Today was quite a rainy day, which we weren't so thrilled about, because it was a day dedicated to shopping! The Ugandans were really grateful for the steady pour of rain, and we still got to go shopping in our ponchos, so everything turned out all right. The market was one big mud pit, but Deb still managed to run around and snatch up all the best earrings. The store owners may have had tarps over their front doors, but they still managed to always know when a visitor was standing near the shop. They often told us that we were the first visitors of the day in their stores and that we were also getting the "friend discount". The newbies (and some of the oldies) made the rookie mistake of purchasing the first item they saw, without perusing other shops for the best colors and patterns. Overall, we had a successful trip, even though some of our bartering skills may not be the most polished.
When we returned home, we had another lunch and afternoon full of bonding and fellowship with each other and the staff in the compound. Laura taught Philip, Moses and Sande the song "Rain, Rain, Go Away", and they greatly enjoyed this new tune. We also gave all of the men who work in the compound large gift bags full of all kinds of goodies for themselves and their families. They loved them so much, that even Philip took his, hung it around his neck, and frolicked off to hide his bag. We are so grateful to all of them for who they are and everything they do for our team.
Another trip was made complete today with the first time visit of a sponsor child. Pastor Dave has been sponsoring Ivan for approximately 6-8 years and finally got to meet him. Ivan and his pastor travelled on an overnight bus for many hours just to come to the compound to visit with Pastor Dave. Luckily, the kitchen girls had just made some freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, which Ivan loved! His other favorite gift was a soccer ball, amongst his big bag of goodies. He is in the fourth grade and his favorite school subject is math, so Pastor Dave says he and Peggy will be sending materials in support of that love of math. Pastor Dave also says that Ivan has a winning smile :)
It is such a great blessing to be able to travel around the world to another culture. Even though we may not always understand the words spoken to each other, there is still an understanding since we serve the same God. With our songs, we speak a language of worship. We spent a good portion of the evening in a storage container in the front yard of the compound, praising and worshipping with several of our Ugandan brothers and sisters -- old songs, new songs, multiple languages, but all sung with a heart of praise. All of this began with an unplanned purchase of an adungu, a musical instrument resembling a guitar and harp combination. Deb made this purchase and later found out that Philip knew how to play it. Philip said he hadn't played since he lived in the village, maybe around 14 years ago. He had to dig through his things to find his own adungu that he made himself. Praise the Lord for simple reminders like this of how great a God we ALL serve.
Bright and early tomorrow, we will be leaving Kampala for our Safari! Although we are very excited to experience God's creation in this way, it has been hard saying goodbye to many of the great people we have met and served alongside these past couple weeks. When we return from the safari, we will hopefully have enough time to pack and shower, before we head off to the airport for our return to the States. We will try to blog before departing, but after all, this is Africa, and schedules are merely for guidance. Our estimated time of return from safari is questionable.
Once again, we cannot express how grateful we are to the Stevenson family. They are truly living their lives for the Lord and are a wonderful example to all. We continue to pray for the family, especially Colleen, as she undergoes surgery tomorrow.
Hakuna Matata,
Kelsey and Laura
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