Final Thoughts

I find it difficult to ‘sum up’ an experience like this into simple words, none seem adequate. I am certain, each of us has left a small part of us in Uganda, and yet we return to California changed for the better, because of Uganda and the beautiful people we now call family.

As I consider the impact of this trip, one word returns each time, and that word is ‘inspired’. I have been ‘inspired’ by the children, men and women of Uganda and the team of 24 who traveled and lived this journey with me.

The children of Uganda inspired me to love the Lord, my God, with ALL my heart, mind and soul.
The men and women of Uganda inspired me to trust God’s plans and rejoice, ALL the time.
Pastor Dongo inspired me to dream big, seek God as I dream, believe in the dream and thank Him throughout.
Tim Fenderson inspired me to live in and embrace ‘the moment’ of whatever adventure I find myself.
Jan Allen inspired me to seek out opportunities to be a vessel of Christ to those around me – then do something about it.
Kim Downey inspired me to laugh and find joy in the small things.
Tyler Rumph inspired me to live life to the fullest and ready for spontaneous trips around the world.
Mary Abud inspired me to appreciate the life I’m given and trust God to provide.
Josh Broussard inspired me to find the entertainment value in everything and everyone, fun is just waiting for us to jump in and enjoy.
Hannah Crockett inspired me to persevere no matter what the circumstance and make the best of every situation.
Hilary Dahl inspired me to enjoy the present and not concern myself with tomorrow, I might miss out on the joy of today.
Liz Feiner inspired me to put fears aside and risk, trusting God to give me purpose.
Rebecca Greene inspired me to pour out myself to honor Christ and serve those around me.
Katherine Griffith inspired me to be open and available to serve whenever and wherever needed, and take initiative if necessary.
Kristan Griffith inspired me to say yes when God asks me to go and love my neighbor.
Dan Helmy inspired me to remember the importance of spending one-on-one time with people exchanging thoughts and opinions.
Madi Jackson inspired me to create sincere connections with the people God places in my life.
Max Kalp inspired me to leave my comfort zone and enjoy the ride.
Alex Kaplan inspired me to love people wholeheartedly, no questions asked.
Hilary Landa inspired me to be courageous and vulnerable, God can use my life’s heartache to bless/encourage another heart.
Rachel Matthews inspired me to embrace life’s surprises, delight in the positive and share that joy with everyone around me.
Ali Nelson inspired me to immerse myself into the life and loves of those I encounter in my journey of life.
Sam Nordlund inspired me to use my talents and passion to serve people in practical ways.
Colleen Raab inspired me to jump at every opportunity to enrich my life and hopefully bless others in the process.
Bree Saliano inspired me to love God’s children completely and give of myself selflessly.
Morgan Temanson inspired me to be the kind of person others can respect and depend upon in times of need, and enjoy a laugh together as well.
Ashton Ware inspired me to serve people with a willing heart and smile on my face.

“Thank You”, does not begin to express my overwhelming gratitude nor the overflowing fullness of my soul that exists because of the people associated with this life-changing experience. To the team mentioned above: You are beyond amazing and have blessed me tremendously. To the parents: Your prayers and support were powerful and effective.

Thank you and may God bless you as you have blessed so many! Susi

p.s. I just received this email from Pastor Dongo: “I don't know how I can explain the way we miss you. And I don't have enough words to express my appreciation to you and the team. Your coming was greater blessing especially to me, the children and everybody. We thank and appreciate your loving kindness. I find it difficult to say bye to you all, we love you and we are proud of you, we will forever be grateful, thank you!!”

Susi's call from Brussels. 1:53 am California time

Hi everyone,

Susi called at 1:51 am to say that they were all on the plane from Brussels to Chicago. Rachel, Kim and Tyler had already taken off for JFK, and Ali and Liz Finer had successfully left for London.

Everyone is healthy and fine.

She will call upon landing in Chicago, (though the connection will be a bit tight because of clearing customs in Chicago.)

They can't wait to see us at the airport.

~Barrie

Susi's call: The last day in Africa

Susi left a voicemail on my cell phone this morning and I just picked it up now (at 9 pm....sorry to be such a loser as a contact, everyone!) It was from the end of the day yesterday. She was having some difficulty posting to the blog so she left some info for me. It was very garbled (it sounded like she was underwater), but here are the basics:

They spent the morning shopping. Don't expect your child to come home with any money.

