PS-our arrival is today, Wednesday June 25 at 12:45pm.  :-)

Final flight home

We are boarding British Airways flight 283 bound for LAX.  The flight is currently  scheduled to arrive at 12:45pm but please go online to check the flight status.  Remember we must pass through customs but please be on time to collect your child.  It's a very sad scenario for a student anxious to be home yet standing around alone watching all their friends being hugged and greeted.  Thank you and see you in 10 ish hours.

Coming Home

We've done it, we are safely boarded on our first flight to London. 

We said goodbye to the sweet little ones at the primary school, explored the Ugandan Education Wildlife Center, and ate wildfires pizza.

See you all soon.  I will update one last time in London.

Pictures at the Primary School

Every year, all of the children at God Cares who are sponsored, some by families from Oaks and Calvary, get their pictures taken and sent to their sponsors. The problem lies in the chaos of the process--there are over 400 kids, and the staff is too busy to organize a photoshoot for 400. So, today our team took pictures of all of the sponsored children in 3rd through 7th grade.

3 of us--Jordan, Sarafina, and Morgan--recorded names and ID numbers onto scraps of paper as the kids passed by our table one by one. This was so that our photographers, Hannah and Nessa, could take a picture with the paper and one without so it would be easier to keep the pictures organized when we get home. Some of the kids, however, decided to make up random names instead of telling us their real ones. One girl insisted that her name was Brenda until we had to have one of the staff tell us that her name was really Mercy. Adam, Reece, and Colton kept the kids entertained while they waited in line.

After pictures were done, we all had some free time to hang out and play with the kids until 5. Today was our last full day at the primary school, and even though everybody is worn out and ready for a good night's rest in our own beds, we're all going to miss the little munchkins we've met here. They're truly full of life and love.

Tonight the team had some bonding time and played games back at the guest house. I think it's dawning on all of us that this is essentially our last night with the people we've been constantly with for over 2 weeks. We discussed how to answer the inevitable question we'll hear from everyone we see at home--"How was Uganda?" We have so many stories and memories to process and share with all of you. The next few weeks will be a time for absorbing the things that we've seen here and sorting out what God might be trying to teach us or how we can be better for the time we've had here. 48 hours until we're home!

- Morgan

P.S. Daddy and mama - Thanks for letting me do this. I love you to the moon and back a google infinity and can't wait to see you. 

Sunday school, Kabalagala Pentecostal Church and shopping

This morning Alec and Morgan shared with the primary school children their lessons about the importance of not giving anyone or anything more value than God.  They jumped in last minute to teach and both did a great job and the children seemed to respond well.  Next we broke into smaller groups to make the cross craft that Nina taught us.  There was more time to hang out with the sweet kids then off to worship at Pastor Dongo's church, Kabalagala with a guest speaker from Calvary.  Lunch again at Cafe Java then it was time to spend the thousands of shillings burning a hole in their pockets.  Don't worry parents, your kids did well at boosting the local Ugandan economy today.

 

Our dear Joy

Joy has been our host at African Renewal University and she quickly became like family to us.  She spent an extra day with us so today was a sad goodbye.

Today we woke up, packed our bags at ARU and went to God Cares Primary School. As soon as we got to the school the kids ran up to the team shouting and smiling. The kids were excited to see everyone and so was the team. Right away everyone had paired up with a buddy and had began to walk hand and hand through the school. A couple of the boys jumped right in and started playing a match of soccer with some of the kids. The primary school kids welcomed our team with open arms and made us feel so loved and welcomed. After we got time to hang out with the kids and learn about the school we had lunch and got an AWANA lesson to teach. We read through the lesson the had given us, which was on "The Good Samaritan" and then we broke up into groups of three to the lesson to the kids. We read and explained the story to them and then taught them a memory verse from 1 Corinthians and had coloring sheets for them to complete. After the AWANA lessons were done we got more time to hangout with the kids and time to play games, sing songs, and learn about the kids. When we left the primary school we went to dinner at Samurai and had amazing Japanese food to end the night. 

Rayne, Carol, Mikey: Have brownies ready when I get home, mad cravings man. Luh you guys.  

~ Hannah 

Happy 'Bathday'

Leadership, Farming and Mosquito Nets

We had the honor of learning about Ugandan leadership from Kilama Dennis, 'Everything Rises and Falls on Leadership'.  He broke it down into this:

One Dilemma: Uganda is blessed with mineral resources and fertile land yet 69% live on less than $1/day and 71% of children who enroll in school drop out before finishing elementary school. 

