Last Few Days in Uganda

The last three days of my trip were spent in Kampala and they were less intense than the first 6 days.  It was good because it actually gave me some time to decompress and process.  We had the chance to visit a Youth for Christ crisis pregnancy center.  Girls that are pregnant in Uganda are often forced to leave their homes and are shunned by their families, even if they are pregnant as a result of rape.  There were about 10 girls in the home when we visited.

We also visited the Rahab House which was originally established by Restore International.  The house is home mostly to  girls that have been raped or forced into prostitution.  The house is run by a Ugandan lady named Rubina.  The girls were so happy to have us come and visit.  It was amazing to see these girls that had experienced such abuse smile and sing for us.  The house is a true success story.

Another interesting thing that happened was I met with a lady named Esther that heard that I was with YL.  She wanted to talk to me about starting YL in Uganda.  I agreed to meet with her but I knew that I would not be able to give her much information because YL International is so different than YL in the states.  As it turns out, she wants to start YL for foreigners living in Kampala.  Many embassy workers, NGO employees, and missionaries live in Uganda.  They bring their children with them but sometimes the kids get the shaft  because their parents are focusing so hard on the needs of Ugandans.  I met with some of the youth in the area and also with a pastor and some of the parents.  It would be fun to help them start it.

My overall impressions of my trip and Uganda are many and I can't really haven't been able to wrap my mind around it yet.  One thing for sure is that I met some amazing people over there, both Ugandans and Americans.  Bob Goff, the founder of Restore International, might be one of the most amazing people I have ever met.  He is so loving, gracious, giving and humble.  He makes everyone around him a better human being.

Now I am home and I can't wait to go back and take friends with me.  I want others to be able to experience the unexplainable.  It was truly a life altering trip.

BP

days 4, 5, 6 in Gulu

Tuesday:

Woke up in Gulu, Uganda.  Gulu has been the epicenter of the war with the LRA in Northern Uganda for the last 20 years.  In the past year or so the war has left Northern Uganda and moved to the Congo.  Relative peace has returned to the area and rebuilding has started.  There are a lot of NGOs in Gulu helping with the rebuilding.

In the morning we walked around Gulu and to the market.  It was great to people watch.  They sold everything you could imagine.  Some people in the market stare at us and others are apathetic towards us.  Most of them are genuinely friendly.  In the afternoon we went to visit the Restore Academy which is a school that Bob Goff founded.  Education is one of the major thrusts in the rebuilding of N. Uganda.  They realize that eduction is important but also instilling a sense of moral responsibility.  For what good would it be to educate someone that would use their intelligence for evil?   All of the kids are required to attend discipleship classes.  The kids know if they want to attend school there that the classes are a requirement.

The students are amazing.  They have been living with war for years and are very enthusiastic about learning.  They go school from 7am - 5pm everyday and sometimes Saturday and Sunday.  Many have to walk 1-2 hours to get there in the morning and when they leave in the afternoon.  We helped served the kids lunch for a while.  I got to video for most of the afternoon which was great because I really enjoy it.  The highlight of the week was when a group of the kids performed a "poem" for us.  It was a combination of spoken word, singing, and chanting.  It was amazing.  I can't really describe it in words.  I will try to put a video up.  It was very emotional for all of us to view especially Bob because it really honored him.  We also got to watch the Restore soccer team beat another school 5-1.  The soccer field had a tree and a telephone in the middle.  Pretty amusing.  Their best player was actually named after David Beckham. 

During the day Bob and his country directors John and Blake, signed papers to purchase 38 acres to build a new school for the students.  The process has been tedious for them for many reasons but they seemed to be getting a lot accomplished.  John and Blake are in their 20's and are amazing.  They basically work for free and they are tireless workers.  I can't begin to tell you how impressed with them I am.

Wednesday:

In the morning we went back to Restore Academy.  I had the chance to interact with the kids more because I wasn't on the video camera.  The kids are a lot of fun but they all have had it rough.  Most of them have lost at least one of their parents and some have lost both of their parents to the war or AIDS.  All of the kids have hopes and dreams for the future.  They want to be doctors, ministers, pilots, teachers, members of parliment, lawyers, etc.  I get the feeling that some of them are smarter than I am.

In the afternoon I took the most intense 2 hour nap of my life.  Then that evening we went to a group home for orphans.  They sang and danced and prayed like I have never really seen before in my life.  They are so open and authentic.  It makes me feel like I am shallow and a fake.  Their are so vibrant and overflowing with love and thanks.  I have more money, opportunities, better health, living parents etc. but I lack something valuable that they possess: unbendable faith.

