I am so thankful for the time that we spent in Uganda. I know that I have seen things and learned things that will go with me for the rest of my life. It's difficult for me to understand how we are so blessed that we don't even realize it and they have so much joy even though they have so little compared to us.
One teacher mentioned to me that he thought God must be a little closer to us in the USA because we have so much. It made my heart sad. It might be more that all the stuff is actually a distraction more often than a blessing. Something to ponder.
To those He has entrusted much, much is to be expected!
I for sure learned that we have a responsibility to be a blessing to others!
Anyway, I already put together a 5 min snapshot of the school and it is posted on facebook. If you aren't my friend, feel free to friend me if you want to see the video. I will be working on putting other videos together over the next few months. I hope to have two or three done before Thanksgiving!
Thanks for all your prayers!
Jeremy
Monday, October 24, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Amsterdam Again
Our team made it to Amsterdam on our journey back to the states. Travel from Uganda went safely. We are not headed to Detroit! We will be home by the end of the day!
Monday, October 17, 2011
Monday in the Kampala Area
Today we went to visit a partner of With God's Little Ones in the greater Kampala area. We visited another school/orphanage, medical clinic, and building under construction for a future volunteer house for teams wanted to come and work in Uganda.
It was very interesting to see other parts of Uganda. It really is a beautiful country. We witnessed a huge rain storm with pea size hail. I was amazed with our bus driver as he was able to navigate the red clay/dirt roads with the water rushing everywhere.
After we made it back to the city of Kampala we went to a local market to shop for Uganda/Africa items. Pretty neat how many things there are. We also visited a local grocery store. In some ways it wasn't very different from our stores...and in other ways it wasn't even close to our grocery stores. Products are obviously different.
Anyway, we enjoyed eating dinner with our Uganda friends who are leaders out here in the Lutheran Church...Pastor Charles, Violet, Fred, and Joshua.
This is our last night in Uganda even though we will not get back till Wednesday night. Tomorrow we pack up and will get to one more market before we make our way back to Entebbe for the Airport.
It was very interesting to see other parts of Uganda. It really is a beautiful country. We witnessed a huge rain storm with pea size hail. I was amazed with our bus driver as he was able to navigate the red clay/dirt roads with the water rushing everywhere.
After we made it back to the city of Kampala we went to a local market to shop for Uganda/Africa items. Pretty neat how many things there are. We also visited a local grocery store. In some ways it wasn't very different from our stores...and in other ways it wasn't even close to our grocery stores. Products are obviously different.
Anyway, we enjoyed eating dinner with our Uganda friends who are leaders out here in the Lutheran Church...Pastor Charles, Violet, Fred, and Joshua.
This is our last night in Uganda even though we will not get back till Wednesday night. Tomorrow we pack up and will get to one more market before we make our way back to Entebbe for the Airport.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Leaving Kawete
This morning we got to worship with our Uganda friends. It was great how Pastor Charles led us in a great two language service. It was great to hear the music and singing as well.
After worship we got to hang out and play with the kids, talk more with the teachers, and even though the plan wasn't to open the medical clinic, Cathie and Kent couldn't turn away some really sick kids. They worked in there again this afternoon for a few hours at least. What amazing servants!
After they packed up we said our goodbyes and headed back to Kampala where we will be the next two nights. Tomorrow we will go visit another place to great work for kids and then Tuesday, we start our 30 hour trip home. It is strange because while it is Sunday and our trip is winding down, we will not be home till Wednesday evening.
Our time here has been amazing and I can't wait to start working on the 13 to 15 hours of video to tell the stories of Kawete Uganda!
After worship we got to hang out and play with the kids, talk more with the teachers, and even though the plan wasn't to open the medical clinic, Cathie and Kent couldn't turn away some really sick kids. They worked in there again this afternoon for a few hours at least. What amazing servants!
After they packed up we said our goodbyes and headed back to Kampala where we will be the next two nights. Tomorrow we will go visit another place to great work for kids and then Tuesday, we start our 30 hour trip home. It is strange because while it is Sunday and our trip is winding down, we will not be home till Wednesday evening.
Our time here has been amazing and I can't wait to start working on the 13 to 15 hours of video to tell the stories of Kawete Uganda!
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Saturday Fun in Kawete!
