Greetings from Uganda,
Yes, we made it back from the Mpigi District, Kyamukama (Cha-ma-ka-ma) and had a sensory overloaded time. We sometimes felt like goldfish in a bowl because of always being watched. Many of the people had never seen white people before.
We were the first white people at the Kyay Church and the warm greeting was overwhelming. They were so happy to see us and the worship was exhuberant! If we would welcome others into our churches the way they welcomed us...North America would be a changed country.
Let me back up a little bit and give some details of our trip to the village. It took us 5 hours to get there going 25 - 40 mph over a "main road" with pot holes every 5 feet (literally). There were many places where we felt the washboard effect of the road...'pum-ba-dum, pum-ba-dum'. We also had a lovely place to eat lunch...just along side of the road because there was no place to stop. As we were there, people just kept coming out of the bush to see us. We also had our first bush bathroom experience. We started at 12:30p.m. and arrived in the village around 5:30p.m. or 6:00p.m.
As was mentioned, our welcome was overwhelming at the Kyay Church. From there we went to Kyamukama (Cha-ma-ka-ma) and were greeted warmly there as well. It was getting dark and we had to pitch our tents quickly. We had 10 tents for us and our two drivers. The stars were amazingly brilliant and we could see The Southern Cross, Venus and others. It was nice to have the full moon to use the latrine and the open shower. The shower had four scrap metal walls on two sides tied together with bamboo. It also had a short metal wall on the third side and the fourth side had some material over it. We had a 5 gallon of cold water and a 2-3 gallon of hot water for 16 people to wash up. Obviously, water is very scarce.
The next day, about 250 people came to the 3 acres of land where the village was located. We split the community of people up into five groups: women, men, pastors, children, and youth. The groups talked all day about many different subjects, and the children played outside. That evening, we gave away six goats, eleven chickens, four bicycles, and one pregnant cow. The community was so appreciative of their gifts that they gave us a goat and a chicken as a token of their gratitude.
Sunday morning, we went to two different churches. Josh preached at one church and his mother, Debbie, preached at the other. Both did a great job and the services were wonderful. At both services our group passed out shoes, clothes, and stuffed animals. The congregations were very grateful! After church we ate brunch and then headed back on the road (we wanted to leave by 9:30, but we left right on time at 12:30 :) ). When we got back into Kampala, we headed to the Kasubi school, to change clothes into the traditional dress. We went to an introduction, which is like a wedding. It was very interesting and full of entertainment and excitement. There we were served dinner, without utensils, so we had to eat with our fingers...such a cultural experience! Then we were able to head back to the Stevenson's for nice showers.
Today we are heading to Mutungu Church of God, where we are dedicating a Jajja (grandmother) house, attending the graduation of the tailoring students, and building a fence at the church.
We are having an amazing time and we miss everyone!
God bless,
The Uganda Team