We had a sad morning saying goodbye to all of our friends at SOM Gulu. We packed up our bags and after lots of hugs we got on the road. The drive to the Paraa Safari Lodge was about 4 hours with nearly half of the ride on a road with countless bumps. However, we made the best of the drive by singing lots of songs, from Disney to Broadway. Upon arriving at the lodge, we had an introduction to some of the amazing wildlife in this national park. We saw giraffes, elephants, warthogs, gazelles, baboons, etc. Next was a delicious lunch followed by a boat ride on the Nile River. The boat ride was about 3 hours long with endless scenery and some more incredible wildlife. We saw a lot of the same animals from before and a bunch of hippos, which is fitting because Paraa (the name of the lodge) means hippos in the local language. The cruise ended with a powerful waterfall where we turned around to head back. After the cruise, some people swam and others enjoyed a moment of down time before dinner. Our day ended after dinner so we could get some sleep before our early adventure tomorrow.
Selfie of Jack, Keegan, Nat, Emma, Anneliese, and Ty before the road trip to ParaaSome of the beautiful elephants we saw from the boat cruise
Once we got back from the resort Monday night, we waited for dinner by playing Mafia, a fun group game but always causes light-hearted feuding amongst our competitive group. Jean Carlos and Alguiris, two GO students and members of the baseball team on the complex, joined us for Mafia and dinner. After dinner, we hopped on the van and went to the supermarket we visited earlier in the week for more ice cream, then made our way to the Monument to the Peace of Trujillo. Jean Carlos and Alguiris explained its meaning to us: set on the highest point of Santiago, the monument was built originally as a dictator’s house, but when he was overthrown the people took it back as a way to symbolize peace for the Dominican Republic. Our Dominican friends pranked us by saying the statue at the top of the monument moved its arms every 15 minutes, causing us all to look up and watch for a while before they told us they were just kidding and the statue doesn’t move at all- this was a funny moment.
The group, along with our GO Ministries friends, at the Monument to the Peace of Trujillo.
After the monument we headed back to home base, where the leaders shared their stories and we reflected as a group. Then, our leaders had a lovely surprise for us. Setting up chairs in front of the church’s stage, they announced the beginning of the first annual “Roosty Awards!” They pulled various trinkets out of a bag as awards with meanings connected to them: Eric got a little green bucket award because he filled everyone’s buckets this week and Paulo got the battery award because he was full of energy the whole trip, to name a few of the awards. We all whooped and cheered as everyone received their awards, and it was a blast to see our leaders’ creativity as we celebrated what gifts each of us brought to this trip.
The “Roosty” award winners!
After a good night’s rest, we woke up for our last day in the DR. After breakfast, we headed to the COVID testing center where we all got tested so we could travel back to the States safely. We spent the whole time at the center trying to guess Dan’s middle name – unsuccessfully. We then got to tour GO’s medical center in Santiago. They have many services there including a dentist, and allow patients to come in for a very low cost to receive quality medical care. We were able to see a beautiful view of Santiago from the roof of the center.
The group on the roof top at the GO Medical Center.
Eating lunch and heading off to the airport, we were feeling bittersweet about leaving but were ready for an easy trip back home after our chaos of arriving in the DR, but you will not believe our luck. We had a great start, saying goodbye to those from GO Ministries and making it through customs. Some of us even had a few extra minutes to grab a favorite Dominican treat, an empanada. Our first flight made it off the ground with only a little bit of turbulence and a few announcements from the pilot to “REMAIN IN YOUR SEATS, PLEASE.” Many of us took naps for the four hours, journaled about our adventures in the DR, or read new books. We even arrived 50 minutes early to Newark. Our luck quickly ran out once we could not reach our gate for over an hour and a half due to another airplane parking poorly… We were not able to deplane until well after 7pm; however, we were all hopeful and a little bit stressed about making our 8pm flight. Most of us were in the far back of the plane and we started sprinting through the airport in order to make it to customs and baggage claim in time to board our next flight. Unfortunately, our luck was completely diminished and our bags came too late. The airline was not able to hold the plane for us, and we were tasked with figuring out new flights and places to stay in good ‘ole Newark, NJ. But don’t worry, Jake’s coconut did make it through customs, so we knew we wouldn’t starve. Lindsey was a trooper as was the agent at United Airlines who got us rebooked and was able to get us a hotel for the night, so our next task was getting to the shuttle. We waited about another hour outside the airport for our shuttle, but we filled the time playing more games and getting to know each other better.
