We started off our ninth day in Uganda nice and early at 7:20am, to then have Bible study together at 7:45. After this, Claire, Charlie and Jordan went off to serve the early morning porridge to the children. The rest of us had a breakfast of omelette and toast. We then set off together towards the local church, St John’s, just a few minutes’ walk down the road. We arrived at 10 o’clock, prepared and ready for the service…to find no one there yet! We proceeded to wait an hour for the service to actually start, which was at 11am. The building was filled with children and other local people and everyone sang along to tunes played by a young boy on an electric keyboard. We were all really inspired and energized by the music and cheerfulness that filled the church, even though the entire service was in the local language of which we understood nothing apart from “Amen”. We sang a few of our own songs with the school choir and to our delight, no one joined in. Giles also was called upon to give an impromptu translated sermon on Luke chapter 15 (with none of his usual “jokes”).
After the service, we headed back to the lodge to have some lunch and then we all went into the local town for some shopping during our free time. It was a huge success and we all came back with some original “real” brands. The boys invested in some watches and some flip-flops. We all also bought a lot of Gorrillos (barbeque flavoured crisps)- A LOT. We also bought some Jerry cans for a “Tip Tap” project we have planned, (a project which will provide local families with water for handwashing, after using the toilet). We also bought 20 litres of paint for a mural of a rainbow and Noah’s Ark that Gabriela is masterminding.
When we arrived back at the lodge, we started some more posters for the classrooms, picked up litter and played with the school children. After dinner, we went to help the children with their homework and do some revision.
Catch you all later, stay tuned for more of our stories!
Peace and blessings,
-The Gucci Gang (Maddie, Johnnie, Jackie and Joshie)