We are alive!!! Those were the best flights I have been on ALL YEAR!!! This is the first time I have been on the internet since we got here. I spoke to Les today and he is getting ready to bow hunt for some bucks on some of his land. I MISS HIM SO MUCH!!!
My sweet parents have been taking care of my sweet dog Kona...THANK you mama and dad!!!
Now about our TRIP!!!!!!!!!
This picture is of the grass hut-concrete building that we are staying in. It is so nice. We are staying at African Village Hotel and management school. SO NICE!
This picture is Ken Nganda, the starter of the baby home receiving his brand new iPad from a donor!!! He loves it very much and is so thankful!
This picture below is of a boy living on the land from the new site of the baby home. I want to put pictures of the current home but they are on my phone so I will have to try that later.
This picture above, of the little girl was so touching to me. We stopped along the road in Mokonu to buy some sugar cane and I saw her all alone on a store front. She is cutting Jack Fruit. She is so young and has a huge corn knife in her hand. I walked up to her and gave her some fruit snacks. By her smile, it made her day :)
This picture below is a family living on the baby home site. There are three widows and their families living on the land so Ken, by law, is obligated to allow them to continue living on the land. But if you met these women, you would not want to kick them off of your land...laws or no laws. They are so special and we got to meet them and give them groceries. It was so beautiful.
This trip has been a life-changing experience. I am going to start with my journal entry of the first morning upon waking up in Uganda.
Day 1 7AM Uganda time, Audra's body's time: That is still undetermined.
Upon waking up I count 4 or more species of birds singing to us. It is almost too many sounds! SOOO neat!
Then the sounds of man-made machines interrupts the beautiful nature sounds. Now I hear what sounds like a lawn mower. But I don't remember seeing grass so that cannot be right. I can hear them fading as if they are moving to a different hut. M< curiosity of knowing what they are doing and my increasing ache in my head are in battle. The ache wins for a few more minutes. I get up to peer out the window with my God-given, non-corrected vision to make out a riding lawn mower. Didn't see that coming. I haven't seen the landscaping quite yet though, because we arrived at night.
I did not expect to be cold and shivering though. I am actually cold; on the equator. Didn't see that coming either. I can't help but think about my husband. I tried to call him last night but his voice mail was full. Typical :)
The decorating in the room is light but Christian and feels very homey. The lawn mower just killed his blade. He is only idling now. I may get to return to the beautiful sounds of Africa. I can hear it fading away. The ache was leaving but comes back when the mower does. And the blade is back on- the lawn mower and ache win again as I continue to lie in my bed.
I can tell that 5 hours of sleep wasn't quite enough. Jet lag is beginning to take its course. My head pounds, the room is spinning, and my eves fight to stay open. My body lay weekly on the bed. I can feel my blood course through my veins. I found out later that I had vertigo. That explains a lot.
The mower faded away again and now I can hear the locals. Their language is so beautiful. They sound so happy. Happy happy happy.
That was my first morning in Africa!!
We have only been here for 2 days and already, we have seen so many different things that I never thought I would see. The weather feels a lot like Hawaii. The mountains and hills look a lot like Hawaii too. I never thought I would come to Uganda and compare it to Hawaii.
The streets have no road signs. There are no lines. There are no street lights. There are people walking along the road ALL OVER and there are cows, goats, and chickens running loose. It is almost unbelievable.
There are dozens of market places along the roads. They get used items from the Salvation Army stores in the city and sell the items on the sides of the roads.
I have met so many sweet, kind-hearted people. It takes my breath away. They seem to be so happy.
Most Americans would call this severe poverty but I don't believe the people here would see it that way. They seem to focus on the positive and what they have and not on what they do not have. They have faith....a LOT of faith.
I am off to eat supper at Ken and Cathy's home! Hope to update you tomorrow!!!!
GO WITH GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
PS The kezboard here is quite different than that of an American kezboard. The Y and Z are in the opposite places and the punctuation isnät in the same spot as ours. The Shift kez is weird too. So <i am sorrz for the inconvenience!!! <I didnät have time to edit or proof read this.
Prayers and blessings to you, Audra, and your fellow missionaries. It is so exciting to read your posts about this amazing life experience. Thank you so much for sharing your journey. I can't wait to read more.
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