Still on the plane but we have touched down in Detroit... Immigration, collect bags, clear customs, check bags, clear security, and one more 2 hour flight before Arkansas... The team can almost taste the cheeseburgers and Chick Fil A!!!

Almost home!!!

We are in Amsterdam; it is 7am (midnight in Arkansas.) We are weary and very tired, with one leg down and two to go. Our lay over is 4.5 hours. We are ready to get home to our families. Please pray us in. CRT

This morning we attended Kikubo church in Mayuge. This was the first service of this new church for CYORF and they meet at the school.

We sang and danced and worshiped! I love Ugandan church! I had a chance to share and Jody brought the sermon. We commissioned the pastor of this church and prayed for him. Many people began their faith journey today!

It was a wonderful time again. The children were out in full force again. My heart just opens up when I am among these wonderful people. I was able to see a couple of my little angels again. Erina and Florence were there this morning. I also met Kasavu who was a 16 years old that sang a song in church with Florence. She was another beautiful young lady who worshiped with such passion and joy!

Edward also shared a message and he really got after it! It was awesome to see he passion and heart come out to minister to the people. He is a good man, my brother, my friend. I miss his company.

We drove to Kampala and again had stick meat and chappati on a roadside drive thru! The vendors rush the bus and try and get you to buy from them. It is a wild experience. Love stick meat!

We spent some time in Kampala. Tim and Genessa got to see their sponsored child. What a great experience so thank you for the prayers.

I must say that my time with Jonah has been incredible. Kysia and I knew he was ready for this trip, but we had no idea how ready. On this trip I saw him engage and jump right in and share his faith and love. I told him how proud his mom and I were of him. On this trip he has matured and developed. No longer is my son a boy. Today, on Father's Day, I told him I will now call him a young man.

Also, as the team arrives home and begins to process and decompress please be patient with us if we have trouble talking and explaining the trip. It will come, but will take time. We experienced so much. Our hearts were broken. But our hearts are so full of blessing and love. Every time I have come home it is hard to go back to normal, because I love this place and these people. God has loved them through us. I can only adequately describe my time here in stories and people. I will remember and tell you about Sandy, Erina, Florance, Stella, Steven, Solomon, Violet, Kasavu, Massey, and Patrick. These are my stories from Uganda.

We are waiting to check in and go through customs. This moment is bittersweet. While I cannot wait to see my wife and daughter, but my heart hates to leave. I always leave a piece of myself here when our time is done. This trip is no different. The next few hours will see me cry. I miss my brothers and sisters and angels already. It will take some time, again, to process. Good bye Uganda. My heart beeps for you.

America. Here we come. We have missed you and long to see you all again. We cannot wait to see our family and friends!

The journey home has begun...

Thank you all for your prayers and support. We could not have done it without you!

CRT

Well today was our Nile River rafting adventure. Tomorrow we head home and this is always a great way to unwind and do something truly incredible and fun.

For Jonah and I it did not turn out quite like that. We arrived at Adrift and went through the safety and info update and got our life vest, helmet, and paddle and then were informed that they have a minimum age of 16 due to their insurance. Denied. So the team headed to conquer the Nile and Jonah and I headed to the hotel. While disappointing we had fun together. We cleaned up, ate lunch, played solitare and mine sweeper on the computer, took a nap as we both are not feeling great, and then hopped on a boda boda and rode to town to shop and had an ice cream. Crazy to think of 2 Arkansas muzungu boys walking the streets and markets of Jinja, Uganda by ourselves. It was a great time for he and I to decompress and relax. Yes we would rather have been rafting for sure, but we made due and enjoyed hanging out.

The team has safely navigated the River Nile and made it back to the hotel. All reports say their raft did not flip over which is a success. Their guide, Tutu, was excellent. He safely got them through the rapids, crocs, hippos, snakes, and the Bad Place.... They are a bit sore and have some sun burns, but all in all everyone had a great time!

We are eating dinner and then to pack and bed.

We head back to Mayuge tomorrow morning for church. It will be great to see everyone again and worship. I love African church!

We will then take the bus to Kampala and hang out for a bit. Tim and Genessa are hoping to take this time to see their sponsored child who lives outside of Kampala. Please pray for this to happen for them. Our experience and Jody's have been so great and impactful, so it would be great for them to experience this. Then it is off to Entebbe to begin checking in and boarding the plane for the ride home. We leave Entebbe at 9:50pm Sunday night. We are all hoping that the person the Bishop called with KLM is able to put us together and then possibly a bump up to business class! He asked her to check on this for us. Would that not be awesome to fly home!

Our time in Uganda has been blessed. God has moved and we have all seen love in action. Thank you for your prayers and support. More reflection on the trip as we travel home.

Good night!

CRT

We are in Kampala. We had a meeting with the bishop of the East African Methodist conference to thank us for our visit to Gulu. What a wonderful meeting. The bishop had also been told our work in Jinja and thanked us for our service there. He is appreciative because he is from Jinja district. He does not Edward or Cyorf but asked for his info so he could contact Edward and see if there is a way for CYORF and His Mercy church to partner with the East African Methodist conference. How cool is that? God is always working! Bishop Daniel Wandabula is a kind and joyful and passionate man of faith. He is in charge of the Methodist churches in Uganda, Kenya, Burundi, Rwanda, and Sudan. What a charge. Yet he stays faithful and encouraging and working. He thanked us for our visits and all we have done to help the church and the people of Uganda. He was so excited to see Jonah and encouraged more young people to come and I agree! No fear sending parents and their kids. Jonah's perspective of the world will never be the same. I would ask that you consider coming and letting your kids come.