Thursday:

We spent most of the day on the road traveling back to Gulu.  The country actually ran out of gas because pirates off of Somalia have been raiding oil tankers.  We were able to get some fuel before it ran out.  The situation is kind of funny because in my mind I see Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom cruising around in the Black Pearl looking for tankers to rob.

I got to see some monkeys, baboons, and the mighty Nile river.  We stopped for some food and I ate some goat. Yes, goat.  The drive went by really fast.  We spend the time by telling our life stories.  Today, one of the two females on the trip, Kristen, told hers.  Her and her friend Kippy are from Chicago and have left a spouse and children back in the states so they feel my pain about missing Heather and Brendan.  One of them is just like my friend Vanessa Winkle and the other is like my friend Pam Foerst which means that they are both crazy but in a good way.  They have provided the entertainment for the trip and both are very, very, compassionate and loving with the kids.  Kristen is using her business back home to help fund and help those affected by sex trafficking.   www.juxtaposie.com/purseofhope/

We got back to Kampala and had an evening hanging out together.  We had amazing thai food.  The food here has been surprising.  I haven't been grossed out by anything and we have been able to find amazing food, even in Gulu.

More in a couple of days.

first three days in Uganda

I have been in Uganda for four days and it has been insane.

Saturday:
Visited a "remand home" which as basically a prison for for minors. Some of the kids have been there for years waiting for a trial. A lot of them are there falsely accused. If a parent does not like the boy dating his/her daughter he can basically cry rape and the kid will be arrested no questions asked. Then they sit and wait for a trial for a while and when they finally get one the remand home does not have the $ to buy gas to send them to the trial. Restore International is trying to get them represented for a fair trial.

We also visited a girls home where most of the girls were found living on the street. They feed them and give them shelter as well as mentor them. The one thing the at all the kids have in common is that most of them do not have parents because of AIDS. While AIDS has been on the decline in Uganda, the reprecussions of the last 20 years is that there are many parentless children.

Sunday:
We north of Kampala to the Cornerstone Ranch. We stayed with a woman named Maggie who is originally from Seattle. She teaches cooking and hospitality for an organization. www.tiptopwebsite.com/maggiejosiah She is training at-risk children(almost all of the kids in Uganda are at-risk) in skills of hospitallity and cooking. She is an amazing woman.

Monday:
We drove back to Kampala. Bob Goff, John, Blake, and I had the opprotunity to meet with two high court justices that Bob has brefriended. It was really cool to see these two Christian men with the power that they have really affecting their country. The goverment is very corrupt but these two men are pillars of justice.

Then we had an amazing opprotunity. We got to meet the first lady of Uganda. Her husband has been the president since the late eighties after years of turmoil and dictators(Amin & Obote).
She is a strong Christian and recenlty ran and won a seat and parliment. She truly cares about the children of Uganda and her concerns right now are getting water and electricity to Ugandans. I actually got to talk to her about Young Life! I can't believe that I spoke to a first lady of Uganda about YL...craziness. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janet_Museveni

After that, we drove 6 hours to Gulu, the war-torn part of the country that is just starting to recover after a 20 year war. The road was filled with pot holes and people literally lined the street all the way there. We actually saw a dead woman on the side of the road that had been hit by a car. We got to Gulu late Monday for three days. My next blog will be about my time in Gulu.

I apoligize for my grammer, spelling, etc. I am a horrible writer and had about 20 min. to write this. I am leaving out a ton of details, most of which are about the amazing people that I am meeting and those that I am travelling with. More to come.

FIRST BLOG FROM AFRICA

I finally got to the hotel in Uganda about 24 hours after I left.  I flew 7 hours to Amsterdam, had a 5 hour layover, and then flew 8 hours to Uganda.  I was very fortunate on the first leg of the trip to have 4 seats in the middle all to myself.  I laid there and watched The Dark Knight(I think I have seen it one too many times) and then slept for the rest of the trip.  I met up with Bob Goff the founder of Restore International in Amsterdam.  Also, 2 moms from Chicago joined us on the trip.

We had a 45 minute drive from the airport to the hotel and we almost died 14 times. No one follows the rules of the road over here.  It is a free for all.  We met a couple of the guys the work year round for Restore at the hotel.  They are really cool and truly making a difference over here.  I am looking forward to hanging out with them this week.  I was kind of told what we were going to do this week by Bob before we left America but the plan has completely changed.  All I know is that I am meeting everyone downstairs for breakfast at 8 am and it is midnight now and I am tired.  I guess I will find out tomorrow about our new plans.

BP