This morning started with a trip to the market in Kawete (the village where CCLSU is located). The market has people selling second hand clothing as well as other clothing from all over the world. There are people selling spices, food, meat, torches (flashlights), radios, ice cream, knives, cows, goats, and anything you need to support your family in East Uganda! It was very amazing to see everything and even try a few things.
After we left the market we headed down the street to CCLSU. Being a Saturday, there were no classes, but because we were visiting, there were activities and students and teachers around all weekend. I got to help fix a new wagon that wasn’t assembled correctly a couple of years ago. It now works properly which will be helpful for hauling water from the well to homes.
We also hung out with students, recorded more student interviews, took a tour of the garden, and ate some beans harvested today from the garden (the first crop to be harvested).
Cathie and Kent worked their hearts out in the clinic as they saw over 120 people this week including about 40 women for a women’s health and wellness seminar! That is incredible and they really have gone nonstop the last three days!
We ended our day handing out gifts to those students who participated in music, drama, choir, and athletics. They lined up and waited patiently for gifts of markers, pencils, shoes, and a half a bag of Reese’s Pieces. They were very grateful and it was fun to be a part of that ceremony!
The CCLSU teachers in their new shirts! Thanks CCLS and Adam Wedel!
Pictures from the Market
Cathie and Alvina eating a fried piece of bread in the Marketplace.
This is where the fried bread was being made!
Potatoes for sale. There was lots of cloth for making African dresses behind her.
The bicycle became the hanger for selling clothes.
This gentleman was sowing part of the traditional Aftrican dress.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Interviews and Football
It rained all night last night...like seriously all night, and the rain from the roof falls three floors down to metal sheeting right outside my window...so it is really loud. I woke up from the storm at 5:45 a.m. to catch the online play by play of the Cardinal's game. Not the outcome I was wanting, but at least I didn't get up at 3 to watch the whole thing. Hopefully tonight's will go a little better!
I got back to sleep for an hour to only to wake up to more rain. It rained all morning and it made the place a big mud pit (which became funny when we started playing soccer later in the afternoon.)
When we got to the school today, my mom and I got to interview a bunch of students and all the teachers. It was amazing to hear what they had to say about why they like the school and what their challenges are. It is amazing how good the teachers are. They do so much with the kids with so little. Think about what school would be like with no text books, little paper, no electricity, and 60 to 100 students in each classroom. Yet they are focused and working on learning together!
This afternoon I got to go with the Head Master Moses and Pastor Charles to visit about 6 or 7 different homes. The places where these kids live are brick houses constructed by the families themselves. Again, most with out electricity. Many of the kids sleep in the same room (sleeping on the floor) as the kitchen which just means they have all the pots and pans, food, wood burning area, or charcoal right there where they sleep every night.
After I got back from visiting the homes, we brought out a new soccer (football) ball started playing. When I carried the ball out to the field, they were looking at me like I was holding a million dollars. The half deflated and ripped up ball they have been playing with didn't come close to how awesome this new football was. I got to play with them for a little bit and they thought it was funny when it would hit me. The field was full of mud and the kids were falling all over the place. (Rob, you'll be happy to know that one of the students had the helmet cam on for some of the game...pretty funny.)
I am looking forward to seeing how the video of today turns out so that i can share it with all of you.
Thanks for the Prayers.
I got back to sleep for an hour to only to wake up to more rain. It rained all morning and it made the place a big mud pit (which became funny when we started playing soccer later in the afternoon.)
When we got to the school today, my mom and I got to interview a bunch of students and all the teachers. It was amazing to hear what they had to say about why they like the school and what their challenges are. It is amazing how good the teachers are. They do so much with the kids with so little. Think about what school would be like with no text books, little paper, no electricity, and 60 to 100 students in each classroom. Yet they are focused and working on learning together!
This afternoon I got to go with the Head Master Moses and Pastor Charles to visit about 6 or 7 different homes. The places where these kids live are brick houses constructed by the families themselves. Again, most with out electricity. Many of the kids sleep in the same room (sleeping on the floor) as the kitchen which just means they have all the pots and pans, food, wood burning area, or charcoal right there where they sleep every night.
After I got back from visiting the homes, we brought out a new soccer (football) ball started playing. When I carried the ball out to the field, they were looking at me like I was holding a million dollars. The half deflated and ripped up ball they have been playing with didn't come close to how awesome this new football was. I got to play with them for a little bit and they thought it was funny when it would hit me. The field was full of mud and the kids were falling all over the place. (Rob, you'll be happy to know that one of the students had the helmet cam on for some of the game...pretty funny.)
