Lord of the Flies

Feeling a bit guilty about our events today as we did nothing but pleasure activities. We started our day heading to Murchison Falls with a Nile River Safari ride on a double decker pontoon boat called the African Queen (a sister boat to the Winner Queen) It was a beautiful river excursion as we continued to see God’s interesting and mighty creation. Arriving at the bottom of the falls, we hiked a couple of miles on steep and treacherous terrain, but worth all the pain and agony to see the breathtaking views. The falls are unbelievable with a description of a narrow Niagara with the exception that no one has survived going down these falls. It was a great time with pain, awe and laughter that all enjoyed. There were even a couple of pranks gripping fear and “pain” as Tim hid in the brush acting like a wild boar scaring any potential prey. Apparently Laurie, CC and Kelly had to change clothes and did not need a short call for another few hours. Also there was a pesky fly bothering David for over a mile. He never caught on and the back of the group got a lot of laughs as McKinley was using a reed to tickle his neck and legs. Instead of a tickle, David perceived a pesky biting bug and was swatting and dancing along the trail. We look forward to the reading of the blog tonight to see his reaction to what it really was.

We believe God wanted to get into the “fly joke” as well. At the end of our hike we hopped on the bus. It was roasting (and that is an understatement) so we opened the windows to cool off when a swarm of horse flies surrounded and entered the bus. We quickly closed all windows and began the slaughter of flies. Most of them congregated at the back of the bus where Todd, Tim and McKinley happened to be. Todd and McKinley declared war on these flies which would not die. It was a sight to see. With the windows now shut and 18 people on board, the God-made sauna/bus was heating up and the sweat was building. This went on even after we started driving as the flies followed us for miles, so we continued roasting and killing for 15-20 minutes.  Like the entire trip, it was an experience that quickly got us to appreciate the comforts we have each day.

Our 4 hour drive to Kampala ended with a surprise. Robert made reservations at an authentic 3 hour dinner show. It was a representation of 5 different tribes with their African style of entertainment. The food was great and the show was fantastic.

Tomorrow is our last day. We start with a devotion with the local Sports Outreach team and head to the slums shortly after.

 In case we cannot update the blog again prior to our flights, we all thank you with all of our hearts for supporting us through this trip.              It could not have been done without you and we are all confident it was well worth everything. We are all greatly affected and plan to impact others upon our return. We love you, miss you and look forward to seeing you late tomorrow afternoon (flight lands at 5:40pm in Wilm.) and telling you the details of our trip. Just don’t forget, we may be exhausted and might need some time to recover, but we promise not to milk the time for anything more than some needed rest.

God's Majestic Creation

We had a relaxing day today with 30 minutes extra sleep and a 4 hour drive to Paraa Safari Lodge in Kampala. Arriving at lunch to be greeted with a buffet fit for royalty, we ate with gratefulness since we are children of the King. We then hit the safari and it was amazing. Our guide began the tour with a list of animals we will see and ended with "...and hopefully we will get a chance to see a lion" with a response from us "...we WILL see a lion".  Donti replied "we will try" with one more response from us "Donti, you don't understand, we WILL see a lion and you will take us!" We all laughed with Donti wondering if we were serious or not...and we were.
Well we saw every wild creature they said we would... plus sighted a record 10 lions. (Don't underestimate  children of the King). We also saw many Ground Hornbills which are huge birds that once a mate is found they couple for life. When one dies, the other commits suicide by flying very high and taking a nose dive into the ground to their death. Now that's commitment. The safari was over 3 hours with a never-ending breathtaking view of God's majestic creation. To God be the glory.
We ended with a testimony from one of our drivers who has served us tirelessly since we have been here. His story was remarkable and a great surprise after seeing his extreme humility of servanthood throughout the week. Trying to rewrite it on the blog would not serve well at all, but a great story to ask about Robert's life on our return, especially since ESPN has recently reported about it, a book is being written and Disney just visited to make a movie about it as well.
Well, many are falling asleep in the lobby trying to get Internet to talk to all of our loved ones back home, but apparently the Internet is turned off at 11:00 and emotions are stirring.  If any are wondering if you are missed, even as much fun we are having experiencing God's amazing glory, we certainly miss you greatly, but will see you soon...and certainly have much to talk about.
Tomorrow is Murchison falls (check it out on the Internet) and then a drive for one more servant opportunity that we will write about tomorrow. To God be the glory. We love you all.

Attacking demons, the dead walking

Our last day in Gulu, God continues to show his mighty work and truly stretched some past our comfort zones. We started the day with 2 teams. LIfe Community went to the juvenile prison and LifePoint went to Lagutu. Ashley opened the medical clinic at the prison with a powerful gospel message that was the most effective yet. There were close to 80 in attendance with half of them asking Christ into their hearts. We are not sure if it was Ashley's passion and their grasp of Christ's sacrifice or their desire to be white as snow since they have no idea what snow is. The interpreter let us know there is not even a word for snow in Acholi so he replaced with hail stones. Nevertheless, we have not had a 50% conversion rate yet, so we might use hail stones more often.

When the medical clinic started we were all able to have one on one time with each prisoner that made their decision earlier. We triaged their medical concerns and prayed for each one of them. Of all the medical clinics, this one by far had the least severe ailments, but the spiritual needs were greater and unexpected.

