Well, the team is still stranded. I can't help but wonder what God is having them do in Amsterdam. Please pray for them. They are getting out of the airport though, which is a major improvement over yesterday. Tuesday is the fastest they are going to be able to get out of Amsterdam. Everyone but Chris, Traci, Jonathan, Cheryl and Randi will arrive at XNA at 3:05 Tuesday. The names I just listed will arrive at 5:42. Today they are filling their time with some site seeing through the canals, Anne Frank House and a Van Gogh Museum (my husband's favorite artist). Please continue to pray for them to be encouraged and to be an encouragement. Let us be the same. Kysia

Ok, some changes in plans. If your family member was traveling with Tim, I think you are on regular schedule. If your family member is with the CUMC group we will find out more information in the morning for sure. This is what we know right now. Their flight has been cancelled from Amsterdam to Detroit. They are supposed to be on a new flight that will head out on their time morning tomorrow (not sure of the time differences between Amsterdam and Arkansas- I'm assuming we may know later tonight on our time-but no promises) Everyone is doing fine, just ready to see their families. Please, thank God that he has provided safety for the team as they didn't travel on a broken plane. Please continue to pray for the team members to travel safely home. Romans 12:11 "Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord." I guess God isn't finished with these missionaries yet. Please pray strength for them as their "spiritual fervor" is turning to exhaustion.

Greetings from Amsterdam!

If you are thinking that doesn't seem right you are correct! Our plane was scheduled to leave Holland at 10:25am local time. It is now 2:04pm. We have been sitting on the plane for 2 hours.

The word from the pilot is a maintenance issue that has to be repaired. We are waiting to be towed back to a gate to de-plane. Estimated time to fix is 2 hours. Obviously we are not making our flight in Detroit. Not sure of our ETA, but I will keep you updated.

Please pray for us as we wait and hopefully make our way home. God is with us!

Thank you

Chris Thornton

Hello Amsterdam!!

Well the team has arrived in Amsterdam after a lovely 8 hour flight. I slept 6.5 hours of the flight.... I guess I was tired!

We have a 5 hour layover since our flight to Detroit has been delayed till 11:45.... We will need some prayers when we hit Detroit to make our next flight and clear customs.

Right now I am enjoying a cup of cafe au lait with MIke, Tony, and Traci at the airport. I will probably wander around a bit as will the rest of the team. This is a pretty cool airport. I will stay out of the casino though. They don't take Ugandan Shillings.

Part of our team are On another flight to Detroit. Tim, Dottie, Richard, and Emily have already boarded a plane to Detroit, but we will all be on the same plane to XNA.

The team is doing well. We are tired and ready to see our families. The coffee is good and we all need to wash our face and brush our teeth and freshen up, nut we have plenty of time to do that! And hey, we have endured each other and our sweat and smells o a crowded bus for 2 weeks! What's another few hours!

Thank you all for your prayers and support. We cannot wait to see you and have a Chick Fil A sandwich or Mexican food or a nice steak or a Huge Salad full of green things!!!

See you soon. We will check in once we hit Detroit.

God bless,

Chris

Well we have arrived safely at the airport in Entebbe and have cleared security. The team is spread out in the airport... some eating and some shopping. We are tired and ready to begin the long trip home.

I am filled with a flood of emotions as I have been in the past. I am ready to see my family, but I have been blessed during my time here. To serve with our brothers and sisters is an honor. They inspire me with the faith and passion to serve Christ. I miss them already. But my home is in Arkansas. The flight home will see many of the team, including myself, shed tears. But they are tears of joy at what we have experienced and tears of joy to see our families. I am not saying good bye Uganda. I shall be back! Once again I am leaving a small piece of my heart here. Till I see you again Uganda.

I will post when we arrive in Amsterdam and Detroit for our family followers.

We are ready to see all of you! Thank you for your prayers. I am ready to see my wife and kids!

See you soon!
Chris Thornton

On the road to Entebbe headed home

Post from Friday...

Well we are back in Jinja after another bus ride, which is just a tough way to travel. The trip is better than it was 2 years ago, but it is still long (6 hours) and windy, and bumpy, and hot. I will say that we had no baboon experiences this time and it was fairly uneventful. We did stop for lunch at the drive thru and had stick meat and chapatti. Stick meat is an African experience you have to try!

Thursday night we had our final team dinner with our Gulu hosts; it was a great time. We nominated team members for awards such as most joyful, funniest, etc. It was a night full of memories and laughs. I am so impressed with the team and my new friends. Wonderful people who have given of themselves and served with God's love.

We started out this morning by stopping by Gabriel and Pauline's home. Pauline served in the prayer room with us in Koch Chorom and Gabriel has worked with us in the past. They run a school for kindergarteners, as well as, a bakery. I must say they have a great operation. We got to go to the classrooms and greet the children. We also got to see the Bakery which provided us homemade cinnamon rolls. They were fantastic! It was wonderful to see these people of God serve their small village outside Gulu with love and grace. Les and Sue have helped raise funds to build up the bakery and provide a kitchen for the school. This was an amazing place off the main road, down a dirt road that was horrible. It is small and not fancy, but it is making a difference in children's lives in the name of Christ. Gabriel and Pauline are just incredible.

