Yes we are still in Uganda!

So this Internet, this iPad and I are not getting along at all on this trip! We are still here, all is going well but I haven't been able to tell you about it!!

Quick recap of the last few days:

Last Friday we set up a "store" so that all the children could come through and pick out some things that would be new to them.  We had about 77 children attending the school that day. What a privilege it is to have such wonderful friends who used their time, their talent and their resources to bless these children in the most awesome way! 

We are so blessed to have these many friends from Lilyanne to Hailey and so many more who made and donated such beautiful creations for us to share at Hopeline!

                 

It was truly like Christmas for these children! They had so much fun first picking out a backpack --then loading it up with a new notebook, dresses & skirts for the girls, t-shirts and shorts for the boys, a pair of flip flops and ending with a new quilt, blanket or soft cover for their bunk bed! 

                

                                              Their happy faces tell it all!

       

                          Thank you to everyone who helped us brighten the children's day!

Will cut this short in hopes that it will post! More photos to come!

Day Three

Another geat day with the children of Hopeline!  We are exhausted! 

As you may recall from last year I mentioned that you couldn't count on always having electricity, hot water or Internet! That was my problem last night and into this morning before we left for Hopeline. But even though it didn't look like it was working I was able to sneak in yesterday's blog post....minus a title or a photo or tagging Linda or Betsy.  Playing catch up today with this nifty little HotSpot device George picked up.....now I'm hoping this will be more reliable!

One of the pix I wanted to share yesterday....and I can't figure out why it wasn't included in the post ....was of how fascinated the children were with Ryan!  Not just because he's the only guy in our group- they were enthralled with his tattoos!

              

Upon arriving at the school today we started working on little projects we brought for the children. Most gathered in the main room and then we divided out some of the girls to make bracelets with beads Betsy brought with her. They loved this activity and many of the girls and even a few boys made several of these beaded creations!

              

They played more of their new favorite game...BINGO! And would you believe they had never seen a Hula Hoop before?  They were instant experts after a demo by Ryan! On Thursday we also gave each child a pencil case filled with pencils, a toothbrush and a lollipop! 😉

             

Today...Friday....are setting up our "store".....where each child all have the opportunity to shop for a new article of clothing, a pillowcase, a bed cover and a backpack to keep everything in. Thank you to everyone who created or contributed to this project! You have blessed the lives of these children immensely! 

 Hitting upload now.....this iPad and me are not working well together! Hope to post lots of pix tomorrow!

   

Back with the children at Hopeline!

DayTwo in Africa!

We woke up (some of us quite early) to rain.....to pouring rain! Luckily though once we arrived at the orphanage in Mukono the sun was out which only added to joy we felt being back with the children!

They of course were waiting for us....the traffic as to be expected was terrible and the dirt road to school was worse than when we last travelled this way a year ago.  At one point we were stuck in a deep rut and we thought Ryan would have to get out and push! That WAS after he had to get out of the van and pull the little goat off the road so we could pass!

What a warm welcome ......so great to be here again!

       

The children had planned a program for our arrival complete with song and dance! It was so nice to see their faces again and hear their sweet voices.  We were given a tour of the school grounds.... so many things had changed. Pastor Roland has big plans for Hopeline!

One thing that wasn't different at the orphanage was the children's desire to have their picture taken ....and then see themselves in the image....wish you could all see the smiles and hear the giggles from them when they recognize their face in the photo.

              

Best thing we did all day???  Linda brought BINGO! None of the children had played before and it didn't take long for this to become a favorite new activity for them!  (We also thought it would provide great number and letter recognition) 

             

Our time at Hopeline today passed by quickly and before long it was time to say goodbye for the day and head back to Kampala! We really enjoyed being back at the school.  Rachel, Pat and Maryann..... we missed you!  

We are now looking forward to tomorrow!

      

    

ARRIVED!!!

Good morning from Kampala Uganda!  We arrived safe, sound and really tired! 😊

I left our house at 11am Saturday...and arrived at the our base here ... Apricot Guest House ....at 5pm Tuesday! That's 5 flights, 2 airlines, 1 hotel room at LAX, an 8+ hour whirlwind spin thru London between flights and then arriving here on time with ALL suitcases accounted for  .....although two will never be able to fly again! 

All went exceptionally well! Linda and I met at the LAX Hilton Saturday afternoon and enjoyed dinner with cousin Pat and Howard at a favorite of theirs....The Proud Bird! Then we were up at 4am for our 7 am flight to JFK. Checked in 10 suitcases without too much hassle (except the 2 of us grammies wrangling 10 giant suitcases, 2 roll aboard size bags and a backpack and a large tote size purse...on the Hilton shuttle and into the terminal) and then we headed to the gate. Betsy left SFO at around 8 am and met us at JFK where we all boarded our flight to London. Ryan followed us all on Emirates Airline, leaving LAX at about 3:30 Sunday afternoon!

In London and because of the snafu this summer over British Airlines deciding not to fly to Uganda anymore ...that left us with an almost 12 hour layover at London Heathrow!  So what do you do??  You hop on the Heathrow Express and tour the town and meet up with Betsy's college roommate Annie for lunch!

We arrived back at Heathrow at about 4pm for our 8:30 flight and spent some time dealing with our new carrier to Entebbe....Qatar Airlines!  Once we were assured all 14 checked bags were headed the right direction (which took up most of our free time at LHR), we headed to our next adventure in coach to Doha, Qatar on the Arabian Peninsula! 

After a quick connect we boarded for Entebbe....arriving here 15 minutes before Ryan! Pastor Roland and George were waiting for our arrival and after filling a van and a car with all of us and our 23 suitcases we headed to our home for the next 2+ weeks ......the Apricot Guest House in Kampala Uganda! 

Wednesday morning here now ...up at 6am.....and ready to see the children at the orphanage out in Mukono!

Thanks for following along on our adventure.....there's more to come!  😊

On the plane for the first of our 4 flights....

......that will take us from LAX to JFK to LHR to DOH to ..finally EBB!!

Thank you all for following along on our Amazing Africa adventure 2015! We hope to get there Tuesday (!!!) afternoon....ready to go with all 24 of our bags we hope arriving with us!

Here's what we are bringing!  Thanks everyone for helping with our project

Here we go...taking off for JFK...be back later!!

 

ONE week from today the OFFICIAL journey begins again!

Can you believe one year has passed by already! ....and very quickly I might add!

Linda and I will be meeting Saturday November 7th near LAX so that we'll be ready to board bright and early Sunday morning for our 7am flight ....thus beginning our L.O.N.G journey back to Uganda!  This year we are lucky to have 2 special fellow trekkers joining us.... my daughter Betsy and Linda and Chuck's son Ryan! Linda and I will meet Betsy at JFK to continue our journey to EBB while Ryan will (should) land in Uganda about 5 minutes before we do!

BUT....before we leave we are busy this week packing and weighing suitcases. So unless something changes...I am counting 18 suitcases between the 4 of us!  That is way more than last year.....but this year we have a better understanding and more knowledge about what the needs and wants are at Hopeline!

These past 6 months or so we have been honored to have the help of several (lots, tons, amazing numbers!!) of our friends who have blessed not only the children of Hopeline but also both Linda and me with your time, your talent and your generosity! We love you..... and the children of Hopeline will soon learn all about each and every one of you as they are blessed with the creations and gifts you are sending!

We look so forward to gifting these sweet children with this treasure trove of goodies!

Photos of more to come!!  

We are truly blessed and will pass on your blessings to others!

PLEASE FOLLOW ALONG ON OUR JOURNEY!!