Wednesday, May 19, 2010

May 14, 15, 16 - by Meredith, Brayden & Lynell & word from Eydie

Uganda Children Update #9 – May 14, 2010 (Written by Meredith Moore)

Today was my Golden Day! It was a day filled with adventures and excitement. The day started off great with Brayden & Kristina sharing about the name of Jesus. After that, we got into the van to go to VBS at a church. We were waiting to leave when Kristina screamed & leaped out of the van! There was a cockroach in Lynell’s hair. The rest of us quickly climbed out scared that a cockroach would crawl on us. Not wanting to get back in the van, the hotel was kind enough to take us to the church. VBS at the church was great! There were about 70 kids in attendance. Ten kids came forward to accept Christ as their Savior!

Our driver had sprayed the van while we were in VBS. We decided to be strong and courageous and ride back to the hotel in the van. There were still cockroaches dying at our feet. Someone started singing, “Amazing Grace!” It was the shakiest “Amazing Grace,” I’ve ever heard. Our short 5 minute drive seemed to take longer than normal, but we safely arrived back at the hotel.

We had to head back to Calvary Chapel and help with the youth conference. No one wanted to ride in the cockroach infested van. Seeing how nervous we were, the hotel was gracious enough to take us.

The youth conference went really well. It was nice to hang out with older kids and listen to great messages. When the conference was over for the day, we got to ride pichi pichi’s (private motor bikes) back to the hotel. It was a time of fun, but wish my driver would have driven faster! Brayden, April, Eydie and I decided to ride like a local and sit sidesaddle.

We still had the cockroach issue that night, making it impossible to go to the home. Instead, we had dinner at the hotel next door. The view of the sun at night was amazing. The food was great and the conversation even better. It was a great and fantastic week of ministry and a wonderful Golden Day!

Written by Meredith Moore

Uganda Children Update #10 – May 15, 2010 (written by Bradyn Brown)

Since today was my Golden Day, I got to write the update! The team started the day off at Calvary Chapel, Jinja. We’ve been helping with a youth conference there and today was the last day of the conference. We got there in time for worship, which is always encouraging. We then had the first teaching session of the day. The session was about how love equals obedience. It was a great reminder for everyone on the team. After the session, the team broke up into pairs and helped lead small group discussions for the youth. Getting to pour into the youth in that way was such an awesome experience.

The coolest part of the youth conference for me was going able to watch some of the youth be baptized. The church set up a pool and gave all of the kids who had accepted Jesus the opportunity to be baptized. There were about 30 kids that were baptized that afternoon. It was such a blessing to watch.

After the youth conference & a little shopping, we went to the home. Today we started painting with the children. The kids are making paintings that Eydie will be able to take home and use as tools for the ministry. So far, their turning out really cute and fun!

Another highlight of the day was that Annette (one of the house parents at the home) came into our team time and gave us a little lesson in one of their traditional dances. Annette is amazing. Many of the team members are determined to continue practicing until they get it right!

My Golden Day concluded with a lovely ride back to the hotel. It included a beautiful medley of Disney songs and much laughter! It was exactly what we all needed and the end to a very good day!

Written by Brayden Brown

Uganda Children Update #11 – May 16, 2010 – Written by Kristina on behalf of Lynell Berg

Things are still amazing here! We got to sleep in today a little bit! (Today is Lynell’s Golden Day. We love and appreciate her!)

At breakfast, a man named Pastor Tony (from England) came to our tableand spoke great truth into our lives. Eydie had met him and his group last May. Some of the ISP team from last year may remember their team. God uses so many people here to encourage us. Some of us are wearing our new African dresses to church today. We attended service at Revival Center Church & experienced a traditional African service. Worship is so fun and alive (dancing & cheering included!) Introductions are valued in Uganda and we had the opportunity to introduce ourselves to the congregation. And, as if we haven’t already experienced SO many amazing things… we walked out of church to see an Operation Christmas Child gift distribution!! Some of us were moved to tears because we have made up boxes in the past. Smiles were on all faces as they opened their gifts. God has given us so many once-in-a-lifetime memories. Seeing Christmas in May is one of those moments! We spent the rest of the day at the Children’s Home playing and doing small groups.

