African Dancing to Welcome the New Year

The 31st was a full day by any measure. I didn't expect to stay up until midnight but the lodge had prepared some African performances and dances to welcome the new year. As I saw some of the dancers I was drawn to the joy in their faces. There is something uniquely beautiful about people here, big bright smiles.

In fact, I feel I should point out the huge contrast I noticed between our visit to Istanbul and our visit here. Istanbul is beautiful and the food there was exquisite. However, there was something missing there. I couldn't put my finger on it but I believe it is related to the Muslim faith. We hardly saw any children there. What we saw was mostly men everywhere. We certainly saw smiles but something was missing. Someone in our team said there was a lack of joy. Ugandan people on the other hand, seem full of joy.

The New Years' performances were about music and dancing. When I think about it though, I realize, this wasn't a performance. The people there were really sharing their culture and were happy to dance. I was hoping they would open the floor for us "tourists" to join in, when it happened.

(I couldn't take good pictures. This is the best I have.) I know we weren't graceful and we may have made fools of ourselves, but who cares. We had such an awesome time dancing to African music with our new Ugandan friends. Joy is so contagious.

When the new year arrived, we hugged and I knew there was a special bond there. As I felt the embrace of each of our new Ugandan friends I noticed something different. Each one of them was very thin, I could feel their bones. Obviously they live a hard life, a life of scarcity rather than a life of abundance. Yet, they are full of joy. This is something we could learn from Ugandan's.

The new year is here and is hard to imagine a better way to start 2013 than the place where I am at. I miss my beautiful wife and my precious two girls but I know I'll see them soon. Tomorrow (actually in a couple of hours), we'll be departing. Our team is splitting in two. The medical group is heading to Kampala and the rest of the team is heading to Jinja. I am actually sad we have to split, I didn't think I would be. I have grown close to everyone in the team. We've shared so much in such a short time. I'll be praying for the medical team, that God uses them to the full and that they are moved by the experiences God puts in their path.

 If you are reading this blog, please pray for all of us. To anyone reading, may God pour his blessings on you in 2013. May He fill you with joy in every possible way. May your smile be bright and contagious.

End of Safari

Sorry for not posting earlier. The internet service was too slow and I couldn't get to the blog. In a previous post I had stated we would be taking a safari in Jinja. I was wrong. The safari portion of our trip took place 186 miles North of Kampala on the shores of the Nile River. The place where we stayed is known as Paraa Safari Lodge. I know many in our team whom would have preferred skipping the safari portion entirely and dedicate this time to working with the children we came to visit. However, it seems it is common to do a safari once people are in Africa. There were also some logistic issues that prevented us from visiting the kids earlier. The safari portion of our trip was nice, though I can't imagine spending thousands of dollars to travel from the US only to do a safari.

I do want to share, a few extra special moments that will stay with me forever. These special moments didn't occur when we finally saw a lion, or when we found ourselves in the middle of a heard of elephants, in the dark of the falling knight. What was truly special to me was being still before God's magnificent creation. Last night we were going back to the lodge, late enough that we couldn't see animals. We came across a few giraffes, we knew they were there only because we could see their silhouettes against the horizon. We stopped the car and we asked the driver to turn the engine off. That's when it happened. We could hear and smell Africa and nothing else. It seems for the first time I realized where we were. We were still before God and his creation, in the middle of Africa. That was a special moment I couldn't capture with a camera and I can't even begin to describe in writing. It is one of those moments that I will take with me until I die.

Once I began to see the safari from this perspective, I began looking for such special moments. The following morning (the 31st) we got up early and went on another drive. Again, we found ourselves still before God at sunrise.

The last part of our Safari adventure turned out to be eventful. We took a boat ride on the Nile River, upstream towards Murchison Falls. We saw lots of hippos, a few crocodile, a couple of elephants, etc. The eventful part was when seven of us decided to go on a hike to Murchison Falls and ride by car back to the lodge, rather than going back to the lodge on the boat. As soon as we said goodbye to the rest of the team heading back to the lodge on the boat it started raining, then there was thunder, then, there was laughter. For some reason we thought it was hilarious to be caught in a storm. For some reason, the falls look small in this picture. The fact is there were too falls and they were both very impressive.

