Wednesday, July 31, 2013

The Nile



Everyone in Uganda will tell you that water means life! We got to visit the source of the Nile River!

Here we are at The Source! I think 30% of the Nile is from a spring underground. You can actually see it bubbling up. The rest comes from lake Victoria. Lake Victoria is the 3rd largest lake in the world and the Nile runs from south to north into the Mediterranean sea! There is a man made island just near the place where the spring flows and the spot that the Nile is said to begin!

It takes 3 months for the water from the Source to reach the Mediterranean sea.

Fisherman working along the Nile

Lizard giant

We got to take one of these boats along the coast and look at animals and enjoy the view. What a relaxing day before we headed home to be with the kiddos again!

Me pretending to be lost in thought haha!

Monday, July 29, 2013

The Mosque




Uganda is home to the 2nd biggest mosque in Africa. The Gaddafi Mosque. Uganda is about 12.5% Muslim and the majority live in Central Uganda. We got a chance to visit the mosque and learn a little about Islam in Uganda as well!
We confirmed that walking around in these during mid day is just hot as we thought.


This Mosque is huge and beautiful

this is inside the dome

here is one of the corners of the Mosque and the tower we got to climb up

view of Kampala from the top of the tower

This day was more of a touristy day but I learned a lot! Please pray for the Muslims in Uganda and for the people we met that day.

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Talent Show

On Saturday we had our very first Rafiki Talent Show! It was a hit! We hung blanket across the clotheslines to set the stage - complete with benches and cute Rafiki Talent Show sign! The kids were eager to get out there and show their stuff! The kids got to pick out their own talent that they wanted to do. I expected everyone to just sing or dance because all of them are so good at that but we actually had some very creative ideas!

Annet started us off with some awesome dancing!

Brenda and Esther sang a song together with matching outfits!

Carol's talent was building a tower out of blocks!

I was the MC of course! Don's talent was dancing but he won an award for best smile!

When I asked Jerom what talent he wanted to do he said "cartwheels and Christmas"! i asked him to clarify what exactly he meant by Christmas and he just said "Christmas trees!" so I just rolled with it! haha when he started his act i ran over to the tape player and played The First Noel while he did cartwheels! haha Jerom got awarded the most creative combination!

Fauziya danced!

Even the aunties and uncles got in on all the fun! Here is Rachel, Hunter and I dancing to Magic.

The kids joined in too!


Cocus and Joel played futbol for their talent!

Brenda blew bubbles! and won the crowd over!

Here is Emma dancing in his shades! All the other kids chose to do music from my ipod but Emma wanted the African drums to dance to! Godefry said "Oh. That is a real African man!"



After bathing and changing into pajamas we had our very own award ceremony where all the kids got awards for their talents.

Over all I'd say the show was a success!

Saturday, July 27, 2013

Gulu



Last year when we visited the Acholi Quarters I remember feeling something special in my heart for the Acholi people. They are a tribe who live in the north but many were displaced to Kampala when war broke out. There is so much history and background to explain about the war that took place in the north that I have kind of been procrastinating writing this post. “The Lord’s Resistance Army” (LRA) and Joseph Koney have been brought to the attention of Americans largely because of the Invisible Children efforts. Actually seeing where it took place and talking to people who were affected first hand made the war seem so much more real to me though.

In Gulu we got to visit many different organizations that are helping the Acholi people get back on their feet again. It was inspiring and I learned so much. My favorite thing we did was talking and walking with the guys who work for ILA. We got to spend a lot of time with them! Going out to eat and waiting hours for food to arrive you really can get to know someone! They showed us around town and along the way they told us countless stories about their childhood and growing up during the war. It was crazy some of the things they have been through. They are filled with an incredible hope despite the horrific things they have seen. I also liked just getting to know them as people. They aren’t just story books full of heart wrenching tragic tales, they are people! They have hobbies and jokes and they are more than just what happened to them during the war. I liked that they were open to tell us those stories but also they were open to us just getting to know them, they’re favorite colors, plans for the future and everything. As soon as I met them I knew they were different than anyone I’ve ever met. They are like family to me. Immediately there is a calm and comfort surrounding them and I felt welcomed home almost. By the end of our 4 day stay in Gulu I had true friends and I think that is what was the most special thing about Gulu.

Here are Zalen and Dennis (two of the ILA guys) talkin with us

In Gulu we got around only by Boda and walking but it is so beautiful! Its green with red dirt! its like the Africa everyone thinks of when you think Africa.

Hunter and Megan playing with some kids at one of the non-profit organizations


These are the huts people live in in Gulu

It is Beautiful here!

Friday, July 26, 2013

love.



Man I love these kids so much I can’t put it into words.

A little hula dancing to start out the night

plus a fun twist on duck duck goose game


the boys ready to relay!

the grand finale!