Then they had a "fun and special" lunch with the students (the high school and middle school) and they gave the school a bit of money to buy some things. I'm not clear what she said they were going to use the money to buy. Then the team lead AWANA and some games. Half of our kids were with the older students and half were with the younger students. They had a wonderful time hanging out with kids. The Oaks team had their final dinner at the house and and then met for devotional time. During the devotions they talked about how to share with the people back home about the trip. They talked about how to tell stories and share insights about people, rather than just saying "it was fine" or "it was great".

They can't wait to show the video.

They did all their packing last night. Today they were planning to go to church, then do their final VBS, then our kids were invited to a big primary/high school soccer match.

While Susi was talking about the soccer game the phone line cut off...I think she ran out of space on my voicemail.....we know that they are safe and happy.

~Barrie

They've landed in Brussels!

Jim Lee just called to tell me that they have landed in Brussels and everyone is safe and sound.

9:20 pm

Dinner last night at Fang Fangs was amazing, and the perfect break from our traditional Ugandan fare. As delicious as all of our food has been, mixing it up with a little Chinese was fantastic. Pastor Dongo, his wife Florence and five of his sixteen children joined us, along with Samuel, our bus driver and Rebecca the headmaster of the high school. The beautiful nighttime view of downtown Kampala added to the experience, which we ended with a birthday (Bri’s birthday was earlier in the week) carved watermelon and ice cream. Traditionally, dessert is fresh fruit so last night was the team’s first ‘American-style’ dessert and it was a HUGE hit.

This morning we slept in a bit, despite that wretched rooster, and travelled to the African Village to spend our shillings. No need to wonder if US dollars will be returning with your children, I think the vendors enjoyed our visit. In fact, our time was limited and there are several thousand shillings burning holes in pockets, so we will return tomorrow to help stimulate the Ugandan economy, just a tad bit more.

The sand has arrived, so a group is outside filling up our sandbox while the other team members continue to run around and play with the children. It is sprinkling slightly, so outside play time is limited, but if there are children then our team is right there running and hugging as many as possible. Have I mentioned how absolutely amazing this group of people are and how incredibly impressed I am with each of them? No? Well, they are and I am impressed and blessed!!

It has begun to hit me that we leave soon and I must prepare my own heart for that departure. Each of us have made lasting relationships and none will return home the same, we will all leave a small part of us here in Uganda, always.

Thank you for your prayers, we shall see you soon.

Susi

p.s. Sorry for the lack of additional pictures. The internet connections and computers have been unable to upload pictures from my camera. I promise the video Tyler is creating will make up for it! I know you miss the face of your little one, they are all healthy, slightly tan/pink and a bug bite here and there.

p.p. s. The internet connection wasn't working at the school so I saved this entry on my flash drive and am now at an internet cafe in town. I've added this because the sandbox is finished and the children were so excited that it became a gladiator ring, of sorts. Bodies were jumping, pulling, pushing and slamming in and around the sandbox. It was quite a sight to behold, definitely worth the effort. Thank you to all those who helped and participated in our bake sales.

Hilary Dahl called from Africa to say "hi"

It was a bit surprising to receive a call at 10:45 pm on my cell phone last night. It was Hilary saying that Africa was "fantastic". Everyone is happy, healthy and enjoying Pastor Dongo's kids. They were working hard, but had a fun day at Lake Victoria. They are not homesick, "but feeling very far away." She said "Everyone is doing really well." She said Susi and the leaders have been amazing. They feel very blessed.

She wanted to know every detail of what was happening in Westlake Village. I told her about the Lakers, the hot weather, and gave her a one minute summary of everything I knew about everyone she knows...I also told her that we all miss them so much that really, nothing that ever happens when they're not here!!

Sorry I didn't get more and better information but I was trying to keep the call quite short and there was a funny time delay/echo on each side. They are as hungry for information about us as we are about them. I hope they post some more pictures soon!

