Day One

Saturday, 6/25
Today was a very lazy yet eventful day. Woke up to the sound of a rooster (reminded me of being at grandma's house) and children laughing. Breakfast was surprisingly good, as it looked kind of gross, and was eggs and irish potatoes, coffee cake, baby bananas, and super yummy African coffee. Pam and Paul (the people taking care of us while we're here and housing us) did an orientation during breakfast to explain to us what to expect while in Uganda. Pam and Paul are really wonderful people and they are providing us with a sturdy roof over our heads, 2 meals a day, transportation with Peter as our driver, and all the knowledge and wisdom a growing Christian, people lover, and future missionary could want. The lives they have touched through the will of God and how loved and respected there are in this community, as white Americans, is just absolutely amazing. I can already see myself coming back to visit and work with Pam and Paul and Next generation.

Some of our team went into the city of Jinga to exchange money and we received 224,000 Ugandan shillings for $100.

We also went and visited Sara, who is an amazing individual. She is a 23 year old Rwandan who escaped the genocide at 4 but not after seeing her aunt and others murdered in front of her. She gave up a college education in America as well as her Visa (which is based on a lottery system and alomost impossible to get) to take care of 16 boys from ages 8-15 that came off of the street. When Sara met these boys they were thieves, beggars, did drugs, drank, etc. Her love and the love of God were able to turn these boys into the respectful, loving, education oriented, and extremely well behaved boys we met today. She commented that if she had the money she would take in 50,000 boys.

After we visited Sara we came back to the compound to relax before dinner. Throughout the day we had met many people. There was Bruce (whose story we were to hear later), Raoul who had a cyst removed from his wrist that day, Sarah who works as a nurse at Fountain of Hope school, Grace the wonderful cook and housekeeper, and Peter our hillarious taxi driver.

For dinner we had rice, curry chicken, spinach greens and freshly sliced pineapple (which is only $.75 a piece) and was delicious.