We also ate dinner tonight at Surjio's in Jinja. Pizza was ordered and it tasted like home! We also had ice cream. Once again it was a great evening of team fellowship.

Tomorrow begins our long journey home to our families. Our time here has once again been wonderful, a blessing both to the people of Uganda and to us. I know we are all ready to see our families, but I think everyone of us will be a bit sad as the plane leaves Entebbe. We have seen the face of God in it's most distressing disguise here. We have held the hand of the sick. We have prayed with the hungry. We have clothed the naked. We have provided a gentle touch of grace. We have let people in the middle of the jungle know that they matter and are not forgotten. Let me change those last few sentences. God has done all these things through us. We are the hands and feet of Christ and we do nothing without Him. I love to be here and serve. I experience God in ways I don't back home. That is the challenge to all of us. To experience God back home like this. This trip is not an event in time. It is a part of our faith journey.

We will miss our friends. We have some wonderful hosts. In Jinja I have a brother in Pastor Edward and his family Julie and Isaiah. Joseph. Mondi. Pastor Jacob. Pastor Michael. Florence. Viola. James. These are my friends and my brothers and sisters.

In the North. Love Dr. Moses. What a funny and warm and loving man of God. Sam Mdune. Pastors Solomon, Titus, Peter, Margaret, and Christine.Dennis and Geoffrey. We have seen some of these people grow up and mature over the years. These are my friends and brothers and sisters.

Our hosts take their time and serve along side of us. They explain the culture to us. They ask questions about America. We have developed friendships and we are a community. I will miss them as we fly home.

I want to say that as your team member arrives home and begins to fall into their normal life, please, give them some time process. It will be difficult to explain for a time what they saw, felt, heard, and experienced. But the stories they will tell you! The people they will introduce you to! They are stories filled with God's love ad it is beautiful.

And the red dirt and grim that they leave in the shower will eventually go away. Don't worry. It will go away. According to thousands of people in Uganda I am a doctor, so you can trust me!

Talk to you tomorrow! Please keep the prayers coming for safe travels. Tomorrow a group of Tim, Erica, Emily, Randi, Richard, and Jonathan are going on a half day float on the river Nile. That is a fantastic adventure and if the rapids don't get them the crocs and hippos might! The rest of us will spend the day strolling in Jinja town with Edward and Julie. I plan to drink a cup of Ugandan coffee at the Source Cafe!

I will post tomorrow as we move toward the airport and head home. Our flight leaves at midnight Sunday morning and Uganda is 8 hours ahead of Arkansas.

Good night my friends. The mix of Chicago and Phil Collins tunes playing in the hotel bar is lulling me to sleep!

CRT

The crew made it back to Jinja today. Everyone is safe. We are having some technical difficulties, so today's post will hopefully be posted tomorrow. Please continue to pray for each of our missionaries. The journey back is always long because they are ready to get home, sleep in their own beds, and see loved ones. - Kysia

A Day in Gulu Town

Today the team broke up as we had our last full day of ministry. We headed as a team to the Methodist Church in Layibi to be introduced to the pastors/community leaders conference. Part of the team stayed at the conference and shared their testimony and taught on various topics (such as stewardship, the Holy Spirit, etc). The whole team joined the conference for some worship time and then I led a group into Gulu town for the day. Mike, Richard, Dottie, Randi, Susan, Cheryl, Emily, and Erica did not have a teaching segment so we decided to go into town to visit some other organizations.

We started out visiting the head quarters of Invisible Children. This group has done a great job of raising awareness about the situation in the North, but we learned today that they have continued to expand their programs to educate and empower the people, as well. They have a program to refurbish schools, a scholarship program to send children to school, a mentoring program, a micro finance program, and a new hand bag program that employs seamstresses. I am always impressed when we visit with them to see they are still empowering and employing local Ugandans to help the area recover and grow.

We then went to the World Vision Children of War Rehab Center. This place is holy ground to the mission. I first read an article about this center in a magazine from World Vision and it is what God used to stir my heart for Uganda. The work this center did and does to help rescued children to recover and heal is truly amazing. We met with Emiliano (the Program Manager) and Patrick (the Program Director for all of Gulu) and Concy (the center counselor) and they filled us in on their work. The center has cared for 15,000 children since it opened in 1995. They have been able to successfully reintroduce all but one young man to their homes and villages. Currently there are 4 young men at the center, but we did not get a chance to meet them as they were in Kampala for medical treatment. This place is truly light in the middle of darkness. I love to walk through the center. My heart breaks, and is warmed, when I think of the children who have come through here and recovered and healed. It is an amazing place with an amazing staff who are serving the Lord with all their hearts. I love this center.

We also visited Baby Watoto Gulu which is an orphanage that cares for children ages 0 to 2 years old. After 2 they go to the children's center. The older kids center has a choir that has toured America before. The children are brought to this center when they are abandoned. The children at Watoto are not available for adoption. Their plan is to raise up and educate the future leaders of Uganda. I must say the facility was first rate. It was of the highest construction and was clean. We were able to play with the babies and hold them;it was a blast. I am not sure how the center gets their funding, but they seem to provide a wonderful and caring environment.

