickness and pray that it does not hinder us from doing what God has brought us here to do.

 On a lighter note, we have completed our first two days of VBS! The first day was a little rough because we were still learning how to engage the kids in this culture, but overall it was a success. There was a lot of worship music, prizes, bubbles, and fun to be had with the sports. The kids had a really good time learning dodge ball (or attempting to), kickball, and basketball. The theme of the day was strength so we did a skit on David and Goliath and the kids found it absolutely hilarious.  We applied the concept of strength from the Lord both to the skit and the sports we taught them. We really enjoyed this time with the children because we were able to teach them things that will be important to their lives long after we leave this place. The 100+ kids that came to VBS the first day hopefully found it to be educational and fun, because I know that is how we felt about it.

Today, we had even more kids come. They were a lot more excited and interactive today which was really encouraging. Cris opened the VBS by teaching them “Simon Says” and they absolutely LOVED it. From then on out the tone was set. They were so excited to participate in hand motions during worship, games, and other activities. Our theme today was teamwork and we did a skit about how Moses and Aaron worked together. Then in the sports we told them how to use teamwork to succeed. We taught them some mechanics in basketball, soccer, and volleyball so that they could not just play mindlessly, but actually hone their skills in each of those sports. The kids responded really well to everything we were teaching them. VBS actually went an hour long today because after our time of sports we played more Simon Says and sang more worship songs because everyone was still so pumped up.  Afterward we were all exhausted, but we were thrilled because of how well everything went.

So that has been the main thing happening with us here in Uganda. The only other huge thing of mention was that yesterday we attended a traditional Ugandan funeral. An 87-year-old villager named John died and Pastor Bill was asked to speak at the funeral. In Uganda, apparently it is a huge honor to have mzungos (white people) at your funeral, so Bill asked us if we would join him and pay our respects.  We obliged. We walked through the village to where the ceremony was being held. It was very different than what we are used to. They wrapped the body in bark cloth right in front of us and then placed it in the casket. Bill gave his sermon, there was a eulogy (at least we think it was, but it wasn’t in English), and then we proceeded to the burial site where they lowered the casket in a hole and buried him. It was odd though because a lot of unexpected occurrences happened. The person who was doing the eulogy answered and talked on his cell phone DURING the eulogy. A crazy man came up and started talking during the service. The casket was dropped and the body spilled out as they were trying to lower him into the hole. Cris was actually given a shovel and asked to help bury him. Overall, it was a good experience to see their village and their culture, but it was a bit uncomfortable. We walked away feeling terrible for the family, but thrilled that we have this life and this opportunity to honor God—and we have life with Him after.

We still have three days of VBS ahead of us and we are excited to see what God does with them.  As long as we are able to ignore the sickness and focus on God and these kids, I know it is going to go well. Please continue to pray that God fills us with His Spirit so we are able say the right words and do the right things to make an impact on these kids. Please also pray for healing as we battle illness while trying to maintain a joyfully, upbeat attitude during VBS.

For more pictures from the last two days, go to Uganda 2012 Album 3

Let It Rain

Today our plan was to go to church and finish the basketball court in preparation for the VBS tomorrow, but God had a different plan in mind for us. While we were still sketching the 3 point line and bolting up the rims, a torrential downpour came upon us. Of course we had to take advantage of that. When in Africa, right?

George! (post-nakedness)

So we spent time just letting the beauty of this rain hit us and we got SOAKED. Cris thought it was the perfect time to bring out the tarps we had brought and create a slip n' slide. The kids had a BLAST sliding down the tarps. We were launching kids left and right and sliding down along with them. One of the kids, George, decided to start the trend of wearing his birthday suit on the slide. Needless to say, it was hilarious. So today was a simple, but beautiful day here in Uganda. Tomorrow we start the VBS and we are so excited to see what God has in store. Please pray that God gives us strength, energy, and the right words as we begin this week.

For more pictures from today, go to Uganda 2012 Album 2

Banange!

In the past two days, so much has happened, and yet if you had looked at our schedule, you would see we have not really done a whole lot so far. After a long day of traveling, yesterday we were given a day of rest to recover, hang out with the kids, and rehearse our plans for the VBS next week. We served lunch at the school, which was just scooping porridge into a cup, and were able to play with them throughout their lunch break as well as the remainder of their day. It is absolutely amazing to see how quickly we have formed bonds with these children. They are so precious and really just want our affection. Let me tell you, we have been more than happy to give that to them.

 
 

 

We were also able to play some basketball with them. Tim and Cris were trying to teach the kids the rules of the game while Monica and I were laughed at for our lack of skills. Overall it was a great day. Then last night all the kids at the orphanage gathered together in the small living room to sing some familiar worship songs and watch a movie together. It moved everyone on the team to see all their young faces worshipping God and it was definitely something we will not forget. By the end of the movie though, we were all worn out after a long day of chasing kids and we hopped in bed as soon as possible.


Today was a different day entirely. We worked on the basketball court and poured a lot of sweat and long hours into cleaning the red dirt off the cement, painting the lines and backboard, and fastening the nets. Hopefully we will have a picture perfect basketball court to show you tomorrow when we remove the painters' tape and reveal all our hard work. Again though, it was not the work that made this day special (although I am sure all of us were blessed to see how excited the kids were about it), but it was those smiling faces that wanted to help us and be with us every step of the way. Those small little bodies carried water jugs that matched their weight, they helped scrub the court, and then even helped scrub our hands after the painting was done. We really have a lot to learn about servanthood, love, and humility from these children.

The highlight of the day was lunch time though. We were able to just relax and play with the children and we bonded with them so much! At any one time, you could see every member of the team covered in children. Cris and Tim had a swarm of children tickling them and a line of kids who wanted to be swung through the air by their hands. Lunch was concluded with us doing an impromptu song for the kids followed by Cris raising the youngest kid, Shaggy, like they do in The Lion King. That brought about a lot of laughs from the team and a lot of confusion from the children, but needless to say, we are having a great time both with the kids and each other. I know the Lord is going to continue to let these relationships grow and He is going to just bless everyone's lives with his love and presence on this trip.

To see more pictures of us from the past week go to:
Uganda 2012 Album 1

Safe and sound

After over 40hours of traveling, we arrived safely at the Agape Children's Village. We were warmly welcomed by smiling faces and big hugs. The kids sang and danced for us to show us their love and excitement about our arrival. We got to play with the kids for a couple hours until making dinner and unpacking our bags. We are all exhausted and heading to bed soon. We just wanted you all to know we are safe ans sound. Our flights were all very smooth and we could feel God's spirit with us as we travelled. We will post pictures and more info tomorrow. Thank you all!

And it begins

We are off to the airport! We have a 17 hour-flight to Dubai and then a 13-hour layover there. Then we have another five-hour flight to Uganda. We will arrive in Entebbe at 12:35pm Uganda time (2:35am California time). We will try to post when we arrive there. Please pray for God's protection as we begin this journey together. We appreciate those committed to praying for us both as we travel and while we are in Uganda. Thank you for joining us as we pursue worshiping our Savior in this way.