Two Opinions:  One is that Uganda's problem is internal - misguided leadership and systemic corruption; the other opinion is that the problem is external - ineffective systems left over from British colonialism.

Three Influences:  'Leadership is influence' - Museveni became president in 1986 through a military coup and has used his position to influence policy.  'Leaders are made, not born' - Joseph Kony began his rebellion in 1986 and has lead the Lord's Resistance Army kill and displace hundreds of thousands of Ugandans.  'Credibility is the foundation of leadership' - Nelson Mandela was a visionary leader who worked to create harmony instead of payback and gathered a team of trusted advisors instead of leading as a soverign power.

Four Challenges:  Two in the church - Christians (Mulokole) have lost their moral voice because of so many news reports of corruption and deceit, and doctrinally the church has failed.  Two in the country - apathy, people have given up (he showed a political cartoon of a near naked and malnurished man feeding a fat politician) and violence, people choose rioting to voice their opinions but it costs the ountry many thousands of dollars to manage each riot.

Five Solutions:  'The leadership crisis in Uganda in reality is a leadership development crisis'  

1.  Christ-centered value based leadership development

2.  Holistic approach to leadership development

3.  Practical problem based learning

4.  Community outreah for empowerment

5.  Global perspective of leadership development

Farming consisted of cutting grass to feed the goats.  Colton spent most of the time mastering the art of the machete because he missed the banana farm day on Wednesday.

The late afternoon was one of the most 'African' experience because we partnered with Set Free Life Church to deliver mosquito nets to homes in the bush near the college.  We divided into small teams, 2-3 Oaks people with one or two Ugandans to help translate.  The group distributed around 150 nets this morning along with instructions about the nets and a message of God's love.  Several noted that it was the most meaningful and eye-opening time of the trip.  The money used from the Oaks club called Nothing But Nets and the donation from Colton, we purchased 275 life-saving mosquito nets.

The final end to our day was an early birthday celebration for Alec and Nessa.  They will both celebrate birthdays in July but our dear friend Joy wanted to honor at least one of our team members with a fun Ugandan custom.  You see, when it's somebody's birthday they receive a warm water 'bathday' surprise poured on them.  :-)

Tomorrow we leave are friends from African Renewal University and return to the guest house then spend the afternoon at the primary school with the little ones.  

Goodbye to God Cares High School

Today was our final day at God Cares High School. We started off our morning sanding down the plaster in one classroom and began putting on the final coats of paint. The high school has chapel every Thursday, and we were blessed to have the opportunity to be involved with their chapel. Chapel was divided into two services, and we were with the group with the younger grade levels. Sarafina, Hannah, Morgan, and Nessa sang Oceans by Hillsong United for the students, which they loved. Some students came up to us afterwards and were eager to learn the song lyrics. Our overall theme for chapel was about idols and how they hinder us from having a strong relationship with God. Morgan talked about the importance of valuing God's opinion of us rather than the opinion of man; Alec discussed his story about how anger gets in the way of our relationships with Jesus; Nessa talked about how the things of this world don't last forever and how Christ gives us peace. Darren emphasized the importance of a positive perspective and how we should count our blessings and be grateful for what God has given us.

After chapel, we had another amazing Ugandan lunch prepared by Mama Dongo and got to spend some time with a small team from Calvary Community Church that had recently arrived at the high school. With a great amount to do and very little time, the team got back to business and worked hard to finish what we could with the classrooms we were working on. The blackboards in both classrooms were repainted, and we were able to finish the trim in one of the classrooms. The team was very happy with the progress we made while we were at the school this week, and we were satisfied knowing that the school would be able to add more classrooms to grow even more. However, we were all reluctant to leave the high school today. Everyone built close relationships with many students at the high school, and many people on our team received more notes from the students thanking us for our work and our time at their school. As sad as we are to leave, we are glad we had the opportunity to work hard and create a lasting impact at God Cares High School that we will never forget. We are excited to visit the primary school this weekend and get more opportunities to bond with students and serve in any way that we can.