I am looking forward to seeing how the video of today turns out so that i can share it with all of you.
Thanks for the Prayers.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Pics from CCLS Uganda on Thursday!
Here is another pictures from chapel. Impressive group of kids!
I think this is P4 (so that's like fourth grade) learning English! Past tense of words!
The doctor is in! Everything in the clinic seems to be going great!
Bikes are a major mode of transportation around Uganda!
This is one of the many views from the bus window as we travel through Uganda.
CCLSU Chapel Service
This is a picture of the opening chapel service yesterday at CCLSU after we arrived. Vicar Peter (standing left) and Pastor Charles (standing on the right) gave a great message about the prodigal son. The students gathered in the shade on the ground or on stumps. The two newer buildings of classrooms are in the background behind them. It was amazing!
Visiting CCLS Uganda
Well, it was more than amazing to see CCLSUganda today. The students were so excited to meet us and they came running out like a Parade. Just humbling to be greeted that way. We got to see the students in class. Most classes have over
60 students and some had 90 students. The students were very respectful and worked well for being cramped into such a small space.
We also got to see several songs from the dance and choir group. Just amazing.
Tomorrow I get to go visit some homes of students and learn more about that. I can't wait to get the videos put together. I recorded over 3 hours of video just today. Crazy cool.
60 students and some had 90 students. The students were very respectful and worked well for being cramped into such a small space.
We also got to see several songs from the dance and choir group. Just amazing.
Tomorrow I get to go visit some homes of students and learn more about that. I can't wait to get the videos put together. I recorded over 3 hours of video just today. Crazy cool.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Travel to Jinja
This morning we got up and had a great breakfast at our hotel in Kampala. We loaded up the bus and headed out to Jinja. We got to see a lot of Uganda in the day time. We saw extreme poverty and creative ingenuity. (one guy was transporting a queen size bed frame on the back of his motorcycle. Amazing.
Anyway, we drove past the Uganda football (soccer) stadium which was cool and through some rainforests.
We arrived in Jinja which is about 45 min away from the CCLSU school. This town is located right on the Nile river which is awesome. This afternoon, half the team went to go set up the medical stuff at the school and the rest of us drove to an amazing waterfalls on the Nile. Locals would travel down the category 4 and 5 rapids holding on to a water jug if you paid them 10,000 shillings. So I did that as long as he let me video tape it. (I thought about sending him down with the helmet cam on but didn't know if i would get it back or not.) 10,000 shillings is only about $3.50 or so.
After our trip to the falls we returned to the hotel. I got to go for a 5 mile run tonight, but in the middle it completely downpoured. I got soaked and the red dirt roads became quite challenging to run on. It was cool to run along the Nile river with the sun setting over the hills behind it.
Once I got back from the run and cleaned the caked on red dirt off my legs, we gathered at dinner and talked about many things including our plans for tomorrow when we go to CCLSU!
More after that.
GO CARDS!
(Do you know, I've got to get up at 3:00 in the morning if I want to follow the play by play online? don't know if that is going to happen.)
Anyway, we drove past the Uganda football (soccer) stadium which was cool and through some rainforests.
We arrived in Jinja which is about 45 min away from the CCLSU school. This town is located right on the Nile river which is awesome. This afternoon, half the team went to go set up the medical stuff at the school and the rest of us drove to an amazing waterfalls on the Nile. Locals would travel down the category 4 and 5 rapids holding on to a water jug if you paid them 10,000 shillings. So I did that as long as he let me video tape it. (I thought about sending him down with the helmet cam on but didn't know if i would get it back or not.) 10,000 shillings is only about $3.50 or so.
After our trip to the falls we returned to the hotel. I got to go for a 5 mile run tonight, but in the middle it completely downpoured. I got soaked and the red dirt roads became quite challenging to run on. It was cool to run along the Nile river with the sun setting over the hills behind it.
Once I got back from the run and cleaned the caked on red dirt off my legs, we gathered at dinner and talked about many things including our plans for tomorrow when we go to CCLSU!
More after that.
GO CARDS!
(Do you know, I've got to get up at 3:00 in the morning if I want to follow the play by play online? don't know if that is going to happen.)
