Thursday Morning

Another great day in Uganda!!! We boarded the bus at 9:00 am and got back 12 long hours later. We're thinking seat cushions for the bus might be a nice addition to my packing list! The roads we travelled should NEVER be travelled by bus, but we made it. There were ruts in some of the roads 2 feet deep. Thank God for our fearless bus driver (and for us not being able to see out the window at what lies ahead most of the time!)

We went to 3 different villages yesterday and worshipped with the congregations there. Tim, Paul, and Charles preached - in that order. There were baptisms, confirmations, and communion at all 3 services. I told Chuck that I was pretty sure Paul had surpassed his record by baptizing 18 children in one service. Chuck assured me he just knew that he had baptized 19 last year. About that time, after the confirmation portion of the service, 2 more children were brought forward for Paul to baptize!! A new record.

It was truly an amazing experience to worship together with so many people so far from home - and know that we were worshipping the one true God - no matter where we were! The hymns were all familiar - except they were sung in Lugandan, but we did a lot of humming.

I think everyone had a new perspective of the differences in the villages. The children in the 3 we saw yesterday were progressively poorer, dirtier, and sicker. We loved on all of them just the same! Lots of good discussion at the dinner table last night. It's nice to hear the ideas andthoughts that come out of a day like that.

Dinner was under the stars at the Sunset Hotel again. No locusts for me last night - pizza and samosas instead.

Everyone is doing really well. We love having Violet along. The guys all completely understand why we talk about her in such fond ways all the time. She has made many new friends on this trip. I love watching some of them show her pictures of their families at home.

We are off to 2 villages today and possibly Bujagali Falls. Tonight will be our last night in Jinja.

Thanks again to our families who have made this trip possible for each of us. There is a plan for each person on the team and the entire week would not have been the same without each person. Love to all!!!