Take me home tonight... or back to Uganda!

Ashli- So I guess this is more of a reflection of the week and what happened on Sunday. Sunday we woke up and went to church at Pastor Paul. Pastor Paul is one of the sweetest men I have ever met, and is truly a man of God. Stephanie and I led a small children's worship outside. We taught them the lesson of Daniel and the Lion's den. We sang songs and colored pictures. After church we had an authentic African meal that is served to privileged guests. It was very yummy and filled us up!! After lunch we returned to the Mission House to play with the kids and pack. After we had some play time we went to the city of Kampala to the Ndere Center to watch African tribes preform the ritual dances. It was very neat to watch all of the different tribes and how they all work. After leaving the Ndere Center we we said our good byes to the sweet Seeds of Hope children. We all hugged and cried, but are looking forward to see them again next year. I have enjoyed my mission to Uganda so much. I cannot believe the things I have seen and experienced from seeing Monkeys in my front yard to feeding a starving child. From learning how to play soccer to holding sweet children. From praying for healing for a sick child to watching a child eat a marshmallow for the first time. I am so grateful that God has given me this opportunity and I cannot wait to sit down and share it with you. I am so richly blessed.
Love,
Ashli 

Stephanie- So we leave Uganda with full and sad hearts. I absolutely love the people of Uganda. I have never met kinder more caring people in my life. These people are so giving and loving. Spending quality time with the Seeds of Hope children touched my heart. Getting to know these kids are times that I'll cherish for the rest of my life. I was like a giddy little girl getting ready to go back to Pastor Paul church to see my Ugandan church family. I was able to spend more time with my sweet children one last time and hug and kiss their faces before we head back to the States. I have absolutely enjoyed every last minute of this trip and it really is going to be "hard to drag me away from it". God has taught me so much through this trip, His love and understanding has no limit. I am looking forward to coming back next year. Thanks for continually praying for each and every one of us. We love you all and can't wait to tell you all that God has shown us. 

Faith- I just wanted to share with each of you what I wrote in my journal the last day in Uganda so here we go, "As I sit I write with a breaking heart! I can't believe the time has come to leave this beautiful place!! Peru was great, God blessed me in Honduras, but Africa- AFRICA it satisfied my soul! There are so many things that I will miss; breathing in dust as we bump down the dry roads, red stained feet, having to shower off chacos every night, fresh sweet fruit, warm welcomes, overwhelming love, but most of all the smiling faces of the African children and the overwhelming Spirit of our risen Lord.  I can't believe this time has come but I am so glad the Lord brought me here to teach me how to serve Him better while ministering to the kids back home!!" That is just a small glimpse of my heart and the greatness of Africa.  And yes, there is talk of going back (SWEEET)

Morgan- Africa. Kids overwhelmed with joy to see white people, red dirt roads with bumps everywhere you turn, and lizards in your house everywhere you look. Africa brought sparks to my heart and to my soul. i cant believe we have to leave these wonderful people who we became so close with in one short week. i love them like i have known them all my life. The joy you get of holding those   children in your arms is wonderful. i have fallen in love with Uganda. i KNOW that next year i am going back  to love on those kids! God is our Maker and he wants all of his children to know that he loves them! The extravagant love of Our God is breathtaking. Seeing the African sun set over the horizon each day reminds me of how beautiful and how gracious He is. I cant wait to return to this sweet land of paradise to love and to show Gods love to every person i see.  

Bart - Homeward Bound...It has been an awesome week and I am overwhelmed with the blessings I have received this week. ALL of the people we have had the pleasure to meet have treated us so kindly. I look forward to returning to this great country and seeing my friends again and meeting even more new ones. We have new brothers and sisters in Christ but there is still much work to be done. I look forward to returning to love on more kids and share the love of Christ with many more people. Will you join me? 

Tyler- I had a great time. This team was amazing during the trip and it was great getting to serve with them.The people of Uganda have showed me how to have Humility and Love towards everyone. Even though this trip was draining and at times tough I am coming back next year. Please pray for Pastor Paul and his church in Uganda and all the children who need help. One of my favorite things to do was to pray with the people at the all the churches we went to.. They have worries that I can't imagine and their faith was amazing to see. I made some amazing friends and I learned a lot from my brothers and sisters in Uganda. Please keep Seeds of Hope kids in your prayers and their leader Juliet.

Will- Right now I'm not really in the proper frame of mind to adequately share about our trip--tired, a little sick, and brain dead. But our team did so great! No complaints, no bad attitudes, amazing flexibility, ready to love everyone, seriously the best team ever! I am humbled to be a part of this team and thankful for each of them! Peace and Blessings!