On the way we stopped at a road side stand and got chappati and stick meat! This was the first stick meat in 4 years and I am wondering why we waited so long! It was grilled beef on a bamboo skewer and was AMAZING! We plan to get it again on the way to Jinja! Granted everything works out tonight and tomorrow.

We got to see the chicken project again. All is ready to go and they are waiting on the 300 chicks to arrive. Once this is up and running 15 widows and their familes with sustaining income and food. What a great project God has blessed this community. Sustainable income and food for families. How great.

We are eating dinner now and then off to get sleep.

Today has been a good day... we have arrived safely... enjoyed stick meat.... and met the Bishop. Good day.

Tomorrow we attempt to conquer the River Nile!!

Good night!! Keep up the prayers.

In Christ,
CRT

Just to let readers know, the team made it to Kampala safely and are currently visiting with the Biship. I will not be able to post the notes from today until late this afternoon. K.Thornton

Today is a travel day- another 9 hour bus ride back to Jinja. We will drop off Paul at his home in Kampala.

It has been an amazing time here with our brothers and sisters. The Methodist Church here may be small but it is thriving and growing and full of love and joy. God is doing amazing things through this church. May God bless them. We have been blessed by them and call them friends. They are inspiring people of the Lord.

Now on to the bus!

Today has been another great day. We have spent the day in Layibi at the workshop for pastors and community leaders, teaching and worshiping and learning and loving. The time we spend here is just so incredible. The adults and children are so welcoming and hospitable. They make us feel right at home.

This morning started with singing and dancing. Let me tell you worship in Africa is work! But awesome! The joy and passion, I know I have talked about it before, is just contagious.

We started things off by Elizabeth and Tim sharing their faith journey. They both spoke on Jeremiah 29:11 and did great. Tim is such a great speaker. Seriously he needs to share as much as possible every chance he gets. And Elizabeth is such an amazing young person. She is incredible with the kids. And when she shares it is clear and to the point and full of grace. I am so impressed with her. She is just an amazing young woman. All the ladies engage and connect with her. And again the kids just think she is a rock star!

Mike and I taught about business development and personal finance. I was very nervous to talk about finances as I have a foundation and experience teaching this to Americans, but how to translate it to Ugandan culture. Let me say this section went very well. Mike had them in the palm of his hand. He was funny and really brought business to their level. The questions they asked showed the got it. Mike was typical Mike... Amazing! And the personal finance talk went way better than I expected. The Bible is full of verses and stories relating to money and how we are to handle it. I found some scriptures and shared 5 points. I left them a sheet full of verses relating to money and these 5 points. And the question session was great. They took the scriptures and asked questions relating to their culture and our hosts and I were able to help answer. I felt like this was a great session and I was not feeling good about it.

Once again we spent time with kids. Soccer,bubbles, - just time with them. We let them know we love them. That is why we are here. That God told us to come and hang out with them. Susan is the queen of the kids with Elizabeth her right hand woman. Susan can bring smiles and laughter every time she shares and plays with the kids. She is truly wonderful. She was feeling ill yesterday and is not 100% today but she is here and all smiles!

I did see Jonah in a moment of pure ministry and love and grace. I was moved to tears. Yes he is my son and I am so proud of him. I noticed last night a young boy who was blind; his name is Sandy... (He is the one in the red sleeves in the pic) Sandy is very shy and quiet. When we got here today I saw him come by where we play with the kids and sit down. He was not involved in any of the play. Jonah was playing soccer with Solomon, Steven, and Patrick. These 3 guys are funny, always wanting their pic taken (they love to pose!!!) They laugh at us a lot and ask tons of questions, but they are fun to be around. I went over to them and pointed out Sandy. I asked if they could some how include Sandy in a game. The boys told me that he could not see and could not play since he cannot kick the ball. I asked them to try and find a way to include him because no one should be left out. Just because Sandy could not do one thing doesn't mean he should get to do nothing. I went back over to listen to Mike speak and I saw Jonah lead the boys to Sandy. They began to play catch with him. They would say his name and tap the ball and gently toss to him. He did not catch all of them but he caught a lot! I want to tell you the smile on that young boys face was the face of Christ. He was beaming. Heaven was smiling and weeping at this moment. Sandy will stay with me forever. This moment was simply amazing. Jonah and 2 others were playing a simple game of catch that a blind boy could participate in and that was the reason we are here. He was valued. He was that told he mattered. He was loved by a simple act and I cried. I had to walk around to contain myself. Jonah was encouraging them to include him. Awesome. I later saw Steven take the ball and play catch with Sandy by himself. Here was a boy who told me Sandy was blind and therefore could not play. He was now engaging another boy due to the example of Jonah. Sorry to spend so much time bragging on my son, but this was the hands and feet of Christ. Jonah has been simply amazing! Susan told me later that Sandy was sitting next to her while she was blowing bubbles and she asked Steven to explain bubbles to him. He did and one landed on his cheek. He was able to feel the bubble and then was able to reach out and pop the bubbles with the other kids. See what I mean? Truly a pure moment of God's love. Sandy I love you!!

Genessa spoke on women in ministry and just was awesome. She was able to encourage the women who are such leaders in the church and villages in Uganda. She did a great job of letting them know how God views them and values them; she shared all they have to offer each other and their communities. This talk was much needed and I think they have made Genessa (and Susan and Elizabeth) an official Ugandan woman! She and Tim were even given a blessing by one of the ladies that they would have kids one day. 2 boys and 2 girls! Outstanding Genessa. Just outstanding!

Susan spoke on first aid. I was not able to be there but I heard from our hosts that Susan was incredible. She made things simple and relative to their situations in the village. We left each pastor (25 total) a first aid kit and a copy of the book 'where there is no doctor'.