We also stopped and ate lunch in town and then walked to the market. We went to the main market in town where the people shop for their needs. It is a maze of wooden structures that makes you feel like you are under ground;it is many city blocks long. You could get lost in the maze! It is a sight to see. Fresh meat and fish hanging in the stalls! It started to rain and so we had to run under cover and wait it out. We headed back to the hotel and rested while the conference team finished up and met us for dinner.

I will post some details on the conference later when I talk to the team. I did find out that at yesterday's clinic we had 240 people visit the doctor and 67 to the dentist. Wound care saw 101 people (plus they saw an additional 71 that did not see the doctor for a total of 479 patients cared for.) Amen!

Tomorrow we travel to Jinja and begin our journey home on Saturday. A small group will be doing a half day rafting trip on the Nile River and the rest of us will spend Saturday in Jinja town with Edward. The float trip is a once and a lifetime trip!

Talk to you later!
God bless!
CRT

Layibi United Methodist Church

Baby Watoto Gulu

World Vision Child Soldier Rehabilitation Center

Last Day of Medical Clinics in Koch Chorom

Well the last clinic of our trip is done and in the books. It was another great day, but much more difficult. There were lots more people and once again we had to turn people away which is still difficult. The weather was good, but very hot and humid. We had a slight breeze which helped. Everyone is very tired tonight. We are worn down, but our spirits are high because of the great ministry we have experienced.

Once again the pharmacy was running very smooth, and that helps things overall. The ladies in the pharmacy were grace under pressure and always with a smile when I was back there. Once again the pharmacy ladies were amazing. Great job Traci, Dottie, Allison, Erica, Randi, Cheryl, and Connie.

Richard, Emily, and Dottie ran wound care again. This part of the clinic if always busy and the team really was the hands and feet of Christ. They see many types of open wounds on the feet and legs since most have no shoes. I forgot to report yesterday that they saw a man with a gunshot wound in the leg that he got from the War in 1996. Incredible. There was not much we could do for him, but clean and dress it to alleviate some pain. The local doctors were going to try and get him to a hospital for surgery. Breaks my heart. Great job wound care team! You were amazing.

I said it yesterday and I will say it again. Mike is the man. He is the face of the team and has the hardest job. I got to move from assisting him to running point on triage and handing out slips to see the doctor. I failed miserably in my short 15 minute term. Mike stepped in and rescued me and I went back to assisting which I am better at. Mike has to listen to the needs and decide who is an emergency and who gets to see the doctor and then delivers the bad news that the clinic is done. But every time he is loving and kind and graceful. I love my brother Mike! Les and Jonathan helped usher again. Talk about great men of faith. They loved and treated everyone with respect. Walking people to the pharmacy and prayer you get to treat them with dignity and ask their name. People love talking to the Munu (white person in the North; Mazungu in the South). Both these men have been all smiles trying find ways to improve the process or sharing their faith. I was blessed to serve wit these men!

Susan and Diane assisted with the doctors and dentist. They were amazing again. Never complaining and always smiling and caring for every patient. They both did not want to take a break till the last possibly minute and even volunteered to step in and help in other places. Actually all the team was very flexible and willing to do anything to help. This team has been so amazing.

I also want to tell you about a moment of pure grace today. There was a teenage boy with cerebral palsy who was at the clinic both days. He was very nice and had a wonderfully big smile. I always shook his hand when I passed by him and made sure to stop an spend time with him a few times. He touched my heart. Today as the clinic was starting he showed up; Mike, Susan and I were visiting with him and some other children. Susan pulled out some handi wipes and we gave them to he children. This young man (I could never find out his name) got one and you could tell he was not sure what to do with it. Then Mike and Susan each grabbed a wipe and began cleaning off his face. You should have seen the smile and look on his face. It was pure joy. My teammates were treating him with respect and love. People with disabilities are shunned in the communities due to misunderstanding and it is unfortunate. But I shed a small tear standing there (thank goodness for sunglasses) and my heart was moved. This is why we come. To let people know they are valued and have worth and are loved. By us and by God. Touching moment.

Things got a bit chaotic as the clinic was winding down and people began to be more aggressive in trying to get to see the doctor. It is hard to turn people away. So difficult, but the blessings more then outweigh the difficulties.

The prayer room was rocking again! Sue and Tony continued to share the gospel and lift up peoples concerns and man people began their faith journey! I do not have all the details but I did hear that there was a demon cast out of someone in the prayer room. They were harming their children and the local pastors knew the situation. But Tony and Sue lifted them up to the Lord and deliverance happened. I have seen many things in Africa I do not see at home. I have learned to trust in God and He will always be there. I cannot always find an answer for these things so, I pray and trust. I have seen God do amazing things. Spiritual and physical healing!

We heard from our hosts and many of the people that they were open to hearing the gospel because we keep coming back. How awesome is that? This is what we desired to do when we first came in 2007 on the scouting trip - to develop relationships and help a community. We are not Americans who swoops in for a couple of weeks and tell the people what to do or how to live. We are the church, the hands and feet of Christ, who come to love, share and help as best as we can while partnering with and empowering the local church. This partnership and community opens doors with love and consistency. Love that!

