This trip was absolutely wonderful. I wish I could share every sight and smell and taste with all of you...check out Facebook for some more exciting photos SOON! Also, if you want to receive the Uganda Venture 2010 newsletter, just email me at ebrown@tkc.edu.
We foresee a bright future with the people of Uganda. I've heard most of us already talk about wanting to come back. I certainly do!
In the words of our friend Joyce from Campus Crusade for Christ, "Once you've tasted the waters of the Nile, nothing else will quench your thirst."
We're all packed up and about to take off for the airport! Our new flight has been scheduled to take off from Entebbe at about 8pm tonight (Uganda time) and will arrive at about 12noon Monday morning (U.S. time). Although it'll only be Sunday and Monday, because of the time change we'll be traveling for nearly two days. Please pray for safety, patience, and timeliness!
We've had an amazing debrief in Jinja, full of writing our report, singing, prayer, swimming, eating a lot of pizza and pineapple, and even a little bit of white water. Yesterday we rafted on the biggest rapids on the Nile and, although the raft tipped once, no one was hurt. :) Afterward we hopped into the still water downstream and went for a swim. There was thunder in the distance and I don't think I've ever felt so close to God. This is a beautiful and inspiring nation--please continue to pray for all the new friends we've met. It's been an adventure to say the least.
If/when I post again, it'll be from Manhattan. Love always, Betsy
Hey all, Betsy here--I'm sitting in a hotel (WITH WI-FI!!) in Jinja, Uganda, with a view of the Nile River and Lake Victoria. The team has reached our debriefing/chillin' time, complete with swimming pool, Internet, and (eventual) white water rafting on the Nile River. Right now Dr. Bleattler is outside playing with the local dogs (yes, I'm serious) and most of the team is getting ready for a well-deserved sleep.
Our van broke down literally five times on the way to Jinja (which is about three hours from Kampala), and once it even broke down in the rainforest. How cool is that. Seriously, the team took it in stride and we actually had fun singing and looking for monkeys out the window. We all made it in one piece, and our driver, Fred, deserves a lifetime supply of pineapples or something. Note: total monkey count was sadly 0.00.
Wow. Our exchange this week with the students of the School of Industrial and Fine Arts at Makerere University totally exceeded our expectations! We spent Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday with 20 of the top art students in east Africa painting, singing, dancing, and talking. They are even cooler than I expected, and everyone wants to hopefully reunite next year.
Day one (Monday) was a lot of introductions and cultural exchange. Dr. Bleattler lectured on how African Art has influenced the West and Prof. Kynyene of MU lectured on 20th century Ugandan art. We talked with the students about our impressions of Uganda and America, and it was so cool to hear their reactions. One of my favorite quotes was by one of the students, who described America as "money-rich and time-poor." Too true.
Elvina introducing her neighbors to the group
Day two (Tuesday) got exciting as we collaborated with the students on art projects that reflected our discussions on how culture and art influence one another in our respective nations. The students at Makerere are so talented--we worked together on making beautiful jewelry, painting with watercolors, mixing media such as traditional Ugandan dried banana leaves and bark cloth, and even a little acting. The atmosphere was relaxed and slow-paced, with a lot of tea and chipate (traditional African flatbread) to go around. MU was so gracious and even provided lunch for us. We worked in the MU art studio building--tomorrow Elvina will post some of the amazing photos Elijah took. :)
Elijah, Ali, and Katelyn's group brainstorming ideas for their art project
Ali working on her group's painting
Elvina and Karla's group's final project
By day three (Wednesday) none of us wanted to leave. We presented our numerous projects to the group (one of my new friends, a jewelry making/museum curating major named Violet, made earrings and necklaces for almost everyone!). In the evening we had an open mic talent show.
Rehearsing for the talent show
The talent show included everything from original songs to crazy African dances to poetry. The art students at Makerere are all such natural performers--many of the guys can do backflips and dance as well as Usher, and the girls have beautiful singing voices. Their passion was such an inspiration for us. Many staff and faculty members were in the audience and by the end it broke into a huge dance party. I loved playing music (lots of guitar, and even a little African drum/American harmonica fusion!) and just getting to know and love the students. I think we all learned so much about each others' cultures and personal lives as well.