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
We Made It To Uganda
I have only traveled out of the USA to Mexico, Canada, and the Bahamas, so hitting two new continents in the last two days has been very interesting. In Amsterdam we had a few hours to rest and walk around the airport. In the lounge area there were caramel wafer cookies. I think I single handedly ate about 20 of them. They were awesome. There was a store that sold some specific food products that are unique to Holland. It was cool to see the different cheeses, chocolates, and items in the store. We also got to see some old original art pieces in their small art museum in the airport.
From Amsterdam we boarded another plane to go to Africa. We had to go through a separate security check just for our gate and then waited in a holding room before boarding the plane. This was more chaotic then what I’ve experienced when boarding planes. The flight lasted about 9 hours and stopped off in Kigali, Rwanda. The Kigali International Airport had one runway that they used for landing, taking off, and taxing. It was dark so we couldn’t see much of Rwanda, but we talked with a lady who said we have to come back and visit and see the gorillas.
After we left Rwanda we had an hour or less flight to Uganda. We were excited to have no issues with our passports and all of our luggage made it just fine. We met up with Pastor Charles and Violet and traveled an hour or so to Kampala. We checked into our hotel (nets over the beds and everything) and now it’s 2 in the morning and I’m finally getting to bed. What an awesome couple days of travel.
From Amsterdam we boarded another plane to go to Africa. We had to go through a separate security check just for our gate and then waited in a holding room before boarding the plane. This was more chaotic then what I’ve experienced when boarding planes. The flight lasted about 9 hours and stopped off in Kigali, Rwanda. The Kigali International Airport had one runway that they used for landing, taking off, and taxing. It was dark so we couldn’t see much of Rwanda, but we talked with a lady who said we have to come back and visit and see the gorillas.
After we left Rwanda we had an hour or less flight to Uganda. We were excited to have no issues with our passports and all of our luggage made it just fine. We met up with Pastor Charles and Violet and traveled an hour or so to Kampala. We checked into our hotel (nets over the beds and everything) and now it’s 2 in the morning and I’m finally getting to bed. What an awesome couple days of travel.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Amsterdam
Well, we made it to Amsterdam and the first thing I did was check the Cardinals score! Yeah RedBirds! Way to smash the Brewers! I have the biggest smile on my face after reading the game highlights.
(Actually, the first thing I did was try to send Kristin a text message from my phone, but I can't seem to get on the network here to send it. Sorry Kristin)
Now I'm typing from a computer in the airport and all the web site stuff for blogspot is not in English. Pretty funny! The flight over here was pretty interesting. It's 6:00 in the morning (Tuesday) here in Amsterdam but it's still only Monday night in St. Louis. I tried to sleep on the plane knowing that it would be Tuesday morning when we landed, but I usually stay up till midnight so I can't figure out if it feels like Monday or Tuesday to me.
We have a few hours here on a layover and then another long flight to Africa.
(Actually, the first thing I did was try to send Kristin a text message from my phone, but I can't seem to get on the network here to send it. Sorry Kristin)
Now I'm typing from a computer in the airport and all the web site stuff for blogspot is not in English. Pretty funny! The flight over here was pretty interesting. It's 6:00 in the morning (Tuesday) here in Amsterdam but it's still only Monday night in St. Louis. I tried to sleep on the plane knowing that it would be Tuesday morning when we landed, but I usually stay up till midnight so I can't figure out if it feels like Monday or Tuesday to me.
We have a few hours here on a layover and then another long flight to Africa.
Monday, October 10 - 1:57 p.m. (Detroit)
Our team of six gathered at the St. Louis airport at 7:30 a.m. We checked in all of our luggage which was about 15 to 20 bags full of items we are taking to Christ Community Lutheran School in Uganda.
After some tearful good-byes we made our way through security and headed to the gate. (Thanks Kristin, Mikayla and Natalie for the bag of cards and pictures to open everyday on my trip. You are awesome!)
The first part of our journey has been great and we are now on a layover in Detroit. From here we travel to Amsterdam and then on to Uganda!
Thanks for all the prayers!
Jeremy
After some tearful good-byes we made our way through security and headed to the gate. (Thanks Kristin, Mikayla and Natalie for the bag of cards and pictures to open everyday on my trip. You are awesome!)
The first part of our journey has been great and we are now on a layover in Detroit. From here we travel to Amsterdam and then on to Uganda!
Thanks for all the prayers!
Jeremy
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