Hello from Uganda! I cannot believe I have already been here almost two weeks. Sorry for the lack of updates, but once I tell you about our current circumstances, you will understand.
We are in Northwest Uganda in Lukodi working with a ministry called Child’s Voice International (CVI). I honestly cannot imagine a better setup for month one of the World Race. This organization was formed to help girls and their children who were affected by Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), and many of these girls were even abducted as children and released only a year ago. Their stories are absolutely unreal, yet they have so much joy, joy that can only be attributed to the Lord.
The first night we were here we met 24 beautiful young women and their 34 children. I say women because they act in that way, they have children, they do work every single day, however these women are as young as 15 and only go up to age 23. They are young girls who are having to act as grownups. They have stories that would make you cringe, but you would never know it by just meeting them.
When we got to the bush or compound that we are staying at, were were given a tour and then ate dinner. We played games with the kiddos until time for worship, which is when I knew that this month would be awesome. Knowing the backgrounds of these girls and watching them worship the Lord is one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. They are full of joy in their smiles, their laughter, their dancing, their singing. They have not let their circumstances define them, and they are working towards a better life here at CVI. You cannot help but laugh and smile around these girls even with the severe language barrier between most of them. After only two days of being here, we were able to see one of the girls come to know Christ as her Lord and Savior. To see that in the first few days was unreal, and we just got super excited that the Lord is already clearly at work in this place. We could not wait to become a part of it!
As far as our living situation, we are staying in huts and using squatty potties. We hand wash our laundry, take bucket showers (occasionally), and go to a well to pump water to use for all of these lovely activities. We are technically in the bush, but it is definitely a 5 star bush as far as amenities go, and they grow all their own food. My diet consists of a lot of vegetables, rice or pasta, beans, and meat on Sundays. Honestly, the food is pretty incredible! I definitely eat healthier here in Uganda than I have ever eaten in America. The closest internet is the CVI office in Gulu, which is a lovely, bumpy 40 minute van ride down the road where we can get wifi good enough to load a few things over a few hours.
I cannot wait to post pictures and videos once we have better wifi, but until then, know that everything is great here in Uganda. Thanks to everyone for the prayers and support!
