So this is my first post to this blog, better late than never I guess.  I went into this trip with the mindset that I wanted to disconnect and truely take in the experience and Uganda as a whole, which is why there has been a lack of posts and updates from myself.  I'm not real sure where to start so here goes my ramble, lol. 
     If I had to describe my experience to you all in one sentence I'd tell you, "I traveled from Kampala to Gulu without reservations, and was humbled by the experience."  I know what you're all thinking and I'm not referring to Hotel reservations, or rental car reservations, etc.  I mean I got to experience Uganda, the people, Sports Outreach Institute, and my own faith for that matter in a way I had never imagined.  The people of Kampala, Uganda stirred something in me that I wasn't even aware was present.  If I had to try and pinpoint the moment it happened, itwas while listening to Pastord Richard speak to us at the Sports Outreach Resource Center about being intentional and being there for one another in our walk of faith.  As he spoke to us, its almost as if he was speaking directly to me, and then the other members of the group began contributing.  These men and women of God, were quoting scripture like it was second nature to them, and not only quoting it, but KNOWING it, I mean truely understanding it, applying it, and living by it.  We left our devotional meeting and headed out to tour the Resource center where you could just sense that God is present, he is truely blessing and multiplying what these individuals are pouring into the surrounding villages.  We left that day and I had mixed emotions, there was a sense of sheer joy being in that place but also something I'd never experience before but I couldnt place my finger on it.  I'll apologize in advance bc I'm terrible with names (people and places) so there wont be many going forward. In the following days, possibly the most impactful place we visited for me personally was the village of Katwe.  I would love to tell you about how I was so enthralled with the story of how Phiona started her chess career there, which is amazing by the way, or how I hung on every word of the speakers from that day, but I can't.  I couldnt recall anything that our speakers said to us that day, but what I do remember and what I'll never forget is the people and more specifically the children of Katwe.  They were innocent, they were genuine, they were curious, and they were PURE.  There was no sense of entitlement, they werent spoiled, they were zombies due to cell phones and tv's.  These were little kids in the purest forms, seeking the one thing I knew I could provide to this trip.  Love, affection and attention, and thats what I did, or atleast I hope I did.  The comment I've gotten most since returning is poeple telling me that in the pictures of me and this kids playing that I have a look of genuine happiness, and its because in those moments, those kids were all that mattered to me.  Those kids didnt know that they were going to be teachers that day, but they taught me to focus on whats important, which on that given day was them, and let go of all the other worldly problems.   Once we left Katwe, we visited another local slum where we visited the school and had the honor of talking to some of the older children that had overcome trememdous adversity, attended school and were preparing for University.  You can have all the book smarts in the world, but in the world they live in it's not enough, it takes an amazing amount of heart, determination and most importantly faith to get through.  We discussed with them, their goals, their dreams, what they had been through, and it was then.  That was the moment.  I realized what the stirring feeling in me was.  It was a sense of shame, it was realizing that we have everything at our fingertips, we have access to the world, and we choose to be laxidasical and do nothing with it, yet these amazing people of Uganda have NOTHING, and are changing the world with it.  They approach life differently than we do, they approach everyday like its the last, the go at the day like they want to make a difference, and wether they knew it or not on that day, they made a huge difference in me.   
Fast forward through our 7 hr bus trip to Gulu......there was a lot of singing......lol.
    Through a lot of self reflecting our last night in Kampala, and on our lovely bus trip, I decided when I reach Gulu, I dont want to have reservations, I want to try my best to finish this trip like I belong here, like I've known these people all my life, and thats what I set out to do.  
    I'm not going to spend a great deal of time talking about individuals because I'd never get to the end.  But our time in Gulu, was like an experience I'd never had before.  In a span of 5 days, I went from a euphoric state of bliss, to heart break, to ugly crying with Alex outside my room one night (Alex thank you so much for being there for me brother!) back to awe of how amazing these people are as a whole.  For anyone that has every wondered what heaven might be like I urge you to visit Kora Farm, I truly believe its the earthly embodiement of heaven.  Its peace, tranquility, learning, loving, and healing all rolled in to one.  The staff was the most welcoming, caring group of individuals I've eve had the pleasure of knowing.  I can't help but think that when the volunteers and staff at Kora farm wake up each morning and put there feet on the ground, the devil shutters because he knows their bringing the fight.  
    I've been sitting with this above typed for days now and I keep thinking on how to elaborate and what else to say but I can't find the words, or atleast words that are worthy to describe the experience.  So I'll leave you with this,  my big take away from the trip.  BE INTENTIONAL, in everything that you do.  Don't look at your neighbor and think how bad he has it, help your brother/sister up.  Don't go through the motions becasue the routine has gotten old, there are people fighting and praying for the opportunities we have.  Don't take any of this for granted, God put us here to be sheppards and fisher of men, we're here to go make disciples of the nations.  Spread the gospel, share your story, no matter how embarassing it may be, if one person relates thats a life you can help save! 

Apwoyo Matek, Uganda. (Putting it all into Focus, Pt 3)

I thought that if I wrote this blog, that the trip would somehow end.  I thought if I put it all down into words, my experiences would fade, my relationships would disappear, and there would be some finite version of all the infinite love I felt in Uganda. There was nothing I wanted more than to hold onto every little moment and not let go.  I wanted it to be all mine and never lose it.  However, as days go by and memories seem farther and farther away, I realize how important it is for you and me, to write about what I felt and what I learned in the beautiful country of Uganda.  This was not a trip for me, but a mission trip for everyone who donated, reached out, and spent time asking about my experiences.  Be prepared, as this already feels like it may be a long post. (Thanks if you get through the corny jokes and the verbosity to reach the end).

Many of the conversations we had as a group always went back to 'building relationships.'  Even before we left, (months before, actually), we had meetings about what to expect on the trip, and Chase always brought it back to 'relationships'.  I was expecting to get to experience the people in Uganda.  I knew the children would run up and scream Mzungu or Munu at us when we arrived in the villages just as Cat had told us.  However, God showed me infinitely more about the people I was with and the people of Uganda that helped me learn so much about myself, my purpose, and my relationship with Him.  As long as it is okay with you, I want to elaborate on the important people that made this trip what it was. Sure there are many things I learned that I'd love to share with you, but without these 9 people, this trip wouldn't have had the same impact on my life...

Chase was our leader. We'd never met him before this trip but he'd been on the trip twice before.  He seemed awfully quiet during all of our pre-trip meetings via Skype, but we gave him a chance anyway because we trusted Cat.  When we met at Ihop the day we departed DC, I could feel an instant connection to him.  I truly believe God has a remarkable way of placing people in your life at just the right time to make you know how loved and needed you are.  Chase had this way of calling me out on my pathetic sarcasm, while showing such love and care.  Our relationship started off in the 'cousin' territory, but ended with such brotherly/sisterly love with Halo hugs and big scoop hugs into the air.  Whether I wanted to mock him for his height, or joke about his nature inspired lifestyle and 'Goji-berry-eating purpose-driven-life', he always made me feel happy.  He kept us focused on our goal, asked all the questions you knew you needed to answer but didnt want to ask, and brought our trip back to God each and every day.  I think that the lesson I learned while building my relationship with Chase, is that if I constantly keep my guard up and use humor to push people away, I will truly miss out on some of the greatest friends and family that God has placed in my life. I am eternally grateful that I got to experience this trip and these lessons with him and look forward to all I will get to learn with and through his presence in my life.




