"Always At Home in Christ" Day 2 of our arrival in Uganda

As the sun rose in Entebbe, our team was beginning to move around. Some found it hard to sleep and walked around the premises, while others had no problem dreaming of the days ahead and were awaking to a new day. The cottages were beautiful and the modern conveniences were there, aside from a door to the bathroom. In our cottage (Sylvia and I) at least the toilet was hidden around a corner, but the idea of no door is a little unsettling when your bodies have not yet acclimated to the food. A well written point, don't you think!
We headed "down" to breakfast by 9:00am. To get to our eating area you had to leave the sleeping compound and walk about a quarter mile down a dirt path and then up the stairs to the area designated for our team. It really was beautiful.

Sylvia and Scott head down for breakfast

stairway to our eating area

Our beautiful breakfast setting

Before heading down to breakfast I read a chapter in Joshua to give a devotional on it for the team. I had been really looking at the book of Joshua over the past several months and was going to read something from the 1st chapter, by my hand kept heading through the pages to Joshua 24:15 "But if you refuse to serve the LORD, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD."
It was strange how I felt an urgency to read this when my plan was a different topic. God always has His way when he's driving home a point! My heartfelt message was that where ever we are in Christ we are home. We were in Uganda, and Uganda is my home. I can choose whom I will serve, and for me and my family (our team) we will serve the LORD. Home is where you make it, it truly is where your heart is. You can have many homes when your heart is to serve the LORD. Amen!
Of course, my devotionals are never complete without a boat load of tears, and today was no exception. I was glad to know that we had several people with tender hearts and tears to go with them that day.
Our morning ended with more fellowship and getting to know one another a little more. Because we had no immediate speaking engagements or time tables we decided to go at African Standard time....slow!
We went back to the cottages and loaded up our bus, this time in the daylight, which helped somewhat, but not really! We had so much luggage and so little space and our drive to Tororo would take about 4-6 hours. Depending on the speed and timing of our planned events..to stop in Kampala and exchange money and visit with Sarah, a friend of some of our Iowa team that is now working in Kampala.
Load'em up!

Our team as we headed out from Entebbe to Tororo

Headed into Kampala

The team meets with Sarah while some members exchange
money at the exchange store behind them

After spending several minutes, and it was SEVERAL minutes getting money exchanged and visiting with Sarah the team headed off again to Tororo. It would be another 4 hours on the road. With anticipation and excitement and tired bodies we drove on...

a neighborhood along the road to Tororo

new sports coliseum built near Kampala

No trip from Kampala to Tororo is complete without a stop at
"Chicken on the stick". You cannot tell anyone what this experience is like, it's something you have to do yourself in order to get it. Kind of like childbirth. Everyone can tell you what it was like for them, but it will never be the same for everyone. It is by far the weirdest, funniest and daring thing to do along the roadside.
Last years trip we were all very reserved in our attempts and "trying" the chicken. Because we had been told by others that it was safe, the team dove in head first! LOL

vendors reaching inside the bus with their goods!

Norma can't believe it, Scott and Aaron get ready to eat

After our chicken attack, we head back on the road to the Prime Hotel in Tororo. The scenery is beautiful, laced with poverty stricken villages and run-down shacks. People are walking everywhere along this long road. Children as young as three wandering for miles, alone. This is the way it is in Uganda. No one is appalled by it, nor worried. They do this, day in and day out.
We passed over the Nile river. After reaching the other side we saw women fetching water in jerrycans. Most women and men carry these plastic cans on their heads. Some have bicycles, if they're middle class families and those that are well to do will have some sort of vehicle. This is not the norm.

The Nile river

women and men gather water near the river

children eating and playing near the road

animals share the road and roadside almost everywhere
in Uganda. You will always see a goat, cow or bull tied up
near some one's yard, and cockcrows (roosters) and chickens
running around...always

another animal that shares the road near Tororo..Baboons

We finally reach our destination..The Prime Hotel in Tororo! This will be our "home" for the next week. Tomorrow we start our ministry hard and heavy..the teachers conference, men's conference, medical clinic and visit to the children of Smile Africa!! We can choose who we will serve this week, as for me and my "family" we will serve the LORD. <3

Tororo Rock, outside our balcony at The Prime Hotel