—Nessa Baldoz

P.S. Hi momma and dad and Han! I miss you guys! xoxoxoxoxoxo -Mara

Farming, Joseline and Ugandan Economy

The team had the privilege of farming with Wilbur, the ARU Farm Manager and employee of Acres4Life.  He taught them how to care for banana trees.  They used machetes (safely) to trim dead leaves off the trees, cut down old trees and remove stumps.  Today was also the hottest day since we've arrived so it was perfect for a morning of farming.  :-)  Needless to say, lunch tasted better because it was well earned.  

We learned that the typical wage for a farmer is 3,000 shillings for a day's work that begins at 6am and ends at 6pm.  Our team worked for less than 3 hours total on the banana farm.  Keep in mind that the current exchange rate is 2,557 shillings to the dollar.

After lunch Joseline shared her story and the importance of orphan care in families instead of institutions.  Hearing about her life as an orphan you might not think she was a proponent of families caring for orphans, but because of her experiences she is committed to improving the conditions for orphans and mothers.  Her father died before she was born, and her mother died when she was 3.  She was sent to live with her grandmother at first but that began a life of moving from home to home between different family members and neighbors.  15 different homes is what she remembers but admits it may have been more.  Her life from 3 to 19 was filled with abuses by family members to horrific to share and yet because of her faith in Christ she was able to forgive every single one of them. Joseline's life is an amazing testament to her resilience, God's faithfulnes, the power of forgiveness, and the rebirth God provides through His love and grace.

The final excursion of the day was a brief walk down the street from the college to a local market.  Remember the average wage of a farmer?  We paid each of the students half a day's wage for their 3 hours of work - so they were all overpaid.  In reality, a worker isn't paid anything if they don't finish the full day.  At the tiny market they each had 1,500 shillings burning a hole in their pockets to spend as they wished.  The initial excitement turned to shock as they wandered the tiny isles and learned their money would not get them much.  Here are a few prices to help put into perspective the struggles of a farmer to provide for his family:  loaf of bread - 3,000; small jar of jam - 6,500; soda - 1,500; 1kg bag of rice - 5,000; small bag of pasta - 3,000; 9 diapers - 7,000; and a composition book for school is 3,500.  It was a meaningful lesson that the students captured and came away with a new understanding of Ugandan ecomony.

Sorry for the lack of photos the last couple days.  I will put some up in the morning.  Thank you all for your prayers.  This is truly a remarkable group of students - well done, parents.

Working, Painting, and Bonding

Today was another full day of work. When we arrived at the high school, we put on the first coat of paint for the two classrooms we are working on. Throughout the day, the team had some opportunities to take small breaks and spend time with the students at the high school. Our students are always eager to take the time to talk to and hang out with the people of God Cares, and it has been really cool to see the team create some tight bonds with the other students and with each other. We had yet another amazing meal for lunch, and the team really enjoys the down time that we get with one another. We even had a little rain accompanied with some thunder and lightning that was actually pretty exciting considering that the weather has been warm lately!

After a few opportunities to chat with some of the students, the team got back to work. We filled in the holes in the walls with plaster and sanded them down again to make the surface smooth. Another coat of paint was added to both the walls and the ceiling, and one more will be added on Thursday. Although the work has been fairly arduous and tiresome, the team has been awesome and has had nothing but the best attitudes. Everyone has been working diligently and efficiently, and we have a great time knowing that the students of God Cares will have two more completed classrooms to add to their flourishing school. Several people on the team today have experienced the impact they have had on the students by receiving notes and letters from the students they have met and bonded with. We are excited for what the rest of the week has in store for us as we continue to work at the school, farm at the university, and further develop our relationships with the students of God Cares High School.

—Nessa Baldoz

P.S. Hi mom and dad and Hannah! I love and miss you guys. :)

The High School

Sunday morning was spent at God Cares High School in the second church service. A two hour long service complete with worship, a sermon, and tribal dance, we welcomed a huge lunch at Café Javas afterwards. After a few hours of free time back at the high school where we got to meet the kids and spend quality time with them, we had a late dinner and fell asleep exhausted. 

 We headed back to the high school early this morning to begin the painting of the classroom by sanding and priming. We worked tirelessly and emerged covered in dust and paint, but an authentic  Ugandan lunch prepared by Pastor Dongo's wife refueled us and we painted until the sun was setting. Even with an early morning ahead of us, some of the boys fought fatigue to watch the US vs. Ghana game. 