Ali is my Liberty lover.  She has such a kind and quiet compassion that truly is insurmountable.  We had such a great time laughing about the foul beasts, playing with the children, and getting to know each others numerous similarities while sharing a room/superbed.  Even though she had to have 5 layers of protection on at all times for the mosquitoes, she never over-protected her heart and her love for Christ.  Ali may not have realized the impact she had on me by sharing her story of her friends early passing, but because of her ability to share, I was able to share a little of my story.  I think there is so much more in store for Ali and I's friendship and that the love of Christ we experienced in Uganda will only increase our bond through the years.  Even though she wasn't an "Elevation member', she served such a great purpose by being with us on this trip.  From Ali, I learned that no matter how "small" your story may seem, it has a huge and everlasting impact on others.




Brittany & Matt are only going to go together because I truly believe their souls are united in Christ.  Their support of each other is amazing and it is such an honor to know them.  A lot of times you would think that these country-boys that have never flown in a plane or been outside the tri-state area, would have a hard time with going to a foreign country.  Matt was such an inspiration for how determined and casually he fit in with the people of Uganda.  Brittany and Matt have such HUGE hearts for children and their desire to touch each child's life was so genuine, that there were times I could only sit back and watch their interactions.  Matt was very open with the children and people about who he was in Christ, what he did for a living, and how it shaped who he is now as a father and partner with Brittany.  Brittany was courageous for sharing her story with our team and I give her so much credit for her honesty about topics that most people may never be able to talk about.  I think the lesson God wanted me to learn from them was that you should support your spouse/partner through the smallest and largest of difficulties.  They showed me that love should overcome any obstacle and patience is the best virtue in a relationship.  Brittany was such a great roomie for the days in Uganda and so much fun to watch her reaction to Craigs' jokes.

Craig taught me a great lesson to not take myself too seriously.  His nanner-tater jokes and random fact of the day kept it light-hearted and all in good fun.  Who would have thought that while in Africa, you would learn about lobster pee??  He taught me that sometimes I am a bit overbearing and take things too seriously. I would catch myself trying to relax and live in the moment with a little more innocence that I was bringing to the table. Craig may have been the one cracking jokes and using 'Jesu-mara' wrong, but he was also the one who gave a very animated story about clay pots.  Brenda came up to us and explained that the villagers of Pugwini could use some encouragement as they had consistent battles that felt insurmountable, but needed to know God was on their side.  Craig's illustration was a great reminder that no matter how hard you may feel beaten, or how deformed you may see yourself as being, you are just being crafted the way that God wants you.  I owe Craig for helping bring tears of joy after a day of sadness while visiting the homes of the villagers, and don't know if I will ever repay him for that.

Alex is going to be one of my new best friends.  He may not realize it, but there are not many people who know as many facts about soccer as he does in my life.  My lack of ability to remember names is horrendous and my use of numbers is dismal.  He may get sick of all my invites, but he will become a bestie, with or without his consent... But on a serious note, Alex is one of the most well spoken and written people I've ever known.  What he can illustrate in a few sentences, feels like the words you wish you could have put together in paragraphs.  There was one moment on the trip when I felt that God was yelling at me to listen to Him.  I struggle with knowing that I may have the right words to say, or 'who am I to share this with them' sort of thoughts.  We were in Pugwini, and Brenda had asked if someone would like to share a verse or story.  Alex had been on the other side of the group going through the Bible and pillaging for a story to share with the villagers.  I walked over to get one of the delicious sodas, when a thought hit me hard.  Alex should talk about the sparrow story.  I may not remember the book of the bible or the verse, but I remember the impact the story had on me when Pastor Furtick spoke about it in church.  I wasn't going to say anything initially, because I thought "nah, that's not the right story for now", but God only got louder.  So I spoke up and asked Alex, who then had a look of complete shock on his face.  It turns out, that was the story he was getting prepared for the group.  I don't think there was any time that I felt like I was supposed to share, but that my affirmation was only to help Alex know he was on the right path.  I know that God has spoken to me before, but I can't say I've had such a clear affirmation as I did at that moment.  Alex taught me to trust myself, trust when I hear God speaking to me, and to care deeply about all people the way that he does.


There is one more person on the trip that I haven't mentioned yet that traveled with us.  At various points I had to convince Nicole that she didn't have a brain tumor because of a poorly popped ear, she wasn't becoming paralyzed from a knot in her shoulder, you can't get black lung from a minor cough, her headache was normal, and that maybe a few more bottles of water would cure her illnesses.  Nicole's laugh is absolutely infectious.  At some points, she would be laughing at me, and me in response to her laughter.  She has so many different styles of laughter, there were moments where I just wanted to make her laugh to see what would come out next.  Nicole was the organizer of this trip.  She brought a wide variety of people together to go on this seemingly crazy mission half-way across the world.  Her ability to follow God's voice and listen when He wanted her to go to Uganda, was the sole purpose the eight of us were on a plane flying across the Atlantic.

I've served with Nicole on the Welcome Team at Elevation Church before our trip.  I knew her as a happy and cheerful person, who spoke so proudly about her love for Christ.  Nicole and Alex lead a great group of volunteers to help welcome new guests and returning friends to our church.  One day, when I wasn't sure if I was really fulfilling my purpose on the team, Nicole stopped me and said "I'm so glad you're here today. I don't want to be stuck with all these boys. I need you here."  She probably has no idea she even said it, but it kept me coming back for weeks after.  And then she invited me to Africa and with all my fears and doubts, I just knew I was supposed to be there with her.  Nicole has one of the kindest hearts.  She is a truly great friend which is eminent in her ability to get Ali to come across the world with her.  She helped encourage me, guide me, and share truly personal stories with me that made me feel like I wasn't alone.  After getting home from Africa, I felt a bit empty from leaving her.  My laughter wasn't as frequent and my jokes were definitely not responded to as joyfully as Nicole responded.  God taught me an incredible lesson of love, laughter, and resilience by placing Nicole in my life and I am so excited to all the many lessons He will continue to show me.


