Hello from Uganda!
I am sorry I have not updated this blog earlier... But here I am! Now, where to start.....
Victoria and I arrived in Entebe, Uganda, Wednesday, the 20th, at night after nearly 30 hours of traveling. After being picked up, we proceeded to drive to Kampala (the capital of Uganda) to spend the night in a hotel. It was about an hour drive. In Kampala, we met up with an American pastor we had met back in the states as well as one of his team members. The next day was spent driving around Kampala, drinking coffee at an amazing coffee shop, exchanging currency, and eating pizza. Not too bad, huh? ;-) They gave us ketchup for our pizza which I found amusing... From Kampala, Rukungiri (the town we are staying in) is an 8 hour drive. Thankfully, I was able to catch up on some sleep
during the car ride.
Rukungiri is much bigger than I originally thought. Like a lot bigger! It's not some small village... It is a pretty large district actually. Victoria and I are staying with Onesemus and Betty. Onesemus is a pastor at God's Embassy church. We met him through our church when he came to the states to go to Seminary. His wife is very sweet and a lovely person. They have three kids. Benny is 8. Boss is 7. And Pem is 2. The older two were so excited to have us. Pem is a little shyer, but still adorable and sweet. ;-)
In Rukungiri, they eat a lot of plantains. They are pretty much green looking bananas. They do not have much taste. They also have some corn stuff which is white and also pretty tasteless. But other than those two things, everything else is pretty flavorful. They have so much starch in their diet including potatoes and beans with rice. At the hotel we often eat at, they serve lots of chips and chapati. Chips are like fries and really good. Chapati is like a doughy tortilla. So good! They have a drink in the morning called Chai. Now, this is not like our American Chai. It is made with boiled milk and water and the African tea leaves. They call the tea leaves green tea, but I think it is more of our black tea in America. Not positive on that though... Breakfast is a very light meal. Usually just Chai with some bread. On Sundays, we do eat a heavier breakfast due to the fact that church gets out after noon so we will have lunch a little later.
Everyone here will stare at us because we are different looking. The kids all want to grab our hands and rub our arms. I don't think I've ever been this popular. Victoria took pictures with each of the kids at the school. I am now working on putting the photos on a sponsorship card so that when we get back to the U.S. we can find sponsors for the kids. All the kids are so adorable. I may start teaching English at the school as well.
Another thing we have been doing is house visits. We will walk around and visit church members' houses. Yesterday, the mother of the lady we were there visiting got saved! Praise the Lord! Part of the American pastor's team have been coming as well and sharing the gospel as well as their own testimonies. We have heard the villagers testimonies as well. Some of them are really crazy and powerful. We spoke to one man who had been stabbed three times and everyone thought he was dead. And his wife used to be tormented by evil spirits and even possessed by them. I know all this sounds crazy, and it is. Over here, you hear about that stuff a lot. In America, it doesn't seem to be a problem, but here... almost everyone talks about it.
Where I am staying, we take bucket showers. I boil water, mix it with cold water to make it warm, and put a cup in it. I use the cup to shower with. It actually hasn't been too bad. It's kinda fun unless you're exhausted and still need to shower... ;-) Even the nicer toilet in the house is missing the top part... I think it is funny because back in the states, everyone makes a big deal about putting the toilet seat down... But here, there isn't one to put down.
I would continue all of your prayers as I try to figure out how to stay busy. I have been feeling discouraged and a little homesick. Most days, there is not too much to do so it is a lot of sitting around and being bored. Please pray that I find something to keep me occupied. Also, please pray that Victoria and I continue to stay healthy and don't get bit by any bugs. So far, I only have one bite and I don't think Victoria has gotten one. Thank the Lord for bug spray! Today, Victoria had a bad headache, but I think it is something that happens sometimes back at home as well. This past Monday, I wasn't not feeling very well, but after spending the day sleeping/resting, I felt much better. I am very thankful that we have not gotten any sicker than that!
Thank you all so much for your prayers, thoughts, and support! <3 :-)
Blessings,
Bekah
