Sunday in Africa!

We have enjoyed two wonderful days with the children of Hopeline! Today we return for their Sunday church service......and we are hoping the journey there is much better than yesterday!  Remember how I previously stated the drive to Mukono was about 45 minutes? ......well yesterday was Saturday and I had assumed the traffic would be lighter than on a work day......WRONG!!!! 

Kampala is the capital city of Uganda, but it is unlike any other capital city I have ever been in.  Last city I resided in without traffic lights was Slippery Rock PA.....a long, long time ago!  I'm not sure I have yet to see one traffic light here or stop sign.....you just "go"!!!  Whether its your turn or not!  That being said....it took us about 2 1/2 hours to arrive at our destination yesterday (and 2 on the return home!!) 

In Uganda, for the duration of our trip we have a driver.....George!  He is a very patient young man! Not only does he have the 5 of us to escort around, answer questions for and make as many of our requests appear as possible.....but he has to drive this "van" that so far has had a broken window, an AC unit that sounds like a machine shop when used(Even I need AC....this is Africa after all!!) and a few...so far....minor bumps and bruises!  This is the only photo I have of him on this adventure to this point!  He saw me delivering the shirts I brought from my church in Las Vegas and asked so politely if he could have one.....of course you can George!

More to come later...don't want to be late for church!!

Hopeline Mission School and Orphanage in Mukono Africa!

What an amazing day yesterday was!!  We were blessed beyond compare to meet everyone and see the school for ourselves!  Truly brings life into perspective!  Spending just one day here with these wonderful people is so life changing!  I know these are all cliches.....but they really do fit our first experience in Africa!  

We do have a nice, clean and fairly new place to stay at night.....but in the morning we drive in a somewhat rickety old van about 45 minutes outside of Kampala, past buildings and houses the like I have never seen in America.  There are a lot of cars and a lot of people.....and more than cars there are motorcycles by the thousands they call borda-bordas....and more than that even are people walking ....lots of them with women carrying huge packages on their head....for long distances I imagine!

Finally we turn off the main road onto a passageway.....you can't even call it a street or a road.... for what seemed like miles.  The thought occurred to me that if it rained during the day like it had overnight.....we might not even be able to get out and back to that main road!!!  The potholes or ruts were so deep I also wondered if we'd get stuck or if our "safari jeep" would overturn.  But on we trudge.  There are no street signs, no "road" markers of any kind.....we actually had to pick up Pastor Roland up on the main street to show us the way......and we just kept going passing what we in America would call shacks...cobbled together with what they could find to make a shelter; and we see children....lots and lots of children!  Oh and goats....and chickens and the occasional cow!  At every turn I'm sure we were all thinking:  Could this be it??  But finally we come to what seemed like the end of the road to Hopeline Africa!

Here was what I wrote to John yesterday.....my first impression:

this school/mission/orphanage .....could really use all the help it can get.... wait til you see the photos!!   it is in the middle of nowhere.....in like abandoned looking buildings, but the nicest kids you'd ever want to meet!  when we got there they all ran toward the van and when we got out they clapped and cheered.....felt like rock stars on a red carpet.

This has been one of the best days of my life!

First Day in Africa!

We were up early this morning and on our way to Hopeline School and Orphanage for our first adventure here in Kampala.  We definitely are not in 'Kansas' anymore!  I will download some of today's photos when we get back from dinner.....off to Cafe Roma for Italian!!  

In the meantime I'll share a picture I took this morning with my iPad:  This is the Apricot Guest House which will be our home for the first 6 nights here in Uganda!

On my way to Africa!

On the plane to JFK

My love fest continues with American Airlines!  With a little persuading, some good information from my AA friend Lin and two pages printed from 2 websites I was able to check the 4 bags loaded with stuff for Africa!

Thanks AA!

The Journey Begins.....

Leaving just before noon from Orange California with all of their luggage!  Rachel, Linda, Maryann and Pat!  I will join them in Uganda Thursday night!

With the truck packed they are off to group leader Dave's house to join the other 8 before they head out to LAX and their 3:35pm flight to Dubai!

Me??  I'm still packing....I have almost that much myself!!  Ha, ha!

So it's 1am and I'm now done and ready to go!  But I'll get a few hours sleep first while the rest of the gang flies over Russia!

T-38 Hours.....and counting!

Won't be long now......

The last few days have been busy, busy, busy!  I have shopped and shopped, I have tried on skirts (I look awful in skirts btw!!) I have made piles, I have made lists, I have organized, I have made a million trips up and down the stairs, I have packed and re-packed, I have weighed the suitcases, added more then re-weighed the luggage.....AND I'm still not done yet!

But at 8:05 Wednesday morning I WILL be ready.....ready or not!  I've tried my darn-est to find out how many bags I can check on American!  I've gotten great advice from a friend Lin who works at the EXP desk, so I'm going to take my chances and pack all 4..... and hope for the best!

What in the world am I taking you ask??  Well, for once not much for me......except those silly skirts and tops to match, shoes, pjs, toiletries, and snacks galore....I'm a picky eater remember!

I have special friends who have contributed to my project with dollars for chickens and shoes and bibles.  My wonderful group of airline friends have sent me boxes and boxes of toiletries & amenity kits to pass out.  The church we attend in Henderson NV gave me some of their "I Love My Church" t-shirts to share with the church near Kampala.  I have scoured the Dollar Bins at Target, as well as the sale racks at both Target, Carters and Gymboree! I have picked up children's toys and books in addition to clothing of all sizes!

Here are just a few photos of what I've organized and packed so far(then after I took these I emptied these suitcases and packed it all in larger ones!)

Fingers crossed I can check all of  these special things on the plane with me..... I am so happy and proud to take them with me to Kampala on Wednesday!  I hope everyone likes what I'm bringing!

One week from today.....

.....the team will be all together again at EBB (the airport code for Entebbe Uganda)!

At approximately (by my calculations!) 11:40 am PST next Thursday morning November 13th,  I will be touching down in Uganda!  The rest of my team will have arrived a bit earlier as they are flying Emirates Airlines from LAX to Dubai(spending the night near the airport) then flying onto EBB the next morning.  Therefore they are leaving on Tuesday November 11th!  (I get an extra night at home by flying AA through London)

Entebbe is a town in Central Uganda and the home of the country's major airport. Located on a Lake Victoria peninsula, the town was once the seat of government for the Protectorate of Uganda, prior to Independence in 1962. It is also famous, some of you might recall, for the rescue in 1976 when Israeli commandos rescued 100 hostages, mostly Israelis or Jews, held by pro-Palestinian hijackers there at the Entebbe airport.

Kampala is now the capital of Uganda and this is where we will be spending our first week.

Some of you know I am an aviation enthusiast and was introduced to this website:  Great Circle Mapper.  On their webpage I was able to track the routes we will be taking to get to Uganda. The top picture is the route Emirates will most likely take from LAX to Dubai, before heading onto Entebbe.  I am on American Airlines from Las Vegas to London by way of JFK.  Once at LHR I will change planes, terminals and airlines boarding a British Airways flight from LHR non-stop to EBB.

It is now less than 7 days until we depart.......or in hourly terms: less than 168 hours!  Yikes....I'd better get packing!