We are excited to have one more week and we will FINISH STRONG . Thank you for your prayers!

Written by Kristina for Lynell

Uganda Children Special Update – May 19, 2010 (by Eydie)
This one is out of order…but wanted to take a moment to update you on current situation. One of the reasons that Kristina has written Lynell’s update is because Lynell has been dealing with a toothache the past few days. We ended up taking her to the dentist. First we tried a local dentist in the town of Jinja. The anti-biotics and pain meds were not doing the job. After consulting back and forth with the MOB squad (you guys are AWESOME!) the plan was to take her to Kampala. The owner of our hotel told us of an American dentist in Kampala.

One of the staff at the hotel took the morning to drive us there. He is very used to Kampala so he took us right to the Mengo Hospital where there was a dental clinic. Last night I was able to talk to the dentist...at 9 pm! Unheard of in America to make a personal call to your dentist! He said today was all booked, but if I came and told them it was an emergency he would squeeze us in.

When we arrive, the dentist of our hotel owner where we stay said, "oh, you are the one!" Our hotel owner, Mr. Otile had already called them. They took us right in. Instead of waiting hours...we only waited about 15 minutes. We entered the waiting area, and there was a huge wall hanging that said, “You can receive Christ right now…the following is a suggested prayer…” Wow! Then on the next wall where we were sitting there was a plaque. It was dedicated to the founder and director of the Worldwide Dental Health Service sponsoring and inspiring Missionary dentists! The real topper was that it included the verse from 2 Timothy 4:7-8, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race. I have kept the faith” REALLY! We were speechless!

The dentist was an American dentist but had been in Kampala since 1979 (had signed up to serve for 2 years!). He is originally from Texas. He was so kind and helpful. Lynell was extremely at peace and more comfortable than the day before.

He asked a lot of questions...took an x-ray (that amounted to 10,000 shillings - about $5) and gave his assessment which is she needs a root canal. After discussing options, he said she could continue to take anti-biotics and pain medicine. If the swelling decreases she will be fine to wait until she arrives home to get the root canal. This was a huge praise to the Lord! She is doing fine tonight…taking meds and eating her meals. Continue to pray for her that the anti-biotics will do their job and swelling & pain will decrease.

I hope you are enjoying the updates from the students. We are having an amazing time here in Uganda. The team is definitely finishing well! More to come in the next few days!

Kare!
Eydie

May 12 & 13 - Written by Allie & Kristina

Uganda Children Update #7

Greetings from Uganda! Today (5/12/10) was yet another great day. I was especially excited because it was my Golden Day! It is so nice to be encouraged by all of my teammates. They are truly a blessing to me.

This morning, Ashleigh and I led in devotions with the hotel staff. We taught from
James 3 about “taming the tongue.” We taught how we as Christians should be positive and lift each other up by what we say.

After devotions, we left the hotel and went to a school in a local village called “Salt & Light School.” We taught a group of about 30 children from a local church. They sang songs for us and performed a skit about sharing the Gospel. This was a much smaller group than we were used to having. But it was still a blessing for us to share God’s love with them.

We taught all of the children the Bridge illustration so they would be able to share the Gospel with their unsaved friends. Then we made cross necklaces with them out of popsicle sticks. We all had a fun time.

Next stop was for lunch in town. After our meal we went to the local market to buy fish for dinner. The marketplace was definitely an interesting experience. There were many smells, not all of which were good. There were tons of vendors lined up in tiny booths. The dirt on the ground had turned to mud and large puddles were everywhere full of trash. There were people selling everything from fruits and vegetables to household goods. Everywhere we walked, people stared and we could hear them say, “muzungu” (white person) to their fellow workers. When we got to the fish market, my teammates and I were overwhelmed. We watched as the fish were scaled and chopped up. I don’t think I will ever be able to think of tilapia the same way! But we ate it at dinner and it was good! The whole market experience was very humbling because we learned that the people here live on less than $1 a day.

