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.