I got to do one of my least favorite and uncomfortable things today. I went with Dr. Moses, Sam Mdune, Jody, Tim, Tony, and Pastor Solomon to visit the Regional District Chairman of the Nwoya district where Koch Chorom is located. This is a new district formed out of a larger district in the North. I did not catch his name. He is appointed by the President and reports directly to the President. How did I get there? I am a guy from Arkansas and I was siting in meeting with a man who talks weekly to the President of Uganda! Crazy! He was very appreciative of what we were doing and commended faith based groups for helping the Gulu district recover from the war. Then my least favorite part happened. He said that what we needed to do next time was fix the hospital, fill it with equipment and supplies, and staff it with doctors. Dealing with politicians is way outside my comfort zone, but it is a part of what we do; he gives his permission for us to be here and he can be an advocate for the local church. It just seemed strange to be sitting at the hospital, where his office is for now, and be talking to such a high powered man in Uganda. How does this happen to some guys from Arkansas? Only with God!


Tomorrow part of the team will be sharing and teaching at a pastors conference at the church in Layibi where we did training last year. After The team is introduced and share in some worship (yes!) I will be leading those not teaching or sharing to visit The Invisible Children's office and, hopefully, to the World Vision Children of War Rehabilitation Center. This is the place where this all started with an article I read about the war and their work with the child soldiers who are rescued. It is holy ground to us. Please pray we can make this visit happen. I want to share the story of what God is doing through is place.

Good night. I am worm out from the bus rides on African roads. The team was amazing and has really enjoyed getting to know each other and serving alongside one another. Please keep us I your prayers. We travel to Jinja on Friday (babboons!) and then Saturday we hang out in Jinja town and look in the shops and begin our long journey home that night.

Your team member has been a blessing to the people of Uganda. Be very proud of them.

Talk to you tomorrow.

Chris

Encouragement for our trip

For our time in Gulu the Bishop sent Grace with us to document the trip. She is the communications director for the conference and prepares the newsletter. She will have an article on our time here and we are planing on having it in the Arkansas paper as well.

Jody shared with us last night that Grace was amazed and blessed by what we are doing. She said that having a dentist to extract teeth was something no one ever does for the people; it is an expensive procedure for Ugandans. Grace also said that she loved that we had a prayer corner to pray for and with people. Grace informed us that when other groups come they distribute medicine, but usually do not pray. The spiritual part of the trip is a vital element of the outreach. We consider it an honor and privilege to lift up people and their concerns to God. Grace was also visiting with some of the villagers about the clinic. They said they love that we come. She asked them if they knew who we were and they said yes they knew Jody and Mike. When we arrived Grace asked them to point out Jody and they did! Our coming back over the years has developed a community between us and the village. That is exciting!

Grace also said she stopped by the Humble House to follow up on our visit and she said the place was abuzz! The children loved that we formed a tunnel and prayed for them and blessed them each! Again teams that visit normally do some work and hand out gifts and never pray for the kids. The children loved that we prayed for them!

I do not share these things to brag on our team and say look at us. I say them to thank you for your prayers for us. Prayer works and is felt! Also, I hope this encourages anyone else going on a trip or leading a trip in the future to be sure and take time to pray with people. One thing we have learned coming here is the pain and sickness and hurt will return, but the spiritual healing that comes from faith in Christ will sustain all of us matter what!
Glory to God!

We are about to head out for the last clinic! Pray for us!

Talk to you tonight!

Chris

Today has been a good day. We boarded the bus with members of our host team and managed to fit 30 people inside with the back row taken up by suitcases. We have all learned to like each other no matter how close we are or how bad we smell! On the way back to the hotel after clinic we managed to fit 34 people in the bus!

Things went really smoothly today. We have been to this village every year we have come to Uganda and it is Exciting to recognize people and have them recognize us. It was hot and long and tiring, but also very smooth and blessed. We saw over 86 people in the clinic, 63 in wound care, and about 46 in the dental area. We also filled 283 prescriptions and prayed for 250 people! The pharmacy was rocking it again and in much smaller quarters. The ladies keep things flowing along and a smooth working pharmacy makes for a smoky clinic. Trace, Cheryl, Allison, Erica, Randi, Connie, and Dottie did an amazing job. Way to go ladies!

The LC3 also thanked us and asked what he could do to help and we told him to support the local Methodist congregation and he said he was a Christian and did not have a church home and we introduced him to Sister Margaret and Christine who pastor the local church! He is planning on joining!

Richard and Emily treated wounds all day and were the hands and feet of Christ. They cared for people with love and were a blessing. This is not an easy task as there a many types of wounds. Just a great job today!

Mike, Les, Jonathan, and I worked crowd contralto and ushering to the pharmacy. Les and Jonathan were all smiles and made people feel loved. They both interacted with everyone they came into contact with and made some new friends I think! Mike was once again the point man and face of the medical clinic. He stages the patients and delivers bad news and works triage. Mike is simply amazing. He is always talking to people with respect and love. He let us know he remembers them and he is always looking for ways to connect us to the local leaders when he finds them. Mike is the man!