Jonah also shared about his faith to the workshop. He was very nervous about doing this but was open and honest and great. The translator referred to him as bishop Jonah when he was done!

At the end of the workshop they presented us all with gifts of thanks. The ladies got a small purse and the men got a small drum. Jonah also got a beaded bracelet in the colors of the flag that spells “Uganda”. Amazing to be treated so well. They gave out of all they had. How many times can I be humbled to spend time with my friends.

We headed out and cleaned up (it rain for a bit this afternoon and mud appeared everywhere!) At dinner we had a chance to debrief with our hosts and learn from each other ways to improve the trip for the future. It was really a special time as it gave us time to affirm our hosts and they affirmed us. Rev David, Pastor Titus, Pastor Solomon, Brother Paul are my friends and brothers in the faith. I am honored to serve with them. We then shared communion together. We were in the restaurant with the world cup blaring on one side and a pool hall and bar with music blaring on the other. Flashing lights around and yet it was holy ground. We served each other and shared the sacraments. Special, special time. These men are wonderful brothers.

Well, I am about to fall asleep. Tomorrow we head out early again for the 9 hour bus ride to Jinja. Please pray for us to have safe travel. We are almost done with the ministry part of the trip. We are worn tired.

You should be very proud of your family or friend on this team. I have seen all of them just reach out and love on people with no thought of anything except God loves them and me and I want to let them know. The team has been amazing. And for our families: No worries about the red dirt we bring home on our bodies. It takes a few washings and our skin will turn its normal color and the shower will eventually rid itself of the red film. Seriously we are a little dirty, but we love it!!

Good night all. Thank you for your prayers and for sending us. We have truly see God at work.

Talk to you tomorrow
CRT

Good Morning on this Thurday morning in Uganda,

Today we head back to Layibi to finish teaching in the pastor's workshop and continue to play games with kids and just love on them!

Jonah is going to speak to the pastors about his faith today. Possibly. He is very nervous and I told him either way I am extremely proud of him. It has been amazing to see how excited the adults are to see him here and to learn he is my son. I have been told many times how amazing they think this trip will be for him and how much they enjoy him being here. Love it!

We are off to breakfast. I appreciate the prayers for Susan. Not sure how she is feeling yet. Will know more at breakfast.

God bless and talk to you tonight about the day's activities. What does God have in store for us today?

CRT

Man what a start to the day. Jonah and I went with one of our hosts, Paul Lakuma, to the World Vision office to meet Jonah's sponsored child, William Okello. We drove with the staff about 30 min outside of Gulu to the sub county of Koro to the village of Onang.

We were greeted by William with a huge smile on his face. We were asked to enter his family's hut where the WV hosts made introductions and Jonah and I introduced our selves.

I have to say I am deeply touched and honored by the family. William's father, Geoffery, and mother, Agnes, were overwhelmed to host us in their house. We also met his grandmother and several ladies from the village. There are about 220 sponsored kids in this village and we met some mothers of other sponsored kids and they wanted to thank us for being sponsors. The thankfulness the family expressed to us was humbling. I see the sponsorship as a small thing we can do monthly to help. I don't think about it realistically, but while small it is a huge blessing to William and his family. I cannot really describe it adequately.

William was all smiles. He and Jonah hit it off. Not much conversation. While William knows English the translation for many Ugandans can be difficult. But he loved his gifts. We gave him an official 2010 FIFA world cup soccer ball and an air pump, a comic book bible, a regular Bible, and an Arkansas Razorback baseball t shirt just like Jonah's. The WV hosts told us how touched the family was to have a Bible. We were told that a gift of a Bible is huge. Again, something I take for granted sometimes and for William and his family and others in the village it is considered a huge blessing.

They family wanted to cook a meal for us which is a big deal. It is a huge honor and to refuse is not an option. Our WV hosts said we could not have the meal due to the time of day we arrived, so we had a snack of sodas and English tea biscuits in the shade of a tree. And since we could not eat a meal the family offered us a gift of a live chicken. Now at first I was not sure what to do, but as was explained to us this gift of a chicken is one of high honor in their culture. Not everyone has a chicken and to part with one is a huge honor. We accepted it and donated it to world Vision. This family parted with food to show us how thankful they are. They sacrificed a meal for us. Wow. I cannot explain my thoughts on this without tearing up.

I have to say this experience was overwhelming for me. This family was so thankful for the help for William. They accepted us as a part of their family and to see how honored they were to receive us in their home. I was honored to meet them and they showed us such hospitality. It moved me to see them and visit. I was truly humbled.

Jonah and William took the soccer ball outside and had a blast. Other kids came out and Jonah and William just looked like 2 buddies playing futbol. It was great and made me smile.

We met back up with the team and headed to Koch Chorom to see their church. The other team had a great visit to Not For Sale and the WV Children of War rehab center. There were actually 14 children at the center and Jody and Pastor Titus got to share with the kids. What a wonderful time!! It seems that the center has been receiving child soldiers from the Congo and CAR. It is wonderful that the center is there to begin the healing process for these child soldiers.

At Koch Chorom we sang and danced for a while; Elizabeth and Genessa were getting down!! The people loved seeing the MuNu's (Northern Uganda’s term for white person) dancing!!

Genessa and I shared about our faith journey. Genessa really connects with the ladies when she speaks. It was another great talk!!

Jody shared a sermon and many people came to faith. Another humbling experience was when went to see the Methodist church. They have no building and meet under a fig tree for service. There are 20 adults and 30 children.

Once again Elizabeth and Jonah just were a favorite with the kids. We brought out the soccer ball again and Jonah sat down and played catch with some kids with a ball he made out of grass. Let me tell you his braces bring on lots of looks and questions!

It was a great day. A lot of emotion and joy shared with our brothers and sisters.