We are all very excited to return tomorrow and see our new friends once more

--Jordan Rankin

p.s. Hi to everyone at home, I miss you and I love you! <3

Working Pics

I promise Hannah was a hard worker but we didn't get proof because she was always a flurry of activity. 😀. The photo of Hannah is at Cafe Java from Sunday's feast.  

Messages from your kids

Nessa: Hi mom and dad and Han! Happy Father's Day and belated birthday dad! I miss you all and I hope you're doing well. I'm having a lot of fun out here again and I'm really glad I was able to come back and see everyone. Being back here makes me realize even more how much I love being here in Uganda. The team has been so much fun and we've all been growing incredibly close. I've been praying for you guys every single day. I love and miss you all so much!!!!

Colton: hey mom dad and sis first of all happy Father's Day I hope you got the card I wrote that was good stuff... Believe it or not I'm still alive and I haven't tried to run off into the wild.. The miles on my car say 26094 so let's make sure it stays that low or I'll totally stop taking all these awesome pics...dad take care of mom and Kennedy, mom take care of dad and make sure you pay mr burns the $20 for the kings winning in 5! I was soooo stoked I'm still celebrating freakin love the kings.. Kennedy take care of Dutch and make sure you tell Robbie hey.. Miss u guys be home soon I also saw the biggest freakin crocodile in the history of mankind it was unholy and scaly and we threw rocks at it. And by we I meant me and a Ugandan woman named joy she's a peach! Night guys or good morning for you rather... Be home soon.

Morgan: Dad--hi, I love you, happy Father's Day, movemiento es vida, I'm having so much fun and I have so many stories for you when I get back. Tell Huntsky and the gang I love them and I miss you all.  Mom--You'd love it here. I'll tell you every single thing about this trip on the way home from the airport, provided I'm not napping. Say hi to the dudes and Dave and Brookie for me. I love you both to the moon and back a google infinity. 

Adam: hey mom Grammy and grandpa first of all happy Father's Day grandpa I love you! I know you guys would love everything about it here from the food to the people and especially the landscape. It's pretty warm here but it's ok. I miss you guys so much and I can't wait to see you. Grandpa I know you can tell me everything about the Dodgers when I get back. Grammy I know that we'll be able to talk for hours and hours about my trip. And Mom I love you so much and I'm so thankful for the opportunity you have given me to come here and experience Uganda. Take care of Luke for me and I love you and miss you. See you soon!

Jordan: Hi Mom and Meg! I am once again having the time of my life here but as always I miss you like crazy. I haven't taken any pictures yet so I'm sorry.. The team is bonding wonderfully and I'm never not laughing. Give Coop lots of love for me please, I'll see you soon. I love you! 

Nina: Mum, I'm still alive. 

Sarafina: Hola familia. I am having such an amazing time and cannot wait to see you guys. Happy Father's Day dad and papa. I love you all!!

Rayne&Carol, and mcwallz: love you 

Alec: Hi mom and dad. I am having the most amazing time. The people here are the nicest people in the world. I miss you two. Tell the rest of the family that I miss and love them. Happy Father's Day dad. I love you. 

Josh: Hi family!  We are having so much fun in Uganda!  Happy Father's Day Dad! I hope to see you when you get to Uganda!

 

Reece:  Hi

Croc Farm and Equator

Today was a relaxed day of excursions with driver Darren at the helm.  We borrowed the God Cares school bus and drove to the Camp Croc Resort for some croc fun.  The resort breeds the crocs to reintroduce them into the wild.  They are doing their part to prevent them from becoming extinct.  During our visit almost everyone held a young croc.  It was safe - her mouth was sealed with my hair tie. :-). See the pics below.  As it turns out, croc makes a pretty good lunch as well.......everyone ate fried croc.

Next stop was a quick one to the equator to pose along the Northern and Southern Hemisphere.  See the group pictures below.

Tomorrow is church with the high school so we are excited to see our friends there.

More Pictures from the day

African Renewal University

We left the guest house this morning and traveled to our new home at African Renewal University.  Today was the last day of a week long Pastors Conference so our team went to work cleaning showers, washing dishes, mopping floors, and washing more dishes.  

After lunch we were asked to send 4 students to a speak at a local non-Christian school to share testimonies of God's work in their lives.  Morgan, Nessa, Josh, and Jordan volunteered so we journeyed to Gaba Mixed High School.  All four of them did a wonderful job sharing with a classroom of high school students.