There is so much to tell about this one hour hike but the highlight may have been being at the top of the water falls and getting drenched by the powerful mist blowing up from the falls. To get back to the Lodge we needed to catch a ride to the river and then catch the last ferry at 7PM. During our drive we came across these mischievous guys. They were on the side of the road, about 15 feet from our van. They didn't seem to care we were there.

The red dirt road was slippery and a bit dangerous but we had to go fast or miss the ferry. We made it with 10 minutes to spare. Again and again we are reminded how blessed we are to be here. Big smiles and friendly faces are everywhere.

A God Moment

My roomate, Doug, and I decided to start reading and discussing a chapter of the Bible each night, before bed time. We picked Philipians because Perry (our pastor) had shared a verse from Philipians earlier. Two nights ago we read Chapter 2 and we both concluded a verse that spoke to us was verse 3.

"Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself." 

This verse spoke to me because it is a good reminder that being in Uganda is not about myself, but about others. The second part, I should consider others better than myself, is also very powerful. To me this means I should strive to recognize something about every person I meet or come into contact with to elevate them and consider them above and better than myself. God made each person unique and gifted in some way, such that finding an area where others are better than myself shouldn't be a problem. The problem is constantly reminding myself to do this. When I begin to apply this concept, I am blown away by the admiration and love I begin to feel for the other person. What a gift.

That night, for some reason, I decided to write down the verse in a piece of paper. In the morning, for some reason, I decided to place that piece of paper in my pocket. Later, while driving to one of the sites, I felt the piece of paper in my pocket, and for some reason, I decided to memorize the verse. When I was done, for some reason, I decided to pass the piece of paper to the other people ridding with me in the van. As I passed the paper I jokingly said here is the verse of the day.  My friend Bridget was reading the verse and she turned to another friend and said "Alba, this is the same verse you were telling me about this morning." It turns out Alba was also reading Philipians and this very same verse spoke to her. HOW COOL IS THAT? God put the very same verse in our hearts. Obviously God wants us to work on humility.

On the same day, during a late breakfast, I was sharing with Pastor Perry how God put that verse in our hearts. Not surprised he said, "this is the verse of the day." In fact, Pastor Perry was going to speak to us about focusing on others rather than on ourselves. He had handpicked the very same verse God had placed in Alba's, Doug's, and my heart. This reminded me how little we (I) have to do with what God is doing. God is the one driving this ship. All I have to do is be sensitive to his will. God is the one who began softening my heart thru Perry's messages, God is the one who planted a Ugandan seed in my heart, God is the one who made everything else possible for us to be here.

Hippos Outside our Door

We are safe in Uganda. We arrived at 4:30 AM local time and drove North for a long time. We made a few stops. We got to the hotel after 2PM. I hadn't posted much because of traveling and I am fighting a cold. I needed some sleep and decided to take care of that last night.

The hotel is located on the shores of the Nile River.  There are several hippos that hang out near the shores. One team member told me that last night she was walking to a room on the river side when she heard a noise. She turned around and saw a hippo within 10' or so.

I copied this from another site "Few people realize just how dangerous a hippo can be.  They seem like peaceful lumbering bests, grazing peacefully or just floating in water.  But hippos in reality are very dangerous and run surprisingly fast, up to speeds of 25mph!  in Africa, they have claimed thousands of lives.  -- Far more than "fiercer' animals such as lions"

My friend ran to a sliding door and started screaming for someone to open the door. (probably the opposite of what she should have done).  The door was open so she made it to safety.  That's if you call safety standing behind a glass sliding door to protect you from a 4,000-pound animal.

Pic taken through glass sliding door

Short Day ın Istanbul

Wantıng to take advantage of our short stay ın Istanbul, I decıded to get up early and go for a jog wıth a couple of frıends. Just before leavıng a new face walked ın to the hotel lobby. It was the last member of the team who just arrıved from New York. Our run was short but we went to the Aye Sophya and the Blue Mosque. Then we ran along the shore of the cıty.

The hıghlıght of the day so far was breakfast. One thıng I found ınterestıng ıs much of what makes local foods great ıs freshness. The cheeses, yougurt, fruıt, etc, remınd me of food ın Guatemala. Yes, thıs mıssıon stuff ıs rough! We are havıng a great tıme gettıng to know each other. We are headıng out to town soon. I hope to be able to post more later.

