Monday (June 9th)

Yesterday, we traveled 6 hours to reach Toro to see Toro High School. This was a school started by Ida. While touring the school, I began to wonder if I would like to teach at this school during the summer. The girls sleep in a dorm, which is about the size of two American classrooms. They are forced to sleep there so that they will be protected at night. The classrooms had the bare essentials (some desks, a chalkboard, and some paper). Following the tour, the students acted out and sang a song for us. This is where I truly saw how talented some of these students are. I was amazed to see interested the students are in learning. The students in this school were very smart, not just for African education standards, but for American standards as well. After that we went and played the soccer game against the high school team. I thought that they would be an easy pick up game. But no, they had an referee and rules were enforced. We ended up loosing the game 2-1, and a girl took me out. This was a great day for the team. Tomorrow we drive to Kamwenge to see Bill’s family, and then drive home!

Sunday Church

To describe what todays ceremony in words would be an injustice. The people of the village greeted us with excitejment and rejoice. The church sang about 5 songs and then the mass started. The pastor gave an emotional, heart felt speech about his happyness of his people and his heart for all the work we put into making his home and church. This was the most emotional church I have ever been to. There were alot of the elders of the church crying because of the fact that for their first time in their lifel, they had a roof on the church. This was a very impactful ceremony. Following the mass the people of the village wanted to show all their appreciation for us, and they did this the only way they knew how, by sacraficing a goat. (If you want details I watched their entire thing) We left the village and headed to Dan's sponsored family to see their progress. After walking deep deep into the bush, because the bus could not get any further, we reached Dan's family and were amazed to be greeted by another village, agian with branches, song, and dance. We met Dan's family and were amazed to see their progress and growth in just under a year. Dan gave away more then a suitcase of things to them, and you could see the unbreakable joy in their eyes. We watched the villagers sing these amazing songs, and then started to dance. The ceremony ended with me and the kids singing in a conga line. All in all it was a very interesting day. Tommorrow the team will visit a High School and will have their first exhibition soccer game, as Global Family Rescue ("White People") take on the Tororo High School team at 2 oclock.

P.S. I will not be able to have a blog to tell you how the match went because we are staying over night, so check ESPN for the details.

MORE PICTURES

Day 3

Day 3 was much of like day 2 but much more intense. It started with me and two other college guys bringing water from the water whole to the village. This was about a mile and a half, up hill. I decided to show my stregth and carried up two of the water jugs up the mountain. I was so exhausted and hot that by the time I had reached the village I already needed a break. Then me and Harrison dug up some of the land in front of the church to use as the pastor's floor for his house. We used the shovels and dikes to loosen up the dirt, and after that we used a wheelbarrel to transport the material to the inside of the pastor's house. This was a task that truly tested my stregth, endurance, and work ethic. We also got a big rise out of the African women, because we did the task shirtless. The entire day the team work together and was able to complete the church, and build the pastor's house about half way. We then took a break, while having a snack that the villagers provided (pineapple, soda, and sugar cane). After the break, my dad took out his scrap book and took finger prints of all the villagers writing down their names and ages. I think he is truly getting the meaning, importance, and passion for the trip. While he was doing this I danced (including popping collars, as seen in the picture) and played with the children to pass the time until we were to go home. I am amazed at these people's perserverence through poverty and strife. They have shown me that family and relationships with others is the way to true happyness in life.

Africa Day Two (church roofing)

I could not sleep last night. I woke up about 6 and ate breakfast, then we got on a bus and traveled for an 1 1/2 hours , then got out and walked an hour. We were greated by a large chanting and a stamped of people, the people charged us with tribal songs and decorations. They were so excited to see us. I have never gotten a better entrance in my life, it was truly special. The sing and chanting carried on until we got to a church, that had not had a roof in 10 years. Needless to say we sprang into action. We, mostly the actual workers with Harrison and I chiping in, built the support beams for the roof. This was one of the scariest things I have done in Africa, ever. We were on a large brick church, standing on loose bricks and a wobbly board. Harrison nailed in the beams, while I held a board for 5 min. I got down and thanked good to still be alive. While we were working on the church, most of the other people were working on the Pastors house right next door. The pastor has a 19 mile bike ride up the side of a hilly area every day just to do his work. His new house is about 20 feet away from the church, we started by getting all the bricks around the frame of the house, then my dad and the team applied the concrete to the bottom bricks. This took most of the mourning, until the people fed us. After the snack, we went and got the tin roofing from a near by house. By the end of the day the churches roof was have done, still in work. While the pastor's house had a good frame showing. The day was amazing and draining, the passion the graditude that these people show is both amazing and inspiring. I hope to one day have same amount of love for life and energy that this people display to us and a day to day basis. I am exhausted and hope to get a better sleep tonight.

AFRICA DAY ONE!

We are finally in Africa. We left London and arrived in Africa at 8 in the mourning. We walked on the plane and went through the airport (no customs). Then we had an hour bus ride to the house. We hit the ground running. We dropped the bags of and were off to build a house for a women who had 17 children (orphans because of AIDS). We started by making a line and passing/ spreading bricks around the outline of the house. After a few of us walked about ½ a mile to go fetch water for concrete. This walk was done barefoot by some of the children. We filled the yellow containers in a reservoir and headed back, most of the children were able to easily carry the containers back, and most of the muzungos (“white people”) struggled. Once we got back a school of elementary students came and sang songs of gratitude and thanks. This was an amazing thing. During the ceremony me and some of the other men (Lee, Harrison, and Brian) put on the tribal dance skirts and danced with them. This was an amazing ceremony and a great way to start the trip. We are all exhausted from two days traveling.

NEW YORK

Because of two flight delays (in Chicago and New York), we would have missed our flight to Uganda from Brussels, and the next flight would be 3 days from now. Now the plan is to stay in New York for 2 days and go from London to Uganda.
On top of the 3 day flight delay. We stayed in the airport for 7 hours, had a missing bag. Went to a hotel, supposed to be vouchered by the Airline, only to get turned away to and have to go back to the airport for two hours. Then we finally had a hotel room, but the cab driver refused to take us because we had two many bags! He drove away without us and we waited for another half an hour. Finally at 3 30 we got to the hotel, only to be the last ones to get a room.

FYI: The rest of the group become detached from us and ended up with the police on the side of the interstate for a while, and finally got a room at 5 30 in the mourning!

NO SIGN OF AFRICA, but maybe a Mets game.