We ended our day back at the children’s home. We spent that time teaching them from God’s Word. We split the children into 3 groups based on age. Our subject matter today was on gossip. I had the middle group, ages 7-12. I was impressed by how much they paid attention and were willing to learn. Lynell, Jeannette and I acted out how bad gossip is and the children seemed to have really learned from what the Bible taught.

Overall, it was an amazing day! Going to the market was an interesting, cultural experience. I am continually being blessed by my wonderful teammates and the people of Uganda. I am learning so much about myself and am growing in the Lord daily. I am truly blessed!

(Written by Allie Beard)

Uganda Children Update – May 13, 2010 (Written by Kristina Osbourne)

I could not have imagined all the wonderful things God had prepared for us in advance to do in Uganda. He continues to bless us everyday. Today was my Golden Day (which came at a perfect time because I was feeling a little crazy from my malaria medicine yesterday).

We went to Revival Center Church today for VBS. It was a special place because many of the hotel staff attend there. Our theme was “Rescued from Darkness.” There were about 100 children there. We taught the creation story and that got quite a few laughs from the kids. Moses did another moving presentation of the Gospel. Just as Jesus treasured the children and their faith, we do not take our task lightly. We rejoice with the angels because twenty-six children made decisions to follow Christ! We also had a new ministry opportunity today. We were able to help lead small groups at the Calvary Chapel Jinja Youth Conference. The theme of the conference is “Take Action,” from James 1:22. It emphasized that we are to be doers of the Word. It was a great time of worship and fellowship with our African brothers and sisters.

We finished the day by going back to the Children’s Home and playing with the kids. Devotion time was amazing as always. I am constantly inspired by their free, open praise to God. The worship songs they sing are always stuck in our heads. At any point you can hear someone humming a song.

The night ended on an “exciting” note. We discovered some cockroaches in our van! We rode the whole way back with our feet in the air and our hearts racing. God was gracious enough to distract us with the most beautiful (and lengthy) lightening storm I’d ever seen. We are learning so much here and I am truly enjoying this journey (cockroaches & all).

We appreciate your prayers as we finish the last third of our trip. We want to finish strong! God has already done so much. Today, out of the mouths of twenty six children of Uganda has come the praises of our Lord. For this alone we came and we rejoice in it!

Written by Kristina Osbourne
P.S. Since the writing of this update…the cockroaches are now gone!

Friday, May 14, 2010

Tuesday, May 11, 2010 - By Jenni

Uganda Children Update #6 – Tuesday, May 11, 2010 – by Jenni

Since it is my Golden Day, I have the opportunity to write today’s update. Today, we plan to go back to the same village we were at yesterday. We will be sharing the story of Jesus feeding the 5000 and act out the song we used during Night of Nations. Eydie had a discussion with Jeannette about how powerful it would be if we passed out real bread during the song. Eydie told us that she made the comment to Jeannette we were expecting close to 500 children that day. She didn’t know how it would work to buy just a “few loaves of bread” to feed that many! Eydie confessed at breakfast that as soon as that came out of her mouth, the words that followed it were …duh! Hello! That is what the song was about!! That was the point of the whole story! This gave a new perspective to the whole story! Needless to say, we stopped and bought 5 loaves of bread and had faith it would feed the 500!

In our devotion time with the hotel staff, Meredith and Lynell shared about the Israelite’s fears about entering the promised land. They also personalized it and talked about the fears they had about coming to Africa. Both girls have been strong and courageous and have encouraged us to do the same. The staff of the hotel are having fun participating in our “Golden Days!” They know that the one wearing the Hawaiian lei and special badge is the golden girl! They also spend the day encouraging us!

Once again we traveled on dirt roads through green landscapes of mountains & sugar cane fields. We arrived at the village which is exactly how I imagined an African village would look like. The church is a mud hut with a tin roof surrounded by crops of corn. This village is blessed to have a well of clean water.

