Wesayo from Bundibugyo! Travel was long, but we arrived safely on Saturday. The last leg of our journey was on a very small plan from Entebbe to Bundibugyo. The flight was gorgeous and led us to worship our Creator. We were welcomed by a very large crowd of both missionaries and nationals at the air strip. At least a hundred came. It was wonderful. The first couple of days have been spent getting to know the missionaries, the mission, praying, learning the language, and just adjusting overall.

Yesterday was very eye opening. We got a tour around the whole mission. The medical clinic is bigger than I thought. It is crazy to think how peculiar we are about sanitation and sterility in the US hospitals. This clinic is filthy and yet still people are treated and healed. Crowds of people were laying on the floors with children, lots of expectant mothers. We got to the room for sick newborns. Dr. Jennifer pointed out two very sick babies. One was just sick with anemia, a pretty non serious condition in the US. Nothing like aids of malaria. We walked around for a couple more minutes then heard wailing and crying from lots of women. Jennifer went to investigate then came back and said that the anemic baby had just died. It was alive about 2 minutes ago when we saw it. It was so sad. Just a simple blood transfusion would have saved this babies life, but they lack that here. We were told about how a couple of months ago someone was sick and needed an ambulance to Kampala. An ambulance was called, but a politician was in town and paid off the ambulance driver to use the ambulance as a taxi out of here. The sick person died. Such sickness and corruption is sad. But the clinic is doing amazing things. Every day lives are saved and living conditions are improved by it.

We also got a tour around Christ School, where I’ll be teaching. I met my head teacher, Peter Kussima, he teaches chemistry. I observe today and tomorrow, then start teaching on Thursday. He’ll be with me for a week, then I have the class all to myself! I’m teaching S2, which is equivalent to about 8th grade. I just met with him to look at the lesson plans. It is nearing the end of the school year here, there are only 10 weeks left. I will teach about nine of them. The two main topics that I will cover are bases and the periodic table. I teach two classes each day, they are both 45 minutes long, but each class has an extra period each week for lab. Each class has about 40 to 45 students in it! The classroom is so tiny and they don’t have their own textbooks. Fortunately, I have a good textbook that I’ll be able to use to devise the lessons. I want to be a good teacher and I want for them to learn. Peter told me I will have to speak slowly and repeat myself often. Pray for learning to occur and relationships to be built as a tool for ministering.

Yesterday we hung out with the kids from school from 4:30 to six. We do that every day of the week. I wanted to just sit on my porch and chat with the girls, but they recruited me to play soccer. It was a lot of fun, but let me just tell you that a full hour of soccer with Ugandans right on the equator is not easy. I ended up playing goalie for the second half I was so tired. I found out later that they aren’t supposed to have a goalie because the goals are so small, they’re only about 3 feet across using two sticks. The cross country team ran around the field while we played. My they are fast! I got a nice breeze every time they passed. It was a great way to get to know some of the students and start building relationships with them on the first day. I am thankful for that. Towards the end of the game, I was all hot and sweaty and one of the girls said to me, “Madame, (that’s what they call me) the sun is eating you.” I thought it was hilarious. There are a lot of girls here, all with their own stories and needs. It’s a bit overwhelming for in my heart I want to be able to minister to all of them. I pray that I can touch many lives, but also hope and pray that God will draw certain individuals to me to minister to. That’s what Jesus did. Many of the girls here feel pressure to marry and have children at young ages such as 14 or 15. Large families are common and men have multiple wives. Sexual purity is an issue here at Christ school. Please pray that God will use the relationships that are built as a platform to share about healing through Christ, as there are a lot of physical, spiritual, and emotional wounds.

Other than that, I must say that I love it here. There’s something exciting about killing cockroaches and being frightened by lizards. There are lots of livestock here. Lots and lots of goats and chickens. Also, the cows here have horns. Yesterday I was chased off the road by one. He came pretty close to butting me. It was funny. My mosquito net is a huge blessing, I feel safe at night. It’s also miracle that I completely adjusted to the 7 hour time change on my first day. Praise God! I am not tired, I am not sick. I love the food. The missionaries are loving and encouraging.

Travel here on the roads is dangerous. There aren’t many cars, but the cars that do drive drive pretty recklessly. Also, there are dangerous motorized bikes. Pray for language and cultural barriers. It is true that English is spoken here, but the accents are thick and their body language is not affirming like here in the US. Pray that these will not be barriers for presenting the gospel.

I read Habakkuk today and found myself crying out the same things that Habakkuk said to God. Why must I look at such evil? Why is justice perverted? I am finding that I really need eyes of faith to believe that God is working and is bringing healing to this land.

I think that’s it for now. Thank you so much for your prayers! Much love and many prayers to you. May his kingdom come.

Andrea