We are tired and heading to the hotel after dinner. It is 10pm here.

Tomorrow we go back to Layibi and finish teaching in the workshop.

Our time in Uganda has been full and incredible. It is also coming to an end.

We cannot wait to see our families!!

Talk to you tomorrow!!

Thank you for your prayers!!
CRT

Good Morning from Uganda!!!

We today is a different type of day for the team. We will be split up in the morning as most go visit the World Vision Children of War Rehab Center. This is a holy place. It is the place I first heard about Uganda’s troubles and touched my heart to where I had to come and see. There are no children there due to the LRA are in Sudan, Congo, and CAR, but they are still helping in the villages and ready to help should more kids come. To stand in the spot I saw in a magazine always gives me chills. Part of the team will also visit the office of Not For Sale, a group fighting human trafficking like child soldiers, forced labor, and sex slaves. I was looking forward to seeing them as this is such a huge issue and I want to learn more. Slavery was not abolished in the Civil War even in America. Slavery of all kinds is alive today. It is horrible.

Jonah and I will go to meet his sponsored child, William Okello, at 9am. We are very excited to spend time with him in person. Jonah has been writing letter to him the past 3 years. It is going to be a great time. Mike will also go to visit his god son who lives in Gulu. A full morning.

In the afternoon the team will get back together and head to Koch Chorom. Not sure what we will be doing exactly, but we will working with the villages pastors.

The team is tired but in great spirits. We miss home but love being here. Please continue to pray for us, for strength and grace. It has been an amazing time again.

I will update tonight about the day. Sleep tight America!!

God bless you
CRT

Today was our first day in Gulu. We were teaching and participating in a workshop for area pastors and community leaders in the village of Layibi which is just outside Gulu. We also got to hang out with children and play.

I do want to start out and say what a great team leader we have in Jody; he is always positive, always encouraging, and always engaging. He just keeps us loose and flexible and is excellent. If you ever get a chance to go on a mission trip with him I highly recommend it! I am honored to serve with him!

Jody and Tim did a great job of empowering the pastors on faith and leadership. It was great stuff and the question and answer session showed they really added something and connected. Genessa and Mike shared their faith journey and really nailed it. They were honest and open and full of love and grace. Both were outstanding. Elizabeth spoke on bible study and the pastors really engaged in the discussions. She was just great speaking! I spoke on the priesthood of believers and felt it did not flow well or connect. Hopefully God can use it to encourage.

These pastors were mainly women and really were a blessing. They are in the villages everyday basically being a pastor and social worker. They must help people with hunger, sickness, child led families, orphans, preaching, witnessing, etc. They are on the front lines everyday. I was so impressed by their thirst for wisdom and to grow in their faith and be all God made them to be for the people they serve. They worshiped with passion and joy, plus took tons of notes. They asked great questions. I pray we were a blessing and encouraged them.

We also blew bubbles again and the kids just went nuts. Jonah and some boys played games with 2 old tire tubes. Elizabeth was once again a huge hit and Susan just oozes love and the children respond. We sang songs and danced and had a blast. My prayer is they know we were there because they are valuable and loved. Susan even helped a young girl wash dishes so she could get back to playing with us. The girl was probably 6 yrs old. That was awesome!

We also went to a children’s rally in Gulu town. It was at the Churches land we helped them buy and where they are currently building an office, hotel, and conference room. We showed the Passion of the Christ film again. We got to sing and dance with the kids which is always fun! Again we were constantly surrounded by kids and there were a lot of smiles!

We also tried to hand out beanie babies to the children. We had enough, but we should have known better. Because of the situation handing out gifts can turn to chaos quickly. We tried to line up the kids, but it just wasn't working. So we told them we would leave these with the hosts and they would get one later. It is tough because we would like to be here and bless them and let them know we give the gift because we love them. But it just gets crazy quick. Again we should have known better. Oh well. Our hosts said the children will know who they are from and they will make sure all 500 get to kids.

It has been a great day. The teaching time was excellent. The rally was not quite what we expected, but we still were able to love people. That is what matters.

We are in for the night. Thank you for your prayers. Talk to you tomorrow.

Here we are in Gulu.

The bus ride wasn't as bad as last year. The weather is cooler as we are at the end of the rainy season. The miles and miles of speed bumps (torture last year) were reduced to about a mile. That was a blessing. Last year we had to endure miles of speed bumps every few feet. But they removed a lot so this year was not as bad. I must say we were blessed. I was dreading it but we made good time and all went smooth.

We stopped at looked at the rapids at Aramu (sp?) Falls. Spectacular. It is beautiful in its power. Also at this point there were wild baboons on the side of the road. One came right up by the bus. Very cool.

We have met with our hosts and gotten the program. We will be doing some teaching with 25 area pastors. Talk about out of my comfort zone. I am speaking tomorrow on the Priesthood of the believers. Wow. Needing some help. We will also hold a children’s rally in Koch Chrom which is a displacement camp. Then we get to visit Jonah's sponsored child, William Okello, with World Vision on Wednesday morning. That will be so cool for him as they have been writing letters to each other the last 3 years. Also on the agenda is to visit some of the area churches and people and offer prayer. Our hosts are incredible people. Rev. David is the District Superintendent of the East Africa Methodist Conference for the area. Pastor Solomon is the pastor of the church in Layibi. Dr. Moses has been with us every year we have come and will be helping Susan and Genessa in their training women on hygiene and first aid. Paul Corti with the Bishops office is with us too; he has been with us every year as well. They are all great men of faith and wonderful to be around.

