Hello everyone! I am back from my trip to Uganda and I cannot thank everyone enough! Thank you to all of you who put your finances together to impact and help those in need in Uganda! Thank you to everyone who prayed for me along this journey! The experience was truly unlike anything I could have imagined.
The lord made it clear to me that I was going to listen more than anything. As the trip unraveled it became apparent how we would be serving and speaking to multiple village communities along the way. I embraced this and trusted in God to give me the strength to speak and share what he placed upon my heart. The biggest thing I had to prepare my heart for was being away from my family for 10 days. That may not sound like a lot to many of you but it was a lot for us. My wife and I have never even been apart for more than 24 hours in our 11 years of being together, I have never been apart from my children. This was what gripped me the most. Needless to say, we were all just fine. 🙂
Okay, I’m sure you want to hear about the trip so here goes…
DAY 1 –
I arrived in Entebbe around 11pm Ugandan time (They are 7 hours ahead of us). Immediately we saw a glimpse of what poverty looked like over there, there were booths for money exchange and taxi services and many other things with people DESPERATELY trying to get you to their services. The look on their faces was borderline scary because you could see that they were willing to do anything to get a sale. This was sad and uncomfortable for me. Once we got in the vehicle with Pastor Benjamin and 3 others we don’t know, we took a 45 min drive to Kampala (The capitol city).
At this point it was about 1:30AM and what I saw was wild…There were thousands of people out in the streets, on the corners of the streets, gangs of people on motorcycles staring at us, broken down and half collapsed buildings, and night clubs on almost every corner. It truly looked like something out of a post apocalyptic movie night club scene. Rusted metal roofing boarding up windows on half broken down windows with what appeared to be lawless partying. It looked like people were doing whatever they wanted however they wanted. I looked out of my window and saw a man walking up to the car with a machine gun in his hands. The honest truth…i was scared and i was giving everything to the lord knowing im in his hands and i don’t know what his plans are but i trust him.
We stopped in an extremely Ghetto place to drop off a couple of the people in the car with us, then we headed off to the Hotel in Kampala. I locked my Hotel room door and laid in bed for 3 hours trying to sleep. I constantly heard dogs howling, and people partying and yelling, as well as people walking by my door all night (Keep in mind this was a MONDAY NIGHT from 1:30am-4am). My arrival to Uganda was nothing less than fearful and I needed to face it.
DAY 2 –
After waking up safe and alive I took my first and last shower in Africa. It was enjoyable but not a common experience in Uganda as they cannot afford to install showers. We left the hotel and went next door to a breakfast place. As we were walking in the sunlight, I noticed that the hotel grounds and the area we were in didn’t look as bad as they did at night. It was also MUCH MORE quiet and peaceful. It no longer had the feeling of being in a lawless, post apocalyptic movie which was a HUGE relief!
I experienced my first Rolex Chapati (A delicious fried egg, rolled into a fried flat bread with vegetables) and was hooked ever since. I also got to experience spiced African tea which is amazing. My breakfast was a fulfilling meal and it shocked me when it came back as less than US dollars. I ate a meal that most people over there cannot afford for less than $4. We packed up the vehicle and began our 5 hour journey East to Tororo (Tororo is on the border of Kenya). The land in Uganda is beautiful! The majority of the streets you travel are filled with tens of thousands of people EVERYWHERE trying to sell in the marketplaces. Once you get through the marketplaces you find pockets of land that are breathtaking! Deep, lush, green plants and trees as far as you can see. Hills and small valleys with sugar cane and other things growing! The temperature is tropical and surprisingly much cooler than expected. It was perfect.
We arrived at Pastor Benjamin’s house which is where we slept for the majority of the time we were out there. We got to meet his family and see his humble living situation. My room had a metal door and window, no ceiling, and a bug net over the thin mattress I slept on. Unfortunately there was no place for a night light … I’m a night light kind of guy. Haha. We had a latrine to use for the rest of our bathroom needs. We were also provided with fresh water to pour over ourselves to “shower” for the remainder of our stay! Honestly I was starting to enjoy the process. I was just thankful for the water 🙂
DAY 3 –
This was the first day where we would be accomplishing what we came out to do! After waking up, brushing our teeth with water from my water bottle, and getting in the vehicle, we drove to a village outside of Tororo. The villages are full of beautiful land and communities of the most poor individuals in Uganda. People in Uganda are awake and moving from the moment the sun comes up because they are not working for wants like we do in America, they work for survival. We pulled up to a group of 13 people digging a foundation on the side of the road. I was later informed that this was the land that Pastor Benjamin grew up on. It was his ancestors land and it had been distributed between him and 5 or 6 others. The family heads own their land and they distribute it among their children as they see fit. The land can be sold, but if it is, it is a disgrace because “who would sell the land their ancestors worked so hard for”. I may have an unpopular opinion but I call that wisdom.
There was a pump well on his property and I noticed that throughout the day there were 10s and maybe over 100 women and children that would travel down the dirt road to collect the clean water. This well was such a blessing to the community. The well cost between 10k – 19k to create. This can really only be done by people like us who are outside of the country because their economy is so bad. On the ride out I saw women and children drawing water from a green swamp on the side of the same dirt road. This was so disheartening.
The rest of the day we spent helping the workers build the foundation and the start to the walls of the church building that was being constructed. This brought about many looks from people passing by. People were excited, amazed, and wondering what was being built like this in this poor village. People were so happy to hear it was going to be a church. 80% of the Ugandan population loves Jesus Christ! Even a muslim man stopped in and began picking up bricks and helping us build…He said he couldn’t just walk by without doing something to support! Even an intelligence officer stopped to see what was going on. He was so impressed with the work being done that he informed many other government officials and was asking how we can continue this mission together to serve the community.