Brenda is one of the ministry leaders at Koro Farms in Gulu, Uganda.  Brenda is a strong, courageous, fiercely loyal, and devoted woman who proves that God sends angels to be with us on Earth.  For all that she has been through, she has continued to push on and make sure that her community sees the love from Christ that she feels in her heart.  I cried the night we left her.  Because of Ali's story in Koro, I was able to open up a bit about my own personal experiences and struggles.  Brenda later pulled me aside so we could discuss how similar our experiences have been and to share in a deeply spiritual prayer about healing and the power of God.  Brenda never did anything halfway and had so much love, I wondered how it fit in her petite body.  I look forward to the time we will get to spend together again and pray for her daily.  God has so many big plans in store for her and I want to be there to hear all about them.  I think my take away lesson from Brenda is the perseverance and a sense of urgency.  Brenda would walk around her community and visit homes to spread the love of Christ.  She may have been thrown out or turned away from many, but she was appreciative of every one that invited her in.  Brenda didn't wait for provisions to reach her, she created the opportunities and went on her own.  How great would our lives be if we took that true leap of faith and trusted God with our plans the way that Brenda does?

Sam may have initially seemed quiet, but he was an incredible addition to our group.  Sam was the trips coordinator that traveled with us in Kampala and Gulu.  I think that God was aware we would need a bit of a soft-spoken addition to our team, but with a happy and joyous heart like Sam's.  To think it took four days to find out Sam could dance so well!  I wish that I could have healed his knee for him, but that obviously wasn't what my purpose was for this trip.  I feel like my queesy/motion-sick stomach was there for a reason on the bus rides.  I got to sit right behind Sam and learned so much from him about his country, his people, his story, his salvation, and all of his goals/wishes.  I wonder if we could get Sam to come to the USA so we could show him the same hospitality and kindness that he showed us in Uganda?  Let's make it happen people!

Before I end this blog about relationships and the summary of the love in Uganda, I would be re-missed if I didn't mention and encourage the EmpowerMe Sponsorship program through Sports Outreach.  I have been a sponsor parent to little Daniel in Honduras since 2014 through Compassion International.  I've sent in my monthly donation and received the letters from his parents/teachers and pictures he colored himself (he's only 4, so no writings from him yet).  However, being in Pugwini and meeting the children that receive the scholarships through Sports Outreach gave me a true appreciation for these programs.

One young lady stuck out to me specifically in our journey.  Trinity is a young girl from Pugwini Village in Gulu, Uganda.  Her mother told us the story of how she left Trinity when she was two in order to get something that was away from their home, leaving Trinity and her siblings home alone. When she returned, she found that Trinity had fallen into the fire that was cooking their meal and burned her arm terribly.  She spent months in the hospital recovering, and her mother admitted that the struggle to care for her was so hard that she often wished to leave her children behind.  However, Trinity's mother accepted Jesus in her life and stayed with her children.  She struggles daily with her past thoughts and sometimes feels them coming back when things are very difficult.  She asked for prayers to remain strong and keep Trinity as her focus and to maintain her love for all of her children (Trinity has additional brothers- we met four- during our visit).  I related to Trinity's story in a way I wasn't expecting.  I've often felt cast away and a burden on those around me.  My appearance isn't what many people want, so often you feel this crushing feeling that you aren't good enough.  Trinity said she wants to be a doctor one day, which gave me hope.  It reminded me why I do what I do for a living, and made me grateful that I could help people like Trinity back home.  When we got back to the hotel that night, our group began discussing the children we had met. It was truly God's handiwork that we all had chosen to step up and support a child, with not one child being left behind.  I am proud to say that I sponsor Trinity and look forward to all of the blessing she will have in her life.  If you want to know what it is like to feel the honor and love from these children and their family, I implore you to go to the www.SportsOutreach.net website and look into the Empower Me program.  These children not only get to have stable meals because of your donation, but an opportunity for a better education and life for their families.  And who knows, next year you may be able to come with me back to Uganda and meet your child for yourself so you can see and feel this love first-hand.

At this point, I guess I should finally make my end to the blog and to this powerful trip. I could go on and on about these people and about the lessons, the details and the funny stories that happened while on the trip.  The days of June 5-15th, 2016 will never be forgotten and will only serve as a catalyst to share the gospel and ministry of Sports Outreach with the rest of the people I meet.  Cat told us not to promise anything to the people that we could or did not intend on keeping.  But my promise is simple.  I will return to Uganda one day, but until I do, I will show the same love to those around me as they showed to me in those few short days.


Apwoyo Matek. Amari. 

Putting It All Into Focus Pt. 2

Being back in America is hard.

I shouldn't be complaining. Once again I have access to running water that I can use to wash, brush my teeth, and drink. I have electricity. Air conditioning. Grocery stores for food. Multiple clean shirts to choose from in the morning. Soap.

The people we met in Uganda would think I am crazy for saying it's hard to be back with all those "things" that make living comfortable. While those things are nice to have back, it doesn't fill me up. In Uganda, life isn't about things. It's about people. And loving people. I miss the genuineness. That is the biggest theme I am griping with with. Genuineness.

In Uganda people hold hands all the time as a sign of love and friendship. They hold your hand as you converse with them. They look you in the eye. Handshakes last a good 30 seconds, instead of 2. They prioritize you over their schedule. It doesn't matter if they are late to the "next thing" because at that moment, talking to you and being with you is more important.  In Uganda people laugh and laugh and laugh. And smile BIG smiles of pure joy at the smallest things. And sing songs and make music on all occasions. (I hope reading this paragraph is making you smile, because it makes me smile!) Ugandans know the value of hard work. They don't complain about getting their hands dirty, earning their wages on a hot day, or sore muscles. And man, do they know the value of education. Education is appreciated, sought after, and seen as the ticket to a better life.

 

(I mean...look at that smile!)

 

(Students receiving scholarships to go to school with their proud father.)

 

(Ken teaching us to make bricks- this guy does this all day!)

I want to be careful not to sound negative, because we are so lucky and blessed to live in America. Our country is very privileged. I am so grateful to have had access to education, work, food, shelter, a family who could support me, etc. Our lives would be so different if we were born anywhere else. And we did nothing to choose where we were born or to deserve or earn it. That's almost what makes it even more difficult. The suffering people we met in Africa did not choose to be born into their situations either. Yet, there they are. AND...they still find joy. How do we justify that?

It's a question I am having a lot of trouble with. And having done mission trips before, I knew I would be. I expected these emotions and these thoughts to come, but it doesn't make it any easier. It's hard to feel this way, but I also don't want it to fade. Sometimes it's important to look darkness in the face. That's how the light shines through. I want to remember how blessed we are so that God can be glorified. And I want to remember what we saw so that we can continue to tell the stories; so that we can at least shine a little light in the darkness. And so that we can remember just how far we've fallen from God's intended plan for us. Because seeing and hearing those stories first hand just gives you this overwhelming feeling of 'this wasn't how it was supposed to be.'

(If we feel this heavily about the handful of stories we saw, I think about how our Father and Creator must feel. If we would just turn back to Him, it's that simple, we could get a little closer to what He wanted for us all along. "Tell the people: This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Return to me,' declares the Lord Almighty, 'and I will return to you,' says the Lord Almighty."- Zechariah 1:3)

At the end of the thought processing, I can't come to a good answer about any of it. I'll just have to ask God someday. The only thing I can come back to is how much more grateful I am for Jesus. I am grateful He came so that we have a way to know our Creator. So that children who are born to a life more difficult than we can imagine can someday be at peace at home with Him. And I am so grateful He is coming back to make things right again. I am grateful He says "So the last will be first, and the first will be last" (Matthew 20:16), so that little Patricia in Lagutu, who gets nothing but scraps from her family of 20 because she is so sick, will be FIRST to walk the golden streets in Heaven and get a big hug from Jesus. That gives me hope and gives me comfort.

