First Full Day in Uganda!!

Today is Saturday, October 1st, but I'm writing about yesterday which was our first full day in Uganda. It started off pretty abruptly when what I thought was an alarm started blaring right by the side of my bed at 5:30am. It wasn't an alarm but rather the phone 😂. I decided to let it ring and hoped that it was a mistake. But, it got to about ring number 10, and so I decided to answer it. It was Daniel, and he said something I couldn't understand because I was only half awake, so I asked him to repeat it. He said, "Good morning madam, would you like your coffee black or African?" and I was a little confused, but I said, "Black please". I showered quickly and went downstairs where breakfast was waiting for dad, Will, and me at a special table. We were the only ones there, and this breakfast was homemade just for us. I was not expecting it. And, just like I was promised, black coffee was hot and waiting.

After breakfast, we explored the hotel a little bit because Gift overslept and was just waking up. It was beautiful!!

One other thing that I found funny was that Daniel kept calling dad "dad" even though he had introduced himself as "Clay". It was probably because I kept calling him dad.

Daniel wanted a selfie with us, and then we were off to Pureflow, which was a four hour trip to Mbarara. Before explaining what we did at Pureflow, I'll give some background about transportation here in Uganda. Most people ride boda bodas (motorbikes), and most of these people do not actually own the bikes they ride. They rent them from wealthy people in the community that own them, and the renting fee is usually pretty high. Pureflow provides boda bodas that people can lease-to-own with payment plans ranging from 1 year to 2 years. This gives them a sense of ownership and allows them to be excited about paying their weekly payments because they know that there is an end in sight, and they will own the boda boda. The coolest part of this organization is the ministry aspect. Each time the people pay their weekly rent, they sit down and have a devotion and usually a meal with the Pureflow employees and take time to grow in fellowship and their relationship with each other. Will and dad were discussing with them if they'd like to partner with BUV. I just took pictures :) It was actually one of the launch days for new members, so 26 people rode off with their new boda bodas that day! 

The three people we talked the most to were Judith, Lucky, and Gilbert (pictured above with dad and Will).  

We had lunch with Gift, Lucky, dad, and Will at a local place in Mbarara. Gift was watching the news at the restaurant and asked about what was going on in Florida. I asked him if he knew what a hurricane was, and he said no! So, I explained that to him and he was absolutely shocked. We went back to Pureflow, watched the launch, and talked to Lucky for a little bit longer. One thing that he said that I really liked was when he was talking about the relationship he gets to build with each of his new members. He said, "We learn from them, and they learn from us". I think that is a really good statement to live by because no matter where you go or who you come into contact with, you can always find something to learn. Also! While we were at Pureflow, music was playing over a speaker, and one of my favorite songs to sing with friends from WLC came on, so that was really cool!! The song is called Jireh 😊

I made some new friends which was exciting 😊, but by the end of our time at Pureflow I was feeling super jet lagged and tired. On the way home, I had some more interesting conversations with Gift. He told me about his friend Annette who was demon possessed, and that was an absolutely crazy story (maybe for another time 😊). Gift and I also talked about malaria and he said, "Once you get malaria, you are a real African"😂. I told him that no matter how long I stay, I don't think that I want to be a real African if that's what that entails😂. I asked him about the national language which he said was English, but the government is trying to get people to learn Kiswahili as well. He also said that most Ugandan Christians will greet each other with "Praise the Lord" and that it's weird to find a Christian in Uganda who doesn't greet you with a phrase like that. I thought that was really cool!

When talking with Gift on the rides, I am constantly gazing out the window and asking him questions about what I see. It's never boring! Here are a few observations that I made while riding yesterday: 

• The soil is very red and covered in lots of termite mounds
• Lots of people ride boda bodas or regular bikes, although some drive vans
• Many people also walk along the highways sometimes carrying bundles or baskets on their heads
• Sometimes little children walk around naked outside 😂
• Tons of goats and cows are just tied up on the side of the road grazing
• The roads are usually lined with shops or farmland, and lots of people work the fields with hoes and shovels
• The women mostly wear dresses or long skirt and the men wear pants
• Some common goods that are sold along the side of the road that we've seen so far are vegetables, fruit, fish, coal, clothing, mattresses, bed frames, doors, and baskets

We made it to our hotel in Mbarara right as it was getting dark and had some dinner. Meals here have mostly consisted of chicken, pork, or goat and some sort of potato. The hotel was beautiful! I will write more about it tomorrow, but here is a sneak peak of our room. The bathroom was outside!!