Tim and Sam both had prisoners request prayer for healing and God immediately answered the prayers. One felt instant relief from chronic pain in his ribs, another had is hearing restored and another was able to rotate his neck after an injury that previous to prayer was extremely limited in doing so.  Praise God!!! McKinley and Greg on separate occasions had requests for demonic deliverance. Both discussed after the clinic and found humor  in the fact of the first thoughts that came to mind, "WHERE's PASTOR TIM!!!???" however, the Holy Spirit provided the strength and confidence to both and those demons had no chance with God's presence in those prison walls.

While Life Community was at the prison touching lives, Lifepoint and Eric headed to Lagutu to do some home visits and see the people who's lives they are touching through their support. Upon arriving in Lagutu, we were rush by children who held our hands and walked with us. We saw one of the wells in Lagutu that is out of order and talked about what it would take to get it back up and running.  Of the 5 wells that serve to clean water to the residents  of Lagutu, 2 are not working as a result of minor problems that could be fixed with a little money to service them. Then we went to the school where patrick, a teacher there, brought us to each class where we were welcomed with joy and rejoicing by the children who sang songs for us and danced. We danced a little too, mazungu style. Patrick passed us off to Dennis for our journey deep into the bush. If ever we doubted the bush was deep and remote, any doubts were put out of mind as we made turn after turn on small path feeling ever more lost. But Dennis knew the way and we went to visit some  of the villagers. The stories were all so touching and each home  was so welcoming of our prayers. We were able to pray for Dennis and his grandfather and hear their stories. We also prayed for a broken home of a mother who takes care of her 3 children while her husband is overcoming alcoholism. Another touching moment was when Dennis took us to the home of 2 girls who were left to fend for themselves by their parents at just 15 and 18. We did laugh though in dennis' home which he had cleaned for our coming. After Aaron Talley and Eric each insisted on sitting on the floor, Eric got the honors and went to sit. But while doing so took note of the scrubbed floors, and He asked what was used to clean the floor. Dennis quickly stated cow dung just as eric's hand hit the floor. Upon hearing it, he busted out laughing and was unable to stop. Not to be outdone by the other team, we too tackled a spiritual warfare opportunity when  a mother asked us all to pray for her son who she believed was demon possessed Aaron, Laurie, Kelly and Flow (Chris) united together and RBR'd the demons (RBR-rebuked, bound and released).

It was a beautiful trip, getting to see the town that Lifepoint is sponsoring in such a light and putting a face to who we are helping out. After finding our way out of the brush, we headed back towards Gulu to meet up with the medical team for lunch.

So much that God Has blessed us to be a part of, it's hard to say something as a highlight, but we were all looking forward to this afternoon as we all went to Lajwatek to spend some time with Esther, the one who was dead for 3 days and God brought her back to life. Of course, it's not every day you get to speak to a former dead person that is not a zombie (apparently Chris and Joan are/were zombie movie watchers ).  Even though we have all heard Esther's story, hearing the details directly from her was incredible.

Say "Baaa"

Very Relaxed day today…It’s Sunday!!!We traveled to Lajwatek for church this morning and words cannot express how incredible it was. The church service was 3 hours long and we could have easily kept going. We started with some expressive worship led by the children’s choir. They are an example of true authentic worship. Next came the devotion time with Greg, McKinley, and Aaron (not Tally) Leading 10 minute sermons each. Although they prepared separately without any guidance, it appeared they worked together as each of their messages built on each other. After the dynamic and persuasive devotions, the children started leading worship again. It did not seem possible after the initial worship time, but they kicked it up another notch with even a more powerfully passionate expression to God. Tim then wrapped up the service with a power punch message on the Holy Spirit. At least 25 came to the front wanting to be filled. It is exciting to see people so hungry for God…

After the service we were viewing a picture Ashley took of Tim. It was almost angelic with rays of light bursting from his heart. There is discussion of changing Life Community Church to the Supernatural Guiding Light Ministries with this picture as the backdrop. You have to admit it is catchy. After seeing the pic, you may see the potential for the new denomination…(actually, farther from the truth, but you will laugh when you see the pic as the overexposure makes Tim look very spiritual in a supernatural way)

We rested a bit prior to the soccer match with part of the group playing “Say Bah” (formerly called “Chase the Ace”) In this game the winner is the loser and has a predetermined consequence. Some of them were Kelly barking like a dog in the courtyard for a minute, Kelly high fiving the waitress and then doing the native Acholi call, Eric singing happy birthday to the first stranger he sees on the street and Laurie air-kissing Tim on the cheek and singing while on her Knees “did you ever know that you’re my hero”. In the last game, they decided on a grand finale. Kelly lost again and has to “bah” like a goat every time she hears a native say “goat” for the rest of the trip. It’s amazing how many times we can get them to say it. We even arranged to have goat again for dinner. The staff repeatedly told us what kind of meat it was. Kelly has just about perfected the call of the goats.