Some of the surrounding village churches blessed us with songs sung by their choirs in English and Luganda. They also shared in traditional tribal dances. It was cool to think about the unity we all have in Christ. There were about 400 children in attendance. Once again we divided the group by ages. The children decorated a construction paper fish with the words, “Jesus Provides” with added stickers. When we came back together in a big group, Allie told the story of the feeding of the 5000. I explained the meaning of our song. During and after the song, we did pass out pieces of the bread. Just like in the story, each child received a piece…and there were leftovers! God is good! Pastor Moses shared the gospel, and 62 children came forward to make a decision for Christ!

The people of the village honored us with a meal of food sacrificially given and prepared. We ate with the “local fork” … our hands! On our way out we were able to walk the distance to the well where they gather their water. The team had the experience of helping pump the water out of the well. It was a very humbling experience for us all.

We spent the rest of the afternoon at the children’s home. We had a great team time following lunch. We pushed through the tiredness to play volleyball and hang out with the children. After a few hours we went back to the hotel and prepared for tomorrow’s VBS in a new village. At the end of the night, we heard our first big rain which included thunder and lightening. It was a great ending to my wonderful Golden Day…a day that included salvation for many children.

Jenni Fritch

P.S. A note to last year’s ISP team…the kids at the home still remember to be STRONG & COURAGEOUS!!

Monday, May 10, 2010 - by Ashleigh

Uganda Children Update #5

Olyotia! Today was our first day in the villages. After a beautiful & exciting drive through the sugar cane fields and coffee plants we reached the first set of huts. We were greeted by a group of four smiling children yelling, “muzungu, muzungu!” (luganda word for “white person”). They continued to follow our van waving and smiling with every new step. They followed us until we reached the village called “Konko.” The village was quite a ways from when we first saw them. But the distance didn’t seem to bother them because they were so excited! This brought tears to my eyes as well as several other teammates.

Once we got out of the van we began walking towards the village. Women began emerging from the huts, screaming & shouting with excitement! We were ushered into the small church building. It is constructed solely of mud and sticks. A symphony of voices began serenading us as the local choirs sang their tribal songs. As the multitude of children kept increasing it took everything in me to hold my emotions together. It was such a beautiful and breathtaking sight, one that I will always cherish and never forget.

When the praise time came to a close we were introduced to the elders of the church. It is here we realized that this was not just one village, but several that united for this event. It was such an honor to be a part of something so great. As the introductions continued, the team and I were continually thanked for coming all this way just to be with them. The people here are so passionate, caring and kind in everything they do. We had the privilege of sharing the message for the day. Standing in front of over 250 people, I realized that this may be the first time and only time they get to hear about Jesus. It was such a humbling moment. Once the message was presented, 100 children and 4 adults gave their lives to Christ. I know I can speak for the whole team when I say that this was an amazing day. One hundred and four new believers that now know the love of Christ and are a part of God’s family!

With all this excitement, I almost forgot that today was my “Golden Day!” I think it was the best Golden Day in the history of Golden Days! I am having such an incredible time here in Uganda. I am so honored to be serving alongside such incredible women. God is teaching me so much. I am looking forward to the beautiful days that lie ahead!

Kare! Asheigh Friejo

Prayer Requests:

1) For our Vacation Bible School tomorrow (Wednesday) in a new village.

2) For those who have made decisions for Jesus Christ. For the local churches that are doing the follow-up on all who made decisions.

3) Continued good health for the team. They are doing well.

4) For the team as I am having them take turns in leading the staff devotions at the Hotel Paradise. We have been given the whole week as well as part of next week to lead in the sharing of God's Word. They have been doing a great job!

5) Pray as the team is ministering in Living Hope Children's Home each day. They are not only having time to just play with the children, but they are leading in small group studies. I also have the team leading in evening devotions as well. Pray as they continue to stretch themselves!

Monday, May 10, 2010

Uganda Children – Update #3
(I am having various team members write the updates for the ISP website. I wanted to share their perspective of what they are experiencing! These two are written by Bradyn & Jeannette!)

