I think I’ve been back home the same amount of time I was traveling. I’ve needed/wanted to write about my trip to Africa, just haven’t made the time. This entry will cover week 1 and I’ll have entries for 2 and then 3.

The short answer to, “How was your trip?” is that it was phenomenal. 23 days between Uganda and Malawi and I saw and did so much, and saw God do so much, it’s almost hard to wrap my head around it all. I think I’ll just use the calendar and just go day-by-day.

I left home on Sunday, November 19. Flew out in the afternoon to DC and then to Brussels that evening. Monday was Brussels to Nairobi to Kampala. I arrived late in the evening and then spent the night in a hotel in that city. The next morning, Benjamin (new friend & excellent driver) and I started the 10-hour drive to Moyo. The start of the trip landed us in rush hour traffic on the way out and let’s just say I was happy to not be the one driving. It was a somewhat uneventful drive, outside of the rain and a broken wiper blade. We did some grocery shopping in a larger city a little way out of our destination then took a ferry over the Nile and were in Moyo. A 30 or so minute drive and we arrived at the William’s home. My friend Karen lives on the land too and I had a guest room next to her. I think we chatted for a bit, and I ate dinner, but then I crashed.

Wednesday involved the start of prepping for Thanksgiving dinner. We spent a lot of time at the markets and spent the evening getting food started. The William family (Pastor Asili) has a home and guest houses/rooms and there’s a village surrounding them. They have a church in that village where we would host the feast. Some of the food prep that day included getting the pumpkins ready for pies, which I helped make the crust. Pie crust is something I’ve had trouble mastering (even though I went to culinary school for a while) but apparently in ‘the bush’ without anything fancy, I’m a pro.

Thursday morning, after getting other food started (I didn’t witness the end of the turkey or the lamb’s lives & I’m not sure if I’m disappointed or relieved) we went to a school they started. Maybe 30 minutes away in another village and next to more land Asili owns, there’s a nursery school with 3 grades. The oldest class was about to graduate because their school year ends at the end of November. I got to take pictures of all the kiddos and staff and see the classrooms. That evening they hosted a feast at the church, which was really cool to be a part of. They, obviously, don’t celebrate Thanksgiving as a holiday, but it was a perfect opportunity to share the message of being grateful for what God has done and to bless the people.

On Friday, we went back to the school for their last day celebration. The kiddos sang and were given soda and candy. That evening we participated in a worship service at a new church plant. This village has a lot of older people, and they wanted a close place they could easily gather. They didn’t have a building yet but had the land, so we had a service outside. It rained a little, but there were also trees that could cover us. A few people preached (including me) and we worshipped. The most humbling thing was a lady who literally crawled there. I don’t know her situation, we did pray for/with her, but just the fact that she wasn’t letting anything stop her from being there was amazing to me. The short message I shared was how I love going to Africa and seeing God’s creativity. Being outside helped me explained just seeing how many plants and shades of green could be seen. God created all of that and He did it all by speaking it into existence. From the smallest bug (I don’t understand the purpose of mosquitos) to the huge elephants and trees, all unique and creative. But when He created man, He used His hands. It was personal and intimate, and He cares for each of us that much. I encouraged them that, if they’re still here/still alive, He’s not finished with them. Everyone has a purpose and is loved.

Then Saturday we relaxed. I really don’t remember doing anything, LOL!