Uganda

Sorry I have been so M.I.A lately.. I have been out of the country for the last two weeks traveling around East Africa. I first went to Uganda to meet up with a team from my church and after met up with my fellow interns to make our way to Kenya for a little mini vacation.

So I will start first with Uganda - there is so much to tell!

To sum it all up - I had an AMAZING time!!! Uganda is beautiful - although the city is quite overwhelming and I couldn't live there for more than a week! I was glad I got to experience another country and meet some incredible people that my church is partnering with.

My first day in Uganda I got to go meet Dr. Jean Chamberlin and hear all about her amazing ministry called "Save the Mothers". Originally when I was looking into doing an internship in Africa I heard about Save the Mothers and looked into possibly working there. It didn't quite suit what I was looking for but it was still great to meet Jean and hear all about the ministry.

On Tuesday two of the people from the team and I headed up to Northern Uganda for a few days. We got to fly on a little plane to Lira and then drove 2 hours to a tiny village called Apac (pronounced Apa"ch") I absolutely fell in love with it there. If anyone knows about invisible children or the LRA you will know about Apac. Almost everyone who lives there has been affected in some way by the LRA - most have had children taken by them. I have been very interested in learning about the LRA and even thought about doing an internship wish Invisible Children so it was such an awesome experience to go up there.

I mostly spent time with people's babies (i can't help it!) and took lots of photos. It is amazing how much you can connect through those two things… It was so neat to see people using sewing machines that our church donated (including 1 that I donated last year) It didn't take much time but I felt so connected with the women and children. A whole group of kids sang for us and did a whole presentation - it was so great! I also got to play some futbol with the older girls. Before I left, one of the ladies I had taken photos of, ran after me to give me a skirt and shirt that she had bought for me. Another woman who I connected well with (and her baby isaiah) told me that she wanted me to come back next year - My heart just about melted! I hardly spent any time there but was able to connect so deeply with these women - it is so crazy and it is so God! A piece of my heart definitely stayed in Apac and I am praying I will get to go back soon to see these women and children again.

The next day was allotted to traveling only… and boy was that a long day… to sum it up we started at 6.. got to the airport for 8… our plane was cancelled…. the next one was at 2… we flew for just over an hour… then drove for another 45 minutes till we made it home. We then went to the market and then to Anne's.. by the time I got home I was SPENT!

On Saturday the team went to Anne's house and got to help her with her ministry for Refugee women. Wow! was that ever amazing! We first got to sit in the office and hear from a few women who were refugees themselves. I was trying to hold it together but I couldn't help the tears from rolling over and over again down my cheeks. I was a mess - God was really stirring my heart - I don't think I have ever fully understood some of the things people endure when they are forced to flee their countries. Dena did some teaching to the women and I got to help bag and hand out food for them. There were about 100 in total! It was such a great day… I have come back with a heart that is more on fire to serve within the refugee camp here in Rwanda.

That night we had Anne and a bunch of friends over to the guest house for a goodbye dinner. After much talking and laughing we figured out who would be set up with each of mama Esther's sons… and who back in Canada we could set up with people in Uganda. hahaha! oh dear… It was such a fun night! I absolutely LOVE all the people we are working with.

I am SO thankful to have had the opportunity to meet Anne and see the ministries we are involved in as a church. I had such a fantastic time - I can't believe how much i connected with people - and within such a short amount of time… I really wonder if it is because of the involvement of my church and also knowing that if I go back to Africa then it will most likely be to Uganda.

I can't wait to tell more people at home about the awesome things happening through Impact Uganda.