Jambo!!! Hello from team Uganda!

On Friday, we all had an awesome opportunity to go to a local school called ‘Amy For Africa Christian Academy’. There are over 300 kids attending there. The team got to share a special presentation with lots of puppets, dramas, kids’ songs, and fun Bible story reenactments.

One of the crowd favorites was the retelling of the Good Samaritan. Josiah B, Colby P, Taryn W, Jonathan S, Max V, Liam H, Shannon S, Leah L, Donovan T, Josiah M, Eden T, and Rebekah M did an amazing job! They all especially loved Rebekah’s donkey impersonation!
After their presentation several of the students and teachers shared some songs and dances with us. They even had us all come and learn some Ugandan dances. Spoiler alert, some of us weren’t very good. However, we all had so much fun. They even gifted us with some awesome homemade bracelets.

The school even shared a wonderful, yummy lunch with us!!! Before we sat down to eat, Miss. Emily and Mr. Judah took Eden T, Shannon S, Rebekah M, Colby P, Ava P, and Elianna M down the hill to serve lunch for all the students. The kitchen is in a pretty small tin building, and all the rice and beans were cooked over a fire. During this time, storm clouds rolled in and it started raining. The team members who helped serve said they really enjoyed being able to help.

Once all the students were served we went back up the hill and enjoyed lunch together. After saying our goodbyes we ran in the rain to get back on the bus. It was such a fun experience we won’t soon forget!

Once we got back to the base we finished up some classes and the kids had some bathing time. We left Friday evening at 8:30 to head to Murchison Falls National Park. What was supposed to be a 7 hour ride ended up being an 11 hour ride. Let’s just say this, it was quite the journey. Our driver Alex was a pro and took on the challenging drive for us. About halfway through the drive we started hitting the twisting turns and bumpy roads! The kids were bumping along, and bananas were falling and making impact on the sleeping team members and leaders (sorry Mr. Spencer!). Some of the kids and leaders (Mr. Judah) slept super well, others….. not so much. However, it was a memorable journey and so many laughs were had.

Once we reached the national park, we started seeing all the AMAZING wildlife. The first things we saw were monkeys, water bucks, gazelles, and ELEPHANTS! Right near the beginning of the park there was a whole herd of elephants walking. They were so beautiful to see. We then went and had breakfast provided at the game park, which was very delicious! After this we hit the road with our tour guide, Janet. We drove for several hours through the park. We saw even more animals! Warthogs, water buffalos, hippos, tons of birds, and GIRAFFES!!!! The kids were so excited. We saw so many giraffes. The only animals we did not see were the lions. Our tour guide said it was the wrong time of day to see them, because it was so hot out they go somewhere really shady to lie down. The team was a little disappointed to not see them, but still enjoyed everything they did see.
We went back from the trails to have lunch that was provided, and then we hit the road again to drive to the famous Murchison Falls. Once we got to the top, we hiked down a little ways to the falls. They were gorgeous. The rushing water was so insane to see and hear. This was a highlight for a lot of the team.

After we finished, we finally left the park and said our goodbyes to all our animal friends and Janet!

We then drove a little ways and had dinner, and then spent the night in a hotel. We originally were going to drive through the night again, but we had several on the team who weren’t feeling well. So, we thought it best to stop and rest. After breakfast the next morning we hopped on our trusty bus and made our way back to Jinja. Thankfully it was a quicker ride this time, because of a different route we took. The kids enjoyed driving in the daytime and seeing the sights. We reached Jinja around dinner time and we went out to a local restaurant called Igar’s. The kids had a blast finally buying whatever food, drinks, and desserts they wanted. Most of them got the milkshakes which they said were amazing. After dinner we finally made it back to the TMI base. We were greeted by all the staff and students we had missed over the past few days. After showering and having evening devotions together, we all went to sleep!

