SUNDAY, 8/25/13, KAMPALA, UGANDA
Up early and ready for church at Pastor Dongo's Kabalagala Pentecostal Church, in Kampala. Our driver picked us up at 7:45 am for the short ride to church. This was a BIG day. One of our Team member, Jena, is announcing her engagement to one of Pastor Dongo's sons, Godfrey, at the end of today's service. Our team of 16 have been asked to dress up and stand up with Jena during the ceremony, as her family. (Her American family could not come).
In Uganda the Engagement Introduction is a BIG DEAL!! Lots of happiness, joy, dressing up, singing, dancing, and even a party! The ceremony itself includes even exchanging of rings,..but the actual Wedding ceremony takes place at a later time. To us Americans the Intro is just about like a wedding. What joy filled the faces of Godfrey, Jena, the Africans and our Team!
The actual announcement/introduction by Pastor Dongo of his son, Godfrey & Jena!
Exchanging Engagement Rings..
After church we ate at another of our favorite places in Uganda called Chicken Tonite. It is a rudimentary fast food chicken place. They have drinks and fried chicken with chips or fries. While there a downpour arrived with sheets of rain, lightning, & thunder! We had to wait it out about 2 hours, since we were a mile's walk from our hotel.
2pm found us all at the God Cares Primary School campus, along with the 600+ kids waiting for a ride to the Camp Campus, at the HIgh School across town. The process took almost 4 hrs., with numerous trips. We just hung out and renewed old friendships, and made new ones, too.
Finally, late Sunday pm, we were able to see the end of the line heading for Camp. So, we piled our gazzillion bags into God Cares' bus,..then shoved ourselves into the remaining seats or spaces, take your pick. Trip to God Cares High School took around 2 hrs. thru gridlocked traffic. Move over Los Angeles!!
Arrived at Camp to a Rock Star-like reception, 600+ kids, screaming our names, yelling, beating on the bus & rushing the doors!!! Each of us could only jump into a sea of smiling, squealing faces. Hugs, kisses, more hughs, & more kisses. What a tumultuous welcome!! "If this doesn't raise your heartbeat, you'd better check to make sure you have one!", I remarked to our Team. This too, is Africa!!
Camp looked like mass organised confusion. We hung out with the kids, ...these kids remembering EVERY word one speaks,..so we had to stay on our toes!!!-:)
The crush of exuberant Campers.....
After a long day we said goodbye and headed back to our hotel nearby. Another rock star moment broke out!! ALL of us had to run the gauntlet to make it to our bus.
Upon arriving at the Hotel Stallion,-on the outskirts of Kampala, -we found it better, with nbicer rooms, BUT one major issue for us "connected" Americans, NO WIFI!! Oh the anxst, and the gnashibng of teeth among the Team!! Ovviously, we'll live with it, oh, hot water is a rarity too This is Africa.
We setled gratgefully into our beds, after a long Sundayt.
Amazing Mission Story:
As our Team was trapped in a HOT bus, crawling thru Kampala traffic,..we became, shall we say, just a bit testy!! Finding our bus surrounded by people on foot, or motbikes, we were gthe target of requests for anything & everything. One of our veteran, most loved Team mebers grabbged a Pop Tart from her pack & gave it to a man outside her window,..with the word, "God Cares!". Mission Teams being Mission Teams, that little interaction led to a great series of one-liners throughout the Team. Our laughter at the irony of the Americans in a God Cares bus, giving a man a Pop Tart kep us laughing for days. Go figure,..-:)
Wagezz(Rogers) African name