One thing I can answer is, "So what am I going to do about all this now?" Well, a couple things come to mind:

• I can work as hard at my craft as the Ugandan's do. And as passionately at the Sports Outreach staff in Kampala and Gulu do. I can see every moment as a chance to make an impact as they do. 
• I can learn from Brenda in Gulu, and do as she did and not wait for others or for resources, but just GO with a sense of urgency and serve in whatever way I can: be it at church, at home, at school, etc. 
• I can show and tell my students about how precious education is; let alone, music education. And how music unites us with people all around the world. 
• I can make an effort to love as genuinely as they do; to look people in the eye, invite people over for fellowship more, and do it even if I am not receiving the same in return. 
• I can cherish my husband, who is a Godly man that serves his family, which many men in Uganda don't do. 
• I can pray. Sometimes that doesn't seem like a lot, but it is. The staff in Uganda prayed before and after everything. And the fruits of that are tangible. So I can pray for my new friends and African family, for Uganda, and for people around us to see a change and want to know why. 
• And most of all, I can thank God time and time again, on any and all occasions. And for giving us this opportunity of a lifetime. 

I do hope that you get to go back with us someday. Your life will be changed for the better. And you will make friends across the ocean who will be your friends forever. And then you, too, can join us in telling the stories. Because stories can change people. And together, people can change the world.

Putting it all into Focus

“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. As it is written: “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.” Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.”

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭9:6-11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I want to start this reflection by thanking those who supported me going on this trip. You are the suppliers of seed and food in the above verse. Because of your generous donations, I was able to participate in an incredible ministry. Your contribution enabled me to bless of the people of Uganda and enabled me to be richly blessed by them. I will never know all of the results of this trip, but you can be assured that God used our team in powerful ways this week. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for that opportunity. I hope to speak with you personally and have the ability to share the specifics of the good work done as a result of your generosity.

As I sit on the plane flying towards Washington DC, it is difficult to articulate the ways God worked on my heart this week. I saw so many incredibly joyful and incredibly difficult things while in Uganda. Reflecting on this week will not take days but rather weeks or months. It will take a long time to process all of the lessons God taught me on this trip. However, at this point I can share a few of the recurring themes the team experienced throughout the week. As we debriefed each day our stories focused on the ideas of story, purpose, relationships. I have to thank our fearless leader, Chase for having the insight to extract these themes from our experiences.

Several times throughout the week we discussed the importance of sharing a story. This story took various forms. We used our personal stories to strengthen and encourage the Ugandan people’s relationship with God. We also had the opportunity to utilize Jesus’ ministry strategy of parables. Jesus often used a story reveal a message to his audience in a relatable way. We responded to that same call this week. Some of us used our personal stories to relate to the struggle of the people of Uganda. Some of us used stories of familiar objects in the Ugandan culture to reveal a truth about God and his kingdom. Craig did an excellent job of this by sharing a story about a clay pot. Either way we learned the importance of story. As a team we also learned the importance of sharing the stories of others. We learned about the heart and struggles of the Ugandan people this week. Our hearts were both filled and wrecked by their stories. It is now our responsibility to share these stories. The physical work we did while in Uganda will only last a short while and admittedly had a limited impact. However, sharing the stories of the people we met and sharing the work God is doing in Uganda can having a much greater and lasting influence. As we share these stories with you and ask that you, in turn, share their stories.

This week also taught the team about relationships. Sports Outreach is a very relational ministry. They do not focus on only meeting the physical needs of a community, but rather they focus on creating lasting relationships within the communities in order to provide sustainable support. Sustainability is the keystone of the work Sports Outreach does in Uganda. We were given the ability to help strengthen the relationship between the people of Uganda and Sports Outreach by providing meals, teaching children, making bricks, teaching music and dance, playing soccer and chess, leading devotionals, and conducting home visits. Deeper than that, we got to build relationships with the staff of Sports Outreach. While we were there to support their ministry, we also were able to support the ministers by providing encouragement. Our ability to provide this encouragement came from the strength of the relationships built within the team. The majority of the team had not interacted much before the trip, but through the providence of God, strong relationships developed quickly. Several of the staff members we interacted with commented that our joyful group dynamic both blessed and encouraged them. God had ordained this message for the team as early in the week, as our fearless leader, Chase shared a word God had placed on his heart. He shared that God places specific people in our lives at specific points to either minster to us or allow us to minister to them. This idea continued to motivate our actions as God had a plan for the relationships built this week.

Each of these themes continually worked on my heart this week and taught me lessons about my relationship with God and His people. However, this week God had some very specific messages for me. The most powerful way God dealt with me this week involved sharing my story. As a typical American Christian girl that grew up in the Church, I struggled with how my story could relate with the Ugandan people. God placed on my heart the most painful part of my story to share with the people. Three years ago in March one of my oldest and closest friends died in a car accident. Through this experience, God taught me a lot about His plan and His intent to work all things for good. As I shared this story several times throughout the week, I always included the hope that God can provide even in the darkest of times. I encouraged them to draw closer to God in the hard times and not blame Him for their pain. Even while I shared this message, I still doubted what good could possibly come from the loss of my friend. However, each devotional time in which I shared this story ended with people making commitments to Christ. That realization hit me like a truck. God was able to use my pain to bring more people into His kingdom. I can't fully explain the peace that realization brought. While I will never see my friend’s death as a good thing, it is incredibly amazing that God was still able to use it for good.

As if that wasn't enough, I am so humbled to share that God was able to use me in another powerful way this week. We had the opportunity to attend the church service held at the Sports Outreach ministry center in Gulu on Sunday. After a joyful worship experience, the pastor brought the team before the church for an introduction. He then asked each of us to explain the way we serve the church in America. My first thought was “how on earth do I explain to this church via translator that I work the slide presentations and lights for my church?” But then God prompted me that I do not only serve the church on Sunday morning, but I am able to demonstrate God’s love to my students as a high school teacher. So I opened with the words “The Church is not a building, the Church is the actions we carry out everyday.” Well wouldn't you know, that this is theme for this congregation this year. The pastor used my used my words to prompt the church to live holy lives everyday of the week and not just on Sunday. Our local trip coordinator Sam, told me this was a message the people of the area desperately needed to hear. I was and still am so overwhelmed and honored that God choose to prompt this message from me. I also was instantly convicted by the thought of how many times I have missed an opportunity to be used this way, because I was uncomfortable sharing what God was placing on my heart. How many times have I a missed serving someone because it was awkward or inconvenient? I realized that God has a purpose for us EVERY day. He places opportunities for us to minister or to be ministered to before us every day. But I often miss these opportunities because I am focused on fulfilling MY schedule or purpose for the day. This experience convicted me to be more sensitive for these opportunities and to be bold in pursuing them.