Finally got a chance to add more pictures.  That day we also visited the Grand Bazaar   Here are some pictures.

This is what a $40,000 rug looks like!

Safe in İstanbul

Long trip to get here but we made ıt to İstanbul. Total flıght tıme from LA to İstanbul was over 12 hours. I slept some but then I realized we would get to İstanbul late ın the day so I trıed to stay awake. I am glad to have computer access. The keyboard has turkısh letters and takes a bıt to fıgure out but I m able to update the blog. Please excuse punctuatıon... After checkıng ın we went for a walk to look for a place to eat.

We ended up eatıng at a place wıth a vıew of the Blue Mosque (fırst pıc) and the Aya Sofya mosque museum (second pıc)

The food was good and ınexpensıve but the company was the best part. We are gettıng to know each other. Two people were supposed to joın us today but only one made ıt. We are prayıng the second person makes ıt here on tıme. We are all lookıng forward to beıng done wıth travelıng and spendıng tıme wıth the kıds.

Our team gathered at church at 8:30pm. After prayer and a few last instructions we loaded on three vans. As I write this we are at the gate waiting for our first flight. I havent figured out how to upload pics from a cell phone.

Christmas Before Departing to Uganda

I am almost done packing.  I got my second hepatitis B shot yesterday.  I need a total of three.  The last shot happens after the trip.  We depart to Uganda tonight at almost midnight.  The team will meet at church at 8:30PM.  I decided I needed to post at least one short entry before departing.  I don't know when I'll be able to post again.

We've been blessed to have family with us these last few days.  We've done a little sight seeing.  Two days ago we went to Hanauma Bay.  Yesterday we went to a macademia nut farm called Tropical Farms.

Last night we went to an awesome Christmas service at church.  Two little girls and a mom performed a hula danced to a Christmas song.  It was very moving.  Later, we got to celebrate Christmas twice.  My side of the family celebrates on Christmas eve.  Rebecca's side of the family celebrates on Christmas day.  This makes for two happy girls. 

I received some very nice Christmas gifts but I can't think of anything better than being able to go to Uganda and share some love with kids who don't have much.  I am forever grateful to family and friends for their support and words encouragement.  Thank you all for all your prayers and best wishes.  

Merry Christmas!

Laughter I'll Never Forget

I've been wanting to post something every day, at least until we depart to Uganda.  Just before bedtime, I grabbed the camera and started taking pictures with the girls.  After viewing a few of the shots we couldn't stop laughing.  I am glad I was able to capture at least a few laughs.

Trying to get everything ready at work, so things go well during my absence, has been a bit stressful.  I'll be gone from work for three weeks.  I do have an awesome team and I know they'll do well.  In fact, every time I am gone for a while they excel.  I should be gone more often!

Its not only work though.  There are lots of little things to get ready to make sure things go well.  The most important thing by far is my passport.  A few notches down is my yellow fever vaccination record.  This one could be a big deal.  Some countries want to see your vaccination record (yellow card) before they let you in.  Actually, I've gotten vaccinations for yellow fever, hepatitis B, meningitis, typhoid, polio (booster only), tetanus, and the flu.  I also have to remember to start taking malaria pills 2 days before the trip.  

Going to a place where malaria is everywhere, I have to bring some strong mosquito repellent.  I found one that has 98% DEET.  That's some potent poison. 

Then I have to remember to bring a new and crisp $50 bill to pay for a Ugandan visa.  Apparently it is very important the bill has no tears and no markings.  I need a second crispy $20 bill for something else.

I won't be able to use my phone there.  The trick is to get a cheap phone that is unlocked and buy a Ugandan SIM card.  My dad had a phone he uses when he travels to Guatemala and he's letting me borrow it.  

Then there is Christmas...  I've been shopping for a particular gift for Rebecca but haven't found it and now it is getting late.  I am already working on plan 'B'.  

Today I was at the grocery store picking up milk again when all the sudden I remembered I was supposed to meet with the Uganda team at church at 6PM.  I looked at my watch and it was past 7PM.  Oops.