This morning, (Monday), the kids are back to their normal schedule and they’re back at the worksite as I type this report. They’re excited to be back at it again. The team is working super hard to finish what they started.
We can’t believe we leave for America in 6 days. The time has truly flown by. I know the kids are excited to come back and see you all, but they’re also sad to leave Uganda. It’s a bittersweet feeling for sure. The team is determined to make the most of the time they have left, and finish strong!

One day this week we hope to finish up our sightseeing, by doing our souvenir shopping and going on a Nile River boat ride! More details on that to come.

Thanks to each of you who prays for the team. We are so thankful for the safety and fun we had this weekend! We could feel your prayers for us.

The team sends their hellos and also a little note from everyone about their weekend. Enjoy!

“Hi family! I enjoyed our sightseeing day! The bus ride was rough, but seeing the elephants on our way to the safari and seeing the waterfall was awesome! The food is so good! I love and miss you guys.” Elianna M

“We drove for 11 hours to get to our sightseeing destination. Due to lack of law enforcement, Uganda has speed bumps on the highway, which was pretty bad, but the safari was utterly beautiful. I love how much this team is bonding, and I am already sad that this trip is coming to an end.” Donovan T

“On the bus to the safari, I slept on the floor, and it was comfy like Anna’s shoulder! Love you mom and dad!” Shannon S

“What’s up :). We went on a cool safari, it was fun but I’m not gonna lie, the bus ride there was painful but worth it! We also saw a really cool waterfall and I threw up there. So, it was a pretty stressful day. I Jesus!” Ellie D

“Uganda has been good. We have made some progress on our perimeter wall and I learned how to lay bricks. Yesterday we got to go on a safari and see a big waterfall.” Jonathan S

“The bus ride was the most painful vehicle ride that I’ve ever been on. But the safari and free meals made up for it!” Ava P

“We went on a safari. The book bag fell on my head because we hit something, but the waterfall was cool. Love you dad!” Leah L

“The safari that my team went on was so fun. My favorite part was the piggy hippos!” Liam H

“The ride was bumpy, we saw lots of giraffes, and the food was good!” Kayla C

“Take my advice, never ask for an African massage.” Anna P

“Going on a safari was so cool we got to see animals I have never seen before. A funny memory was getting chased by a chicken.” Josiah M

“On the safari we saw so many cool animals! Like hippos and giraffes. I also had a lot of fun riding through the bumpy roads all night but it made it difficult to sleep.” Eden T

“Me on the bus for 17 hours: ‘mama’s in the kitchen cooking chapati. I like chapati yum! Yum! Yum!’ Also, I briefly forgot what to do with a normal toilet.” Taryn W

“Uganda’s really fun. Currently we’re riding a bus on a very bumpy road. The funniest thing that happened so far was Manny’s pillow flying out the window. It’s hard to believe we only have 12 days left. I miss you Eve, and everyone else I guess.” Jackson W

“Wow, this Africa place is so beautiful. Whether we are driving through the plains or the town (although terrifying), it’s my new happy place.” Max V

“A couple things I have learned from our safari. Bees love watermelon and soda, warthogs can put on some speed when threatened, and baby monkeys are super cute.” Rebekah M

“So far my favorite part of the safari was the drive there whenever we went over a bump, bananas fell from the ceiling rack.” Josiah B

“Hi mom and dad! I miss you guys so much! We went on a safari yesterday and it was amazing! I can’t wait to see you!” Manny H

“The trip is gouda! The safari was cool!” Colby P

“I enjoy having conversations with the individual team members on the bus rides. Also, watching the team perform for an Ugandan school and interact with the students.” Mr. Spencer

“The safari was such a cool experience! The bus ride was a memory I’m sure the team will never forget. I loved getting to spend a solid 48 hours with the kids on a small African bus.” Miss. Emily

“Hello, we all went on a safari yesterday. The giraffe was my favorite animal. We tried to take a polaroid of them, but it was too sunny and all I could really think about was my second favorite team, FIJI! :)” Mr. Judah

“Seeing different parts of Uganda these past few days has been a really cool experience; the people, the culture, animals, food and everything else has made this experience amazing.” Miss. Lane