We started the day with a leisurely morning.. a nice change
of pace. Some of us enjoyed, as we have each day, sitting on the back balcony
watching Uganda come to life with the variety of birds twittering their songs
to announce the dawn of a new day, the
cows being lead to greener pastures, the haze slowly clearing to expose the
beautiful views of Lake Victoria, and the adults going about their chores such
as gathering what is needed for the next meal.
Breakfast was a variety of delicious leftovers.. African
donuts, bread with a variety of spreads, and the usual sweet pineapple. Our
usual cooks finally had a break!
At 10.00am most of the group walked up the red dusty road to
the Abundant life church .
We start off looking clean and after one car goes past we
are coated with a fine coating of orangie red dust. Even our hair colour
changes. By the time we walk back again we have a nice tan. The dust does not
wash off easily! We cannot understand how the native Ugandans always look so
clean.
Today Pastor Glen our team leader gave the sermon the main
message being that God is a faithful God and that his Spirit in us gives us a
joy which is not dependent on our circumstances.
Before the sermon the children went off to Sunday school. After the church service we enjoyed the fellowship
of the many Ugandan worshippers and admired the beautiful crafts made by boys
from surrounding villages.
We came back for lunch which consisted of hot chips and
salad, then had a break during which some of us took advantage and had a nap to
prepare us for later activities.
Later in the afternoon we were given a tour of Jinja Hope Community School. This school aims to
provide a Christian education for
secondary school children whose parents struggle to afford school fees. We also
had a tour of Jinja Christian school , a primary school run by an Australian
couple Ann and Ron Matheson. We reflected on the financial struggle it must be
to run these schools and keep up with education trends and technology with no
government funding.
Later the Village of Hope children made their way to Jinja
Christian school for an afternoon of sport. The major interest was the soccer
game …the Mazungus(Aussies) against the Ugandans (some of the builders and the
Village of Hope boys).It was an exciting game with William being the referee.
Despite a few injuries they all enjoyed the competition which finished in a one
all draw. Some children played in a
friendly game of Netball. The smaller children were engaged in skipping and
Hula hoop activities which they clearly enjoyed. We finished up with a game of
Poison ball which had children scattering in all directions to avoid going out!
We then bade the children good bye. We so much enjoy their openness and love
they give to us each time we interact with them.
Back at Suubi we were greeted with lovely cooking aromas
coming from the kitchen. Meaghan and Chelsea decided to give our cooks a rest
and made beautiful Shepherds pie which we soon devoured.
Once again it was a day of enjoyable experiences which we can
store in our hearts and take back to
Australia forever.
Hetty