We will be back tomorrow to Koch Chorom for the last medical clinic of the trip. It is bittersweet when the clinics end because you know we will not have helped everyone, but they are also demanding physically. One of the hardest things is when we let the remaining people know there will be no more patients seen that day. People come up to you and begin to tell you what ails them or a child and we have to still say we cannot see anymore. The doctors work hard and see a huge amount of people, but the need is great. I rest in the fact that we are doing what Jesus called us to do and that is care for the least of these. He did not command us to solve all problems, but to come and partner with the local church and join Him in caring for the the poor, hurt, sick, and prisoner. We are letting people know they matter. We are loving people regardless of their social position or status. We are being he church. I rest in that.

Tonight we will eat dinner and relax and go to bed. Everyone is tired and worked hard today. We need rest to be ready to go out and serve again. Pray for rest for the team. Pray for as many people as possible to be seen by the doctors. Pray for the team to remain healthy. And pray for us to finish strong.

Talk to you soon. God bless you!

CRT

Celebrating Ericka's 21st at breakfast

Monday June 20, 2011 We've arrived in Gulu

After an early breakfast and team devotion we loaded up on our bus and began the long and bumpy ride to Gulu.

We stopped in Kampala and picked up Sam Mdune who is with the Bishops office and will be our host in Gulu. Sam is a wonderful man who loves Jesus and has a smile and laugh that can light up a room!

The ride was not something I was looking forward to after having done it the last 2 years. Long, bumpy, hot, and lots of speed bumps (they call them sleeping policeman and there was a huge stretch of them every 20 feet) makes for a challenge. I must say it was not as bad as the past. The speed bump section had been smoothed and a large section of the road had new pavement. Now it was still long (7 hours) and bumpy (this is Africa) however, the weather was nice and the conversation lively! I could have used at least 1 more bathroom break (we stopped once in Kampala) but that's a small detail. All in all not too bad and some of the team (including me) managed to grab a few moments of sleep.

A couple of cool experiences on the ride. We got to stop and see a family of wild baboons up close and personal (from the bus) on the side of the road. That was very cool. We also crossed the Nile River at the Karuma Falls which is a gorgeous section of river with at least a class 6 rapid. It is loud and powerful and beautiful. The team got to stretch their legs and walk across the bridge. Very cool. It was good to walk a bit from the bus for sure! Then it got wild cool. A family of baboons came out of the savannah between us and the bus. Some of the team had some roasted corn from a road side stop and the baboons smelled it and came walking right up to us! We had to throw the corn away to get them to run off after it. That was a little to close for me considering our driver and host and the police on the bridge let us know how dangerous a baboon could be! Everyone is good and we have yet another experience to check off of our life lists! It is a great story, but a little scary!

We are at the hotel and relaxing before dinner. We will meet the rest of our host team and plan out our 3 days here. It will be good to see Titus, Solomon, Gabriel, and the rest of our friends tonight!

Keep those prayers up. Still some general body weakness and small sickness on the team. Everybody is doing well and we are ready to finish strong!

Let us celebrate a safe journey and talk to you all tomorrow! The plan is to head to Koch Chorom the next 2 days for medical clinics. Gulu and the surrounding villages are still suffering from the war ravaged by the LRA. The area is war torn and things are still desperate, but the church is small and growing and bring some hope and light to the people. Things are looking up since the LRA has moved to the Congo, but we will still come face to face with poverty,disease, sickness and hunger that is outside our comfort zones. But isn't that a part of the mission of the church? To go where the hurting is and be the hands and feet of Christ? Pray for us top be strong in the Lord and not in ourselves.

Talk to you later!!
CRT

Please Pray for our Missionaries

We are having some technical difficulties with this evening's blog. Chris is also not feeling very well. Please, pray for the whole team. This journey they will take tomorrow will be difficult. The Northern part of Uganda is a bit more desperate than the Southern. It will include a very long bus ride. Please, pray for healing for those who are not feeling well and for safety in travel. Also as the trip continues each person may deal with exhaustion and feeling a bit weary. Please, pray for God to give them strength. Thank you! Kysia

Projects Partnered with by Central UMC

Worship Pictures from Sunday Morning at His Mercy Church

Worship is Wonderful! Many things happened. We were all so blessed. Jonathan shared his talents on the keyboard as well as his testimony. Traci also shared her testimony. Tony preached and we were all blessed by the people of His Mercy Church!

Greetings friends, family, and supporters. I am sitting in the hotel lobby enjoying my just finished shower and a cold (relatively) bottle of water after another great day. Our time here with our friends is so special to all of us. We get to join the local church in caring for the people in their church and villages. Each day we see the community they have developed. It is an honor to be here with them. Yes, each day is hard and has it's own unique challenges, but overall the tiredness and struggles are no match for the joy and the ministry that occurs.

Today saw many exciting things....

As I mentioned yesterday the team was broken up into new groups. Tim, Jonathan, and Richard went to finish the home for Patrick and his family. They got all the brick work done, as well as, put in the doors and windows. The team also bought some new farming supplies for them, too. All reports were that Patrick and his family were blessed, but I know the team members were blessed to be with them, as well!

