This time we were a smaller select group of five and after a slow start at Heathrow with a 2 hour delayed departure and a certain amount of anxiety about whether we would miss our connection in Dubai we arrived only an hour late at Entebbe and spent a comfortable night at a guest house before our 6 hour bus journey west to Kasese.
We were met at the roadside by Lumika and a pick-up filled with the church choir who carried us home – boys comfortably in the front of the vehicle while the girls travelled in the back singing along with the choir inhaling a lot of dust and waving greetings to a million children along the way.
Saturday - We spent most of the day in Kasese buying cups and plates to equip the new kitchen at St Marks School, funded by enthusiastic face painting by our church youth group at Little Kingshill School fete.
Sunday – Kirsty and I travelled by motorbike to Bulindiguru Church – in fact as it had rained we walked the last 20 mins on foot up an unsurfaced road gathering thick layers of red mud on our flip flops. At the top of the hill we were met by church elders and once inside the church I quickly realised my carefully prepared notes would be no use to me at all as it was completely dark due to the new church being built around the present one and blocking out all the light – Plan B came to the fore (blagging it!) This was my first visit and as ever I was enormously humbled when each member of the congregation wanted to shake my hand in the service and brought a monetary offering amounting to approx £2.60. (£2.60 is approximately what a pastor might expect to receive as his salary in a month.)
Monday – involved a long day at St Mark’s for the parent teacher meeting with speeches and entertainment from pupils doing drama, singing, dancing, reciting poems and reports of the school’s progress. It was a special joy for me to see the school kitchen now not only completed but fully functional.
Tuesday – having sent Paul and Andy off to Kasese with Lumika to buy barbed (!) wire for the school perimeter fence, Liz and Kirsty went to see the 10 piglets purchased byAAD to support very poor widows and help them to get an income. Prior to our visit a meeting had been held to which 67 widows from only half of Lumika’s diocese had come who were apparently very excited and encouraged about the pig project being developed. It is hoped that we will be able to arrange training for them in pig keeping from the Send A Cow charity, which has a base at Fort Portal about one and a half hours from Lumika. Kirsty and Liz then went around the classes at St Mark’s to observe the teachers and participate in the lessons. I spent the morning establishing the names, ages and classes of all 100 or so orphans most of whom I had photographed during the April trip.
Wednesday and Thursday – were spent at Nyambuko church about 1 hours walk from Lumika’s house. It was great to see the church completed as funding had been sent to finish the church roof in Oct 2007??? We had been invited to speak and to encourage the church regarding marriage and parenting – we all did our bit quite capably, though none of us felt that Bible teaching was perhaps our natural forte!! I was presented with a noisy goat (my first!), which was later sold and provided funds for two pig pens. By the end of the second day and having visited both Rebecca’s parents and several orphans’ homes on our way back, we were ready for a break with my friends Dave and Dani who live in the next valley about 1 hour away by car.
Friday - Paul and Liz headed for a break in Jinja via Kampala and would meet us at the airport for our return journey. Kirsty, Andy and I went with Dani to Queen Elizabeth National Park for the day seeing some incredible wildlife including lions, elephants, hippos, buffalo, Uganda cob, warthogs, crocodiles, lizards and numerous beautiful birds.
Saturday – We made our way back to Lumika’s to prepare for Sunday and to greet the orphans families who came to see us.
Sunday – spent at Maliba church followed by visits to two orphans families who both blessed us with chickens and pineapples.
Monday – this was a long and exhausting day spent going a short distance by car, then motorbike and then a lot further on foot. Over the day we visited 17 orphans’ homes. Most of these were high and dry! Families have to walk about 2 hours each way to collect water and the children walk up to an hour each way to school. In several homes I was given gifts – e.g. chicken, eggs, rice, and sometimes a gift for the UK sponsor. Families we visited were caring for between 6 and 14 children per household.
Tuesday – the morning was spent in a meeting with Lumika and Rebecca to discuss the work of An African Dream and our vision for its future and how things are run. We also made a final visit to St Mark’s to see the fence very much underway (now completed) and lunch for 100 orphans in full swing.
Wednesday – an early rise saw us catching the 6.30 bus back to Kampala and a smooth journey brought us safely to the guest house. We were privileged to be taken to Alpha and Omega School, run by my friend Robinah who owns the guest house, where we were entertained by an amazing group of children who sang and danced and played a wide variety of musical instruments (similar to the African Children’s Choir). It was vibrant, uplifting and very moving.
Thursday – we whiled away the morning at the craft market before meeting up with Paul and Liz at the airport.
Friday – home at last – a successful and happy trip from my point of view, both in terms of friendships being developed with those on the team, and in Uganda, and the progress made at St Mark’s and with the start of the micro-enterprise pig project.
On behalf of the team we want to thank you for your prayers and financial support. We had good health, safe travel and significant progress was made as I hope you have seen from this report.