God also taught me about presence this week. Immediately prior to this trip I experienced the busiest season of my life. Between end of the year remediation at work, directing the musical, and completing my masters degree (YEA), I constantly had things to do. Several times on this trip we weren't “doing things” as we were engaging in the building of relationships. I really struggled with this at first. I came into this trip believing that I could do the most good by doing something for the people I interacted with. However, God quickly showed me that this is not always true. It was a very “Mary and Martha” moment. I have never been under the impression that I am anything but 100% a Martha. I am in a constant state of doing things. I acknowledge that the point of the story is not to identify with Martha, but instead to appreciate the necessity of resting at the feet of God. But for a “Martha” acknowledging that truth and actually doing it are two very different things. However as we conducted a home visit, one women (with a terribly tragic story) crushed my heart with the words, “if God can bring you people here to Gulu to my home, then I know He can do miracles.” Keep in mind, the most we “did” for this women was share our stories and visit her home. Through this interaction, I learned that presence is powerful. Our presence in the remote slums and villages of Uganda provides hope to the people. It demonstrates to the hopeless that a few muzungos or munus (white people in Lugandan and Acholi) cared enough about them to fly halfway around the world just to visit with them. Our presence made them feel special, loved, and cared for. I learned that ministry does not only occur in the doing of things, but I can serve someone by spending intentional time with them. This idea has radically changed by view of what service and ministry has to look like.

I also learned a great deal about the universality of the the church. I fully expected to experience things that were culturally unlike life in the US. I had a very “us and them” idea about the church in America and the church and Uganda. This is SO NOT THE CASE! God smacked me in the face with that realization so many times this week. Participating in devotional times, worship services, listening to sermons, and even playing a game of catch felt so similar to the United States. Do not allow me to give you the impression that Uganda and the US are culturally similar. That would be a super inaccurate impression. However, despite the differences, I was able to connect with the church through these activities. My game of catch with a few teenage girls of a village choir brought this message home. The team broke off into different activities and I simply picked a tennis ball that rolled my way and tossed it to one of the girls. She then threw it back to me. I thought, “ok, I can handle this level of athletic ability.” More and more girls joined in to a little game. The girls spoke very little English and I spoke even less Acholi. However, we were still able to interact. And I noticed that girls laughed, competed, and made fun of my mannerisms in a similar way that my students do in the US. These girls could have so easily been in my class and the interactions would have been identical. This week gave me a tangible picture of the body of Christ. We are not pockets of Christians in different countries, but rather we are one unified Church, who actually have an amazing amount in common. Some things truly are universal.

If I am going to be truly honest, I most looking forward to the time in the safari park. My inner travel bug, totally geeked out over the opportunity to go on an actual safari. However, by the time we got to the end of the week and got to the lodge, I was filled with conviction. We had spent all of the productive ministry time in the slums and villages of Uganda and it felt really wrong to be in an incredibly fancy and luxurious place. I found my heart longing to be back with the people I had done ministry for and with. I never really expected that desire. This is something that my heart has not finished wrestling with. Not only am I convicted by the immense blessings I have in my life compared to the little the Ugandan people have, I struggle with spending any time doing something other than ministry. I accept that I have a life and purpose that I need to return to, but it will feel different. I hope to use my time more intentionally and seek ministry moments in the US. At this moment, I cannot shake the feeling that I am not done Uganda. Not gonna lie, that thought scares me a little. Mostly because I have no idea what that will look like in my life. In the meantime, I hope to more intentional about ministry in every aspect of my life. I will also continue to contribute to the work we have done by sponsoring a child through Sports Outreach. My little girl, Patricia, hopes to be a teacher one day. However, this nine year old struggles with being an outsider in a very large family and struggles with HIV. I humbly ask that you keep Patricia, and all of the amazing people we met in Uganda in your prayers. God is doing great things in Uganda through Sports Outreach. If you feel inspired to continue to support this work, please check out their website : http://www.sportsoutreach.net/

I could probably go on for hours about all things I learned and saw while in Uganda. As I sit here, I keep thinking of all the things I have not shared. However, I respect the time you have given to read these words and I will end here, but I would love the opportunity to share more with you in person.

Rest and Revival

From the perspective of Nicole:

Today was a true Sabbath and day of rest. Something I have noticed from traveling to other countries is how well they do Sunday’s. And I love it. Church started with passionate prayers: I mean vocal, loud, passionate, and all at once. It gave us a small snapshot of what God must hear all the time. This was followed by joyful worship: singing, and dancing, and praising, and smiling. After that, Pastor Aloysius invited our very own, Alex Schmitt, up to the altar to preach. And Alex did an AMAZING job. (I am not just biased-everyone agreed!). He stole a bit from Pastor Steven, getting everyone to interact and high-five while exclaiming the title of the message. His title was “Run Your Race.” Alex spoke on Hebrews 12:1-3 and talked about the importance of running with urgency towards the goal; that goal being meeting God at the finish line and being an example along the way. 

Pastor Aloysius then preached on Overcoming Spiritual Death. We were under the impression that the people in the community generally seem to hear about Jesus, but they think they only need to be “holy” in church (a very similar issue in America as well!) So he was preaching about the importance of staying in the scriptures and seeking fellowship with other believers in order to stay connected with God. He hit on something Ali told him about the church not being just a building, but more so God’s people living out His word and His purpose in their daily lives. He preached with such fire, and it was loooooong. But it was only long by our standards. Something that stood out to us is that no one was concerned about time or staying on a schedule. They would happily and calmly stay there and worship as long as it lasted and as long as the Spirit led them to. This is something culturally very different than in America. We are all concerned with our timetables. But here, they seem to think less about that and more about the relationships and spending meaningful time with people. We all have really loved that about the Ugandan people.

Bringing the word in Uganda

After church we had some time to go back to the hotel, eat lunch together, and rest. The intensity of this very full but awesome week finally had time to catch up to us. We all got pretty sleepy. But we rallied in time to go back to Koro Farm and play a really fun game with the Sports Outreach staff. They taught us a game called Rugby Net Ball. It was similar to Ultimate Frisbee and Handball and Soccer and Basketball all in one. We had a great time with lots of laughter and teamwork. It’s a beautiful picture to be a part of world’s merging and playing and laughing together- we kept agreeing it felt like seeing a snapshot of Heaven.