~With a grateful heart,
Barrie

Chapel & Fang Fang's

We have had another incredible day here, on the other side of the globe! Our team was asked to participate in the weekly chapel service this morning at both the primary and high school. Chapel at the primary school began with all-school praise and worship, and when they say 'worship', they mean it! It is a beautiful and moving thing to stand in a crowded room full of 500 children singing praises to God, without concern about what those around may think. Their words are sincere and their voices are sweet - their praise serves as a lesson for us all!

Oops - our bus is here and they will be calling my name soon. Sorry, this will be the shortest post, yet.

On to Fang Fangs, it is one of the nicest restaurants in town, so our team will enjoy a special meal with Pastor Dongo and his family this evening. Not all of his children are home, but those here will join us. The best part? It is a Chinese restaurant! Imagine that, the best in town isn't traditional Ugandan, but Chinese.

I hear the engine. Sorry, I will try to post more tomorrow. Thank you!!

A very brief Wednesday update from Sam

Susi has had trouble getting internet access and had Sam call me with an update. Sam said that Wednesday was another great day. They visited beautiful Lake Victoria and spent the rest of the day planting flowers and playing soccer with the kids. On a related note, plans are underway to install permanent soccer goal posts.


The children at "God Cares School" are asking our team some interesting American pop-culture questions. One curious child asked Daniel Helmy if it was true that Michael Jackson started off looking like them and now looks like Daniel? That question got a great laugh!


Sam is among the group of students who will be doing some bible teaching today. Everyone seems to be healthy and getting along very well.

Tuesday in Uganda

The day started like every other; the 5:30 am chants to the north and the "blind rooster" that begins crowing several hours before the first hint of daylight. Elizabeth Feiner, college student and leader on the trip, claims every day she will end the rooster's life, but we don't think she has it in her :)

After toast, jam and boiled eggs, we took a pleasant morning walk to the church where our bus was waiting. As we walked we laughed and talked about the beautiful and very different surroundings. It was great seeing the students joking and bonding with each other in this new place. Once we arrived at the school, we greeted the new friends we had made the day before and quickly got to work. Everyone was eager to begin work and helpful throughout the day. Half of the group continued on the sandbox as the other half planted the new hedge that will outline the driveway. Both the sandbox and the garden are almost completed; the students worked very hard! :) We are now back at the the Muyenga house where we are unwinding after a very successful day at the school.

Tomorrow , Pastor Dongo is taking us to Lake Victoria. He insisted we needed to rest after all the work we have done; can't argue with that ;)

Thanks to everyone for their prayers!

Blessings

The Muyenga House

A quick peek at what we wake up to each morning at the Muyenga House. Breakfast and dinner are eaten on the front porch of our beautiful home. The photo doesn't capture all the beauty of our surroundings, but the smiles capture the fun.

Today we spent our first full day at God Cares School, laughing and playing with children and the beginning stages of our sand box. About half of the baked bricks have been moved, the foundation has been laid (we hand mixed cement with medium sized red rocks) and many new friendships have been forged - all in a days work!

As I type this post, I can hear the laughter of our students and the children at God Cares School enjoying each other before we leave to go home. School ended at 5:30pm so we are waiting for the bus to pick us up, in the mean time, there are always children ready and willing to play with and hug us. The immediate warmth and reception is incredible, can it get better than having a 7 year old run toward you with open arms and jump?!

I apologize for a short post, Pastor Dongo has allowed me to use his computer at the school so I want to keep my internet usage minimal. Thank you all for your prayers and support. I will compose a longer post tonight back at the house and type it tomorrow for you.

Sunday in Kampala

A quick note. Yes we are here and safe. The trip into town took us past market after market and people walking at night. We stopped by Chef Maurice's place and had such good burritos that many of them (including the girls) went for seconds. Pastor Dongo and the bus driver Samuel ate with us. What a great first experience in Uganda. By the time we reached the Muyanga Guest House it was past midnight, but the excitement and good food made that difficult. But by 6:30 Liz Feiner made the wake up knock on everyone's doors and we got up for an incredible breakfast of eggs and fruit and toast British style. As we got to Pastor Dongo's church we milled around and worked our way to the service. The singing had begun but was obviously just getting started. They sang many familiar songs. They have a young congregation and the many many children kept our students well occupied and tired for the four hours! This will not begin to tell you the stories that we all have--of individual kids, of families from 10 different tribes worshiping together...We also shared the service with Dr. Mike Kirchner and his group! More tomorrow. We are filled with music, hugs, stories of encouragement. It is obvious that we are the ones blessed!
Tim

Happy Fathers Day!!

