Uganda - Village of Hope

It has been a jam packed couple of days in Jinja, Uganda for Team 32! Here is a recap;

Sunday: We attended a church service at Abundant Life Church. It was amazing to see people worshipping the Lord and getting around the Word. In the afternoon, we held a sports carnival for the children at the Village of Hope. We had the kids split into 4 groups and each team had a different colour headband, team chant and team name. The highlight of the afternoon was our tower building competition, each team tried to build the tallest tower out of sticks. Red team thought they had the win with some massive branches but yellow team had them beat with an even taller tower. We ended the sporting afternoon with some sodas, snacks and music with the kids which was so much fun.

Monday: We began our day at the house we are renovating during our stay. Some of us were bending U nails into a useable shape. Some were nailing mesh on the outside of the house ready for rendering. Some were inside battening the ceiling. A very busy day on the job site for all. After an early knock off at 12 we headed to the slums. It was a very confronting but necessary visit. We split up into small groups and visited some people living there. Each home we visited received a parcel of some essentials and prayer. It was a very emotional day. It was good to see where some of the Village of Hope children have come from.

Tuesday: The boys started their day back at the house. The team working inside the house moved onto the ceilings in other rooms and the others continued to nail mesh to the outside of the house. The girls on our team spent some time with the Village mothers. We brought out beads and loom bands for some bracelet making time. It was amazing to spend some more time with the mothers and get to know them better. Even the 2 year old twins who have been scared of us were happily engaging in the activity. We then joined the boys on the job site, continuing to hammer the U shaped nails. In the afternoon, we went to the Home of Hope. The welcome was incredible with the staff greeting us with music and dancing. A highlight was Nathan saying he loved to sing in his introduction and the staff putting him on the spot and asking him to serenade the group. We had a tour of the facilities and met with the children who stay there. This was a beautiful visit, seeing the care and love put into the therapies and care of the children there. I particularly enjoyed seeing the therapy spaces and hearing of all the ways they help different children based on their needs. We also visited the new church building and are planning to attend a service there on Sunday which the team is looking forward too. We then went out for dinner as a team. It was great food and good to chat about our trip so far together.

Wednesday: Rachel's Birthday!! Again the boys began the day at the job site doing various things. The girls attended the mother's prayer meeting that they hold weekly. We began with worship and I am amazed at how everyone here has a beautiful singing voice and rhythm. We then heard some testimonies and listened to a lovely lady Peace bring the Word. It was a lovely morning praising God for all His done in the lives of the mothers and the women on this team. We then joined the boys until 12. After lunch, a gorgeous blue cake was brought out by Juliet for Rachel's birthday. We sang and enjoyed some cake together to celebrate her birthday! In the afternoon, we went to YSU to view a spectacular fashion show put on by the girls there. It was so great to see the girls confidence grow as the show progressed. After the show, some of the girls showed us how to use their sewing machines. The day ended with some of the team getting a fresh cut at the barber shop up the road!