This area in Gulu is much different than Jinja. Same issues, such as education, poverty, healthcare, lack of food, sickness, orphans, etc. But this area has seen war for 20 plus years. They are desperate and without hope. We learned tonight that the real challenges are happening now. Some may know... The LRA are currently hiding out in Sudan, Central Africa Republic, and Congo. They have not been in Northern Uganda for a while. The pastors said the government is now closing the camps and wanting people to go home. The situation looks safe and peaceful from the war and people are not coming as much to Gulu. NGO's are pulling out. The reason we had to take the bus is because there are no more commercial flights into Gulu. With all of this happening help is needed now more than ever. People are returning home to land that may have been taken over by others, there are no jobs, no skills, nothing to start over with. The world food program is no longer distributing, as well. This is the time when help is needed to begin to restore some normalcy in a generation who has never known normalcy. The Methodist Church is young and growing, but with limited resources. They need leadership training, clean water, job skill training, education... Sound familiar??

So we are here to encourage and help our brothers and sisters. They are already doing great work and we have come to fellowship, work with, worship with, learn from, and encourage our brothers and sisters. It is not going to be easy because it is so emotional. But we will simply be available to be a blessing to our hosts.

I am off to bed. Thank you for your prayers. All has gone well today.

Talk to you all tomorrow.

God bless you

CRT

Good Morning from Uganda

Today is a travel day. We are headed to Gulu in a few minutes by bus; it should be around 9 hours of travel. Please be in prayer for us. We will be stopping in Kampala to pick up Paul Corti and Sam Madune. Great men! I am very excited to see Paul again for he is a good friend!

I will post again once we arrive and settle in Gulu! This part will be interesting as Gulu is a different area than Jinja. Gulu is war torn and more desperate. It will be tough but rewarding to serve our brothers and sisters. Walking the IDP camps is both heart breaking and holy. These are not homes. The govt. forced them there during the war with the LRA to try and protect them. But they have no jobs. No food. No hope. Except for Christ!
We are off. Talk to you soon.

God bless you!!

CRT

Wow. What a wonderful day and a long one at that.

We went to church at His Mercy Church in the village of Buwenda outside of Jinja town where Edward is the senior pastor. I think worship in Africa met and exceeded all expectations for our first timers. We pulled up to singing and music and yells. We were welcomed so passionately everywhere we go! The choir was singing as we entered and we took our seats and simply worshiped. I wonder sometimes what worship is really. I know after coming here the last 4 years it is not a style or an order of worship or the building. Worship is joy and passion for God that flows out of us. It is not something we create and give to God. It is in response to what God did for us, what we did not deserve, and how grateful and blessed we are by grace. That is true worship. I have truly worshiped in a building and under a mango tree. Seeing the passion and joy from these believers is contagious. You cannot help be jump right in... after the initial shock!!

We got to hear the main choir....the children’s choir... the youth choir.... 2 special singers.... and then 4 witnesses plus Edward speaking and welcoming us. We were there for around 2.5 to 3 hours. Like I said African church is an experience. Susan gave her testimony and just killed it. She was open and honest and full of grace. I was moved to hear her story. And then Tim got to preach. I am not sure how much he gets to bring the message at his home church but it cannot be enough. Excellent! He spoke on Luke 15 and the parable of the lost coin and sheep and how earnestly God longs to recover his lost children. I thought he nailed it. He was funny and honest and full of grace as well. Just an outstanding job...

I have to say I love this little church in Buwenda. To have been there in 2007 in the little wooden structure to the permanent building today brings tears to my eyes. To see this little community of faith thriving and growing is a blessing. I absolutely love this little church.

We then went back to Mayuge to show the Passion of the Christ movie. Over 400 men, women, and children crowed inside and out of the school to see the film. We then handed out 70 mosquito nets to families to help fight malaria. It was just awesome to be back in the little community. Jonah and I hung outside and talked to kids. They are such a joy. Jody, Mike, Jonah, and I got to take a walk with Edward and the chairman of Mayuge to see an area that children travel to get to the school. When it floods these children cannot make it to school. The chairman was making a plea to help. Man the need is so great, but we do not get discouraged. Mother Theresea said we can do not great things in the life only small things with great love. That is what we do. 70 families can fight malaria tonight with a net. 200 kids are beginning to fight parasites due to the medicine received yesterday. More children will get to go to school with the new classrooms. Small things but with great love. But we began to swirl some ideas in our heads about the future. Mike took a walk with Edward of the property the school is on and heard about CYORF’s dream for the school. It is amazing stuff. A water well, a community room to teach new job skills to widows to provide them a future, more classrooms to have 1 room for each grade 1 thru 7, a kitchen, a wash room, a housing unit, a chicken house to provide protein for the children. These are some of the ideas and dreams. We have no idea what the future holds. But we saw God at work with Edward and CYORF in the place and we feel called to help. Again no idea what that looks like, but I am just sharing what is on our hearts. More is coming....

Man it was a good day. We ended the evening at Chairman Moses Batwala's house for dinner. He is the chairman of Jinja district. (Comparable to the governor of a state.) He is a good man with a beautiful family. They served us dinner and he thanked us for coming to Uganda and supporting CYORF in their care for the people. This was a big deal for us. The chairman is the leader of Jinja. To get to spend time with him is a blessing...

Well I am off to bed. I am worn out. I think it is all catching up to me. The bus rides to the villages is an experience. Dusty and bumpy. I mean we are beat up from being thrown around by the roads which to be fair are terrible. Plus, we drive very fast on them. To look out the front window is too much for me...

But tomorrow is a day we need prayers. We are leaving at 6am to take the bus to Gulu. About and 8 or 9 hour trip. Everyone needs some sleep tonight and we need safe, smooth travels tomorrow.

