2 weeks!!!

Wow! I cannot believe I have already been gone 2 weeks!!! God has been so good!
Friday – what a lovely time with the WorldVenture crew that lives in Uganda as missionaries. All were welcoming and we had an enjoyable time worshipping, praying, playing games, eating food, drinking tea, and fellowshipping with other believers. One was a family with four boys (13, 11, 7, and 4) which was great to see and reminded me of times with my cousins. Two of the families are going to be in the States (Michigan) this year, so I do hope to see them soon!
Saturday – was my first experience with Hope Alive’s Saturday Club…and a chance to hang out with quite a few of the kids who come. It was so awesome to see all of them singing, praising God, and learning His Word. The club starts at 9am, but that is in Ugandan time – so I think we started closer to 9:30am. The time here is never exact. The morning started with praise and worship, and then announcements when Catharine introduced me and many other visitors this week. A breakfast of sweet porridge and banana was next. This was similar to Cream of Wheat/Farina, but with lots of sugar and also more liquid so you could drink it out of a cup. Once it cooled down, it was actually quite delicious. After breakfast the kids so into their separate classrooms – Lower Primary (1st-4th grades), Upper Primary (5th -7th grades), and Secondary/Vocational (8th-college). The teachers for the groups were the older students in the program, graduated students now working with Hope Alive!, and also outside speakers who were brought in by the staff. After the Bible hour the group came back together for a debate about primary education that the secondary students had been preparing for the past few weeks. This was unusual as during this time the kids normally have a game time and a ‘skills time’ in which the students learn different skills such as doing a craft, working on different English or math studies that are not normally easy for the students, cooking, or another type of skill. For the younger kids, we had coloring and drawing set up during the debate. After the debate we had lunch. A yummy Ugandan meal of rice, beans, beef, greens, and irish (what they call white potatoes) was served. After all were fed, we were able to hang out and talk with the kids some more before leaving. I met some adorable girls who became my friends and I hope to see them again at the next Saturday club.
Sunday – was church and was different for me to experience. When it rains or snows back home, people sometimes do not end up getting to church because of flooding, too icy, or their cars don’t start. Well here, they don’t come to church until the rain stops because otherwise they will get soaked while walking or traveling in taxis or bodas. So, church started later, and it was really good. We had a guest speaker from Virginia, US named Jeremy who I could understand perfectly, as I am still working on understanding the Ugandan tongue. I am also learning some Luganda language, which is the second most prevalent language here. I am called muzungu (not sure on spelling), meaning white person. All the kids say it loudly when I pass by, drawing more attention to me, as if my white skin and blond hair didn’t stand out enough. Yet, one cannot help but smile back at the smiling faces of the kids who are saying my descriptive name.
Well, tomorrow I travel upcountry to Gulu to visit another location of Hope Alive! Time to get some sleep!

Pictured – Veronica and Sandra at Saturday Club; My roommates, Kate and Kacie with our homemade pizzas; Dorothy, Kate, Georgina, Shammah (Hope Alive! mentors and staff).