Hey everybody! I’m loving it here in Uganda! Our hotel is great and the staff here is awesome. One of the coolest things for me has been going to devotions with the hotel staff. The devotions have brought me to tears more than once. On the first day of devotions we sang the song, “Here I Am to Worship.” During the song, God completely blew my mind. I realized that God has brought me here to Uganda to worship with my African brothers & sisters & to declare that He is my God. It was such an incredible moment.
After devotions on our first full day, the team did some prep work for the VBS we will be doing next week. We also went to lunch in town and did some shopping. It was cool to see what main street in town is like.
In the afternoon we finally went to the children’s home for the first time! The love & joy that fills that place is indescribable. It took a few minutes for the kids to warm up to us. But once they did we all had a ton of fun. There was lots of dancing, singing, laughter & squealing involved. The kids of the home are so beautiful & joyful. Playing with them has blessed me immensely.
Our second full day was another great day. We got to start the day off again at staff devotions. Again, it was absolutely incredible. The way that they simply speak the truth, straight from the Word of God, touches your heart like nothing else can. In the afternoon we got to go back to the home. It’s such an awesome feeling to just love on those kids. They took us out to the front lawn and taught us some of their games. I’m sure it was hilarious watching us try to figure out what we were suppose to be doing. It was so much fun.
Another highlight to our second day at the home was being able to watch the kids receive new clothes. Our team brought several pieces of luggage stuffed with clothes for these kids. Being able to watch as they received their new clothes was such a blessing for the team.
Our first two full days were packed full of activities & emotions. They were amazing days. Being here in Uganda is even better than anything I could have imagined. I have been so blessed and have learned so much already.

I love Uganda.
Bradyn Brown

Uganda Children Update #4
I think I can speak for the whole team when I say it has been an honor & joy to serve here in Uganda!
We started the day by visiting “The Source of the Nile!” They had many small shops set up and we had so much fun buying gifts as we walked down to the Nile River. We stood by the Source of the Nile and Eydie read an article to us about our Lord being the Source of eternal life. Being at the spot where the underground springs break through the earth and the Nile was awesome!
After taking many photos, we went to lunch. We ate at a quaint café in Jinja called “Ozzie’s.” We met a family while eating there that had moved from Washington State to a remote village two hours outside of town. They told us the people speak no English there. They absolutely love ministering here and we can all see why!
After lunch we went to the home to spend time with the children. We all had so much fun. I think the kid’s favorite thing today was learning the “Macarena!” We all took turns dancing but we all laughed the hardest when Henry (a young boy from the home) was teaching me some of his moves!
Today was Mother’s Day and my “Golden Day!” Each team member will have a day where they are showered with love, encouragement, cards from the team, and a few yummy treats from home. So even though I was away from my three children, I want to thank you for letting me borrow your precious daughters. They brought tears to my eyes on more than one occasion today. Each of you parents has so much to be proud of! They have each been a blessing to Eydie & me!
This morning we attended Calvary Chapel Jinja. We sang worship songs that we all knew. The sound of all our voices blended together to worship our King was truly beautiful. The pastor spoke from Romans 13:1-7. He is from Uganda but he preached in English. His accent was so thick, at times I thought he may have switched back to Luganda (local language).
I think the highlight for all of us today was giving each child at the home their very own Bible! They were so excited! We broke the children into groups according to age and began to teach them how to study God’s Word! Many of them went to get newspaper to cover their new gift. We are going to continue to do Bible studies with them over the new two weeks.
Our day concluded with dinner at the Sunset Hotel. This was a special treat. The food was very good. I had my first diet coke in a week! It was a perfect end to my “Golden Day!”
Thank you for all of your prayers! We are all healthy & full of joy!

Jeannette Russell
Uganda Children’s Team Update #2 – May 8, 2010

We have had a great first few days here in Uganda. We have been adjusting to the time and preparing for the upcoming weeks of ministry.

We start each morning with breakfast together and morning devotions with the staff of the hotel we are staying at. We have had an amazing time of worship, prayer & teaching from God’s Word. The team has commented how much they love the worship and the simplicity of the gospel message. In a 30 minute time frame, the Scripture is shared in a simple but powerful way. We all leave challenged to be committed followers of Christ as we begin our day together!

