Dear Uganda,
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Enough said.
Month eight was a time of complete redemption. The first two months of Africa were hard on my squad, but we all managed to get through it. The moment I stepped foot into Uganda I could feel the atmosphere change. “This is going to be a great month,” were the words I spoke out loud…and GREAT it was!
My team was stationed in Kisoro where we had our own little guest house that was surrounded by beautiful lush-green scenery. During our time in Kisoro, we did manual labor for the church we were partnered with and we also spoke at a few schools. We then had the privilege to work at Potter’s Village which is a child-care/orphanage.
At Potter’s Village, we helped build part of the playground that the children will soon be able to play on and to…well…be COMPLETELY CRAZY ABOUT. Seriously, if I were a kid, I would NOT know what to do with myself. There is life-size boat/car, swings, teeter-totters, awesome multi-colored domes that the children can climb on (which yours truly had a help in making) and more. All I know is that the world NEEDS more places like Potter’s Village; it would be a much happier place.
On our days off, my team was able to go on incredible hikes, hang out at the Congo/Rwanda border, and visit the Mountain Gorilla National Park. We all had a fantastic time- by far the BEST month of Africa!
So that is it. My time in Africa has come to an end. Looking back, I can say that I am beyond thankful and blessed to have been able to experience Africa. It was NOTHING like I had expected, but that does not come as a surprise to me anymore. I definitely did not fall head-over-heels in love with the continent, but I did not despise it either. I would travel back to Africa if I had another opportunity to do so; however, I would chose to do things a little differently.
Praise God for these past few months! It was worth every bucket shower, hours of just waiting around, eating the CRAZY cuisine, the fear of catching some ridiculous disease, and any cultural differences. The people were worth it. There is a welcoming spirit that resonates inside each person and a happiness that only Jesus himself could give. I fell in love with the residents of Africa; they will ALWAYS be the reason for my return.
So if you are wondering if you should go or not, the answer would be…YES! Go! (After consulting with God first, of course!) 🙂