After the game we split into two groups and shared testimonies. One that stood out to me was Richard’s. Richard grew up very poor in Uganda. He has not seen his mom in 18 years. And his dad had no money. Around the time the war ended, many NGO’s were in the area and he began noticing other children getting sponsored by people in the Western World to go to school. And it was very important to him to go to school (which is amazing within itself that he saw the importance of education at a young age). So he began writing letters to the NGO’s asking for a sponsor. But each one returned rejected. Some even told him he needed to pay them in order to get a sponsor. So he began seeing even the NGO’s and Americans and people running the sponsorship programs as corrupt. He began to hate Americans. Fast forward to when Richard got connected with Sports Outreach: he was asked to run the Empowerment Sponsorship program (isn’t that just God’s sense of humor?!). He said he began asking God “How is this possible?! How am I supposed to do this?” But through that process, God healed his heart, and he learned to love the Americans that would visit. And now, he gets to be a voice for the children who are in the same situation he was. They even call him “Father” and “Uncle” when he visits the villages. It was just another beautiful story of God’s perfect plans for our lives, and how He can even use the broken parts of us to glorify His name. And we all agreed that Robert just radiates God’s presence. His smile is so big and contagious. And his heart is so big. It was a true honor to hear his story.

Here is where I plug the Empowerment Sponsorship program. We will share more about this when we return home. But if you Google “Sports Outreach Institute” and go to their webpage, click on the Empower Me Child Sponsorship, you can see the children we met in the villages. These stories are heartbreaking and they have no control over it, which makes it even harder to see and hear. But you can make a HUGE difference by just choosing to sponsor one of these children. It’s just $35 a month. Even a one time donation of your choice would be more help than you can imagine. $35 to us is like a week of Starbucks or the cost of a shirt or pair of pants in America. To them, it’s food for a typical family of a single mother and 5-10 kids for a substantial amount of time. Sponsorship would also go to helping with their school supplies, clothing, food, or whatever is deemed the biggest need. We can even show you their pictures and tell you their stories if you’d like. And maybe we can even bring you to meet them one day :)

After our time of sharing, Aloysius prayed and we took communion together. (So cool to do with our new friends). We said our very sad goodbye’s, hugged, prayed as a team, and departed for the hotel for the last time.

The next morning, we awoke to head to the SAFARI!!! The drive was about 3 hours, not bad, which we consumed with 90’s sing-alongside :) When we got to the hotel, we were all in awe. The hotel is beautiful and overlooks the HUGE Nile River. We ate lunch and rested and then headed for our Safari. Our guide was named Sam and he was awesome. The land is so vast and beautiful. We first saw many kinds of antelopes, elephants (even a baby!), and so many giraffes!!!! Then, Sam broke the rules and took us off-reading for a bit - that’s when we saw her: the LIONESS!!!! She was honestly about 10 feet away at one point! It. was. so. cool. We also saw a hyena, hippos, baboons, monkeys, eagles, and different types of birds. It was the perfect way to end the trip. 

We all agree that we need to one back someday. The people are so warm and full of joy. And we have learned so much. Each team member will write an “In Conclusion” reflective blog post from their own perspective upon our return to the States. For now, we say Afollo (goodbye!) and Afollo ma tek (thank you very much) for reading our blog and following and/or supporting our journey. We love you all!

Being a Light in the Darkness

  Today we hear from Brittany, who has the biggest heart for kids I have ever seen. 

   We began the day with an early start in the Pugwini Village. After introductions, and a welcome song and dance by the village, our team split into two groups. Matt, Nicole, Amy, and myself joined the teachers to teach the children bible school activities. Craig, Chase, Alex, and Ali remained with the adults for discipleship. 

    Being in a teacher position daily, it is such a treat to step back and really get to learn from the students themselves. The students, under the leadership of their teachers, sang songs, recited rhymes, and danced to show their love for Jesus. It was an incredible encouragement to see the children have such a passion for learning and life, despite the struggles they face on a daily basis.

    At the conclusion of the welcome festivities, Amy and I branched off to teach our lesson about the Armor of God to the group with the youngest children. These children were so excited to hear scripture, dance to a version of “Heads, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes”, and of course to color. 

    When this group had completed coloring, it was time to switch to Nicole and Matt’s group. However, one little boy was unable to move. I was informed that he had a “swollen” leg and could not walk. He remained to assist his friends in the next group with coloring, and was very happy to see the dance again. 

    During this time, Nicole and Matt shared the gospel by means of bracelets we had made for the children. Each color on the bracelet represents a different competent of the gospel, with Black representing sin, red representing the blood of Christ, and so on. The children were thrilled to receive their bracelets and began singing songs with Nicole and laughing. 

    Once the lessons were finished, the team headed over for a snack, where I learned the story behind our friend with the swollen leg. According to a church member, this young boy’s father became abusive, forcing his mother to flee with him to this village. On the journey, he fell and greatly damaged his leg. The hospital stated that is was not broken, but was unable to offer a further diagnosis. His leg continues to swell and cause great pain, with no known cause. Due to this, he has been unable to attend school or play with his peers. Thankfully, the team that is set to come after us is hosting a medical clinic, where this boy, and many others, will receive care.

    The highlight of every bible school lesson has been the bubble machine. The smile on the faces of the children could not be matched. There was so much excitement over a simple solution of soap and water. There was a moment here, where I paused to reflect on the innocence of a child, and how much we begin to take things for granted as we age. It was the first real life experience I have had that truly showcased child-like faith. (Luke 18:17)

    The next part of our day came with emotions not anticipated by most of our team. We began home visits with families in the village. These stories are not for the faint of heart. All the children we visited have experienced things often unheard of back home. Osama was our first visit, he is an orphan who has been taken in by a member of the village. While he is provided for with food and shelter, he is unable to attend school, and still goes hungry often. I wish I could explain what was stirring in me, while hearing this child's story. There was no small still voice, God might as well have screamed that Matt and I needed to sponsor him. We followed God’s lead and became his sponsors. Osama’s dream is to become a pilot, and I cannot wait to see him succeed. 

    We heard the story of Trinity, the brightest student in her class, who was often unable to eat or have school materials. We also heard the story of Costmos, an orphan taken in by his widowed grandmother. His grandmother is very weak and losing her eyesight in her old age. Costmos often finds his food by climbing the mango trees. However, he will lose this food source as the dry season continues.

    While all the stories were extremely emotional, the one that completed wrecked me was the story of Patricia. The little girl was taken in by her Uncle, his three wives, and their twenty children. She is responsible for all of the cooking and cleaning for the family, as well as hard labor. At nine years old, she has the responsibilities of an adult, while being HIV positive. Patricia is treated as an afterthought to her family, since she is not a biological child, and has not had treatment for her condition in over two years. It is by the grace of God that this precious child is still alive, especially with the Uncle wishing she was dead. I walked away from her home unable to hold back the tears. This child is a fighter and she has a purpose on this Earth. We are all praying for her healing. 

    The day settled on a happier note once we headed into Lagutu Village. Here, we were once again treated to welcome festivities, including a song a dance. Then, we split into three groups, with Nicole and Alex taking the choir members, Matt and Craig going with the youth group, and Ali, Amy, and myself teaching the children. Each group had so many stories to share, as well as smiles. The small children put on cow headbands from Chick-fil-a and pretended to be cows, the choir group sang silly songs, and the youth group played a riveting game of soccer. It was difficult to say goodbye, but we were ready to head back to the hotel to debrief and rest.