It was time for the soccer match and we had THE strategy in place. We started with a “psyching out” and intimidating entry from the bus onto the field. Stretching simultaneously with a few exercises as well, we finished with lunges across the field (that turned out to be a mistake) the game was evenly matched, but we definitely played the hardest. There were multiple MVP’s on our team with some footage we hope was captured on film. Sam got the Good Sportsmanship/MVP award as he helped an opponent to his feet while still dribbling the ball.  Aaron surprised us all with his tank like features, intimidating everyone, but handling the ball like he has played his entire life (he only played one time in college on an inter mural team, you would never know it). Greg began driving the ball one time and had the field mesmerized with some fancy footwork getting past defenders with tricks and twirls, but then tripped on the ball and did a face plant. The fans went from disbelief to historical laughter. In private, Greg later admitted the fancy footwork was not his ability. “I recall the ball hitting my heel behind me. It was at the same time my foot had a back stride and it just happened to put the ball in from of me. I then saw a defender and closed my eyes in fear. When I lost my footing. I then turned to not fall which resulted in a full twist. When I opened my eyes, I saw the ball in front with no defender and wondered what just happened. I realized a big play may have occurred as I could hear the fans. At that moment, I gained  a lot of confidence and was ready to kick the ball on my own with all that I had. However, I tripped and fell flat on my face. Hey, by the way,  you will keep this between you and me right?” I gave the thumbs up and quickly walked away. BTW, The message tomorrow will be “pride cometh before the fall” with a great analogy we can all enjoy. There are so many more highlights , but we want to save some stories for when we get home. The game was a blast and we played hard, but the victory belongs to Africa this time with a score of 3-1. The record is now tied USA 4 Africa 4.

Immediately after the game, we showed the Jesus movie one more time. Although it was our smallest crowd, it was the biggest success.  Around 100 people showed up and close to 40 committed their heart to God. One of the stories came from a student named Maurrish. He saw the film on day one and was greatly moved by it, “I knew the bible , but never saw anything like this. It made it real to me and I went back and told others.” He brought back 2 friends, Michael and Godwill, to this last showing (they walked a couple of miles to get to it). He was so excited, he grabbed a few of us to tell the story. At the end of the movie, Godwill was one of the 40. He came back and Laurie, McKinley and Greg got the opportunity to pray for the 3 and celebrate Godwill’s decision. God continues to move mightily on this trip.

Sugar Cane in the Raw

We knew today was going to be a good day when breakfast was moved back to 8:00 instead of 7:30. We rolled out of the hotel parking lot around 9:00 and were on our way to Lajewetek. We had two teams today: construction and medical clinic. But before we separated we had a few minutes when we were sitting on the side of the road. The entire trip we have all wanted to try some of the sugar cane, sugar water in a stalk pretty much. Robert allowed us to try some of his, and once we had some we had to get more. Some of the team went across the street to buy a whole stalk of sugar cane. Let’s just say, there is nothing ladylike about eating this native treat. We felt like barbarians, ripping part of the fibrous, juicy stalk off with gnashing of teeth. Barbra said she felt as though she was chewing splinters. Delicious splinters. You might be able to equate the sugar cane with very fibrous celery. Soon after we enjoyed the sugar cane we parted company, the construction crew to Lajwatek and the medical crew to Lapinyoloyo.

We thought going to Lagutu was an off-road jungle experience, but traveling to Lapinyoloyo was by far the most exciting. Rumor has it that the 18 passenger van got some nice air on the footpath which turned into a treacherous road less traveled. If you want to do some real mud bogging, come to Africa. The potholes and inclines looked suspiciously like mountains and gorges. We bottomed out at times, sliding through mud holes for about 20 kilometers on a barely used dirt road with overgrown trees and brush. At times we may have had moments of anxiety as fleeting thoughts of getting stuck with no life in sight crept into our minds, but prayer always brings comfort. Many were praying…hard. With 1 km to go we were forced to abandon the bus and take the rest of the trek on foot.

As we were arriving, we were passing all the children. Usually they are lined up waving at us, but this time they were walking by us rocks in their hands with smiles from ear to ear. We found out they were carrying rocks to drop in the mud holes so the bus could get through, which, eventually, it did. They continue to be the examples of serving with excellence even at a young age. Greg says he is going to move his family here so his kids will behave more like these children.

Over 300 adults and children came to the medical clinic today, with 13 receiving Christ. Praise God. The last two were sisters, both named Agnes. We expanded our treatment with Aaron finding his new calling. Apparently, Aaron is destined to change professions. If a new OB/GYN practice opens near Wilmington soon, don’t be surprised if it is his…



The construction crew had a busy day as well. Barbra and McKinley switched from the medical crew so they could make a few bricks. Sam took a video which accurately portrayed the intensity of brick making. It is not for the faint of heart. After making a batch of bricks we were called to tea: an absolute must in Northern Uganda. The team is planning on starting a new tea trend upon our return. Ashley and Eric were our masons today. The bricks have now been completed for the schoolhouse kitchen and the foundation has now been laid. After a few hours of strenuous labor we went to the well to clean off the grease and grime. The cool water was extremely refreshing after working in the hot African sun.



The sun turned into a downpour at the end of the day, postponing the Jesus film to be shown in Lajwatek today. This gave us an opportunity to fellowship with each other as a team, fellowshipping and catching up on the details of what God has done, which was awesome and inspiring. Ashley misses the late night Mirinda toast with Whitey, but this does not curb his obsession with the drink.

dinner at 11:00... "no kidding"

We forgot to mention how long (but enjoyable and amazing) our days have been. We begin each day by meeting for breakfast at 7:30am. The day is packed with events with us not returning to the hotel to eat dinner until 10:30-11:00pm. Last night was no exception, but we were happily presented with a huge meal even past the closing time of the restaurant. It consisted of pickled bologna salad, rice, beans, pizza, chicken and …roasted goat (sorry Rebecca).  It was all very good (even the pickled bologna). Stay tuned for another amazing day today.