Everyone is healthy and working well as a team.  All the chaperones have been impressed with their comfort levels and respect for time.  They are all prompt, even when the morning starts extra early.  Makes our jobs so much easier.

Justice and Social Enterprise

Today was all about gaining knowledge and understanding of some issues Ugandans face and the people determined to develop sustainable solutions.  This morning we joined the Kampala IJM (International Justice Mission) Field Office for their daily prayer and worship time.  After being blessed by their heartfelt worship and faithful prayers, we sat with Katherine, the Field Office Director, to learn about the incredible work they do.  IJM's mission is to 'save thousands, protect millions, and prove that Justice is possible for the poor'.  Over the years they have learned the impact is greater if each field office focuses on the greates issue of that specific region.  In Uganda that is land grabbing.  As a patriarchal society when the husband dies the wolves are at the door ready to steal the land from the widow and her children.   It's estimated that 40% of all widows experience land grabbing from a family member, neighbor or landlord.  Typically this means the widow and her children are kicked out of their homes and left with nothing.

IJM has worked tirelessly within the Udandan legal system to assist widows claim their rightful land back, pursue the prosecution of the offenders, educate people about their rights, work with law enforcement to understand the laws, and so much more.  The Kampala team is an impressive group of people determined to see justice prevail in the lives of Ugandan widows and orphans.  Amazing!!

We also had an opportunity to visit a company called Seeko that was founded by a group of well-meaning Americans coming to start another NGO in Uganda.  They were surprised to learn that the Ugandan people said another NGO is not what they need,  what they need are jobs - especially for women.  So they decided to start a social enterprise company that manufactures sandals.  Seeko employs women only and has become the largest shoe manufacturer in Uganda.  They are committed to providing good paying jobs, promising job security when the employees children are sick, help young girls pay for college, and changing the lives of individual families by employing the mom.  Statistically, in Uganda if a man works he will spend about 20% of his salary on his family while a woman will spend 80%.  That statistic alone shows the great long term impact an employed woman will have on her family and community.  

There is so much more to share about these two important organization but I will leave the rest to the students after they return.  Our day ended with a special treat at a Japanese restaurant owned by friends of Darren.  We at like kings and queens!!!   I should say, we over-ate all the way to deep friend ice cream!! 

A few pictures from the day. 

Dinner pictures

John, our master chef spoiled us with the most amazing food.

We are officially an exhausted group of travelers.  After dinner we had our first evening of journal time and debrief - the eyes were extremely heavy so it was a short team meeting.  We asked them share some of their initial impressions of Uganda based on their pre-conceived expectations.  Some were surprised by the nice conditions because they expected to see more slum style living.  The kindess and friendliess of people was different than they thought it would be.  And one student mentioned being pleasantly surprised by the comfort level of the team already.  I agree with that statement because this truly is a great group who have connected well with each other and I am looking forward to the weeks to come with them

If this post reads like an odd flow of thought -- please blame it on the tired eyes looking forward to a full night's sleep......as long as the neighborhood dogs cooperate.  :-)

Good Night.

Day 1

We are slightly jet-lagged and wishing for a nap, but the team rallied this morning for breakfast and a morning devotional by Nessa.  She reminded us of the blessings we receive when we are willing to always say 'yes' to God no matter what is asked of us.

Today is our only relaxed day of preparations and exploring the city a bit.  The team is creating bags of craft supplies to make the cross charms and making rainbow bracelets for the younger kids.  We'll walk to lunch then return to the guest house to make more bracelets, bond and have an early dinner because tomorrow is an early and full day.

Thank you for all your prayers and support.  Everyone is excited to be in Uganda and the team is connecting well with each other.

Uganda

We made it with ALL of our luggage and all of the students!  Hooray!!!  Ezra and Samuel met us with the God Cares school bus at the airport and we are off to the guest house.

Quick Transition

We've gone through UK Immigration, security check, did a quick Starbucks grab, caught the last bus to our plane and now are settled in for the 8 hour flight to Entebbe!  

The previous 10 hour flight from LA was filled with movies, in-flight games, sleeping, conversations, and team bonding.  Excitement is growing so this next flight may have less movie watching and more chatting.  :-)

Here we go........

Everyone is settled into their seats for the next 10 hours.......

The Team

Our first group picture at Tom Bradley just before checking in for our adventures in Uganda!!!