The team continues to just be amazing. Tim and Genessa got to spend the afternoon visiting with people and hopefully moving their adoption process along! And again Susan, Mike, Elizabeth, and Jonah are just wonderful with the kids and adults. I saw a lot of eyes light up and smiles show up when they were spotted. They have come to just love and it shows and the children respond. I am so honored to be here serving with them.

Good night all. Long day and we need sleep.

God bless you and talk to you tomorrow!!

CRT

Good morning.

Today is starting out beautiful again here in Jinja. I hear birds chirping outside my hotel and the sunrise over lake Victoria is always stunning.

Today is Sunday and this morning we get to go experience one of my favorite things about Uganda. Worship!!

To be at His Mercy Church, to sing, dance and clap in the worship our of Lord with our Uganda brothers and sisters is what I think heaven looks like. Old and young, black and white, Ugandan and Muzungu all joined in giving glory and honor to the God who created us all in His image. Worship here is something to be experienced and I love it! (I attend my church's traditional service and this is a really different experience!)

I also cannot wait to see the church again. To have been there when it was a simple wooden structure under a tree to now as a full brick building with running water and electricity. I am honored to worship there. I will be sharing a word (Psalm 92:1-4... Thank you Kysia!), Susan is giving her testimony, and Tim is preaching! I am so excited for him to share the word. Tim and Genessa are amazing. I have loved to get to know them and see their hearts for kids and for just loving people. I am honored to call them my friends!

After worship we will head back to Mayuge and show the film The Passion of the Christ at the school. Films are a big deal here as they do not get to see them often in the villages. I imagine word will spread and the school will be packed!

Well it is off to breakfast. We all need a good breakfast to last so we can sing and dance and worship for a while. Church starts before we get there and will be going on long after we leave! In America we think church is to long if it goes over an hour. In Africa they are going for a good 3 hours and maybe more! Like I said it is an experience everyone should encounter!

God bless you.

Talk to you tonight after the days events!

Peace, CRT

Greetings from Jinja district!!

Well today was another incredible day. We were back at His Mercy Christian School for orphans and vulnerable children in the village of Mayuge. We had Mike and Jody working on the classrooms again. Mike was putting his skills to use and finding new ways to do some things on the construction. He was also making new friends with the workers who yesterday were not sure what to think of these Muzungus (white people). But Mike was learning names and sharing his trail mix and they never had a chance to not love him! The picture you see is Mike and Edwards brother, Muhamudu, working on the classrooms.

Jonah, Elizabeth, Susan, and I played games with the kids. Soccer and bubbles are always a hit! Elizabeth also entertained hundreds with a hackey sack. It was hilarious to hear all the shouts of children to Jonah (Jonah, Jonah!!) and Elizabeth (madam) as they try and get there attention. Today we also became the games for the children; Elizabeth, Jonah, and I would get surrounded and the children would tell us how to say things in Lusoga and then quiz us on them! Needless to say I could not keep up! And course it is entertaining for the children to hear us speaking their language. They get a huge laugh out of that! We also danced and sang songs like twinkle twinkle little star, the itsy bitsy spider, and Jesus loves the little children. Jody started the kids in some jumping and running races. They loved it when he would start shouting low, low, low and everyone would crouch lower and lower; then we would all jump and yell Higher! The kids loved that. Oh yeah, we also led the kids in the Hog Call. That's right. They can now call those hogs!

We bought some medicine to help with parasites as Susan and Genessa noticed many of the kids had parasites. We were able to help 200 children in our make shift clinic. Jonah was awesome again by stepping up and helping Susan count out the meds and give them to the families. Susan is just amazing. Her heart for these kids and wanting to help is inspiring. I love to see her interact. She is always holding babies and talking to mothers and making kids laugh. Love it!!

Well I got to see my little angel again today. She did not have her razorback beanie baby; but it was her for sure! One of the teachers told me her name and I got a chance to talk to her. I told her that her toy from yesterday was my favorite and she (ever so quietly. I had trouble hearing her) looked up and thanked me (the teacher translated). Her name is Namgobi Erina and she has a beautiful little spirit. Full of joy and life. Her face, or skull I should say, has a slight deformity but I think she is beautiful. Such a sweet little girl. I did get my pic with her as well!

I also got to know 2 other girls around 10 or so. They hung around Jonah and I and they were great. Always interpreting for me and interacting with me. Florence is a go getter. Not shy at all. She just smiled and laughed during all games. What a joy to be around. Stella has one eye that is basically shut permanently. She is quiet and a bit shy, but she smiles a lot and she became a fast friend. She loved playing the name game in her language. These 2 girls were absolute joys to be around today. They always helped us keep our circle big for soccer. They helped others kids. I loved it!!

Finally, we made every kids day when we said we would be back tomorrow at 2pm to show a film! Standing ovation!

Oh yeah, Jody and I brought pics out of our wives and family and showed them to the kids. A lot of the children asked Jonah where his mother was and when they learned he was my son they loved that! I was told I had beautiful women in my family by Stella!! The children also wanted to know when my wife and daughter were coming to visit them in Uganda and I told them soon! Every child kept saying Sir and asking to look at the pics. It was great to see them so excited to see our families!!

We headed back to the hotel to clean up after a late lunch and then headed to Bujagali Falls. This is the first rapid we hit when we float the Nile. It is intense!!! I have included a pic to give you an idea of what we get to experience. This is a class 5 rapid!

Finally, I learned this school needs a bore hole for water. The spring they use (as does the entire village) is not too far away, but most of the children do not have access to safe drinking water. Edward is going to have someone check on the water table around the school. We think it may be on the low end, of $3,000, to build one. This village is where we want to put in some clean water and start the next chicken project. Be praying! I included a pic of the current water well.