Gone to prison...

You know you’re safe when you wake up with military personnel guarding just outside your room with M-16 rifles. OK, so it’s actually a bit eerie, but you won’t get that kind of experience in America so it was worth reporting.

Today we continued our 3 outreaches, but this time we showed our Jesus film to the Lagutu Village. Although the crowd was not as big as last night, about 200 showed up with many walking a couple of miles to see the movie. There were no technical difficulties and no concern of rain.  It was very moving with over 15 people giving their life to Christ. Like yesterday, you would think that would have been the highlight of the day because of so many giving their heart to Jesus, but God had even a bigger day in store.

Our medical clinic moved to the prison today and our expectations were far exceeded. We had over 200 prisoners wait patiently in line for their medical care. The 2^nd patient happened to be a prisoner who started a ministry in the prison. He now leads a church service every week with as many as 300 prisoners attending. God bringing him early facilitated several conversations the rest of the day as we had a dozen prisoners give a commitment to God. We not only had the opportunity to lead them in prayer, but got them connected with Pastor Stephen (our 2^nd patient) for follow through. We also had discussions to further the prison ministry and it looks like Sports Outreach will be able to show the Jesus film in the future to them as well. God is so amazing.

We had many chuckles and few hysterical laughs. A few remembered

1.       The van got stuck in the mud and had to be pushed out (I heard the African ladies from Sports Outreach out-muscled our American men, but that’s not surprising). 

2.       The same team went to the wrong prison

3.       Ashley needs to learn his ABC’s. He thought orangutan started with an A (you will have to ask him the story)

4.       Joan hates this camping game by the way.

5.       An old man (who was quite inebriated) sat in front of the bus during the movie and was stepped on multiple times because no one could see him.

6.       Though not funny, but kind-of at the same time, the same old man (remember, very inebriated)  nearly got run over by the bus…and when we say nearly, we mean he was going underneath the front bumper. He was OK, so don’t worry. He didn’t feel it and probably won’t remember in the morning anyway. Praise God some people from the team saw what was happening before it was too late.

Jesus on the big screen

What an awesome day.  We broke up into 3 groups as we had 3 major tasks to accomplish. The Medical Clinic, Brick making and the video outreach.

The medical team consisted of 4 nurses, a few interpreters, a doctor and a several medical assistants. Over 200 people showed up to be treated at the clinic from cuts/infections to malaria. We had a special surprise visit from Esther which excited everyone. (This is the same Esther that was miraculously healed and brought back to life after being dead 3 days) Watching McKinley and Tonia’s expression when they realized who the person they were talking to …was priceless. You will have to see the pic on our return. The clinic was such a success, we are continuing for 2 more days.

Our 2^nd team moved and made bricks for a new kitchen next to the school/church. What felt we completed well beyond 659 bricks (the official count may be closer to 1000), we turned the dirt, sand and concrete while others used the brick press to make the bricks. It was back breaking, but well worth working side by side each other and the people of the village.

Our 3^rd team paved the way for the movie night. After testing the equipment and making sure everything worked properly, they came over and borrowed a few from the construction team. They enticed them with an opportunity to become “slashers”. Everyone agreeing just for the name alone, they were handed some special “machete” type devices and told to start swinging like golf clubs. Although not what was expected (to be a slasher), everyone was excited about practicing their golf swing. After only a few minutes, the burnout began. Practicing your golf swing or being known as “the Slasher” did not matter anymore. THIS WAS REAL WORK…even more challenging than brick making, this task seemed impossible. We were all wishing we had gas powered weedeaters, but none was found. We did finish the “slashing” and headed back to the farm. One of our interesting moments comes from Ashley during his short call. He went into an outhouse to discover a hole with a few flies. Needing to clear his bladder (he had more Fruity Miranda’s than we could count), he took aim.  Once the hole was reached, a swarm of flies of biblical proportions came right at him. Out of reaction, he about ran out of the outhouse, but quickly realized exposure may be a problem, not to mention he had not completed his task. He decided to fight off the flies and finish his short call.  Amazingly even after that, his Fruity Miranda addiction continued through the day.

We ended the day with our movie night. This was the big outreach that we prepared for throughout the day. We had a large inflatable screen, big speakers, a projector and a movie about the Life of Jesus in the Acholi language…  (Jesus on the Big Screen). With all the preparation and practice, we still experienced technical difficulties, but Aaron, Ashley and Sam got on top of every challenge with speed and ease… with the exception of the projector. After an hour of trying to get the projector to turn on, Aloysius saved the evening (he always has a plan B) by surprising us with a second projector. We have no idea where he got it (we are not sure if he even knows), but God is good and everyone was excited.  The movie started late, but the movie watchers were very patient as always.  Their responses to several scenes in this movie were a joy to experience as they clapped, shouted and even rejoiced with their African tribal hollering we love to hear. The sound carried down the street and the screen was large enough to view from the road. People were coming in throughout the movie. By the end of the evening, we had over 400 people show up to and over 50 commitments to Christ. He answered many prayers last night and even when it looked we were going to have a massive downpour at any moment, He even held off the rain. Praise God for what He is doing.