Needless to say, lots of laughs with the girls was such a nice break from the little things, and big things, that sometimes clutter life. 
   

    

Travel Itinerary

Often I am asked how long it will take us to get to Uganda.  The short answer is it will take us roughly 3 days to get there and 2 days to get back.  We were planning on making it back in one day but one of our flights got cancelled.  We'll end up taking the next flight home, which will add a day to the return trip.  Below is the flight itinerary for the trip.  Total miles are about 24,500.

OUTBOUND:

UNITED          12/25 HAWAII to  LA CA We depart at midnight                   

                 

TURKISH       12/26 LA to ISTANBUL We arrive on 12/27                                   

                           We'll spend about 25 hours in Istanbul

             

TURKISH AIR    28DEC ISTANBUL to ENTEBBE 12/29                  

                           I believe the plane stops in Rwanda

                                                                               

           

RETURN:

TURKISH AIRLINES      1/11 ENTEBBE to ISTANBUL           

TURKISH AIRLINES      1/11 JAN ISTANBUL  to  LA CA        

UNITED AIRLINES       1/12 LA CA to HAWAII        
The original flight was canceled.  Unfortunately we’ll spend one night in LA and will take the next flight home on 1/12.

Others have asked where Uganda is located.  My point of reference is Lake Victoria.  Uganda is on the North end of Lake Victoria.  Most people are familiar with Kenya.  Kenya is right next to Uganda.  We are flying to Entebbe, which is located along the shores of Lake Victoria, not far from the capital Kampala.  We'll drive up North from Entebbe for a safari, then we'll head to Jinja and finaly to Kampala.  .      

Once we are in Uganda we'll be working with an orphanage and two churches.  The orphanage is called Siita Nest Mother's Home and it is located in Jinja.  Also in Jinja is a church called Rivers of Life, which was founded by staff that used to work at Siita.  The other church is called Gospel of Life.  This Church is in a slum area near Kampala called Nateete.

Six days left!  Thanks to you all for your support and words of encouragement.  People who have done things like this tell me this will be an experience that will change me forever.  I wasn't looking for change.  I was comfortable living my own life, but my eyes have been opened and now things look diferent.  I hope to continue to share about this journey with friends and family.   

An Entire Generation of Parents Missing in Uganda

The little I know about Uganda can be summarized in a few lines and it is alarming.  Uganda is a poor country that has been ravaged by the AIDS epidemic.  There are over 2.3 million AIDS orphans in Uganda. On top of that, there is a rebel group known as the Lords Resistance Army that has terrorized Ugandans for the last twenty years.  The group is led by Joseph Kony, who is the number one wanted man in the world for crimes against humanity.  Kony and the LRA have been abducting, killing, and displacing civilians since 1987.  Shockingly, estimates are 80% of the soldiers in Kony's army are abducted children.

The AIDS epidemic, the LRA's and the extreme poverty have been devastating to Uganda.  I actually read someone stating there is an entire generation of parents missing.  The end result is children end up living with relatives who can't take care of them or end up alone.  Young, able-bodied Ugandans living in extreme poverty often end up mixed in the market of illegal drugs or prostitution, thus perpetuating the AIDS cycle.

Where sin abounds grace abounds.  I keep on finding story after story of people moved to do something about Uganda.  I am hopeful big changes are taking place there.  God is clearly at work in Uganda.  I feel so blessed to be able to go there and help in whatever manner I can.  My main objective is to show a few of these kids that someone cares about them, enough to travel there and spend time with them.

We are so blessed to live in the US.  Most of us have been raised by loving parents.  I keep on trying to explain to Graciela and Elianna how blessed we all are.  I want them to know there are kids in other countries living in extreme poverty who are hungry who haven't experienced love.  I do love hearing Graciela and Elianna pray for kids in Uganda.  I should record their prayers one of these days.



More about Joseph Kony.  I found this youtube video of a US wide movement to capture Kony.  See  Kony 2012.

Uganda, Africa - But Why?

As people at work learn I am going to Uganda, co-workers ask me what got into me that I want to go there.  Many of you already know but I’ll post this here with a little more detail for anyone who may be curious.