Joe reads a poem at the talent show
Well, all for now. You may be hearing more than usual from us because we have our first consistent Internet connection in 2.5 weeks! Also, we've recently discovered that our flight has been canceled due to British Airways strikes, so please pray that we find a flight around the same time frame ASAP. I'm sure it'll all work out--we're all getting used to this polychronic time thing, which means we're a whole lot more patient than we were when we left the states. All in good time, we'll work it out. (All the flights we're looking at are around the same time, so we won't be a month late or anything.) ;)
It's been a busy (and amazingly rewarding) few days. After our last update we headed to the Sanyo Home for Abandoned Babies. We spent three hours taking down the children's laundry, and of course, playing with the kids, all of whom were between the ages of zero and three years old. We had the chance to attend a party for Jovian, a wide-eyed one year-old girl in pink who had just been adopted. She sat in her overjoyed mother's arms as the entire orphanage sang farewell to her. All of us made a friend (or two)--a one year-old named Frank clung to Katelyn, and a curly haired infant named Gladys sat on my lap.
The orginization was run efficiantly, and the women who worked their truly cared for the children. We said our bittersweet goodbyes and headed back to greet the two missing members of our team, Elijah and Dr. Bleattler. They arrived all in one piece and full of stories from their journeys in Dubai, Amsterdam, Bulgaria, Germany, and Turkey.
The next day (Friday the 28th), the team spent some time outlining the strategic plan we will be presenting to King's College staff members next year. The plan will orginize our trip and state why we think a team should return next year. In the afternoon we shared sodas and stories with several Makerere students who are involved in Life Ministries, the Ugandan branch of Campus Crusade for Christ. We enjoyed discussing everything from business to elections to weather to Disney.
That night we got to see the Nderi dance show, a classic African performance that included musicians (with traditional tribal instuments!), singers, and dancers. All of our jaws dropped to the floor at the talent of the dancers--in the grand finale the female dancers balanced six pots (each!) on their heads!
A dancer at Ndere balances five pots while dancing
Saturday we had the opportunity to explore the economics of Uganda. Ted Pantone, an alum of the King's College who is living in Kenya, led a tour through the local businesses that have benefited from loans by microfinance companies. We visited a local paint shop, whose owner claimed that his business had neraly tripled since a low interested loan allowed him to buy better equiptment. We also drove to the outskirts of Kampala to visit a catfish farm. After discussing how low-interest loans had benefited the business, we watched some of the locals feed the fish a bucket of chicken intestines...perhaps the most gross thing any of us had ever seen. :) Finally we visted a small preschool for orphans. The owner was a wonderful Muslim woman who had appealed to an orginization to help her run her project. It was amazing to tour the school, which was comprised of three classrooms, a small garden and a front porch
At the paint shop
Where the chickens are bred
Children at the Orphange
A classroom at the orphanage That night we drove outside of the city to visit Henry (our contact from Campus Crusade for Christ) and his family. It was incredible to spent time in the home of a welcoming Ugandan family. On Sunday we rested, studied the book of Hebrews, sang some songs, and prepared for our art exchange with Makerere University. That evening we went back to the Bavabuka youth center for the Sunday meeting. It was like nothing we'd ever experienced--the members, a group of young poets, painters, rappers, and designers, spent about three hours just going around in a circle and talking about the things they loved about one another...including us! It was one of the most relaxed, humorous, and community-oriented experiences we have ever had as a team.
More to come! We still have a lot of updates about our art exchange with Makerere University, and a good number of photos that we want to share. Please pray that eventually we'll find a computer capable of uploading them. :)
Before we came to Uganda, we watched God bring in the finances in an amazing way, and we prayed that God would go before us and work out all the details before we arrived. He did. We just happened to meet someone who is the perfect connection between two organizations, who just happens to be a fairly well-respected artist in the area. And we just happened to run into two of our main contacts during our first substantial vision meeting. And we just happened to get an opportunity to serve in an orphanage today. God has been working overtime, and it's spectacular to watch. These providential meetings have confirmed in my heart that we are where God wants us to be.