September 28th… you have a WHAT in your ear??

Well, we made it to Uganda after countless hours on planes, trains (Atlanta shuttle) and automobiles!

We arrived latenight Tuesday night and immediately headed to our comfy beds for rest. The birds over the lake in Kampala woke us early, in time to have a delicious breakfast of hard boiled eggs, pineapple and sausage (yum). Ashley broke his yearlong Mirinda fast. Then off we went to the bus, numbering off 1-17, prepared for a fun filled drive to Gulu.

And oh! What fun it was. Between Aaron T. & Ashley singing the entire Grease soundtrack and David being voted most likely to be on Dancing with the Stars, the seven hour commute felt manageable and even fun. One bonding moment along the way was when Wilfred pulled over. When asked if everything was ok he replies, “it’s not very much ok”… hmmmm, what does that mean?! Well, the clutch went out on the bus we soon found out. We exited the bus, took a short call (potty break) and shared a Fanta, or two. We had the chance to interact with some of the locals and even get to know each other on the team better.

It wasn’t long until we were on the road again. Yes, Willie Nelson was sung on our bus! Soon we were crossing the mighty Nile River, heckling the baboons that live around there, and quickly approaching Gulu. When we saw the “tall tree” we knew we were close. We turned into the farm and the excitement was palpable! We shared a snack with Aloysius and Esther Kyazze, the leaders of Sports Outreach in the north. That prepared us to be welcomed so graciously by the Sports Outreach staff with singing, dancing and praising the Lord. It was a sweet time filled with joy!

After we said our hellos, Aloysius escorted us around the farm and captured our attention orienting us on the ministry there.

Arriving to our next hotel after dark, we were all anxiously awaiting dinner since our lunch consisted of the Fanta drinks during the van clutch repair. Just before we were to be served, the hotel had a blackout and we briefly wondered if we might repeat our Fanta drink meal, but the electricity returned shortly and we enjoyed a wonderful meal of fish, pasta and pizza. It was great.

We finished our evening with a time of worship with songs and prayer, but even that was delayed a bit with Sam jumping around, head cocked with his left ear parallel to the ground and arms wailing.  Wondering if he was having an epileptic fit, we quickly checked to see what was wrong.  Incoherently, he repeated ivegottabugnmaear, ivegottabugnmaear. We finally heard I have a bug in my ear.  We called a “code red” at the ChurchHill and our medical team swept in and dislodged an African Gnat (about the size of his little toe).

We finally settled down and entered into some awesome worship lead by Eric Bernier (one of our fearless leaders). It just now started to rain which is great because we are all heading to bed and loving the “white noise” God is creating for us.

Favorite moments from today…

Barbara: breaking down and spending time on the roadside with people.

Greg: the welcome at Koro farm.

Ashley: loved the drive up to Gulu and see how God is orchestrating the team, etc.

Todd: “if you continue to hold onto your idols, you’ll miss the blessings I have for you”

David: encouraged by Aloysius’ words of gratitude for coming back.

Tonia: praise and worship at the farm made her excited about worship in Heaven.

Tim: Colossians 4:3 excited about the video ministry this week.

McKinley was struck by the living conditions… how tragic and real in a new way to her.

Kelly: being at the farm and feeling the Lord’s presence.

We're off...

Tomorrow the Wilmington crew heads to Uganda to visit friends is Lajwatek and Lagutu. We invite you to come along with us. Feel free to leave comments for your friends/loved ones on this adventure!

This is the the crew at the well dedication in October 2010... This year there are 15 team members!

Thanks for being a part of the journey through the blog!

Wilmington Churches are crossing the pond...

In a little over 5 weeks  (Sept 26- Oct 7) Life Community Church and Life Point Church are traveling together to the Sports Outreach ministry sites in Kampala & Gulu, Uganda. This team of 17 will work along side of the Sports Outreach staff to do construction projects, conduct medical clinics and have 1-2 Jesus movie outreaches. Please pray for these churches as they prepare to send their loved ones.

Do Hard Things

We started planning for the "Do Hard Things" tour over 18 months ago, in the winter of 2010.  Sam Casey and I had a vision of getting fathers and sons together to do something "hard" that would challenge them to go beyond the average expectations of today's kids.  "Do Hard Things" is a book by the Harris brothers that challenges today's youth to be more than mediocre and reach out to do extraordinary things.  We thought it was an appropriate theme and embraced it.

Well, it turns out that only a select group was up to the task - Sam Casey, Vaughan Moore, and his son Nathan.  Well that's not exactly true, there were a number of fathers and sons that would have loved to come on the trip, and in fact signed up.  But, the craziness of today's fast-paced life made the timing or circumstances to hard for this summer.  We hope to see them on another "Do Hard Things" tour in the future.

This tour is focused on Northern Uganda, the town of Gulu, and the farm of Koro.  We will be working hard on the farm and the surrounding villages to build compressed earth bricks, hoe gardens, tend farm animals, and build a piggery.  The piggery is one of the ways Sports Outreach helps a local family and community to survive.  Two pigs produce 2 litters of 8-10 piglets every 12 months.  This is a tremendous source of income and food in an area of the world that lives day-to-day on the edge.

Most importantly, we'll have time with the locals and get to know them.  Every day we plan to play games and soccer (futbol) and hang out.  And we'll talk about Jesus and how he brings freedom, peace and hope even in the midst of pain and suffering.