Emily, Erica, and Dottie went to the Eiksa orphanage for special needs children today. I did not get to hear a lot of reports, but what I did hear was all three team members had a blast hanging with the children and fell in love with them! The story of how this orphanage got started is an amazing one. The founder, Emily, was working at a local orphanage and saw a need for special needs kids. The community and other facilities were just not equipped to handle these type of cases, so she (a 20 yr old) started this orphanage. She began to simply love these children with the love of Christ. I find this story both touching and inspiring. The staff and volunteers love what they are doing and face each challenge with strength and grace.

Randy and I joined Les, Sue, Tony, Traci, Allison, Susan, Diane, Cheryl, Connie, Jody, and Mike at the medical clinic in Mayuge. I have to say that medical clinics are an incredible opportunity to minister, but are also difficult. We know going in we will not be able to see everyone which means some people will go away disappointed. It is so hard to close down when people a still waiting; but the need is so great, we simply cannot meet it. We come knowing we do what we can and let God do the rest. And God does show up! Today we saw 142 patients with the doctors and 75 with the dentist for a total of 358 people cared for. Of those 358 we filled 433 prescriptions. And of the 75 dental patients they extracted 109 teeth (Diane was amazing in there. She was the only assistant and was all smiles and grace under pressure.) We also provided parasite and de-worming meds to 350 students (100 kids with the school run by CYORF and 250 at the local public school where the clinic was held).

I also want to brag on my teammates. Les and Mike ran crowd control and were so loving,calm and helpful even when it got a bit chaotic. They managed the flow of patients and just were great with people. Susan helped the doctors and also manned the wound care station. She is such a blessing. Susan is always in the middle of a group of people smiling and trying to help in anyway she can. Sue and Tony rocked the prayer corner today! Over 100 came to faith in Christ today. Mayuge is 90 percent Muslim and they even had many Muslim men and women asked to be prayed for. The local head of the mosque came by to see the doctor and asked for prayer. I want to say that we do not neglect anyone and no one has to profess faith in Jesus to be seen in the clinic. We are open to all and let them know, when asked, that we are here because Jesus loves them. We do not hide from our faith. We simply let our actions of love reflect our faith. And the ladies in e pharmacy simply were awesome. Tracy, Allison, Cheryl, and Randi kept things flowing and never got down. They filled every one of the 433 scripts. The pharmacy can be crazy and get backed up and have a wave of people crowding by the front waiting;these ladies were calm, cool, and graceful. I have not seen a pharmacy flow this smoothly before, excellent job ladies! And I must say thank goodness we had Cheryl! She was the one we turned to read the doctors hand writing! Without her we would have been completely lost!

I also got to see Randi entertain the children with some gymnastics. While we were at lunch she started walking on her hands and the children loved it. Then some of the kids started to try and walk on their hands! One young man was actually pretty good, so she went over to them and they had a hand walking throw down! Then she took off and did two back flies which thrilled the crowd! She could not get any of the kids to try it! Jody got some video of her back flip so look for it on facebook. It was a great time!

Finally, before we arrived at the clinic we stopped at Kikubo to see the His Mercy school for orphans and vulnerable children. This project is the church wide mission emphasis for Central this year. We took a tour and I cannot believe how different it looks from last year. The class rooms we worked on are done plus they have a water well, a chicken coop and a large garden. The kitchen has been moved and it was full of children! There is still much work to be done on the master plan, but there are great things happening at the school. I did get to see many of the sponsored children as did Les and Sue, ALlison, and Susan. Let me put in a plug for the sponsorship program. For $35 month you can provide an at risk child with food, medicine, clothes, school supplies, etc. All the children are cared for by Pastor Edward and when you come on a future trip you can meet them in person. It is a blessing to meet your sponsored child. They simply light up. (for more info go to www.helpendlocalpoverty.com ad click on the sponsorship link. All the kids from Uganda are part of Pastor Edwards ministry).

I got to see some of my friends from last year! Florence, Kasuvu, Erina, Viola, and many others. They all remembered me and asked the same question.... Where is Jonah?!! All of em wanted to know where my son was who came on the trip last year. That made my day! Florence got to ride the bus with us to the medical clinic and she sat next to me and held my hand the whole way. She kept rubbing my palm on her cheeks. One of our hosts said she was trying to see if the white would come off! I must say I enjoyed riding next to her.

Well tomorrow we all go to church at His Mercy church in Buwenda. This is Pastor Edwards's church. I love this little church. The first timers get their first taste of African church and man are they gonna love it! We have told them to prepare for lots of singing and dancing! The church will have started before we get there and will be going long after we leave! There is no worry of time in Africa! I love African church! We will also walk around Jinja town and will visit the Source of the Nile and the Bujigali Falls. Tomorrow will be a good down day before the bus ride to Gulu on Monday.

Good night all. I am off to bed for some sleep. Keep up the prayers. I will talk to you tomorrow.

CRT

Day 2 in Uganda

Well today has been a great day! I will try and discuss the medical clinic and time at the special needs orphanage as best as I can. All reports from the team at each location indicated today was a great day.

