Day 1 in Soroti

Sorry we have been so slow to post...we have typed this twice and right when we are about done we lost power! So here it is from last nite!

Where to start...our minds are so full of all we have seen already. Tuesday we drove 6-7 hours from Kampala to Soroti. The city of Kampala reminded us of Addis Ababa in Ethiopia....crazy. People everywhere and no rules of the street. They also drive on te opposite site of the street than we do and the driver is on the right side of the car....alot of silent prayers said while driving!



We took the back way in because it was less busy and we were able to see the countryside. It is just nearing the end of rainy season here, so it is so green and lush....with beautiful fields of corn and sunflowers...and surrounded by extreme poverty, that I don't think you can quite comprehend unless you see with your own eyes. A woman missing an arm holding a child with no clothes..begging, young children all over alongside the road carrying water jugs to collect water for their families, a child 6 years old caring for their baby sister with no mother in sight, Straw huts with dirt floors everywhere. It has been alot to take in and can be overwhelming at times.

We arrived at the Sliedrects around 9pm and were greeted by Angie and her kids and the Teisenga family and they served us a warm yummy meal. Our guesthouse is attached to the Sliedrect home. They have a large green yard that the kids love playing in...with bunnies and a rooster strolling around. Their yard is surrounded by a high wall. It is kind of like a haven inside, where just outside the door there are peope living in extreme poverty. We get lots of stares, but if you smile, they usually smile back. They are just curious. They have some very nice neighbors that we have gotton to know and Chloe has played with their children when they come in the Sliedrects yard.

Our first day we visited the town...which is smaller than Kampala. and also an outdoor market in town, where there is alot of produce...and very fresh meat...I will try to send a picture. We also went to a Hindu Temple which was very sad to see the dolls they worship as Gods. They dress and bathe them everyday. The Hindus in the area are all from India and own some of the stores in town. In the evening we had a hotdog roast and potluck here with everyone from the team which was alot of fun. After this Angie and I left to go to the womens Bible study..they meet everyweek. It was by lantern because there was no power.

Last nite was a rough nite sleeping with no power, so no fans and lots of noises that we aren't used to, including the roosters 6am wake up call. (I think we need to lock him in the garage tonite!) This morning we headed to a large outdoor market. It was packed with people and made Chris a little nervous. Tim and Becky who came with were right at ease. After this there was a team meeting with everyone that they do weekly to talk about how everyone is doing...feeling...struggles...praises..etc. and it helped us get to know everyone a little better. Tonite we walked around their neighborhood and met more of the neighbors...we had a crowd of children following us along. One little girl was so sweet..kept wanting to hold someones hand as we walked. ALOT of the time the children here are neglected, left on their own, and go where ever they want. It is really hard to see and really hard to process. We have daily debriefings written up from Tim to help us through this. I am going to post this so I don't lost it this time and hopefully sent another post right after with some pictures!