Little Ugandan Chick fil a cows

The post soccer game pic 

    I think I can speak for the team when I say this was the hardest day yet. But, as we discussed, even though we cannot help all of these people who are struggling, we can be their voice. We have to shine a light into the darkness and help those that cannot help themselves. We have been blessed in order to bless others. Just a side note of God’s handiwork, He laid a different child on each of our hearts for sponsorship. These people are truly becoming our family. 

Different Perspectives for One, Big, Beautiful Picture

Be warned, this blog post will not be something you can skim through before going to bed or over your morning coffee. This post will require you to intentionally sit down and spend more than a few minutes to read about our adventure. However, I promise, if you give us the time you will be blessed by what we learned and did in Gulu today. The best part of this post is that it incorporates the words of several of the team members. Everybody had a different story from today and instead of summarizing their words, a few members chose to tell their story themselves. Today you will get to see many perspectives of the same picture. If you are short on time, feel free to skip to the team members' story you are most interested in.

First, a quick summary of yesterday. We travelled from Kampala in the south part of Uganda up to Gulu in the very north part. We spent seven hours together on a bus. We had plenty of jam sessions to each other’s favorite genres of music, which began with the very fitting Lion King soundtrack. Extreme amounts of team bonding occurred on this journey, including getting to experience a very African bathroom. Picture a literal hole in the ground and you will be fairly close. Also we had the opportunity to walk across a bridge over the NILE RIVER. Yes, that Nile River. Also on this walk we got to meet some wild baboons. They were just chilling on the side of the road, like you would see a deer in the states. They proceeded to climb on our bus and had to be shooed away by our rockstar bus driver Wilfred! Shortly after that experience we arrived in Gulu. We toured the Koro Farm run by Sports Outreach. This place is incredible. Basically the people at this farm have made it their mission to meet every imaginable need in the communities surrounding Gulu. However, as we toured this amazing facility, we had no idea the depth of ministry we would experience here, which brings us to today. 

The Nile

Pastor Aloysius leading a tour of the Koro Farm

Alex here, adding to the blog for the first time since we arrived in Africa. Friday was a full day of ministry in Gulu, on and off the Koro Farm property that is the hub of all things Sports Outreach (SO) in Northern Uganda. The day started off with a time of devotional, filled with singing praise songs and some guy sharing a brief message from the book of Acts...oh wait, that was me who was sharing. I had the unique experience of sharing Acts 2:42-47, encouraging the SO staff and volunteers that they are walking in God’s favor, and that numbers of people being saved, confessing Christ as their savior, will be growing daily. I’m not bold enough to call it “preaching”, but taking some brief time to talk about the Bible with these incredible people was an honor.

You’ll surely be reading or already have read about different parts of this jam-packed day, but I want to share briefly about two parts that stuck out to me. First, a word about the women of Uganda. As with most African countries, Ugandan women are asked to carry much, if not all of the burden of daily cooking, cleaning, and raising of children, while not receiving much credit. Despite the implicit slights, Ugandan women are tough as nails, caring as could be, and all around interesting people. Our Gulu guide, Brenda, is challenging to describe without falling into non-stop hyperbole. She is joyful, she is wise, she is passionate. She is quick to share about some of the horrors of her past, living in Northern Uganda, and quick to follow it up with a praise of God for how she was delivered from the violence that has passed in the past several decades. She is fantastic at her job, and has a heart to serve her people tirelessly. It’s not just Brenda though. We heard from Esther, the pastor’s wife here at the Koro Farm, who leads the “Christine’s House” ministry that helps girls from the area who have been abused. We had the privilege to watch three young female teachers lead a classroom of almost 40 kindergarten aged children with skill, dedication, and love. We watched and learned as some of the cooks showed their culinary expertise as they prepare food for around 70 people at lunch time (oh my gosh, the food here is INCREDIBLY GOOD!). Sweeping, making bricks, leading by example In everything they do...the women of Uganda rock. #girlpower

    Another experience today that left a profound impact was our visit to a home for troubled children in Gulu. This wasn’t a prison, but it was one step away from jail as we know it. Twenty-six children live at this home, ranging in age from 10 to 18. The emotional roller coaster in the several hours we spent here was rolling up and down constantly. We started by meeting the children, singing a song with them, and then breaking up into smaller groups to share our stories of how we all arrived at this place. The “munus” or “white people” went first, sharing some of our testimonies, and giving encouragement to these young boys and one girl who found themselves here. Then they started sharing; Vincent went first. Rapist. A three year old girl. He’s a 14 year old boy. Barbara went next. A thief. Stole money from her house and her neighbors. Morris went last. Wrongly accused. Innocent. Unable to find council to support his story. Forced into “accepting his crime” and getting a “light sentence” of a year or so in this home.

    I was prepared for great joy in Gulu. I was prepared for great sadness in Gulu. And then these kids started talking. Kids who could’ve been born anywhere, had anybody as their parents. Had anybody as their teacher. Me as their teacher. But they were born in Northern Uganda, and I want to encourage anybody who hasn’t read the story of turmoil this region has seen to investigate the issue, dating back centuries ago to when British overlords intentionally depressed this region, all the way up until recent history where, until as recently as 2006, Joseph Kony and his Lord’s Resistance Army snatched innocent children and forced them to fight against their own people in the name of progress and the name of God. When you start to scratch the surface of the raw, awful history here, the contrast of joy and sadness that exists here starts to come into focus.

    So we heard the stories, and I shared some of my struggle with lustful, disgusting thoughts that have impacted me for my adult life. And it was hard. I felt awful on the inside. And then we started dancing, and taught these beautiful humans the ‘whip’ and ‘nae nae’. And then the smiles started. Big smiles. Smiles-that-make-you-happy-you’re-alive smiles. And then we played rugby, and these boys started looking like my percussion section boys who run off at every opportunity between rehearsals to play basketball. After a brief shower cry (we’ve all been there, no judging), I opened my bible to Isaiah and I started reading chapter 65, where we hear about the New Heaven and Earth that God is preparing for us. Where “former things will not be remembered, where they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit, and where they will not labor in vain, nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune.”(Verses 17-25). As we heard the kindergarteners chant today before receiving their porridge: “God is good...all the time...all the time...God is good”. 

A word from Craig, who by the way was a rockstar and threw himself whole heartedly into every task today.

 Ministry is a choice. We make this choice with everything we do no matter how small the action. For example, today, I had the opportunity to bless the children of the Mango Tree Day Care by serving them their food. Every time I served a plate, I said "For you." These kids were starting to warm up to us by this time and after about 10 plates the kids caught on and helped me with my little phrase. I could have chosen to just go through the motions and not say anything, but instead I decided to take the few seconds I had with every child to try and make a small connection with them. I chose an attitude of love over an attitude of duty. I chose to make every moment count.

The group of preschoolers we ministered to. 

And to hear from Nicole, the heart and soul behind this trip.

