A sea of faces and raised hands; those are the things I saw as I made a full circle and looked around me. As I sat on the top of the mountain, there was no sound but the wind and God’s children praising Him with all of their hearts. 
Yesterday my team joined the local people on the top of Prayer Mountain. The journey to get there and back was one that we will not be doing again, yet I’m glad to at least have had the experience. If I asked you how many people can fit in the back of a standard size pick-up truck, how many would you guess? Would your answer be anywhere near 40-45? Probably not, but that’s the average around here. We didn’t quite get that high but we were definitely in the 30’s. The first persons into the truck stand all the way in the front and hold on to the rail that is there, while everyone that comes in behind them hugs the person in front of them. We thought it was fascinating to see trucks going down the road with so many people hugging each other as they are squeezed in like sardines…then we go to become those people. On the way to the mountain I was standing, and thankfully had a teammate in front of me to hug. It got a bit awkward when the next people got in and I had a stranger wrap his arms around me. Keep in mind that in Africa there is no such thing as personal space, so they think nothing of this. On the way back I didn’t have to deal with hugging because I got to sit up on the side of the truck. I think I may have preferred the hugging then getting hit by the branched on the side of the road and constantly feeling like I was about to fall out. Everyone on the edge holds on to the people next to them and I held a teammates wrist that was standing in front of me. What a way to start the day.
The walk/hike up Prayer Mountain took us just over 20 minutes. The loose gravel and sand made for a slippery climb and an even more tedious descent. As soon as we got to the top, the music began, and not too far after the music begins you know that the cloud of dirt will soon fill the air as they do their traditional tribal dance with lots of stomping and jumping. To see how excited the people here get when it comes time to praise God puts me and probably the rest of the world to shame. Their faces light up as they sing, clap, and dance to the rhythm of the drum keeping the beat. The amazing sound of the harmonious voices baffles me; anytime they sing it is as if they are a well-rehearsed chorus who has each practiced their part.
We listened to them read from the bible and discuss what they thought and got from that chapter. There were easily 300 people there participating in this gathering. Two of my teammates shared for a few minutes and then came time to collect the offering before the end of the service. The singing and dancing got even louder as the offering baskets were passed around. The joy in giving that these people express is amazing to me. I will write another blog about that. The baskets came back and had money, eggs, peanuts (g-nuts), pens, soap, etc. in them.
On the way back down we took our first team picture of the new Imago Dei. You will find that picture in the blog “Uganda Brings Change.” The view from the top was breathtaking. There is a layer of smoke that always lingers from all the fires from cooking and burning their fields after harvest. The hills trap the smoke so there is a layer that always remains. I could sit all day and look out at the beautiful creation of an amazing Creator. I’m not sure which was more beautiful though, the scenery or the people whose hearts are glowing with the beauty of the One they praise. It was an amazing day and I am overwhelmed with the beauty of it all.