During the last several months I’ve been learning something so simple that it is hard to realize it has taken me over 4 decades to figure it out.  I’ve been learning that life is about one thing, LOVE.  In fact, the entire bible can be summarized into that one word.  Purposely loving friends and family is awesome, uplifting, and life changing.  But the bible also speaks of loving our neighbor.  Some of us have been blessed enough to be able to give to the needy, charities, etc.  For the most part, that has been my way of loving my neighbor.  However, recently I’ve been led to do more.  I’ve been learning that loving our neighbor might mean giving my time, volunteering at a homeless shelter, developing relationships, stepping out of my comfort zone, etc. 

As these thoughts were taking root and I began taking some action, I came across a book called “Kisses from Katie.”  If you haven’t read it, you must.  I read it during vacation in Minnesota.  Katie was a high school graduate who went to Uganda on a mission trip and, it could be said, never came back.  Her story is an amazing story of giving one’s self completely to loving others.  At age 22 Katie had adopted 14 orphan girls!  She now runs a ministry called Amazima that provides basic needs to more than 600 orphans. 

As I read the book, I was being torn inside.  I cried a few times and prayed often.  I wanted to help in some way.  I read everything I could online about Amazima, I searched for youtube videos of Katie and her story.  I read her blogs and her tweets.  I read about other missionaries in Uganda, researched about adopting kids, etc.  At home, I shared the story with my daughters and convinced them to help me sponsor one of the orphan kids through Amazima.  We bought jewelry made by Ugandan women to help support their families. 

The first Sunday back from vacation I was sitting at church when a lady made some announcements.  One thing she said was “for those who are going to the mission trip in Africa, there will be a meeting after the service.”  Rebecca and I looked at each other with surprise.  Rebecca knew something was tugging at my heart.  We looked in the bulleting and it read “Uganda Mission Trip.”  Under normal circumstances I would have either ignored or not noticed such announcement but something was changing inside of me.  Needless to say, we attended the meeting after the service, not expecting much but curious to know what this was all about.  Our pastor was clear that one of the purposes of the meeting was to discourage people from going.  He kept on talking about the possibility of catching one of many diseases.  He talked about how dangerous, expensive, exhausting… the trip would be.  At the end of the meeting he said if after having explained all of this you are still interested in going, please raise your arm.  I found myself with my arm stretched up high, like a little kid asking if I could join in.  I looked at Rebecca, no words were needed, but I still said to her “is that okay?”  She knew and nodded yes.

I am going to Uganda of all places with a team from church!  We are going to LOVE orphan kids, to do the very thing I’ve felt in my heart I needed to do.  I feel so blessed to be able to do so.  I am stepping out of my comfort zone in so many ways and it feels great.

Part of stepping out of my comfort zone is to share my experiences and hopefully bring awareness of the great need in countries like Uganda.  I am convinced one of the best things that resulted from the book “Kisses from Katie” is it raised awareness about the many needs in Uganda.  In some small way, I hope I can do some of the same. 

Our team would much appreciate your prayers.  We are taking as many precautions as we can but this can be a dangerous trip. 

With new found LOVE, Jeronimo

Pre-Uganda Day - Yard Work at Home

Close friends and family know I'll be going on a trip to Uganda.  This got me thinking I should start a blog to share my experiences.  I didn't realize how easy it would be to get a blog started.  I'll share more about the trip later.  For now, I want to see if I can upload pictures and get the blog ready for easy use and sharing.
Today has been a bit of a busy day.  I got to go surfing for a while.  It was choppy but there were some good size waves.  I caught a few waves and had to paddle way too much.  After surfing I went to the post office to pick up my new camera, a Panasonic Lumix GF3.  Then I had to go to the store and get some milk.  Rebecca also asked for a doughnut.  I picked up some meat for the grill.  Later I came home and picked up Elianna to go get her a bigger bicycle.  I found a nice one in Craigslist for $25.  We also got to celebrate Christmas with the family via Skype.

The pic is a bit blurry.  I am think this is a user issue.  The camera is supposed to be good.

After a few more errands and after grilling the meat, the four of us went to a nursery to buy some palm trees, Manila Palms. The rest of the day we planted the palm trees and a few other things we bought.

I found a copper pot in the back of the house and put it to good use.

Now it is time to see if this blog works.