Our First Day in Country

Just so everyone knows, this is my second time flying anywhere, must less overseas..  My first experience with planes was that I did not like them...  at all.  It is too similar to roller coasters, which I like even less.  However, I must say that Emirates flies a nice plane or 2.  Even with turbulence, I hardly felt anything and often forgot I was even in a plane.  I watched plenty of movies, listened to music to fall asleep to, and played games, too!

Our afternoon was filled by our first site visit to Entebbe Full Gospel Church and School.  We arrived in our off-the-plane-outfits and felt only slightly under dressed for the wedding that was in full swing.  Although, I did get to watch a Ugandan wedding!  There was lots of music, dancing, and shouting (the happy kind).  We played our first game of duck, duck, chicken with some of the children hanging around.  Fun Fact 1: Goose had to be changed to chicken because, in most areas of Uganda, there aren't any geese..

Uganda definitely has a unique smell: wood burning, red dirt/clay, and something I can't quite explain, but I think I like it. :)

Here are mini bio's on each of my team members (using my whole perspective from the entirety of the trip):

Gail-  She is a prayer warrior, forreal!  Any time there was a need or the suggestion of a need presented, she was on it.  Gail is the type to watch, get her feet wet and then dive into conversations.  She was often emotionally moved by the spirit and, man, was it cool to watch!

Steve- He was another of the quiet type, but a strong servant.  He was very helpful when it came to fixing things and explaining the filters.  I liked watching him interacting with the leaders of the churches and schools, finding out more about them and such.  Steve has a very tender touch that made kids flock to him.

Linda- She is Steve's husband and such a sweet, loving person!  She was always there to offer a positive outlook for the present obstacle.  There really isn't a word to explain how bubbly and sweet she really is.  As the team photographer, I can say she did a splendid job capturing just about every moment we experienced while in UG.

Richard-  He was our team leader with a spunky, earthy vibe.  Richard has a unique ability to be a leader without really seeming like a leader, if that makes sense.  He is kind, level headed, and able to keep every detail in his view finder.  Seeing him reconnect with friends he's established relationships with and create new ones was really awesome!

Susan-  She has an energetic, motherly spirit that made her a perfect roommate!  This was her second trip to UG and was able to transfer some of her knowledge to us 1st timers.  I have two favorite moments of Susan.  The first was watching her tend to the boys' wounds in Kivulu.  She was kind, but firm and didn't take any crap from them.  The second was watching her shuffle (she was wearing a dress) around with a horde of children chasing her all over the school grounds.  She was delighted to be there and it showed.

Josh-  He is the off-spring of Steve and Linda.  Josh is goofy, very book smart and loving.  He could talk about math and statistics and all that jazz alllll day.  I know because I basically lived with him for two weeks. This did come in handy for installing water filters and talking about ways to increase sustainability.  Despite his stand-offish demeanor, Josh found a niche with children.  I watched him become increasingly more involved and comfortable running around with a million kids hanging from his arms.

Don-  He is another book smart guy, as he should be with a new degree in engineering.  Along with his smart factor, Don is also cheerful and caring, even when he's sick.  Don was our camera man, who had no previous experience in videography.  I have to say, he too, did a splendid job capturing priceless interactions during our trip.  Being among the two-whitest-people-on-our-trip, Don often found himself in the middle of a pack of kids poking his skin to watch it turn colors or petting the hair on his arms (Africans don't have air and their skin is so dark, it doesn't get whiter when you push it).

Lulu- She is definitely the funniest person I've met thus far in my life.  Lulu is tender, full of love, and still funny.  I'm fairly certain she was the first person to be attached at the hip with a gathering of children.  And boy, does she know how to worship!  One of my top 5 favorite moments on the trip was our impromptu worship jam sessions after our full day of pouring into others' lives.  This Zimbabwean  is one to keep, folks.

Kaylee- Although she started as THE quietest person on our team, Kaylee proved to be an excellent schedule/program keeper.  She is very encouraging and fun to be around.  I loved watching her true self come out as she got to know us.  Kaylee made an excellent partner-in-crime as a child wrangler!  She even got to be a skilled team wrangler, making sure everyone was ready to go and on the bus when we needed to leave.