The first morning the team had time to organize and work on the materials for the Vacation Bible School projects. Most of our meals are going to be at Living Hope Children’s Home. Today, our manager of the home had to go purchase the food for our meals. So we ventured into town to eat lunch. While we waited for him to return we had some time to stop in the local shops that I normally frequent. They were able to get a taste of local life in town.

The highlight of the day came when we made our first visit to the children’s home. The team was so excited to finally arrive at the place we have been preparing to be in for the past 4 months. The children were ready and waiting with arms of love, huge smiles and warm greetings to the visitors. For me the words, “welcome home,” always melts my heart! The children have embraced the new team overwhelming them with the love of Christ. They have spent the last two days getting to know the children, playing games, singing songs & dancing too! Each night we have devotion time with them. We worship the Lord and then enter into a time of prayer. It is always so powerful for me to witness the fervent prayer of the children. They have already affected our team in the example they have set in what it means to have a personal relationship with Christ. Each team member was able to share on the first night a short testimony of God calling them to Uganda. Last night we shared our Team Covenant as we enter into a partnership with these children the next few weeks.

It is exciting to see how God is orchestrating our program (schedule) for the upcoming days. We have come open and willing to go where He tells us to go. We have had some shifting of the program as new opportunities have come up. It has been exciting for me to work with our local church leaders to confirm these final details. Here is the current list (subject to change as the Holy Spirit directs!) and our current prayer requests:
1) Saturday, May 8 – Visit the Source of the Nile. The Source Café is a local Christian owned and operated internet café. They are in the midst of producing a tour of local sites in Jinja, adding the spiritual aspects of the various sites. The Nile river begins here and twists and turns around 4,000 miles before it empties into the Mediterranean Sea. In part of the devotion of this tour they state “God has given us so much more, and what we are seeking is to encourage you, wherever you are to open your eyes to the wonder of God.” Pray as our team experiences being at the Source of the Nile that they “seek the source of Life in all that they do, whether in America or Uganda, city or village.
2) Saturday, May 8 – Devotion time at 12 noon with the staff of the hotel.
3) Ministry at Living Hope Children’s Home will be daily, mainly each afternoon into early evening.
4) Sunday, May 9th – Will attend church services at the local Calvary Chapel. They have asked for assistance in an upcoming Youth Conference May 13-15. Two of our leaders in our home have been attending this fellowship. The organizers of this youth event are thankful and excited about our participation! They were in need of small group facilitators…especially women! Having a team of 10 women was an answer to their prayers! Also be in prayer for the team as we are away on Mother’s Day.
5) Monday May 10th – Wednesday, May 12th – Konko Revival Center Church. We will be going into the villages to conduct Vacation Bible School. Expected amount of children could be 80-100. Approximate time of the VBS will be from 10 am-12 noon.
6) Thursday, May 13th – Friday, May 14th – Revival Center Church – Vacation Bible School. This church is in the town of Jinja. Approximate time of VBS is also 10 am – 12 noon.
7) Youth Conference with Calvary Chapel –
Thursday, May 13th & Friday May 14th – 1 pm – 5 pm
Saturday, May 15th – 8 am – 5 pm
8) Sunday, May 16th – Church services at Revival Center Church.
9) Pray we have opportunities to share the gospel.
10) Continue to pray for our team that we remain unified. Pray we grow closer as a team as we continue to move forward.
11) Pray for each individual to grow in their relationship with Him.
12) Pray we keep our eyes on “Finishing Well”- Acts 20:24 “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has give me – the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.”

Thank you for your prayers and your continue support. Various members of our team will be participating in posting the updates for our Uganda Children’s Team. You will then be able to hear from others what their experiences are of being in Uganda.

