GGI Uganda Trip 2016 - Beginning the Journey
Greetings from Uganda! The Grace Giving International 2016 Uganda Mission Trip began one week ago so we thought it would be good to bring you up to date with what has been happening since we arrived.
Ahnika, Simeon, and Nate Klimper flew to Uganda from Portugal with Bruce Zagel. They arrived late Tuesday, 21 June, after flying through Amsterdam. All four were excited to arrive but also ready to sleep. It had been a long day. Pastor Robert Sityo greeted them and took them to a guesthouse not far from Entebbe airport. Ken and Martha Goodfellow, along with Elizabeth McDuff from Kennewick, WA, were to arrive the next night on the same flight, so rather than leaving directly for Jinja, the group stayed at the guesthouse until the day after the Goodfellows arrived with their 18 (!) suitcases. Believe it or not, all those suitcases did not cary Martha's clothes. They were filled with supplies for the mission trip; Bibles, story books for children, snacks to go along with the story books, and commentaries to be given to local pastors that were donated by Bob and Betty Zagel, Martha and Bruce's parents.
While waiting for Ken, Martha, and Elizabeth to arrive, Ahnika, Simeon, Nate, and Bruce went with Robert to take a couple of young gentlemen to the bus station in downtown Kampala. This trip allowed the newcomers a chance to get a firsthand look at the vibrant downtown area. People, traffic, and the African sense of traffic made the afternoon both enjoyable and educational.
The next day, after Martha and Ken were vertical, although not terrible alert because of the long journey from Spokane, WA to Entebbe, the group went to Jinja to settle in at their home-away-from-home, the Nile Hotel Jinja. This place serves as the "home place" for most of the time in Uganda, except for a few days towards the end of the experience. The hotel is only a 10 minute walk from Robert and Sarah Sityo's home which makes it very convenient.
The next morning, Friday, 24 June, it was was time for shopping for supplies in Jinja. Martha led the group, gathering beans, flour, rice, and other supplies that will be distributed to villagers in the bush over the next couple of weeks. A big supply of Ziploc bags comes in handy to pack the supplies in manageable containers for distribution.
Later on Friday, the group travelled to Buloba (about a 20 minute drive) for the first of two nights of preaching in evangelistic sermons for the community. The community is largely Muslim, so not everyone is open to hearing the Gospel. Robert commented that because it is Ramadan, the Muslims would stay in their homes until after sundown, but they would certainly hear the message broadcast over the loud speakers. The whole group enjoyed the singing and preaching and the local Christians seemed to appreciate it greatly.
We hope to catch up on the week tomorrow evening. We will also try to have each member of the team contribute to the blog so you have everyone's perspective.
Please pray for Sarah Sityo. She was diagnosed with typhoid fever yesterday and is taking five days treatment for it. As a mother of infant triplets and the primary organizer of the logistics for our visit there is a big load on Sarah.
More to post tomorrow night.
