Top 40 Hits, Uganda Edition

A month.  4 weeks.  31 days.  7 hours,  44,630 minutes.  A month.

Yes, even MORE than a month has gone by since I landed back in the states from my trip to Uganda and Ethiopia.  And I gotta be honest, I thought I'd be muuuuch better at this whole blogging thing.  Wow, I really haven't been.  And looking back, I realized, I hadn't really 'went there' with my whole trip.  So, with a deep sigh and an extremely heavy heart, I’d like to take a minute to actually ‘introduce’ my trip to you….. Let’s see where this goes.

As God Sees It....

What’s it like to go on a Short Term mission trip when you’ve never been on one before?  Well?  For starters, you have nothing to compare it to, so you shouldn’t have any expectations.  Ha.  And if you do, be prepared to have your world rocked, and your expectations blown right out the window.  And know that the second you get home, your life will never, Ever, be the same.  And know that you’ll be okay with that.

You have every right to feel nervous, anxious, scared, excited, insecure, inadequate, unprepared, ---any emotion you might have felt entering the doors your first day of Junior High and you had a giant pimple on your head---you probably feel the same way.

I was really nervous how my extreme motion claustrophobia (yes, self-diagnosed---don’t try and go get a prescription) would handle the 13 hour flight over.  But MUCH to my surprise and HUGE relief, it actually went really fast.  I think the excitement outweighed the extreme claustrophobia and exhaustion, thankfully.  We finally landed in Entebbe and boarded our caravan to Kampala, Uganda.  A huge 30 psgr bus, an 8 psgr van, and a huge truck full of 37 x 4 bags of luggage!  It’s not your typical airport pickup.  And It’s one thing to jump on board a bus, with a local driver, for 3 hours with total strangers in a completely foreign country……. And it’s completely a different thing to have all that AND the Man Up Experience, Cheetah Bus Style:

(Why our Men GO):

Okay, okay, there’s no way I’ll get through this 14 days of absolutely amazingness without losing you.  Or better yet, I might keep you, but my computer will be so outdated by the time i finish rambling that I won't be able to post this anyway.  So, here's what we're gonna do.  We’re breaking this trip down, the edited, commercial version, Cheetah Bus Bullet Point style…..

Top 40 Hits of Uganda

1. Hundreds of footballs and soccer balls don’t travel well--but suck it up.  It's ALL worth it in the end

2. Carrying thousands of dollars cash into a foreign country is as scary as it seems.

3. No matter how organized and prepared you think you are with thousands of donations, you never will be

4. Don’t expect hot water.  That way when it comes, it’s really hot.  And I mean REALLY hot.

.And screams can be heard for miles in Africa.

5. Wedge cut looking fries, are in fact, not wedge cut fries.

6. Electricity’s nice….but working flashlights are priceless

7. Collapsing mosquito nets don’t always wake you up innocently

8. 4am. There are other cultures in the world, yes.  And not necessarily quiet ones.

9. Bu•tter •nug:  (buh’tƏr’nũg) n  1. sweet, small child of African descent—typically Ugandan.  2. Delightful, lovable, and charming.  3. Full of adoration, and usually possessing big, round and hopeful eyes.  4. Seeking and worthy of attention and love.  Well known for their sweet hugs and captivating smiles.  (Man Upper International Dictionary, 3^rd edition)**

10.Ugandan girls and boys know how to Hula.  American white men ….well, try.

11. Face Paint + Brushes + Pure Chaos = Entertainment for hours… and not a clean cell of skin anywhere

12. Uganda is not where the Lion King was filmed…. But it might be referenced in the Garden of Eden.

13. CHARGE those kids.  And then Charge them some more.

14. Simple service, like a food line, will bless someone for days

15. Get familiar with the name Mama Kiki—she’s a legend in Africa

16. 37 adults CAN entertain themselves, as long as Pterodactyls are involved

17. Child prisoners?  Don’t exist.  God’s angels do.  And they will teach YOU how to worship

18. 26 men can actually hold their own, for 4 hours, on a mountainside, 5,000 feet up, playing soccer with the best of them.  And one girl can do the same.

19. Don’t leave your quarters without gum and stickers

20. When all else fails---DANCE

21. A screaming  and singing welcome from 200 children bombarding your caravan will NEVER be replaced

And the three that pick you, well NEVER be forgotten…and you will NEVER be the same

22. A true Man Upper* celebrates his birthday sourcin’ the Nile

23. Always take your meds with food.  ALWAYS.

24. Squeaking in the ceiling—cheese and peanut butter won’t always fix. 

25. Jungle juice will prove itself worthy time and time again.  And much to your team’s dismay, you will be bite free

26. Despite what they may tell you in America, hearing a Man Up team ‘working out’ outside your window at 6am IS actually comical

27. Mini sunglasses are always a hit.  Always

28. Watching a child perform his heart out will leave a heavy footprint on your heart—and you will have never felt so proud

29. Popcorn in the morning—‘nuff said.

30. Dude Perfect is really good at basketball.  Well, shooting baskets anyway—really far away.  atop water towers.

31. Seatbelts are for wimps.  Carpeted window guards are for Geniuses.

32. Children care who you are, where you’re from, how old you are, what your favorite food is, what your favorite sport is, and if you’re married or not—and will sit for hours to prove they care

And they can, AND WILL, call out your age just by taking off your hat

33. Just because a motorcycle is in the river doesn’t mean it’s stuck

34. You would be mayor if you carried soccer balls and threw them out your bus window every day

35. Go Longhorns!  …. Or don’t.

36. A child’s simple prayer request will leave you humbled forever

37. Do NOT tell a Man Upper* he can’t do something.

38. Apes, or chimpanzees, can run fast.  ….but not necessarily in Africa.

39. When all else fails---DANCE AGAIN.

40. A tearful goodbye will stain your heart and break you.  No matter who you are.

*Man Upper: a father, son, brother…who leaves the comfort of the norm, addresses the need to GO, then VISITS, and advocates for the fatherless.  Huggin on, loving, on, and reassuring the ‘fatherless’ that they are not, in fact, Fatherless.

A litte Pictorial to Reference the above ....

 The ever amazing team from Return Ministries packing up all our 150 bags of luggage!

 They picked me....and I was never, ever again the same!  "Amandaaa, Amandaaaa...."

 Dude Perfect making their awesome shot at Canaan Children's Home!

 Don't tell them you're on a schedule!

 Yes, we visit the Nile on a Mission Trip!  HEY!  Moses did....

 All our amazing Men, the official Inductors of MAN UP!

 BUTTERNUGS.  Need I say more?

 STUNNA SHADES!

 Captain Rog throwing out some soccer balls to the local kids!

 Mama Kiki!

 I wouldn't say I DIDN'T feel safe....  :/

 When your coach says CHARGE, you CHARGE.  And you leave your heart on the field....

 Each grade, boys and girls, performed a program for us visitors!  What talented children!!!

 There seriously was not one more place I could paint on these kids!  They started painting their clothes....  Oops.

 Leave all your hesistations and reservations at home... there is no such thing as fear

 Showin us how it's done!

 There is no I in team..... .

 The Sprinkler.  Duh...

only a Man Up thing!

So, there ya have it.  I tried.  Thank you for your light hearts.  As I still seem to struggle with putting the trip into words, I think it might be best to just visit you all personally so I can talk about each ministry individually, specifically. My written words just don't do them justice.

 So, I guess in the meantime…stayed tuned until Ethiopia gets broken down—Coffeehouse Style.

XOXO,

Amanda