Tim will share his thoughts from our first day, so I will keep this brief and only share a few Father's Day wishes.

Hi Dad, there is a possibility you won't read this but maybe mom will show you. Happy Father's Day! I miss and love you. Tell everyone I say hi! Love, Ali

Hey Dad...Booger Face! Ahahaha, Josh

Dad, I love you! Thanks for letting me go on this trip! Can't wait to see you. Happy Father's Day. Love, Ashton

Papa, Te quiero muchisimo! Gracias por ser el mejor papa del mundo. Que tengas el mejor dia del padre! Marien

Happy Father's Day Dad! We love and miss you! Kristan and Katherine

Hi Dad! Happy Father's Day! I'm thinking of you here in Africa. Can't wait to see you when we get back! I love you! Hilary

Happy Father's Day Dad! I miss you and I wish I was there! I love you, and you are the best dad ever! I'm having a blast! Rachel

Happy Father's Day Dad! I miss you and hope everything is doing well at home! I can't wait to see you and tell you all about my trip! I love you, Colleen

Dad, I miss you. Uganda is crazy!! We celebrated Father's Day in church today and I thought of you. Make it rain buddy!! Love Beckster

Happy Father's Day Dad! Thank you for all of your support this year in every area of my life. Uganda is even more amazing than I imagined! I love and miss you! Love, Madi
p.s. Happy Anniversary! I love you both! Excited to see you!

Love you Fa! Kimmy

And to the rest of you father's out there, thank you for having such incredible children. It has been a pleasure to experience Uganda together with them. You would be proud of each and every one of them, I am! HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

p.s. Hey PP, happy day to you! Love you, Susu

The team has arrived in Uganda safely!

Hi Everyone,

Susi called at 10:56 am to say that the flight had arrived safely. They were gathering bags and heading to the house. She said everyone was healthy and extremely well behaved. She remarked that the team has already bonded and that she was very excited about how well everyone was getting along and helping one another. She said Brussels was fun and the accomodations were good.

I asked if everyone was remembering their malaria medicine and she said that they are taking their various medicines together as a group and that they talk about it at every meal. She said she is feeling the prayers of our parent support team and that God's hand is definitely on the trip. She remarked twice about how fast the group has bonded and how wonderful the group is. She said they are happy.

It is night time for them now. They are going to have a short time of worship and brief meeting back at the house and then head to bed. She said that she plans to try to post an update for us tomorrow.

~Barrie

Quick Correction

First, thank you Cathy and Barrie for helping me communicate via this blog. I would like to make an important correction, and note that Jan Allen has been the key player in making the right things happen in this flight 'adjustment' situation. Please thank her for her hard work!

Also, my phone isn't connecting to the internet properly so if I can't find an internet cafe, I will be using calls to Barrie and Cathy to post updates. Please keep in mind, we will be 10 hours ahead of you so my phone calls will be made during waking hours for Kampala and California.

Our Day in Brussels

Greetings from Brussels,

Thank you for your prayers and support, all have been answered and felt. We spent about three hours in the airport working to confirm our flight out for tomorrow, pick up luggage, receive our meal vouchers, and hotel accomadations courtesy of Brussels Air. Through the several hours of waiting, the team was amazingly patient and maintained positive attitudes. I am impressed!
After our lunch at the hotel, we hopped a train into central Brussels to The Plaza. It's a fantastic little area with cobblestone streets, incredible churches, gold gilded buildings built in the 1600's and fun little shops. Most of us purchased a famous Belgian waffle to munch on as we strolled through the streets - wow! Delicious!
We are back at the hotel, exhausted and ready for dinner then an early bedtime. Despite some of the initial headaches, this has become a wonderful blessing for several reasons: an extra stamp in our passport; the experience of Brussels (and their waffles); and it has made the transition to our new time zone much easier. So, thank you to all those who lifted us in prayer after sending us of at LAX!
As Barrie mentioned, we'll fly out tomorrow morning so I will give her a call after we've landed in Entebbe. It will be almost 8pm when we arrive so finding an internet cafe is probably not in the plan.

