Gulu - Day 1

we made the trek from Kampala to Gulu

the road was a vast improvement from what we had experienced last time

the trip did take about 5 hours altogether

and we were once again blown away by how amazing our accommodations were

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we were up for a 6am breakfast to be ready to be at the work site by 7am

we wanted to get working as soon as possible as it gets quite hot in the afternoons in Gulu

Watoto provides skilled workers to work alongside us as we build - and we all have a blast getting to know each other, butchering each other’s name, and making fun of each other

it was a very productive morning and we wrapped up early, having done all we could do for the day - I must say, I’m very impressed with this team

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we are back to the build site tomorrow and they have assured us that if we finish early - they will create more work for us

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ps - I am in the process of finding nicknames for each of the team members (details coming soon)   

down a street in Kampala

some friends we met on our way to Gulu

our neighbours right beside our guest house in Gulu

first day on the work site

Travel Tips with Tyson

we are up and heading to Gulu soon - so not much to report over night

however, I thought I’d fill you in on a couple things - good advice as it were:

when traveling internationally (say through Heathrow Airport in London), make sure not to leave the secured area once you’ve entered it - especially if you do not have your passport with you

they do not like this (especially if you are trying to get back in without one)

when traveling internationally and find yourself having mistakenly left said secured area without said passport - do not attempt to reverse your steps by running DOWN 4 flights of escalators who happen to be going UP

they do not like this (especially if you have 4 slow women following you)

that’s all for now -

thanks for listening to Travel Tips with Tyson

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thanks for the comments so far...if you're reading - drop us a line and let us know

hospitality and other stuff

today, we returned to Watoto Central for a service

the music was bumping, the preaching was passionate - it was good to be back

and after a couple days here - I’ve finally started to feel myself again

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the people of Uganda are so friendly and Watoto’s hospitality continues to inspire

it is such a challenge to me

they make us feel most welcome at every turn - to the point of embarrassment, treating us as their honoured guests

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how does hospitality play into my own life? in our lives?

do we accept warmly with open arms? do we treat others as our honoured guests?

with all that we have, are we generously giving it away?

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tomorrow morning we are heading up to Gulu - we are expecting a 5 hour trip

looking forward to seeing another side of this beautiful country

they say the people in the north are more friendly
they say the temperature is hotter

I’ll fill you in on both

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thanks for journeying along with us - not sure if anyone’s reading (if not - it’s good for me to slow down and remember the day)

Kelsey's video post

it's good to be back

to catch you up:

we arrived at Entebbe airport around 10:30pm Uganda time and were very pleased to meet our host - Apollo (pronounced like apple-o) who was one of our hosts on our last visit to Uganda

he led us out of the airport to where our transportation was waiting with our driver, Anthony (pronounced Anthony) who was also one of our previous hosts

arriving in the dark is always a little disorienting for people, especially if they’ve never been to a place before

we arrived at our guest house (also where we had stayed before) around 1am and were all very ready for bed

by 5:30am the rooster in the alley behind us was already doing his best to get us up and going...followed quickly by the call to prayer at the local mosque and a stray dog

but the morning would come and it’s great to be back

7 of us have been here previously - but for Vic, Tim, Marianne and Kelsey - this is all new

we enjoyed a delicious breakfast from our great guest house and then off to Watoto Central for our orientation and welcome

after an impromtu high school musical invite we headed for lunch (see previous post)

we returned to the guest house and everyone is ready for bed by 6pm - but are trying to push to a late 8 to turn in

we’re heading back to Watoto Central for churchy-church and then more good times before our journey to Gulu to start building

lunch time

arrived in Uganda!

so - we finally made it

I'll update with more info soon - but wanted to make sure you know that we're alive

getting ready to leave London

waiting to leave Toronto

day 1 cont'd

made it to Toronto safe and sound.

we have a few hours here and then off to London.

more to follow...

FYI - Uganda is 9 hours ahead

day 1

having successfully passed through check-in and security (with only 2 members having been thoroughly 'fondled' - Greg and Marianne) we are ready to begin our journey

personally, I am so excited to go with this team - we are blessed to have such a great group of people

please pray for each as often as you remember:

- Clay, Tim, Vic, Marianne, Kelsey, Wendy, Greg, Lorenda, Donalda, Christine and Tyson

we'll keep you as updated as possible (as internet access is available)

- heading to Toronto this afternoon and then on to London by 6:30am local - should make it to Uganda tomorrow at 10pm local

FBC Watoto Team 2012 Intro