For all of the mothers of our team members…your children miss you very much! They sent their Mother’s Day greetings to you. Thank you, mothers for investing in the lives of your children with your lives, your time & your love. Thank you for all you have given us and for all you mean to us. We love you! “May the Lord make your love increase and overflow.” 1 Thessalonians 3:12

Kare,
Eydie

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

We Have Arrived in Uganda - Update #1

We have arrived in Uganda! - Update #1

Our team has arrived safely in Uganda! I am glad to be back in my second home! The past few days have been very exciting. Last week we had many people help our team by donating necessary items for our children’s ministry. Jeannette was able to secure the extra suitcases that we needed to bring the excess supplies. On Friday, I went to get the suitcases from Jeannette and two of her co-workers prayed with us. They had already donated many materials but asked if there were any other needs. I shared with them how our children in the home do not all have Bibles. In just two days they were able to secure 65 Bibles for our home! Praise the Lord!

On Friday, the trustee’s spouses also blessed us in a precious way. They have adopted various teams to pray over this summer. They surprised our team with journals for each team member. They included their photo with notes of encouragement in the journals. What a blessing!! Team members were journaling off and on throughout the two day journey to get here!

Special thanks to everyone who came to the globe to send us off on Monday afternoon! Our team and one more that is also going to Uganda are the first two teams out this summer! It has been exciting to travel together with the other Uganda team. We parted ways at the airport in Entebbe!

Imagine this…leaving the globe in Riverside around 4:15 pm…traveling on the 91 Freeway towards Los Angeles International Airport. That always signals traffic! But God answered prayer and opened up the carpool lane! We literally had no traffic! We made it to LAX with no problems. Our huge bus even had the video/tv screen. We got to watch Alvin & the Chipmunks #2 on the way!

God continued to part the way as there was literally no line to check in! No line! We also traveled with extra pieces of luggage to bring supplies to the home. We each are allotted by ISP one piece of luggage. The airline allows 2 pieces per person (or so I thought!) I had permission from ISP to use the secondary piece of luggage. I was so excited! This was the most supplies I have ever been able to bring to the home. Suddenly in the midst of the packing on Sunday, I thought to check one more time the baggage allowance. Turns out that they had changed it from 2 bags to only 1 free bag! As I was on the phone with the airline, I was praying that the answer for how many bags we could take would multiply to 2. As I prayed, God not only said 2…but the agent said we were actually allowed 3 free bags each under the category we were traveling! Wow! There again is the story in Matthew about Jesus feeding the 5000…not only did God provide, but He provides leftovers! Praise the Lord! We ended up with 23 bags of supplies (with the addition of the 65 Bibles at the last minute) the luggage all made it!

Our flights were GREAT! We had smooth sailing on both flights. We had a good time in London on the 6 hour layover. Of course we found the Starbucks!

The team is doing great! They are all so excited to finally have arrived! After the semester long training they are just happy to be here! We had a 28 passenger van waiting for us…as well as our family from Living Hope Children’s Home! It is always so good to walk out at the airport and see familiar faces! We first saw Brandi & Kurt (or as the January team will remember … Kort!) then Godfrey & Shadrack. We were also welcomed with a little bit of rain!

We had a special treat on our way home to Jinja. Pastor Scott & his team from Unchanging Truth Ministries were leaving today to head back home. As they were on their way to Entebbe, we were able to meet up in Mukono to give one another hugs and encouragement! It was fun to be able to see them and have them meet our team. They have good reports to share as they return home.

We stopped in Mukono to meet up with Godfrey’s wife, Irene and one of their daughters. We will be ministering at their church sometime in the course of the next few weeks.

Of course we were able to stop and have the traditional “chicken on a stick” and “roasted bananas!” Yummmm! They all seem to like it! They are all officially here now!

We had lunch at the hotel and now they are resting! We will have a short time to meet together at 5 pm before heading to sleep!

We will have our schedule soon of the places we will be ministering in. Until then,

1) Please pray that tonight the team gets a good night sleep.

2) Everyone is in good health and doing great! Pray for continued good health.

3) Pray as we develop the schedule for the places we will be ministering in.

4) Pray for our team to continue to remain unified. Pray we grow closer together as a team as the weeks go forward.

5) Pray for each individual to grow in the relationship with Him.

Thank you for your prayers and your support. We just wanted you to know that we have made it safely and all is well…extremely awesome!

We love you all and miss you all very much!

Kare (goodbye)

Eydie