What a beautiful experience this was. This is one of the amazing things that your money has supported. By the end of the trip we were able to build the foundation and construct all of the walls for the church building. We pray this project will continue to be funded so we can finish the floor and the roof. Although the way they worship out there blows the roof off the building anyways!!!
DAY 4 –
We went back to the village to continue building with our friends! By this time I had learned some loud calls that the local women make when they get excited. AY YA YA YA YA YA YA! I hopped out of the vehicle and immediately went for it, Loud and proud! All the men laughed at me, all the women joined me, and all the children put their hands on their faces and bowed their heads laughing in embarrassment for me haha! I loved it! I love to bring laughter with me when I can. I was happy it made everyone’s morning before they got to hard labor. There were so many conversations and so much I learned but I will spare you the details.
DAY 5 –
This was an eventful day! We headed out early in the morning to go to 2 other villages we had not yet seen. The church elders had gathered all the people and were eager to meet us. I had to face my fears of speaking to all of these people and sharing the message of the lord. These villages were much more jungly (Not sure if that’s a word). It was surprising that the vehicle even made it, but not without bottoming out multiple times and us getting out to push.
We were greeted with such a warm welcome. I immediately knew I was loved and respected. One thing I noticed about these people…They have no boundaries in their love. They are not distracted like Americans with all their luxuries. They are simple and hard working, they understand the fundamental core of human existence and they obey it. I couldn’t help but share with them all that what they have is far greater than any wealth ive seen over here. The peace they have is something I’ve never experienced in America because their focus is much different. They focus on ONE ANOTHER…we focus on THINGS in order to “support” one another.
After speaking to the first group, We handed out 5 mattresses to children who sleep on the ground, 10 bibles to the church members, and school supplies to all the children for the year. We said goodbye, gave hugs, and headed to the next village to do the same. The next village met us with the same warm welcome and with much more dancing and praising and shouting! After we spoke, handed out the supplies, bibles, and beds, they refused to let us leave without eating a meal! I mean it…they literally would not let us leave even though we were in a hurry. So we sat down quickly and ate…I love Ugandan people and Ugandan food!!
We departed from there to go to a restaurant to meet another pastor from many hours away. This man has a small ministry and he is struggling to get off the ground due to the poverty level. We had some time of great fellowship and are excited to see what the lord has in store for the future.
DAY 6 –
This was a shorter day than day 5 but it was special and bigger in many ways. After getting ready in the morning we headed out to Benjamin’s home village. Somehow Benjamin had it organized where 3 separate village communities came to meet and gather here along with their intelligence officers and public officials. There were over 200 people here ready to hear and receive. It started with us getting out of the car in the middle of everyone. Up to this point i didnt tell you that since my arrival I have had 2 Uganda Soldiers guarding me with machine guns the entire time.
We get out of the car, I’m the only white man in sight (They call white men Mazungus), everyone is watching and there are 2 Ugandan soldiers following me with machine guns….I had to fight the feelings of pride trying to make me feel better or “cooler” than I am. Everyone of you who knows me knows full well I am not that cool haha. We stand there in the midst of everyone and each village’s government officials begin addressing the crowd 1 by one thanking God for his goodness and thanking Benjamin for his faithfulness, then thanking me for this partnership to impact their community. They Honor us and give God glory for his wonderful work among his people. Next I speak and share my heart and then I conclude with an appropriate AY YA YA YA YA YA YA YA!!! I got the same results as before haha it was amazing! After all the laughter and embarrassment, we proceeded to hand out 40 mattresses to the children and potentially hundreds of school supplies!! What an impact a small amount of US dollars can make in that country!
DAY 7 –
It’s church time! Today was the day we got to see Benjamins church and be a part of the service in Tororo. I wont go into too many details but i will say it was PACKED and it was LIVELY! I have never seen people worship the lord the way they did out there! It was exciting, engaging, powerful, and so meaningful! I was trying to figure out a way to bring that back to the USA because it is needed. I was a sweaty, out of breath, mess by the end of it. I probably lost some weight during that service which makes me happy haha.
Pastor Benjamin preached his message pertaining to gossip and slander in a bold and powerful way and it was followed by conviction. It was a necessary word for the community. Ugandan couples average about 7-8 children, so there were about 50 adults at church with like 200 children (I know the math doesn’t add up but it was crazy). The statistics show that 50% of Uganda’s population is under the age of 15! I pray for a solution to be implemented to help stimulate and boost their economy for these children.
Once the church services were over we passed out the last of the school supplies and bibles. Hundreds of children received school supplies for the year and about 80 people received bibles in this church. What an amazing impact! I’m excited to see what these bibles and school supplies have done next year when we go back out.
DAY 8 –
This day will not be filled with many details as it was the last day I stayed in Uganda. We traveled back 6 hours to the airport and stopped at the source of the Nile along the way. I got to see the beauty of God’s creation and meditate on Moses in the Nile river. I spent the day with Pastor Benjamin talking and reflecting on the impact that was made on this mission trip. With everyone’s support I was able to raise a total of $4,379 to go to the Ugandan people and their needs. None of that money was spent on the trip itself but it was all freely given to build the church, hand hundreds of children school supplies, beds, and bibles. Not only did it support many peoples needs but it also changed my life and the lives of many who we came in contact with. It developed relationships that I am convinced will last much longer. It sparked ideas and plans to continue blessing our brothers and sisters over there moving forward.
Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to pray and or support us financially! You have been God’s hands and feet to establish such a wonderful result and such an amazing vision for the future. This can only happen through people like you who are willing to hear the call and obey it. There is so much more work that needs to be done and it is in my heart to move forward, working towards that goal.
