As I told you before my team, Hephzibah and Team Transformers traveled to Gulu together last week. Our trip into Gulu was delayed because so many people on out teams were sick and we did not want to come into Gulu with them not feeling the best.
Once we arrived we met up with our contact, Pastor Patrick. He took us to the diocese of the church he works for and told us a little about what we were going to do…and I mean little. We were told we were going to split up into our two teams; one heading west and one north, to work at IDP (Internally Displaced People) camps in surrounding towns. The one problem we faced though, was the fact that we are an all women’s team, needing a man. It wasn’t really a problem as much as something we needed to think about.
The end result was that Transformers and Hephzibah mixed our teams up. Transformers have two boys, so one boy needed to be on each team. Our team leaders got together and tried to decide how they would split the teams up as far as personality and who they thought would work well together. Myself and my teammate, Sharon joined Transformers, while two of Transformers went and joined Hephzibah.
As a squad we have been told a lot lately that team changes are completely possible. Around month 3 or 4, the World Race likes to switch things up. This is a good practice run for me. If my team does change, I already have the experience of ministering with an almost entirely different team than I am used to.
So the mixture of “Transibah” that I am on headed west to Keyo, Uganda, to work in IDP camps. When we arrived in Keyo, we pulled up to long building that looked like warehouses. We soon found out that we are staying in classrooms. Luckily, the rooms are large enough for us to set our tents up in the room. Praise Jesus! Then I don’t have to worry about bugs, mosquito’s and spiders climbing on me at night!
A lot of our schedule is flexible, the pastor doesn’t really know what he wants from us day to day. Our plans tend to change quite often, but “This Is Africa”. Nothing is planned.
This is also Uganda; a place that has been so ruined by war for the last 20 years. The feeling my team keeps getting is a sense of exhaustion. We are all picking up on the tiredness that surrounds the people here. Many days we just see men sitting around all day long. The women work preparing meals, and while school is out until February, the kdis spend their day peeking in our windows, demanding our food and water, and running away from us when we come near.
It’s definitely a different situation I am in this month. I would love your prayers for my temporary team, this country, our contact and the kids we interact with.