Here is our itinerary:

• July 28-29: Travel days
• July 30-: Kampala - worship at Namarimbi Cathedral, feed children in slums, 
• July 31: Kampala - visit school for the disabled, visit the city of Jinga (the headwaters of the Nile), travel to Gulu with Joni & Friends to deliver wheelchairs
• August 1 - 5: Doing Hard Things (see above)
• August 6: Nile river trip and hike up Murchison Falls
• August 7: Safari trip in the morning, drive back to Entebbe, dinner with friends, flight home
• August 8: Arrive home in the evening

We'll post as often as we can as we progress through our trip.

Grace and peace,

Vaughan Moore

Lynchburg College - Anna's Well, May 2011

Hello everyone!!

            Today was such an amazing day from start to finish. This morning, we dedicated Anna’s Well to the people of Koro farm. Although it was a very emotional time, it was also filled with celebration. The Gulu community was so grateful for this gift. When we turned on the water, the crowd cheered and music and dancing started right away! The celebration was absolutely amazing! The whole community got together and remembered Anna and celebrated her life. It was a celebration that Anna’s family and friends would have been proud of! It couldn’t have been any better! The overall celebration was such an amazing experience and something that I don’t think anyone who participated will forget. We could all definitely feel Anna’s presence there with us and we know she was dancing and celebrating with us the entire time! J

Hello from Gulu!

            It’s sad that this is our last day in Gulu, but I know we’ve left an impact on the people here just as they have touched our lives. The people here truly radiate spirit and you can feel it in their presence. I know the spirit of Africa will never leave me, and I’ll carry it for the rest of my life, in my heart.

            After dedicating the well, we continued with public health education, and my group made me so incredibly proud. They wanted to get up in front of everyone and teach what they knew. They want to change Gulu and make a difference for Uganda, and that is so beautiful. I’ll never forget working with these people and they give me such hope that little by little, community by community, public health will catch on, and a snowball effect of health will become a reality. If the fate of Uganda depends on the people of Gulu then they are for certain in excellent hands. I hope to return to Africa to help more and witness their growth and progress.

Oslo2Gulu            

Lynchburg College - Anna's Well, May 2011

Hello again!
My blog today will be short and sweet. Tonight as we were walking back from delivering a pig to a family,   we were able to experience and see the most beautiful sunset you could ever imagine. As we got into our bus and drove back to our hotel, I looked out the window and continued to watch the sunset. It was then it really hit me that I'm actually in Africa and experiencing something that not many people will ever get to experience. I took in the amazing view and it was the perfect ending to such an amazing and spiritual day. It was one of those moments where you realize how amazing life is and how fortunate we are to be here! Live life to the fullest and happiest you can because these people in Africa are doing the same thing, even though they've been through trauma we can't even imagine! Stay positive and keep smiling! :-)
I also want to congratulate Adam and Cassie on having a healthy baby girl! I can't wait to meet her! :-)

Cici

Hello again!
My blog today will be short and sweet. Tonight as we were walking back from delivering a pig to a family,   we were able to experience and see the most beautiful sunset you could ever imagine. As we got into our bus and drove back to our hotel, I looked out the window and continued to watch the sunset. It was then it really hit me that I'm actually in Africa and experiencing something that not many people will ever get to experience. I took in the amazing view and it was the perfect ending to such an amazing and spiritual day. It was one of those moments where you realize how amazing life is and how fortunate we are to be here! Live life to the fullest and happiest you can because these people in Africa are doing the same thing, even though they've been through trauma we can't even imagine! Stay positive and keep smiling! :-)
I also want to congratulate Adam and Cassie on having a healthy baby girl! I can't wait to meet her! :-)

Cici

Lynchburg College - Anna's Well, May 2011

To finish from my short blog of yesterday that was interrupted by a rain storm, I want to finish explaining how yesterday was very touching to me. Watching the singing, dancing and preying it was amazing to watch because you could just tell that with everyone of them it was coming straight from their soul. It was an intense feeling that I had during their performance. We next had Aloysius give us a tour of the farm was incredible to think that they had gone from just tall grass 3 years ago to building houses, piggeries, and gardens full of different types of trees such as, banana trees, to mango and melon trees to having cows, hens, pigs and goats. Its mind blowing to see how hard they work to make such an extraordinary transformation even after all the traumatizing events they have been through.
I'm sure as you already read, we played in a soccer tournament yesterday at this huge stadium and the other teams and fans were looking at us and laughing yet when we started playing we sure turned that around that day with our skills of "football" (soccer) and won! It was such an exhilarating experience to have the fans covering the stadium and surrounding our field cheering with excitement and joy every time we made a goal. We play again sometime this week for the winning championship! But with this game, I hadn't had that thrilling, nervous feeling in about 4 years when i was in a cheerleading competition, and it was great to get that feeling once again. But what really affected me was after the game we went to visit a family friend of sports outreach that had some dramatic, really tough experiences. And you really don't know what they've been through until you see it for yourself. Betty (the mother) had lost her husband and even with an experience like this she still had the courage, dedication, and strength to keep going and support her family through her piggery to be able to feed her 2 daughters and give them shelter and hoping for one day that she and her family will be able to find a house in her home village.  Betty's daughter Hilda is a role model to me. She is so strong and helps her mother in taking care of her younger sister. It really hit me hard that this family has been through so much yet they still strive to keep going. This family truly inspired me. I look up to them, with they way they handle everything they've been through because if I were to ever go through a traumatizing experience like they have I wouldn't be able to survive. I have learned to not take anything for granted and to love unconditionally and to strive to become as strong and dedicated for the things i want to accomplish in life as this family was.
I am truly blessed to be here, and I now have found a new appreciation for religion and god just from what I've learned in the past few days, and I will carry these experiences with me for the rest of my life. And with this trip it has really made me become a better person than I was before I had left for africa. You realize when you come here that in order to help these people, all you need to do is be there for them, comfort and encourage them but more importantly try to return to visit. I hope to affect them and teach them my knowledge and give the people in Gulu my love and encouragement just as much as they have loved, and taught me.

