Welcome to Africa!

After about 30 hours of travel, I finally made it to Uganda.  Although it was a long trip God blessed me with in time flights, easy connections, and new travel companions for each leg of the journey.  When I got to Uganda I meet my host family for the first week, along with several pastors and other believers in God.  They welcomed me with open arms and have been so kind to me  It is great to connect with other believers who are like-minded in Christ half way across the world.  Here is what my time spent in Africa looks like so far:  (Updates noted by *)

Schedule

Thurs. & Fri. Feb 4 & 5: Travel (with the 9 hour time change it pretty much took all two days)

Sat. Feb. 6: Prepare for chicken raising and craft workshops.  Met with pastors and other organizers to discuss workshop plans and details.  I also asked my host family about local chicken keeping practices to get a feel for what topics to cover in the workshops.  I was asked Sat. morning to teach the children's Sunday School (ages 1-10) for the next day so I needed to prepare for that as well. In the afternoon I broke down and with the local children, which I thoroughly enjoyed. :)

Sun. Feb.. 7: Teach children's Sunday School.  I discovered about 15 minutes before it started that there would be about 100 children for me to teach. Prepare for upcoming workshops.  

Mon. -Sat. Feb. 8-13: Teach chicken workshops and one craft workshop from 9am to 4pm each day.  Each day we will cover new material as it will be the same group of people coming every day.  Assist locals in building a chicken coup for the chicken as a start up place for small chicken businesses and as an demonstration farm for the other two communities. (*They are still working on details.  It looks like we may be making two structures and using the community chickens to fill the coup instead of buying them)

Sun. Feb. 14: Church, rest, and prepare to teach second community workshops. (*I just found out that I will be staying here in Buwuni all three weeks.)

Mon.-Sat. Feb. 15-20: Teach workshops from 9am to 4pm every day. 

Sun. Feb. 21: Church, rest, prepare for next week of workshops in third community.

Mon.-Fri. Feb. 22-26: Same as before but in third community.

Next travel to Rwanda to visit Compassion sponsored child.  Visit a national park. And travel home.

Prayer requests:

-That God would move in these communities and touch people's hearts.
-That God would guide me in what to cover my workshops and that I would present them well for them to be beneficial, understandable and interesting for the local people.
-That people would come to know Jesus as their personal Savior.
-That God would give me the words to speak when I address churches or work with youth.

Praise the Lord for:

-Safety and ease of travel
-Wonderful, welcoming host community
-My rapidly improving health (I was sick with pneumonia for 3.5 weeks right before I left and am still recovering)
-God's strength, encouragement, and ever present help in times of need.

Bible verse: Psalms 46:1-2 "God is our refuge and strength, a ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountain fall into the depths of the sea."

Just some of my Sunday School class.

Teaching class