We made it to the hotel and thankfully pizza was there waiting for us. After a much needed dinner around 11:30pm in the lobby of the hotel, we made our way to our rooms for the night. The boys tried to watch Miracle, after hearing almost every line quoted from Jake of the course of the trip, but unfortunately there wasn’t a smart TV in the room so we weren’t able to connect to it. We woke for an 8:15am breakfast and got our bags ready so we could get on the shuttle to the airport. Thankfully we were able to get through checking our bags and security to make it to our gate on time. We were fortunate to not run into any more flight problems as we are currently writing this on the plane home to Grand Rapids. This has been an absolutely incredible trip and the positive attitudes from everyone throughout our traveling debacles has been amazing. This is an extraordinary group of people and our friendship through this trip will definitely last a lifetime. Thank you for following along our journey!
After (finally) arriving back in Grand Rapids, we grabbed one last meal.
Good evening from Julia and Jack! We had such a fulfilling and full day and we are so excited to share!
We woke up this morning and ate breakfast at 7:30. At 8:30 we walked over to the daily devotional in the Church on the Sports Outreach campus. It was our third time experiencing this in just as many days and still just as exciting. After the energizing morning, we headed over to the vocational school. Here, the students welcomed us into their classroom and gave us the opportunity to listen to their testimonies. We were all deeply moved and grateful for their willingness to share a part of their life with us.
The next destination was Christine’s house, a haven for abused teenage women (many of whom are either pregnant or mothers) just a short walk away from the school. They greeted us with the familiar “You are most welcome”(a common phrase over the last few days) and with singing and dancing. They also shared some of their life experiences with us and we are fortunate to have been able to hear them. After hearing these stories, we prayed for them as a team for God to have His hand over their life in everything they do.
Some of the team’s girls getting their hair done by the girls at Christine’s house
The water filter distributions were done today at a local primary school (1st-2nd grade) with about 600 kids and teachers in attendance. The teachers and kids responded with much gratitude and excitement for the filters. Our team then set up a sports clinic for 2 hours where all the kids participated in a range of activities (soccer, tag, frisbee, etc.).
The school children testing out the filtered water after the demonstration
Our final night in Gulu was spent with the people who originally welcomed us here. Local kids and adults from the surrounding community came to hang out with us for one last time. A night filled with laughs, tears, and final goodbyes for our time here in Gulu left our team feeling a broad range of emotions. We are so thankful for the conversations, laughs, lessons, and relationships formed during our time here. We are off and headed to the Paraa Safari Lodge tomorrow morning for some relaxing fun before heading back to the States. Thanks for following along and stay tuned for the exotic animals we encounter along the way.
This morning we woke up and went over to the chapel for our second day of worship. We were welcomed with loud songs and lots of dancing. This morning was very hot and the dancing tired all of us out quite quickly. We were covered in sweat as Matt began to give a message to us and the rest of the Sports Outreach staff. During his talk he gave encouragement to all of us to trust that God will use us all in special ways. That no matter who you are, you are a masterpiece made in the image of God.
After devotions, we traveled to a nearby preschool where they were waiting for us to help serve porridge. This school had 75 students divided between three classrooms consisting of K1, K2, and K3. After serving them their breakfast, we were able to play games with the little kids as we waited for the bus to return from refueling. We taught them red light green light, and then they taught us a game called fire on the mountain. Then we split into two groups to distribute the water filters. One group traveled in the bus to a nearby village where we distributed 4 filters. To get to this village, we had to drive down a road that was approximately half the width of the bus. However, Wilfred once again managed to get us there quickly and safely. After we finished the filter demonstration, one of the staff members asked the community members if there were any prayer requests. Multiple women raised their hands to asked for prayers regarding their children’s health, personal health, and division within their family. It was very moving to engage in a time of prayer in unison with the community members. The other team traveled in a van to five different locations where they distributed ten water filters.
Ty interacting with the preschoolers at the school where we served porridge.
Then we headed back for lunch and had a little bit of time to relax before we left for the local Catholic school. When we arrived at the school there were 800 middle school students sitting in the yard waiting for us. As we walked towards them, they all joined in on songs and clapping to welcome us to their school. At the school we built ten water filters in front of all of the students and staff. The students loved the demonstration and got the dirtiest water they could find in order to test the filter.
Dom and Ella demonstrating the water filter to the middle schoolers at the Catholic school.
When we got back from the Catholic school, we walked over to the vocational school where we bought purses, bags, and skirts. They were all made by hand by girls that are involved in Sports Outreach’s training program for young girls. The other skill they teach is hair dressing and we had a few team members get their hair braided. To wrap up the day, we had another sports clinic with community members. We played all kinds of games and had lots of fun. A few of us played with the teenage girls and had an awesome time playing their games and dancing. They laughed at our dance moves, but I (Ella) think I was pretty good! Dinner was delicious as always, with good discussion at the table. We are thankful for another beautiful day in Gulu!
We got to worship at a church in the Hole on the Dominican Mother’s Day.