Tim, Jonathan, and I spent the day working on a house with Mondi and Joseph to build for Patrick and his family. Both of these brothers (Mondi and Joseph) have worked with us since the first trip in 2007; they are great men of faith and friends. Patrick and his wife have a small farm and they are sustainable, but they desire to be the hands and feet of Christ to orphans. They have begun to take in orphaned children in their surrounding village. They have a family already, but felt called to provide for others as well. They currently have 12 kids in their family. I am not sure how many are biological and adopted, but they were all so happy to see us and thanked us all day for helping on their new home. The funds for this home were provided by the church and supporters. We got to work along side them and spend time with them. The provided us some fresh roasted peanuts and African tea for a break (I love African tea!) and I shared my trail mix with them. They loved the M & M's! Our day started with Tim mixing cement and Jonathan and I walked a half a mile to he stream to fill up Jerry cans with water and then carried two cans each back! The two cans weighed 40 pounds each. Needless to say we took a few more walk breaks than the normal Ugandan! We all mixed more cement and spent the day filling up the cement buckets of the masons, as well as, tossing up bricks. I am worn out! And we all got filthy, but the look on the faces Patrick and his wife was worth it all. Patrick asked God to bless us and in turn we told him that God sent us to bless him! Such a wonderful time.

Mondi took us to his house when we finished and introduced us to his wife and 4 children. He was very proud if his house, which he built himself, and his chicken coop he is currently building. We all took a picture of his family and with us in front of the chicken coop. It was their family portrait and we are sending pics to him for their modest little one bedroom home. Mondi is a mechanic and a home builder. He is so quiet but such a great man. He was a Muslim before he became a disciple of Christ.

Next Tim, Jonathan, and I went to the Eiksa Orphanage to pick up Dottie and Randi and hang with the kids fir awhile. I only got a taste of the kind of day the ladies had. It seemed awesome. These children are all developmentally disabled and in the culture they are shunned. A lot of families do not know how to care for, nor want to care for, these children. When we arrived the children that could walk came up to us and screamed with delight and wanted to be picked up. It was overwhelming, but incredible. We got to sit and hear stories and hold hands with the kids. I saw Jonathan pick up and hold two particular boys. It was a great sight. The smile on Jonathan's face was amazing. He is simply a great young man. I love getting to know him more. I hear there a pics of Randi leading the children with some killer cheerleader moves as well as forming 3 person pyramids with me. From what I hear every child laughed and loved it! These ladies had a great day and loved these kids. They made sure these kids knew they mattered. Great job ladies.

The clinic went well today. They got started a little late, but still managed to see around 336 people. I have not heard a lot yet, but from what can tell at dinner it was hard, but a great day.

Tomorrow will see some changes in the team. Randy and I will join the clinic and Richard is joining Tim and Jonathan at the house build. Emily and Erica will go to the orphanage with Dottie.

Our first full day of ministry was hard. Our first full day of ministry was long and hot and stressful at times; but our first day saw people starting their faith journey. Today saw people receiving medicine regardless of their beliefs. Today saw special needs kids being loved. Today saw a family receive a new home with more room to care for the orphans they feel called to take in to their family. Today saw Jesus proclaimed and the church being His hands and feet. Today was a good day.

We have all eaten and most everyone is in their rooms. We are tired and ready for bed. Good night everyone. Tomorrow is a new day and tomorrow will be another hard, long and great day. There does not appear to be anymore illness on the team. Everyone is doing well and working well together. I have met some great people. New friends. The openness of Emily, Erica, Allison, Diane, Sue, Cheryl, Traci, Les, Mike, Connie,Richard,Dottie,Tony,Tim,Jonathan,Randi, Susan to do whatever they can to be a blessing to another team member or a Ugandan they come into contact with is the way the church should work. It has been a great day!

Please keep us in your prayers. We feel and need them.

Good night. I am off to bed.
CRT

Day 2 begins...

As the sun breaks on the horizon here in Jinja, the team is slowly rising and making our way to breakfast. Yesterday, with all it's wonder (and earmuffs as we spent time with the bishop and the children), is still fresh in our minds and fills us up with God's spirit for today's ministry.

Today will be a full day for the team and will be difficult to blog about as we will be broken up into three teams. Dottie and Randi will be spending time at a special needs orphanage ministering to the kids. Jonathan, Tim, and I will be heading to a house build and will partner with Ugandans on the construction. The rest of the team will be at the school in Kikubo setting up the medical clinic.

I Love that the team will be out in different areas ministering in various ways, but I miss seeing everyone in ministry. I will try and blog about each area today from conversations at dinner, but it is tough- so bear with me.

Just know that the team feels your prayers which sustain and lift us. Looks like everyone got some rest and is ready for the day. Be very proud of your family or friend on this trip. Their hearts to serve are so big! The look in everyones eyes as we spent time with the children yesterday was pure love!

Today will be a long and hard work day, but people will be loved and grace will be shared in the name of the Lord.

I must go now. The breakfast and coffee are calling my name!