This is my first time contributing to the blog and I am excited to write as I feel it will be very helpful in helping to process the days here in Uganda. So much has happened. We have seen and experienced so much laughter, so much joy, so much community, so much pain, so much hardship, so much family. When you all ask me how our trip was upon our return, I’ll answer that it was amazing and probably give you a few details (more if you ask, of course!) but I will not ever be able to convey to you the right words to explain how it really was. 

As an overview, we’ve visited slums, given out sweets to adorable children in the slums, heard about the ministry of Sports Outreach, toured the facilities and all they are doing and all they plan to do, played soccer with locals (and got our butts whipped but hey, we can say we did it), visited juvenile detention centers, visited young girls who have been rescued from abuse, helped teach a lesson to a pre-school, helped make bricks (57 out of over 2,000 that have to be made but every little bit counts!), cooked a meal for the school, and danced and sung with the locals. In every experience, we are all overwhelmed by the openness of the people and how truly welcome we are. We notice just how genuine each person is. There is nothing but love and acceptance in every person here. And even more so, everything is so appreciated; something we agree as a culture, America certainly lacks. Despite so much hardship, there is so much JOY. And we have all, as a group, laughed our faces off more in a week than we have in a long time! It’s been a blast.

Because of how jam packed our day was today, we are each writing a snapshot of our contributions today. So I will be telling you about our “Vocal Training Class!” One of the coolest things about the Sports Outreach Ministry is that they find your gifting and then find a way to use it. So, yes, I did got to teach SINGING in UGANDA. So cool. First of all, music is just a part of Africa. Because instruments are harder to come by, singing is very much a way of communicating, worshiping, and is done by all. No one seems to worry about how they sound or singing out loud because everybody loves to do it. Everyone’s voice is unique, but when they come together they make one lovely, glorious sound!!! 

That being said, I taught a few warm ups and basics about singing techniques because a few choir teachers and choir members were there and I knew they were interested. Then I taught some rounds, which they caught onto very quickly (no surprise there). After that, we taught them an Elevation Worship song. That was so neat to hear across an ocean!!! And then they taught us two worship songs from Uganda. The smiles on everyone’s faces during the singing and the truly beautiful sound coming from that building were so uplifting to everyone in the room. Music is so universal. And it was awesome to see that statement in action.

Grateful to be here, honored to know these new friends, sore from laughing so hard with my team members, and very stinky and smelly from the day's work. Afollo!!! (Goodbye!)

Onto our designated trip mom, Amy:

The morning started off with the normal laughter, jokes, and amazing Ugandan food.  We learned many things today, like the eggs here are half white and blue yolks.  As we headed to the farm at Gulu, we began the day with devotionals with Alex and singing with the ministry team.  We headed over to the future site of the children’s home and health clinic that will help supply schoolwork to the areas’ children with teachings about Christ and His love for them in their lives.  Ken was very efficient in beginning our next task of brick making. We learned how they sifted the red dirt, mixed with the cement, and added water until it was the perfect mixture. We then moved toward the equipment that pressed the bricks.  We learned very clearly to stay away from the handle when it was swung back our way. We then got to work. Some began with sifting, others joined in a line to move the dried brick from the patio and into the home itself for brick laying.  

The joy that we had at simply moving the bricks, laughing and fellowshipping with our Gulu friends, was a great start to a long but rewarding day. Aloysius, Pastor of the Gulu farm, helped us in pressing the brick and challenged us to a competition of 57 bricks in one hour.  We are happy to announce we made 58 bricks {Don't ask about the time.} Hilarity ensued when Chase, our fearless leader, attempted to pull down the handle which was a two or three person job.  He came off the ground and the brick didn't move.  

Overall, the morning started in similar ways to other mornings. There was laughter, joy, fun, and excitement for all that was about to happen.  However, I don't think that in the moments while lifting bricks, sifting dirt, or hauling heavy loads of cement, we realized such life altering moments that were in store for us. I can say that even though we were exhausted, dirty, smelly and sunburnt, we left with bigger hearts and better understanding than we could have imagined.

Now, for a moment, I will step out of the trip narrator position and insert myself into the narrative. Here is the official Ali story of the day.

As we toured the farm yesterday, our superwoman Gulu coordinator Brenda, asked if our team would provide a aerobic instruction to the staff in the form of dance. Two things immediately came to my mind. First, that would be so fun and how awesome would it be to put 15 years of dance training to good use. Immediately, followed by, “self are you nuts, you haven't been in a dance class in eight years. Fortunately, the first thought won out when my “when in Rome” mentally kicked in. Physical therapist extraordinaire, Amy helped me come up with a class of stretches and some Zumba moves lovingly ripped off of YouTube. While I was super proud of myself for volunteering to do this and for actually making the plan, I secretly hoped we might “run out of time” for this particular activity. Thanks to Brenda’s superb time management skills, this was not the case. After an already busy morning and an incredible lunch (dubbed as the best meal thus far) we headed to Christine’s House for the dance lesson. Christine’s House is a very special part of Sports Outreach’s Gulu ministry. This place serves as safe house for girls who have been abused or have found themselves in “troubled” circumstances. Sparing you the Uganda history lesson, violent warfare has left no shortage of these women in northern Uganda. We began by listening to staff member and wife of the Gulu visionary, Esther, introduce the girls and the mission of Christine’s house. She explained the importance of knowing each other's names. Names take a story and make it personal. For the girls, these types of introductions can be painful. It's never comfortable to have your past on display. And imagine how uncomfortable it can be to have complete strangers come to hear your story. However, these insanely brave girls welcomed us into their home and allowed us to bring the the joy of dance. We taught them a few moves and then had the privilege of learning a “few” moves from the dance therapy guru of the Gulu farm, Justin. It was a pleasure to serve with him today to share the joy of dance with girls that suffered so much. For a just a little while, these girls had the opportunity to just be young girls and have fun dancing it out with a bunch of “ munus” or white people.

However, the dancing didn't end there. Later in the day we travelled to a juvenile center (see Alex’s post for more details). After some time spent in sharing testimonies, Justin asked if I would teach the boys a popular American dance. You see, I had made the mistake of showing Justin the Whip and Nae Nae earlier in the day. Yes, friends, this classically trained ballerina and nerdy high school teacher taught a group of Ugandan boys the Whip and Nae Nae. My high school students will either be super proud of me or super embarrassed. Either way, it was a blessing to see boys who have lived troubled lives and are one step away from jail enjoy learning an admittedly silly American dance. Today I was able to use dance, a huge part of my life, to bring joy. I was able to be a light in a dark place and I thank God for this opportunity. 

As you can see our day was packed. We worshipped with the staff of Sports Outreach, made bricks, taught preschool students about the armor of God and chick fil a (see a future post for that story), made and served lunch, taught dance and singing, and poured into the lives of young men through our stories, dance, and rugby. We returned to the hotel tired, dirty, smelly, but perfectly content that we had served God’s kingdom in a very real way.