Day 12: Fellowship, Food and Football...

Greetings to you all from the whole Uganda team!

Today was the last day of our fairly relaxed weekend, with the hope that by now we are all well rested and prepared for another week of hard work in and around Kampala. This morning, we had the privilege to join in fellowship and worship with a local church in Kampala that was based within the largest prison in Uganda. The church itself was for the wardens and their families who work within the prison and is led by Pastor Nathan, who we met on day 7. It was he who had the vision of opening the schools in the war-torn area of Uganda, giving homes and support to many children who had lost their parents during this war. He is truly an amazing man, who finds time to dedicate himself to the work within these schools along within the prison. The service itself was truly inspiring, with lively and enthusiastic worship, as seems to be the custom in Ugandan churches. We were treated to a sermon looking at women within the New Testament, and in particular, Mary the mother of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. The Kid’s Club team were asked by surprise to lead the Sunday School Children’s services, but stepped up to the task with a very high standard as always, forming great relationships with the children. This will prove a true blessing as we shall be visiting the schools within the prison tomorrow to deliver our programs, and it was great to be able to say ‘See you all tomorrow’ to the children as we left, along with ‘What about ya?’ and ‘What’s the craic?’, courtesy of Tracey teaching this to the children.

After the service, we had a quick(ish) pit stop for food in a local restaurant. We had quite a long wait (David’s was much longer than the rest), but it was well worth it, and everyone was well fed, all be it, under the watchful eyes of the local scavenger birds (see left!).

After this, the team split in two, with a group of the ladies (and Wenford) returning to Shalom for a relaxing afternoon sunbathing and reading. The rest of the team departed to watch the ex-players of Uganda take on a Brazil Legends team in a charity football match, to raise money for Bulrushes orphanage, which we had visited yesterday. This proved to be a highly entertaining afternoon for all of us. We somehow ended up in the royal box (or the Ugandan equivalent) seated in the row behind the Brazilian ambassador and along with other past players of the Ugandan national team. As we began our first chorus of ‘We’re not Brazil, we’re Northern Ireland’, we drew peculiar glances from the Brazilian ambassador, but soon after, the Ugandan supporters were appreciating our support of their country. It was a highly entertaining game, with Brazil edging it 2-1. Afterwards, we descending to the pitch side and had some photos taken with the Brazilian players, (if anybody can put names to faces it would be much appreciated!), followed by some more chants of ‘We’re not Brazil, we’re Northern Ireland, which was then recorded by the Brazilian players as they left on their team bus.

In the evening, we were once again well fed by the wonderful staff at Shalom Guest House. Afterwards, John led us in a truly challenging devotion, to follow God’s guidance, whether it is where we are at the moment, or to move on to something new. After this, we discovered John’s hidden talent for bracelet manufacture as he joined the rest of the ladies in making bracelets for the children that we meet every day. As I sign off, I’d like to leave you with the verse that John spoke to us during the devotion as food for thought for you all....

Numbers 9 v23

Thank you all for your continued support through prayer and God’s richest blessings from all the team in Uganda