You're Invited!

We want to invite you into the story God is writing in Gulu -- please join us!

Gulu Friends: Esther.

Esther was one of the women who worked at our hotel in Gulu - the Pearl Afrique. She has the most beautiful servant's heart, and a smile that lights up the room. All of the girls on our trip found a special place in our hearts for her.

Gulu Friends: Alfred.

Alfred is an active member of the church in Laliya (one of the villages in Gulu), and dreams of being a doctor. Here's a picture of Alfred (in the blue) with Regan, Rusty, & Warren. Alfred's grandfather is sitting to his left and the guys are quizzing him on Alfred:

Gulu Friends: Jackson & Sylvester.

Meet Jackson & Sylvester - our amazing drivers for our 2 weeks in Uganda. (they work for Adonai Guesthouses & Tours - I highly recommend them!) Not only did they keep us safe on the roads, tie down our crazy amount of luggage on top of the vans, and give us advice and information on everything Uganda... but they became our friends and our brothers. By mid-week they were joining in on soccer games with the kids, and teaching us how to play drums in church!

Sylvester had mad luggage skills.

Jackson always had a smile on his face!

Gulu Friends: Janet

We'll be introducing you to various friends we met in Gulu to give you a broad picture of the community we fell in love with.

Meet Janet. She's a 22-year-old beautiful nurse with a huge heart. She's so smart, and is using her medical training with the Village Health Team in Laliya. {She also taught us the hip way to wear our Acholi bead necklaces.}

Here's Janet with our 2 nurses, Katie W and Sarah:

Gulu Friends: Simon Peter

We'll be introducing you to various friends we met in Gulu to give you a broad picture of the community we fell in love with.

Meet Simon Peter. His dad, Daniel, pastors one of the churches in Gulu. Simon Peter is the head of the worship and the youth programs. He's 24 years old, and a role model to many.

Here's Regan with Simon Peter in his home (a typical Acholi hut)...

Gulu Friends: Sarah

We'll be introducing you to various friends we met in Gulu to give you a broad picture of the community we fell in love with.

Meet Sarah. She is 20 years old, and is studying to be a teacher. The Midtown team that traveled to Gulu in 2008 met Sarah and knew there would be a lasting friendship. We have managed to keep up with her for the last 2 years, and it was so wonderful to reconnect on this trip! She joined our team this year and ministered right alongside us the whole time.

Here are the girls with Sarah after eating lunch in her home, and then giving Sarah G a drumming lesson...

Gulu Friends: Blazer

We'll be introducing you to various friends we met in Gulu to give you a broad picture of the community we fell in love with.

First up: "Blazer".

We gave him his nickname and immediately attached to him as soon as we saw his fancy blazer + no pants outfit. He lives in Agwee, right next to the church Geoffrey pastors.

How can you not love him?

Just the 17 of us...

Here's the whole group at the top of Murchison Falls!

ALSO - Randy update: He met with the doctor this morning, and the conclusion is that they will not have to operate, and the bones should heal on their own over the next 4 months. Praise God! Thank you for your prayers!!!

we saw what we saw.

This video helps to capture some of what we are processing.

Just replace Rwanda with Uganda :)

"Initial Thoughts or Premature Feelings" - by Rusty

We are all wrestling through a crazy combination of thoughts and feelings as we try to process the last 2 weeks of our lives. Here's some initial thoughts from team member Rusty...

I am not one who blogs, but I felt as though it might help me process what is going on in my head and heart. So, let me first start off by apologizing for the verbal vomit that is about to occur.

I signed up for this trip for a couple of reasons. The first and foremost was wanting to go on an adventure with my wife as we celebrated our two years on the trip. I wanted to be there to support her as she stepped into this trip with some fears and doubts. I wanted to be her cheerleader and encourager. The second was that I was eager to get back to Uganda. I had been there before for about two months and learned a lot while living there. Finally, I wanted to travel again. I love to travel and see new places, meet new people, and see what the Lord is doing in others lives.

Having traveled quite a bit, I didn't expect the Lord to shake me up much through this trip. I kind of went in with the attitude of "been there, done that," or as our team coined the term "been there, pee'd that." But, I felt like I know what it was like to see poverty, I know what it feels like to be uncomfortable, I know what it is like to learn how to reconcile with people that you are traveling with 24/7! So why is my heart hurting so bad right now. I am not sure that I saw something that really stuck out that moved me. I am not sure if I am just romanticizing the re-entry process. I do know that I have come back with a ton of questions. What were you trying to show me? Did I miss something? Have I listened to you to get me to where I am today in my profession or have I tried to control it? What do I do now? Why am I always thinking that you have something bigger for me?

I talked with a guy who said to me "Welcome home and welcome back to reality." "Reality?" I couldn't even tell if I was offended or not. Does that insinuate that I was living in a make up world for the last two weeks? I could understand living at an "all inclusive " resort for two weeks and then coming back to "reality," but what about living in community with fellow believers, praying, singing, serving together is not "Reality." So I guess that brings up another question. Why isn't that reality? Am I ok with that? I began to read a book by NT Wright on my way home called, After You Believe, which raised the question of, now that I am a believer, what next? Do I just wait to die and go to heaven? I feel like I can identify with this thought. Now that I am home and have seen these things, do I just go back to "reality" and send money when I can?

Maybe that is drastic, but it is what came across my mind.

There is no obvious conclusion just yet, so till then.....

We've been home less than 48 hours and are already missing each other so much. First reunion = Bobby's Dairy Dip after church Sunday night.