- "Rebafrica" (Becky Wasz)

lynchburg College - Anna's Well, May 2011

Gulu Day 2
In a word - POWERFUL!
We have had an amazing day! Thank you for your prayers. We deeply appreciate all who made this trip possible and hope that we will adequately be able to share it with you. The Sports Outreach staff here in Gulu are doing amazing work and we are privileged to be able to work beside them and hopefully encourage them.

Hiiii everyone! Today was so amazing and as Rodney wrote above POWERFUL! We went to the farm and walked around to see the amazing work they've been doing! There were lots of animals there and I loved it! Chickens, goats, bunnies, cows, and pigs and sorry mom but I pet them all...I did use the hand sanitizer afterwards though DON'T WORRY! We played pick up soccer with the kids and it was a lot of fun. Later we played a legit 7v7 game in a stadium with SO many people! They started off by laughing at us as we took the field, but they shortly started cheering for us after Cici scored early, followed by Betsy, and Cat. Keeper played well too, I was proud ;) so it was 3-0 at the end of the half and we won 4-0 in the end! The crowd was amazing! One of the greatest experiences of our lives, it felt like the world cup! If anyone did anything good the crowd went crazy! The most fans we have definitely ever had, most amazing soccer experience, nothing will ever compare! After the game we went to Betty, Hilda, and Pheona's (not the chess phenom) to pray for them as they have lost their father/husband and most recently lost a their female pig carrying a litter of 12, which is very important. The pig represents their income, their business, the money providing education for the kids, and ultimately their livelihood. They were such happy people and have such a strong faith in god regardless of the terrible misfortunes they've experienced. The children were so happy to see us, I can't really explain it in words. Well I'm gonna wrap this up, its much longer then I thought it would be. I miss everyone at home! Can't wait to see you all!

Alicia (aka Monkey-Pussy Cat)
          P.S. before you start making your OWN assumptions about my blog name it was given to me by Florence because of my "keeper-like" reflexes in "life" ;)


Today was by far the most intense day we've experienced yet. I'm so proud of all our soccer people, getting out on a legitimate stadium with hundreds of people watching, and winning. They represented Lynchburg College and Sports Outreach Institute so well. Our cheer team/supporters helped too... I knew Rodney wanted to push all of us out of our comfort zones on this trip, and I fully believe he will. I know I personally stepped way out of my comfort zone today sharing a prayer aloud for the first time with Betty and her family. It was truly wonderfully heartbreaking to see how strong Betty was yet how difficult her life is and how much she's been through.
I'm so blessed to be here in Uganda, and this is honestly a life-changing experience. I cannot wait for the rest of the week!

Oslo2Gulu  

Today's experience for me was very emotional. The first thing we did was go to the farm. we gathered together with the other sports outreach staff to sing an prey. it was amazing to hear them sing, dance and  play the drums.

Lynchburg College - Anna's Well, May 2011

We are in Gulu!
The flights went so well, not a single bag was lost and almost everyone was able to sleep on the plane! The staff from Sports Outreach Kampala picked us up and took great care of us. It was fun to spend some small time with the guys last night and this morning. After a good breakfast in Kampala this morning we moved up the road to Gulu. It proved to be a long drive (6 hours! Due to lots of trucks and some heavy rain (it seems the team from Virginia brought some well needed rain to Uganda).
The staff in Gulu helped us get settled in before we went out to the Koro Farm for an orientation. Several team members will share some of what happened today.

Rodney (aka Simba One)

After two, long, hard days of traveling, we finally made it to Gulu!  Last night we were greeted happily from the Good News guys in Kampala.  They really gave a great first impression of the hospitality and joy of the Ugandan people.  It's always great to see those guys again!  I was again amazed the the speed and strength of the staff as they lifted our 45 plus pound bags into the SOI van.  Upon arrival at Pope Paul Hotel, we were provided a late night meal, which was traditional Ugandan food of chicken and rice.  We awoke early this morning to make the drive to Gulu, which took most of the day.  We were greeted by northern Uganda with rain--similar to the rain we left in the USA.  I believe that it is following us...before orientation on the Koro farm we were introduced to the affects of two days worth of rain in Uganda: vehicles stuck in the mud.  I quickly came to appreciate our paved roads in a different light.  I again gained the perspective of the many different strategies and skills the people here utilize on a daily basis.  It was so great to see all my Ugandan friends again and meet new ones.  I am very excited for what adventures will come next.  Sending my love to all!