Peace

CRT

Day 1

Today has been a great day. We started out visiting Bishop Daniel Wandabula at his office. They gave us a presentation of the work the East African Conference is doing in its area of Uganda, South Sudan, Burundi, Kenya, and Rwanda. The conference is doing some great work in building schools, medical clinics, and churches. They also are working on HIV/AIDS education, empowerment of women, and job training all in the name of the Lord. The Bishop is a great man who smiles a lot and has a great sense of humor. He was very welcoming and thanked us for our time here. Tony invited him to NWA to preach at our church which the Bishop said he was going to work on. I cannot imagine the burden on this man as he leads and cares for these countries. But they are doing some great things and seeing membership increase. I always love to visit the Bishop.

We also stopped at the Humble House on our way to Jinja. This is a school established by the conference for orphans. Les and Sue Havens have raised funds for various projects that have directly benefited the school. We took a tour of the grounds and saw the tent they use for worship (Havens) and the walking tractor (Havens) they use to work the garden. This walking tractor has been a huge help to the school as they can now grow their own food to feed the children instead of buying it. This is the school where the children’s choir that performed at Central is from. We got to see the choir perform 3 songs for us. Jody also had the team form a tunnel and all the children walked between us and we blessed each one. It was so wonderful to see children with heads bowed and blessing us as they walked through! I was able to see two of the choir members who performed in AR. When I told them I knew them and showed my kids pictures they laughed and remembered us! I even got a hug from Patricia! Both my kids asked me if I might see Fred and Patricia since we were coming to Humble House and I did! It was great to visit with them. Erica, Emily, Randi, Allison and Diane all had children attached to them as we walked around. The sentiment on the bus was it was hard to imagine 300 kids without families, although that is not a drop in the bucket of the global orphan crisis. We did not want to leave. It is always special to be with the children.

And the choir members who visited us asked me to send everyone their greetings and love. They long to come visit us again. And they all asked where Mr Keith was. Yes our very own Keith Hoggard has his own fan club with the choir members! Next year you have to come Mr. Keith. The children said they love you and want to see you!

We have now arrived in Jinja and we are at the hotel. Tonight we will get our medicines together and have communion as a team and then rest for tomorrow. Tomorrow is a busy day. We have a group doing medical clinics, a group working construction to build a home, and a group going to a special needs orphanage. Busy day but great day today; tomorrow it just gets better!

We have some minor health issues some team members are battling. Nothing major but a drag. Overall everyone is doing great and getting along and working together. I have already seen a lot of ministry among the team with and to each other. We have a great group once again!
Please, keep us prayed up!!

Good night all. Thank you again for your prayers and support.

CRT

The Adventure Begins...

The team is rested and fed and we have begun the day in some devotional time and small groups. I think I fell asleep around midnight and up at 6am for a shower and breakfast.

Our day is mainly travel today, but we will start out visiting Bishop Daniel Wandabula of the East African Methodist Conference. He cares for the church in Uganda, Sudan, Tanzania, Kenya, and Rwanda. He is a huge man with a huge heart for the people he cares for.

We will also visit the Humble House in Kampala which is an orphanage the bishop started. I cannot wait to hang out with the kids!!

Please pray for us as we travel and begin to minister. We thank all our family and friends for sending us out!!

Talk to you all later tonight!
Chris Thornton

The team has cleared customs. No problems. God is good! Thanks for all of the prayers.

We just landed!!! Waiting to leave the plane, grab bags, clear customs, meet Edward, and hit the hotel. The team has done well. Everyone is tired but we have had a great trip. Tomorrow we meet Bishop Daniel Wandabula, of the East African Methodist Conference. He will take us to visit the Humble House in Kampala. This is a school the Bishop started that houses children from all over Uganda. Central UMC may remember the children's choir that visited a few years ago from this school. We also will travel to Jinja and set up base for ministry. Thank you for the prayers and keep them coming!!!
Chris Thornton

Closing of a day for our missionaries...

Note from Kysia:
As we begin our day here, please pray for our missionaries. While we are at work today they will be arriving in Uganda very tired and having to make the mandatory route through customs. Please pray that our medicines will make it through with out hassle and that our missionaries will be able to get rest. They are weary from travel, but very excited!

Here we go...

We left our homes this morning to deal with some traffic on 540, bicyclers on the back roads, trouble checking in at the airport, and forgetting our lists of meds needed to help with customs. Thinking prayer would help about now for the rest of the journey. Kysia will be e-mailing the medicine list to Detroit, but we could use prayer ahead of time for getting our medicine bags through customs. Also, we have a couple of missionaries recovering from illnesses. Please pray that they would continue to heal and rest in the coming hours before we hit the ground running in Uganda. As for Uganda, please pray for God to prepare the hearts of all we encounter to be open to hearing about Jesus Christ and for us to be open to all the plans God has for us while delivering His great love. UGANDA BOUND!!!! Wahoo!!! A group picture will come soon.

A New Mission - 2011

Central UMC will embark on a new mission June 14, 2011. Nineteen missionaries will be leaving for Uganda in order to build a couple of homes, set up health clinics, train pastors, and encourage the people of Uganda in the name of Christ. If you wish to follow this mission please either check into the blog daily for updates or register with this blog to receive updates. The team would appreciate your prayers for a safe and productive journey for God's glory. First posting is set for June 15, 2011.