The idea of going into another nation with a different culture that we hardly understood and exploring to find ways to serve justifiably terrified me before we came here. I've heard far too many stories of muzungus messing things up to be comfortable going into this trip. Yet, God showed me, through these little interventions, that He knows what He's doing, even if we're a little shaky. I'm comforted that my God is sovereign and that He wants us here. I can't wait to see what else He has planned for the rest of this trip!
As we reach the midpoint of our trip, it's vital that we as a team keep our purpose in mind. I've created a page entitled "OUR GOALS" (the link is on the sidebar to the right of this post). It exists to give all of you at home a clearer picture of why we're here...to find ways The King's College and Uganda can connect long-term.
Also, yeah, I took that picture of the sunset. :) It's SO beautiful here! I'm sending all of you a postcard in my heart.
Wow! Our third (and final) day at Mercy Junior School was full of dancing, singing, animal noises, spelling, and even a few tears. It’s powerful to see so much joy in children who have so little.
Once again, our team split up into teams to teach different subjects for the nursery, Primary 1 (five and six year-olds) and Primary 2 (seven and eight year-olds). I’m so impressed with everyone’s teaching skills, and with how attentive and well-behaved the children were. I (Betsy) taught P1 English, and the kids already knew how to spell all of their colors and shapes. The students all raise their hands at once and say, “me, teacher!” when they know the answer—which is pretty much every time we ask a question.
During group time the kids performed several songs and dances for us and then asked us to join them on stage (they are all much better dancers than I am, ha!). I got to play my guitar and the Ugandan drum the team gave me for my birthday during worship, and I wish I could clone the instruments and leave the clones with the kids (they think it’s hilarious to bang on the drum!).
Karla teaches in the nursery
This little girl was SO adorable!
We’re so grateful that Mercy Junior School exists to help these bright kids begin their education, even in the midst of the slums of Kampala. Pastor Joseph, the leader of the church affiliated with the school, hopes that we can return in the future to teach again, and we hope we can as well.
The teachers brought the kids to the front to sing with us. So cute!
On Tuesday night we also had the opportunity to dive even deeper into the arts culture of Uganda. We went to dinner with Destreet, a local artist whom we met at the community center last week. He told us about his t-shirt making and college experiences. (At that point we were in an Italian restaurant in Uganda, listening to American country music. It was a pretty weird culture clash, for sure!) Then Destreet led us to a local club to see Maurice Kirya perform. Kirya, one of the most popular performers in the country, is an extremely talented vocalist and guitarist. His blend of Afro-beat, soul, and jazz was so much fun, and it gave us an insider’s look at the music scene of Uganda. The concert will certainly aid us in our conversations about the fusion of art and culture when we meet with Makerere University next week.
Maurice Kirya at Club Rouge--there was a painter working on a canvas during the music. It was awesome.
Today Elijah and Dr. Bleattler will be joining us—pray for their safe travel from Dubai to Entebbe! When they arrive our team will be complete. We can’t wait to introduce them to pineapple soda, chicken and chips, Malibu storks, and, of course, all of the contacts we’ve made so far. Bye for now!
The last two days have been our most intense and exciting yet. Here's an overview of our adventures...
May 24nd, 2010:
The team attended at prayer time at Life Ministries’ headquarters. The three hour-long meeting included testimonies, concerns, queries as well as prayer and worship. A small congregation of about twenty people spoke about current issues such as homosexuality, political corruption and the evolution of Ugandan values (modesty, family, etc). The team participated, but mostly listened and learned from the natives about their high esteem for traditional ideals. They shared a strong faith that was evident in their moving testimonies.Several members of the congregation shared stories about healing and success while others mourned a death or illness in their family. Each praise report was celebrated with singing, clapping and prayer, while each news of tragedy received empathy and prayer as well. The interactive session of prayer allowed the team to observe Uganda’s strong Christian core, cultural standards and tight community.
Later that evening the team took a 40-minute bumpy ride to the outskirts of the city. We visited the Mercy Junior School - a small Christian primary school in a slum area between Kampala and Entebbe. The school consisted of three classrooms – Nursery (Kindergarten), P1 (first grade) and P2 (second grade). Following a tour of the school, the team was taken on a walk around the community. Despite the meager living conditions, we saw crowds of smiling faces and received a warm greeting from each family we met. After the walk, the headmistress of the school handed us textbooks. That evening we made a list of songs, games and subjects we would teach the following day. The activities were divided according to class and each team member picked a role.