Many thanks again to each of you,

Susi

All is well in Brussels

Hi Everyone,

Kim Downey (student activities director and chaperone) emailed at 1:30 pm last night and said that everyone is fine, safe and happy. They will be touring the city this afternoon (this morning our time.)

The team will be taking the same flight into Entebee tomorrow (flight 88 on Brussels Air at 10:40 am) on Saturday June 14th (as previously noted this is a one day delay from the original plan.)

Please continue to pray for smooth logistics and safety.

Susi will call in tomorrow or post to the web site upon their arrival.

~Barrie

An Extra Day in Brussels!

Hi everyone~

In case you have not heard, tomorrow's 10:40am flight from Brussels to Entebbe was cancelled. Thanks to the excellent teamwork of Susi, American Airlines, and Jim Lee, the new plan is for the team to spend an extra 24 hours in Brussels, including an overnight stay at a hotel. They are confirmed on the same flight.... just leaving the next day.

Please pray for:
1. Fun things to do and see in Brussels
2. Overnight accommodations that are decent & economical
3. The possibility of American Airlines picking up the hotel tab
4. That this flight is not a problem on the return trip!

Team Uganda

I wasn't planning on making the eve of our departure an 'all-nighter', but somehow it's happening (excitement or pure exhaustion, jury's out) so I thought I would post a list of all the team members. Please, if you think of it, pray for each person by name and pray for team unity. And here we are.....
Marien Abud, Jan Allen (chaperone), Josh Broussard, Hannah Crockett, Hilary Dahl, Kim Downey (chaperone), Liz Feiner, Tim Fenderson (chaperone), Rebecca Greene, Katherine Griffith, Kristan Griffith, Dan Helmy, Madi Jackson, Max Kalp, Alex Kaplan, Hilary Landa, Rachel Matthews, Ali Nelson, Sam Nordlund, Colleen Raab, Tyler Rumph (chaperone), Bri Saliano, Morgan Temanson, Susi Thompson (me), and Ashton Ware.

When we arrive at the Entebbe Airport, it will be 7:40 pm on Friday, June 13 and 5:50 am, same day in Cali. I am not certain I will post on Friday, but I will make a phone call to one of my other 'blog authors' so they can fill you in on our exciting flying adventures. Did I mention we will travel on three separate flights to make it across the globe to Uganda? Oh, we fly from LAX (Los Angeles for you non-Cali blog readers) to Chicago O'Hare, then hang out for a few hours, catch a flight to Brussels (in Belgium) so we can hang out in that airport, and finally we hop on our final flight into Entebbe (that's in Uganda).

Thanks for taking the time to read this and for offering up prayers on our behalf. We appreciate you!

Blessings,
Susi

We're going to Uganda!!

I still cannot believe we leave for the beautiful country of Uganda in three short days! An exciting blessing that I have no words to describe, well, almost no words. ;-)

Our incredible team of 25 will board an American Airlines plane on June 12 at 7:15 am and begin a long journey to Kampala, Uganda. Along the way, we will stop in Chicago and Brussels to enjoy the sights and sounds of ........ the airport before arriving in Entebbe on June 13 at 7:40 pm. Uganda is 10 hours ahead of PST so it will be 5:40 am for us Californians. Crazy!

Hopefully, I will post updates and share photos daily while in Uganda. If I am unable to submit my own posts, Cathy Nordlund and Barrie Dahl have graciously offered to be my substitute 'bloggers'.

As I sit to post (for the third time....don't ask) this first entry, the reality of returning to my second home in Kampala has just sunk in....wow, God is faithful all the time!!! It's difficult to believe the summer of 2005 was only a few short years ago, and yet it feels as though decades have past since I last hugged and danced with my dear little friends at God Cares School. I feel blessed and humbled to have been given this opportunity to share Uganda with my 24 teammates. The people and the country hold a special place heart and soul, and I cannot wait to be among my Ugandan family again!

Thank you all for your love, prayers and support. Please continue to cover us with your prayers and check back for stories and pictures.

Love, Susi T.