Catherine (Gazelle One)

FIRST I WANT TO SHOUT OUT TO ALL MY HOMIES BACK IN THE STATES!!!!!! :-)
Hello all! We finally made it to Gulu after a looooooong trip. Both eight hour flights when smoothly and I was able to sleep for almost the whole second flight! Our first night at the hotel also went smoothly as we fell asleep beneath the wonderful mosquito nets! However, the lack of cold water when showering was not a highlight of the trip. The morning drive to Gulu was pretty rough, but we were able to see some neat things like the Nile River and some baboons, who oddly resembled Betsy. Anywhoo, we finally made it to the hotel in Gulu and traveled to Koro farm. However, our bus did get stuck in the mud and while the strong men tried to handle that situation, the other girls and I made friends with the cutest kids that were on the side of the road! Definitely a highlight!  When we got to the farm, we were  welcomed with an awesome dance and chant! I'm super excited for the week to begin and enjoy my time in Gulu! I'll keep you little followers updated any chance I get to blog! Hope you enjoyed reading! Hi mom and dad!

Cici (aka Better than Betsy)

Hello all! After a long couple days of traveling, it's nice for it to finally be over with, for a few days anyways. On our six hour drive to Gulu today I saw some incredible sights. These include baboons, the Nile River, destruction, poverty, illness, and the happiest children you will ever see. Seeing so many children with so little, it's amazing to see how happy they are. I could even see this joy in split seconds when driving by them on the long drive. They would always wave to us and even though most of these children are probably sick, they still look happier than any healthy kids I have seen. When we got to Gulu, we went to farm for orientation and met some of the staff of Sports Outreach. On our way our bus got stuck and we had to transfer to a different van but it was all okay because we got the chance to meet some incredibly happy and joyful children who shivered in their clothing as we stood with them in the rain. Regarding the trauma that these kids have gone through in their lives thus far, most likely, it's amazing to see how happy they still are. But that's all for now. I am so excited for the rest of the week!


Gracie (Graciella)

Lynchburg College--Anna's Well 2011

Well, it's Monday evening and we are two days away from our departure, which is very exciting!  I'm halfway packed, but have the rest of my things scattered on the floor of my room ready to be placed in my bag.  I'm trying to pack much lighter than in my previous two trips.  We will see if I am as successful.

As I was driving down the road this morning to work, I began thinking about Uganda and the world that I would be traveling in a few days from now.  The road and landscape would be much different.  Tall buildings won't fill the sides of the roads.  The roads won't be paved.  They may not even be completely filled in, but contain pot holes of various depths.  There would be very few stoplights and not street lights.  Instead of just cars lining the roads, there would be people and cars EVERYWHERE.  People walking in and out of cars to cross the street and to sell things.  It's truly a remarkable thing to see.  Food stands would cover the sides of the roads where we have sidewalks.  There will be vegetation around depending where we are.  As a more rural farm country, Gulu will have lots of grasses, trees, fruit fields, and vegetable fields.  The buildings are replaced with earthly products.  In the more urban Kampala and Nairobi, there will be more buildings and modern reminders.  As those images came flying to me this morning, my sense of excitement and anticipation grew.

I am eager to begin the journey with this group.  It is going to be a magnificent experience for everyone involved where physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual stretching will occur on a daily, perhaps hourly, level.  I cannot wait to be surrounded by the pure joy and peace that emits from many of the people we will encounter.  Be prepared to touch and be touched by so many lives.  Until next time...

Catherine Adams

Lynchburg College, Anna's Well, 2011

Now in Amsterdam, waiting on connection to Rwanda. Team members who are leaving Wednesday please look for email from Coach Olsen regarding new regulations on carry-ons or go to www.delta.com and check info on international baggage.

Glad to hear that the rain held off and the LC graduation was held outdoors. Praying for Anna's family and friends as I know it must be a very emotional time.

Lynchburg College - Anna's well, May 2011

The rain is falling in Virginia but the sun is shining in both Kenya and Uganda!
Sorry that the rain might force the LC graduation indoors and that it takes away form the picnic that follows.
I will be on the road in a few minutes to head to rwanda this evening. Looking forward to seeing everyone at Entebbe Thursday evening. Please be careful to follow your checklist to avoid leaving some key things behind. Take your malaria medicine, make sure your family has the emergency booklet and get ready for an adventure that will be challenging, fun and life-changing!

Lynchburg College - Anna's Well, May 2011

Ready to go?

Lynchburg College - Anna's Well Trip

Dear friends, thank you for joining us on this exciting trip through this blog.
I am set to leave for Rwanda on Saturday, June 14. After a few days in Rwanda I will move onto Uganda to visit and meet with staff. On Wednesday, June 18 the Lynchburg College team will depart and join me in Uganda the following day. Team members are:
Dr. Todd Olsen
Catherine Adams
Betsy Kwaitkowski
Alicia LaPorta
Cici Moore
Claire Nadolski
Renee Nauful
Tanner Olsen
Carly Pleines
Heather Ryan-Sigler
Ashley Saba
Becky Wasz
Gracie Withers
Thanks to all of you that have helped to make this trip possible. After months of preparation, fund-raising and hard work we are ready to go and join hands with our friends in Uganda and Kenya. Please check this site daily beginning June 19 for updates and more. And please leave us a few notes and messages as will look forward to sharing them with one another each evening.

Blessings,
Rodney