Safari? Yes Please!

Our group in the safari van!

We left for our safari on Thursday night and traveled to Kampala. We went through a company named Red Chilli. We spent a night in Kampala and then we left for the camp at Murchison Falls National Park, which is the largest national park in Uganda, on Friday morning. It took us about seven hours including our stop for lunch. We arrived in the evening and settled in. We stayed in safari tents with animals roaming around. We had a hippo outside of our tent! We woke up early on Saturday morning and left for our game drive at 6:30a. It was a four hour drive. We were able to see elephants, hippopotamus, giraffes, baboons, deer, and several other animals. It was incredible! I really cannot put it into words, I will never do it justice. We spent most of the drive sitting on the top of our safari van. It was a beautiful day and the scenery was amazing! We went back to the camp for lunch and then left for our boat tour, on the Nile River, at 2p. We were on the water until about 6p. We saw a ton of hippos, some crocodiles, and a few elephants along with their babies. We hung out on Saturday and had a ton of fun just talking and playing games. On Sunday we went for a hike to see the falls and walk around the cliff. It was a breathtaking view! The beauty of creation screams the name of our Creator. It was phenomenal standing and watching the falls. Overall, it was a spectacular weekend full of fun! Thinking back to the weekend I sometimes still think it was a dream! It was wicked sweet!!!

Campus Life

The beautiful sunset (I can see from my dorm room)!

Some of our group (before we headed to the market).

The concession stand at the UCU basketball game.

We only have four weeks of class left! I cannot believe how fast this semester is flying by! My classes are going well! I am taking three classes: African Traditional Religions (which I posted a bit about previously when we took our field trip to Mbale), East African Politics since Independence, and Faith in Action. Besides my classes I am doing my junior social work internship at Salama, The School for the Blind. Things are starting to wind down there too. The students leave for break on November 30th, which will obviously be my last day. Our last day of classes is December 3. Finals week is December 6-10. Then we will go to Entebbe for debrief of the semester and reentry to life in the U.S.

Other than classes and my internship, when we have free time we go to Mukono or we head to Kampala. Kampala is about an hour from the university by taxi. We have also been to a few markets and university basketball games.
Life is always interesting here, there is never a dull moment! The opportunities are unending. For example, we were able to visit the World Vision office and have a meeting with the top administrator in the Mukono office. The possibilities to learn are so numerous here; it is so much fun as we continue to discover more and take in each experience and situation. I am so thankful for the time I have to spend in Africa, it is truly a once in a lifetime experience.

Soroti Rural Home Stay

My host parents, Moses and Christine, along with the baby, Michelle.

The kids!

The beautiful view at Soroti during hiking on Saturday.

This past week I lived with a Ugandan family in the village of Soroti with the Ateso people, which is about seven hours from Mukono (which is where Uganda Christian University is located). We traveled on Friday and stayed with a staff member from the university that night. On Saturday we were dropped off at each of our homes. I stayed at the home of Moses and Christine. I learned so much! I was able to see a true glimpse of what life is really like in the village.
I was able to garden and plant cassava, which is a staple food here. We cut down the plants, cut them into pieces, and planted them. I helped and learned how to cook. I milked a cow and slaughtered a chicken. I also met and talked with a lot of people in the village. I learned a lot about their culture and lifestyle throughout the week. I tried “bush” porridge, ate lots of potatoes and millet bread. I had papaya, jack-fruit, and oranges too.
I am so thankful for my host family. I could see so evidently how the body of Christ is one across cultures, societies, and lifestyles. Throughout the week I only saw one other American, she was a student who lived close. Our paths crossed, but only once for a few minutes. Overall, I had an amazing experience living in rural Uganda for a week. God’s provisions and lessons were challenging but so rewarding. During the week God continued to bring Jeremy Camp’s song Give Me Jesus, which says (in summary):
 In the morning when I rise/Give me Jesus/You can have all this world /But give me Jesus/When I am alone/Give me Jesus/You can have all this world/Just give me Jesus/When I come to die/Give me Jesus/You can have all this world /Just give me Jesus
This song is my prayer. No matter where I am in the world or in my life, I want Jesus to be the center of my entire life.
This past weekend, after we were picked up on Friday, we headed to Kapchurwa to debrief and be reunited with our group. We stayed at Sipi Fall. It was so good to be with everyone again. We had debrief on Friday night and hiked all day on Saturday. It was incredible to hike up Mount Elgon and see the beauty of nature. It reminded me how gorgeous God’s creation truly is, though I take it for granted most of the time. After being reminded of how big God really is made me turn to Job 38.