The Journey to Africa - January 19, 2014

The Journey to Africa - Dustin Swinehart   January 19, 2014

Like most of these trips they start with a combination of excitement and fear about the unknowns in front of us. The team gathered in Charlotte and joined together to head towards this adventure.  It takes 28-30 hours to eventually get here.  The trip is filled with plenty of airplane food, movies and Ambien.  When we arrived in Amsterdam we had a make a critical decision.  Do we take the train into downtown during our layover to get breakfast at a local bakery?!  With a 3 hour layover, the answer was yes!  We quickly made our way to the train station, got tickets and arrived in Downtown Amsterdam at 7 am.  Walking through the streets in the morning was really amazing, as was the chocolate covered waffles.  We dashed back to the train and made it to the gate with time to spare and great added experience for the team.  We did pick up a new teammate in Amsterdam named Jordan who is a great addition to our group.

The arrival in Africa is always amazing.  You walk off the plane and you can just tell you are in Africa.  Thankfully all baggage made it and before we knew it, we were outside the airport being greeted by the SOM staff.  Big smiles and welcoming hugs always make a weary traveler feel like they have arrived in a special place!

After a good night sleep under a mosquito net, we awoke to a pleasantly cool morning where the team was able to sit outside and enjoy our first Ugandan meal together. 

Today was our first day to head into the slums with the staff.  Natetee was the first stop.  The initial drive into the slums hits you with the reality of the living conditions that these families deal with every day.  Dirty and bumpy roads, a stream and gray sewage water running in front of your house, a 10 by 10 house where 4-6 people live in and activity everywhere you can see.  It is truly impossible to digest the sights, sounds, and smells of the slums. 

We walked the streets and ended at the SOM house where Willis, the Natetee project director, shared with us all that God is doing there.  Feeding programs for up to 300, 50 kids in a school program, a soccer club started called Life Eternal FC, MDD classes (Music, Dance and Drama) and discipleship and mentoring.  It was awesome.  We heard a few testimonies of how peoples’ lives and families are being impacted.  Then we talked to the soccer field.  We had to climb over a 15-20ft. pile of trash to enter the field where two teams we having a match.  A field of half grass and half dirt and goal posts made of tree branches.  As these older teams played our group was able to share with the younger teams and pray for them. 

From here we headed to Chibuli slum.  This slum is predominately Muslim, but SOM has a great work going on.  We heard from the program leaders about what the ministry is seeing happen and testimonies from children.  Then we had a Q and A time with the 40 children that were with us.  This is a weekly time that the staff lead.  They talked about what wisdom is, favorite Bible verses and had a question about what snakes eat =)  It was a very fun and encouraging time to hear about how God is transforming this community.

After lunch, we stopped in on the Uganda Chess Olympiad trials being held at our hotel.  22 street children from the SOM chess academy were participating.  We were able to watch and meet Phiona the chess champion of Africa who was a street kid Chess academy player. 

Then we were off to Katwe slum where we visited the SOM chess academy.  It was really cool seeing 20 kids playing and practicing the game of chess in an environment that teaches them about Christ.  Our team took on the kids in a few games of chess.  I won’t share all the result with you guys.

In Katwe we were able to do a home visit and sit with a local pastor.  All that before dinner.

At dinner we were able to hear the testimony of SOM staff member and Good News soccer team coach Moses.  Moses is a man that walks very closely to the feet of Jesus.  In 2002 he moved into the slums as a young man to take in street kids and care for them and mentor them towards a new life in Christ.  His humility is so evident and his impact is even ore evident.  God has used this man in powerful ways in this country and we’re blessed to spend some time with him. 

So that is it.  We are here safe, we have one day under our belts, and God certainly is breaking our hearts and blessing us through the interaction and time in the ministry projects with the staff.  Thank you for praying for us.

A few other highlights

1.  So far in the food category, no one has had a more complexities than Bret.  It started with Sushi in the charlotte airport, pasties in down town Amsterdam, then a purchase of smoke salmon to bring on the plane ride to Entebbe and topped off with a few hand-fulls of sour patch kids.  Is that Paleo?

2.  Ashley’s very bold and loud pronunciation of a city near Amsterdam.

3.  Julie and Betty’s laugh are an incredible combination

4.  Rodney asking a mother who was breastfeeding one infant baby and holding another infant in her arms, “Are both these your babies?”  “No” she answered, “Which one is yours?” then realizing it was plainly obvious which one was hers.

5.  Hip Hop beat box and rap session with local Rasta man in Katwe.