Good night everyone. I pray this blog has been a blessing to you. I think sharing what the team is able to do while here is a great way to let you be a part of the trip. I pray it is doing that.

Thank you for your prayers... Good night!

CRT

Good Morning from Uganda!!

Well we are up and about to enjoy breakfast before heading back to Mayuge for day 2.

The weather this morning is incredible. Overcast with a cool breeze. It is about perfect so far.

We got to see the vehicle we helped purchase for CYORF this morning. This has been a huge blessing for the ministry according to Edward. Now they can get out to the villages much easier to minister. I must say this is quite the nice ride CYORF is rollin’ around Jinja!

Today shall be a good day. The team will be split up some today. Tim and Genessa are headed to the Amanzi (sp?) Orphanage today to visit them (great blog they have at kissesfromkate.com) and attend a service plus possibly meet a future member of their family! They need your prayers as they pursue adoption please.

The rest of the team is headed back to Mayuge. To simply love.

Thank you all for the prayers. I cannot wait to email how our day goes later!!

CRT

Mayuge

Wow. What an amazing day. We headed to the His Mercy Christian School for orphans and vulnerable children in the village of Mayuge this morning. The plan was to work on the construction of the classrooms and play with kids. The church has sent $6,000 to build the classrooms and buy all materials. When we pulled up to the school all 210 kids were outside to cheer and sing as we arrived. It is such an incredible thing to be welcomed like this. As soon as we arrived and unloaded we began playing games with kids. Susan and Elizabeth were the queens of the bubbles. Jonah and Genessa formed a huge circle and kicked a soccer ball between the children. Jody, Tim, Mike, and I started moving dirt to build the floor of one of the classrooms. Digging dirt, shoveling it in a wheelbarrow, and dumping it. Man I am sore and tired! But it was good work. We worked along side local masons and workers on the school. And was it hot!!! The sun was blistering today. I was so impressed by everyone. All team members jumped right in. Can I be a proud dad and say how awesome Jonah was today? He was right in the middle of the kids and loving every minute of it. He was talking and smiling and making friends. It was awesome to see him be a blessing today. And Genessa is fantastic with the kids. Always encouraging and always sharing laughs. I saw her lead dancing and singing. Awesome! Elizabeth was another rock star with the kids. I never saw here without a group of girls walking with her and holding her hand. She also jumped right in and just loved on the kids. Awesome!

We broke for lunch at the best hotel in Mayuge (not what you think) and the meal was excellent. Jonah did come down with some heat exhaustion sickness at lunch. He and I took it easy after lunch and hung out with kids. Mike got over heated as well. Mike is just fantastic with the kids. He is always engaging them and sharing pics. Making them feel special. We all need to drink water and take breaks. When we got back the Lord blessed us with some rain. Cooled things down and it was much better. It did stop the construction, but we just decided to break out the beanie babies. Talk about excitement! Susan went to each classroom with a teacher to control the chaos when things got handed out. The smiles and laughter of the children were sheer joy! There was a little girl who had a slight deformity that had a red hog. She was clutching it with all her might. When I told her it was my favorite one because I like red hogs and I started making hog sounds her eyes lit up and she started laughing. She was beautiful. I got a great pic of her. I hope I get to see her tomorrow.

We hated to leave but we are going back tomorrow. All in all a fantastic day. Just wonderful to love them and play games and make them feel special. These kids are poor. They are vulnerable due to being orphans or their home like is just not good. Jesus blessed small children everywhere he went. Today we were able to bless children, as well. It was incredible.

We got back to the hotel to clean up and watch a little of the world cup in the lobby. Very cool. We then went to the source of the Nile River. I have been 4 times and it is always a wonderful time to go. I think about the history of that river. Wow.

Tonight’s dinner was at Ling Ling Chinese Restaurant. The sweet and sour fish fingers and the diced fish and cashews were very tasty. Talk about a culinary adventure. Great meal.

Well we are off to bed. You should be proud of your family or friend on the team. Today was a great day.

Good night. Talk to you tomorrow.

CRT

Good morning from Jinja,

Well it is our first full day of ministry today in the village of Mayuge which lays about and hour outside of Jinja. The morning is gorgeous, a little humid, but simply beautiful.

Our plan is to begin construction on the classrooms, play soccer with kids, blow some bubbles, hand out beanie babies, and basically love people in the name of Jesus.

Everyone is excited and ready to head out. Just waiting on the bus!! See this pic?? Yes this is how we roll Ugandan style!!! This bus will take us everywhere while in country. I like its style!

We all slept well and are ready for the day! More tonight.

Thank you for the prayers!!

God bless

CRT

Well after traveling all day, again, to get to Jinja we took some down time at the hotel before heading to see a widows group made up of women and children affected by HIV and AIDS.... Some were infected and some were affected by the loss of family. This is the group we bought the beaded necklaces from to sell in the US; they receive 100% of the money. In fact, God opened up a door and I was able to sell the last 100 necklaces the weekend before we left Northwest Arkansas. We brought the $500 to them! Love that!! These ladies and children have limited sources of income to buy medicine or pay school fees for the children. We may have found a home for our next chicken house. Edward is going to look into it for us.