Our team with Pastor Joseph at the Mercy Junior School
The kids chased our van as we drove off :)
A view of the slums near the school
May 25th, 2010:
The next morning we relived the bumpy ride back to Mercy Junior School – this time as guest teachers. Our collective talents combined to create three hours of creative lessons (math, science and English), song/dance and, of course, play time.The team split up to work with different classes, and soon the entire building was filled with children’s voices screaming the answers to an animated question and singing songs like “Father Abraham” and “Jesus Loves Me." During their breakfast break at 10 A.M. some of the children performed a dance for us. After the first song, we were invited to join them on stage. For the next four songs we danced along with the children. Although, the youngest ones spoke very little English they were eager to learn and extremely loving. We made a lot of friends, very quickly.
Serving the kids lunch :)
Joe, Betsy, and Jennifer taught Bible, English, and Science to the P1ers (5 and 6 year-olds)
The children love to play!
The team was invited to teach again tomorrow. We’re all looking forward to another day with the children!
Yesterday was the first day our team really got to interact with the artists of Uganda. It just happened that most of those artists are children at a local youth outreach program. These children are so beautiful and have so much to offer the world--their talents and their hearts. They just need to be given an opportunity. One child I bonded with wants to be a lawyer to "put the wrong-doers in jail, and have them pay me money". Most kids have a keen sense of justice, and this girl wanted to put that to higher action. The children here have really captured my heart. Some were rappers, painters, and jewelry makers. The free-style rap artists all rapped in Lugandan for us. Their rhythm and words were flawless. The man in charge of the group said that one of the best rappers is 5 years old. So cool! :) All over the walls were inspirational messages about loving the work you do, using art to change the world, and doing the right thing. When I was leaving, one little girl with big smiling brown eyes threw her arms around my neck, gave me a big kiss on the cheek, and said "God bless you!" I left that little house feeling incredibly blessed, being able to come to such a wonderful place and meet so many sweet people. It's funny--Henry, our guide throughout Uganda told me after church today he was surprised I didn't run out with the kids to go to their service. Ha, I will have to go next week!
There have been difficult moments--today we are out of water in our rooms for the sink and toilet (but it will be back up tonight), the roads can get pretty difficult to travel, and I am pretty sunburned from the equator, haha. But there is a great sense of joy on our team. God has blessed us with A LOT of laughter and jokes, beautiful weather, and new friends. Joyful is really the only way to describe this trip so far. I would encourage you all reading this blog to look around and have joy today. As Americans we are incredibly blessed and have a lot to be joyful about. That is one lesson that I will definitely take back to the U.S.
Oh! While the bugs have been a lot better than I expected (think NJ mosquitoes and lake Michigan flies), lizards are everywhere! Haha, it's hysterical! I teased Elvina for being freaked out about them, but when one was on my wall I jumped pretty high. The other night, Kiley and I were working on the budget, and we heard the sound of the biggest cricket EVER. Both of us were like "Oh no, here comes the massive bug!" So, we called in our fearless man protector, Joe, to the rescue. By the time he arrived, the bug was gone. We just assumed it jumped out the window. The caretaker of the guest house we're staying at came by a few minutes later to find Joe. When she found out that us girls were afraid of a little bug, she laughed and laughed. Joe said her and her friend were still laughing when he saw them later. The next day we found out that this huge African cricket that scared us so much was just the room telephone connected to the front desk. The front desk was trying to call Kiley to get in touch with Joe. Haha, it's funny how your imagination can run away when your in a place so new!
I hope you're enjoying this blog! Uganda is so wonderful and God is doing great things on this trip! Keep us in prayer as next week we are working with a school in a slum area of the city. I am one of the team members who will be teaching--so think of us on Tuesday and Wednesday. I will post again soon! Thank you for reading! :)
We, the Uganda Venture 2010 Team, are dedicated to pursuing truth and relationships by using our faith, passion, and creativity to love and engage the people of Uganda.
A dancer at Ndere balances five pots while dancing 
A classroom at the orphanage
