africa.

It’s been thirty days since we’ve been home from Africa and I’m still processing my feelings about the trip. I had the most amazing time. The Ugandans are such beautiful people. And so warm. They have the brightest smiles against their flawless dark skin.

The kids are obsessed with white people which pretty much gives you an “in” when you’re sharing the gospel.

We spent the first week in a rural village called Arua. Picture bumpy red-dirt roads, homes made out of mud and straw, women walking barefoot carrying baskets of raw food atop her head. Babies slung across backs, families of five riding one motorbike, and goats—lots and lots of goats—everywhere! It was pretty much exactly as I had always pictured Africa being, except greener. 

We visited somewhere between 25 and thirty schools during those seven days. Those were the most surreal seven days of my life. I played with some of the cutest kids I’ve ever met, performed dramas in their school, danced with them, sang with them, prayed with them. 

One day we split up and went into three prisons. That was the day I shared my testimony. I pretty much shared that I have everything I’ve ever wanted and I still find myself wanting more. I have a husband, a job, a car, a home, and I still feel empty when I forget about the One who has blessed me with it all. After that, we sang “Yes Lord!” and I danced on a table because that’s what they were doing and I didn’t want them to think I had a stick up my you-know-what! It was quite freeing actually. We Americans are so stiff sometimes…

On our way to the city we stopped and stayed at a nice resort located on a game park (safari). We barely got to spend any time there, but I get to check "Go on an African Safari" off my bucket list!

we saw just about every animal; elephants, giraffes, warthogs, water bucks, hippos, hyena, even a lion! 

 resort.

water safari the next day.

Our second week was spent in Kampala, the big city. We spent our days touring the Africa Renewal Ministries facilities and a couple were spent on an unnamed island with lots and lots of big juicy spiders. That was the worst part of the trip for me.

(sleeping in a mosquito net every night)

We were there with a group of Ugandan university students, helping them run their retreat. Our whole team was pretty freaked when we saw where we were supposed to sleep--picture wasps the size of your index finger and their nests. Spiders the size of mice nesting in their webs as thick as dental floss. By the end of the second day there were bats living in the open beamed ceilings.) This will make me sound like a spoiled brat, but that was seriously not  what I signed up for when going on that trip! I wanted out.

What should have been the worst part of the trip for everyone on our team ended up being one of the favorites. My team members loved getting to know the university students and felt like the friendships they formed on that retreat helped carry them through the weekend of [what should be] horrific circumstances. 

That being said, I would’ve loved to stay in Arua the whole time or have done more outreach type stuff in Kampala.

When we got back to the city, we visited a small orphanage where I met this little angel from my dreams:

I was expecting to have some major culture shock when coming back to the states, but I totally didn’t. In fact, I just recently started missing Africa. The people there are some of the most amazing people ever, and I am so so so glad that I went on this trip. I would go again just to be with those children! Besides that, I think my favorite part was just being able to experience it with Ian and getting some quality time with the girls on the team.