So.... here is how it went.... one word.... AMAZING! As we pulled up in the bus they were singing and clapping and welcoming us with such hospitality. I felt honored to be there. As we came into the community center they entertained us with songs of welcome and songs that told a story of their plight. The assistant director welcomed us and thanked us for buying the beads and how much the funds help them. I am bringing more back so be ready to buy gifts for people and make an impact for some awesome ladies and children. Edward also spoke and introduced the team. We heard more songs and dancing. Jody shared a message of encouragement with them. He is such a great teacher. Then it happened... Jody said he wanted the ladies and children to teach us all how to dance and shake our hips like them. They laughed and loved that. And then.... proceeded to do just that. All of us were brought out and had a sash tied around our waist and proceeded to dance and rejoiced along side them. Elizabeth had a young man grab her hands and dance with her. Mike was shaking it with everyone he could. Jody was a wild man out there. Susan was doing her thing and I think Genessa had practiced before because she was generating all kinds of yells. Curiously Tim got lots of pics and some video but missed out on as much dancing as they rest of us, but I did see him shake those hips!! Jonah was right in the middle of it even though he told me he was not looking forward to it. But after he got in the middle of it and a young boy and his friend grabbed Jonah and I and danced with us, he was laughing and having a great time. Yes we all danced. And yes we were proud. Were we good? Not really, but that is not the point. The point was to be there with them again (we visited last year) and dance and pray and share and laugh and let them know by being there that they matter. They are not broken or dirty people. They are created in God's image and He loves them and so do we!!! It was simply and amazing evening. I am humbled each time I come to serve. I learn so much more that I share. I learn more or what the church really is and how to really love people. Wow!

The team is getting along great. We are enjoying each others company and learning more about each other and developing great relationships.

Tomorrow we head to Mayuge and begin working on the classrooms and playing with children. We will give out over 800 beanie babies while we are there and use 100 bubble wands as well. Our scripture we shared tonight for tomorrow is Joshua 3:5 “consecrate yourselves for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you”. That is our prayer. To be used by God and love people tomorrow.

Thank you for your prayers. We feel them. And we all hope to bring dancing to the US church. It is about time we liven it up a bit!!

God bless and good night. Dinner is over and we are all going to sleep. Long and busy and hard and incredible day tomorrow!!

CRT

To Jinja we go

Good morning all,

Jonah and I got to stay at a different hotel last night than the rest of the team. Africa changes all the time!! But we slept well and are ready for the day! I cannot wait to experience Jonah's first breakfast shortly!!

We will eat with Edward and Julie and then meet up with the rest of the team for devotionals and then we ate off! The plan today is to stop and exchange money, visit James at university (young man our family sponsors who is in college in Kampala) and then the 3 hour bus ride to Jinja. We will settle in the hotel and then go visit some widows groups that CYORF cares for. Should be a blessed day!!

Well nothing like getting the African experience started off first thing... Jonah got his first ride on a boda boda (motorcycle) from our hotel to the other to meet the team. (Sorry, Kysia, but he had a blast!!! And we were safe... though the driver took it slow for us!!)

We had a great devotional time as a team and we are heading to Jinja!

Later in Jinja…

James loved his World Cup t-shirt.

We then drove 3 hrs to Jinja and stopped for lunch and are now in our hotel and resting up. We plan tonight to visit with some widows and just share fellowship with them. It is a big deal when we come to see them. I love it as we just get a chance to let them know they are not forgotten. They are loved.

The drive to Jinja is a great view of the country... Beautiful and heart breaking...

Upon arrival we stopped at the Igar cafe and had some local food.... I think the new comers liked the chappati bread and matooke!!

More after our visit tonight. It is great to be back.

We have arrived in Uganda!

We are here and on our way to the hotel. Team is tired but so excited to finally be here. We were met by Pastor Edward, his wife Julie, and Joseph who has worked with us before. It was so good to see friendly, smiling faces waiting for us after a long trip... like seeing family which they are!!! Agenda tonight is to eat, clean up, sleep, and then head to Jinja tomorrow AM. We are here!!!

Amsterdam Airport

So we are walking through the airport and I have a guy walk past me and said "love your hat.. Go Hogs".... He is wearing a Hogs ball cap, as well. We share a "Woo Pigs" together in the middle of the airport!! Needless to say we get a few looks.... The University of Arkansas Razorbacks.... Connecting people on a global basis.... I love it!!! Had to share...

The team should arrive in Uganda around noon. Pray for clearance through customs and a good nights rest. It will be evening there.

Mission Started

“I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you.” (John 14:18)

The time has arrived. Off to Uganda, a country of widows and orphans. The plane has left Fayetteville for Atlanta and will go: Atlanta to Amsterdam; Amsterdam to Entebbe. Over 20 hours of travel to arrive 8 hours ahead of our time zone on Wednesday evening. First day of service will be Thursday. Included in this group of 8 are 2 nurses, 2 business men, 2 church workers, a college student and a middle school student. Their tasks will vary from day to day. They are hoping to work on building a school, distribute mosquito nets, visit with the World Vision Child Rehabilitation Center, teach some classes to ministers, and work with and encourage all with whom they come into contact.

Current prayers requested are for travel safety, for the team to rest through the long flights, to get through customs trouble free, for the team to stay focused on God and the ministry ahead of them, and for the people they will be meeting in ministry to have open hearts.

Introduction to Uganda Mission Project

The Uganda Mission Project was conceived off of a need to respond from a World Vision article from December, 2005. After prayer through out 2006, a small group from Central UMC decided to travel to Uganda (May, 2007) and see how our church could help. The church responded in two areas: around Gulu and then God through in a twist with the introduction of a pastor from Jinja. Since 2007 Central United Methodist Church of Fayetteville, AR has responded with clothing drives, money for Heifer Project animals, a church building, a car, mosquito nets, food pantry items, school supplies, as well as, World Vision aid and more projects. Two additional mission trips took place in 2008 and 2009 to set up medical clinics serving thousands of Ugandans around the Jinja area and in the IDP camps around Gulu. Also currently in progress from members of the church is a school in the north and Chicken houses in the south. Tuesday, June 8, 2010 a group of eight missionaries will be leaving Northwest Arkansas to serve once again. This blog is set up to follow their adventure serving as the hands and feet of Christ.