Hello friends!
It's been a long time since we have been able to post or use the internet. Apparently the modem is down at the church building and they need to buy a new one. We have been able to get on a couple of times at a cafe that has wireless access (for a fee).
We are near the end of our trip and have been having an incredible time.
We have visited all the church plants- Wakiso, Wabigalo and Kasangati. Each place has its own personality and testimonies. We have been very blessed by being able to meet and spend time with so many people.
Just to give you a very brief recap of the week- On Sunday, we worshiped with the church at Kampala again with Francis preaching. We presented dresses to the girls and shorts and puzzles to the boys in the Sunday school class. After church, we had lunch at James Okello's house, the preacher at Kampala. He and his wife are from Northern Uganda from the Luo tribe and the food was delicious and really healthy.
That afternoon, we were able to return to Wabigalo and give out the pillow case dresses and shorts for the boys. The children had prepared an awesome program of songs including the Ugandan national anthem, traditional dancing and some hymns. It was really special. Thank you so much to everyone who made the dresses and contributed to the shorts. That evening, we took Tazo and Blaza Blaza out to dinner, along with Isaac and Willie, at a beautiful restaurant overlooking Lake Victoria. We wanted to celebrate passing their exams and encourage them to continue to do well in school. They are both incredible young men.
On Monday we went to Kasangati and spent the whole day, visiting with people. I did a health education talk and Nancy did her pottery presentation again. They were the most attentive audience I've ever seen and asked a lot of awesome questions. This was one of my favorite places to visit. Afterwards we briefly visited Johnathan's house, the minister sent out by the Kampala church to work in Kasangati. He supports his family by selling and repairing used shoes. He has an incredible testimony of how God has worked in his life. He has a lovely family- 2 boys and 2 girls. Both of the girls have beautiful singing voices and love to praise the Lord. All of his family are Christians so it was very special to meet them.
The children of Wakiso entertained Jana & Nancy with singing.
On Tuesday we spent the whole day at Wakiso, a village district on the west side of Kampala. It was a really fun day. The Sunday school class and the youth group had prepared some beautiful songs and a skit. The Women of Grace ministry there also did some singing and dancing. Nancy and I did our presentations again. We also toured the future church grounds. Mr. Godfrey and his family have donated land next to his house for the church. They have cleared the land and have an ampitheatre style church building planned. Currently they are planting a garden there until the funds are raised to build the building. We had a wonderful time there and another tasty meal.
Wednesday we spent the morning visiting different church members in their homes. It was so special to see their homes and be able to greet them. Once again I have been so humbled by how much I have and how little other people survive and thrive upon here. We were able to pray with them and present them a cloth from the Tabitha ministry at North Central. In the afternoon, we took a flying trip to Jinja to see the source of the Nile and visit the Source Cafe operated by the Jinja Church of Christ. That was amazing to be able to see the Nile. We also got a bottle of water from the Nile which Nancy almost drank out of last night! I scared her to death but stopped her just in time!
Fred took us hunting for monkeys in his backyard.
Today we are meeting with the Women of Grace ministry here at Kampala. Nancy is encouraging them and coaching them on how to improve their already beautiful work of beads, bags and purses. God is blessing them greatly. I will share more later.
Our time to leave is fast approaching. It seems hard to believe. Tomorrow is Nancy's birthday and I think there is a special celebration planned. We are also going to Fred's home for lunch.
Thank you all again for your prayers while we are gone. We appreciate all of them. Please pray for energy and strength as we wind down the last couple of days. We have a lot packed in the next 2 days and don't leave until midnight Saturday night. Both of us are back at work on Monday morning so we will need God's strength. What a blessing this trip has been to me. I can't wait to get back and share more of the moving and hilarious stories of all God has done while we are here.
Blessings,
Jana