Sunday morning, we had the amazing opportunity to attend a church service at the church we visited in The Hole the day before. It was a super unique experience to get to see how that church worships, and be in community with everyone during the service. This Sunday was also Mother’s Day in the Dominican Republic, so we got to celebrate with their mothers and hear an amazing sermon about Moms. After church we talked with some members and kids of the church and then started to drive to a resort in Puerto Plata, where we would spend the day relaxing and sleep there preparing for re-entry back to the US.
It was hard to say goodbye to our friends from the Hole after being there two days in a row.
When we arrived to the resort we enjoyed a lunch buffet and got right to soaking up the sun. There was a beautiful pool and beach to enjoy. We spent the afternoon tanning, swimming, playing water volleyball, and overall relaxing. After that beautiful day spent in the sun, we enjoyed hot showers and another buffet meal. Following dinner, we made our way out to the beach to just catch the sunset over the beautiful horizon of the ocean and mountains, another reminder of God’s beautiful creation and power. As the sun finished setting we all sat on the beach and had a time of sharing and reflecting on our time in the Dominican Republic, all the things we learned, and the things we want to take back home with us. It was a true testament of God’s faithfulness and the work He has been doing in all of our hearts.
Sunset in Puerto Plata.
To finish off the night we all hung around the resort playing ping pong, pool, and most importantly preparing for the karaoke night that we were all going to participate in. We each assigned random partners and were given songs we did not know until we got up on stage. There were some amazing performances, like Brady and Chad singing “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran, and Jake and Dan singing “Someone Like You” by Adele, just to name a few. There were many standing ovations and talented voices discovered.
All of the resort was singing along and had many laughs. After karaoke we finished up a fun day with Brady sharing very kind letters and words of affirmation with everyone in the group and it brought our team together even more. To end, a few of us went down to the beach and enjoyed each others company while watching the stars and listening to the crashing waves. It was a beautiful ending to a beautiful day.
Brady and Chad gave an amazing performance at karaoke night.
After a good night’s rest, we began our final few hours at the resort Monday morning, a few people got up and watched the sunrise, while the rest of us enjoyed the lovely resort beds and a late breakfast. After breakfast we went out to the beach as a group and had another opportunity for Ali, Zac, and Emma to share their stories. It was another amazing moment of honesty and opportunity for us all to learn more about one another. These conversations helped wrap up our time at the resort, as we had just over an hour to relax on the beach and in the sun, and then it was time for us to leave, and head back to GO Ministries in Santiago. Spending time at the Gran Ventana Resort provided us some much needed relaxation as well as a time of reflection on some of the incredible work we have done this week, and as usual we had so much fun spending more quality time with one another.
Happy Memorial Day everyone! It’s half of the team’s ginger clan (Keegan and Emma) coming at you with today’s update. We started our day bright and early at 7:30 AM. After a simple breakfast, we headed over to the chapel for our daily devotion. Little did we know, this devotion was going to be an all out dance party. We arrived to the singing, dancing and echoing of the Ugandan women who live on the Sports Outreach complex. During our introduction, we each showed off our favorite dance move (even Dave Jolly despite his injured knee).
Members of a village that water filters were distributed to.
Following devotion, we headed over to the Sports Outreach preschool where we handed out porridge and listened to two adorable rhymes performed by the children. We took a little trip to the vocational school where the young women who live on the compound showed us their beautiful work that ranged from skirts, to purses, to backpacks and so much more. The women took a liking to braiding Natalie’s, Anneliese’s and even Ty’s hair. Soon after, we put on our dirty shoes, slipped on some gloves and went to work planting eggplant, cabbage and tomatoes at the farm on the complex.
Smiling faces as the team walks from a village back to the complex.
Before lunch, we had an hour and a half break which consisted of journaling, Spikeball and chess. Jack was finally able to show off his chess skills, beating his Ugandan opponent not once, but twice. Lunch consisted of the highly anticipated rolex, a classic Ugandan street food that is composed of an omelet wrapped in a chapati (similar to a tortilla).
Bonding over braiding at the vocational school.
After lunch, we traveled to four different places nearby and distributed approximately 35 water filters. As in our previous experiences, the people were extremely welcoming and engaged. We returned to the complex and prepared for a sports clinic. The sports clinic consisted of soccer and ultimate frisbee, ending with a full field soccer match. Our night ended with a delicious dinner and a team debrief that continued the deepening of relationships among the team.
Hallelujah…amen! Hallelujah…amen!! We stole this greeting from Moses who we sadly had to say farewell to yesterday. We were sad to say goodbye to the Sports Outreach team in Kampala, but we were looking forward to the new experiences in Gulu. It’s Sav and Natalie here to update you on what today looked like!
Today looked a little different from the past few days as we spent 6 hours on the bus relocating to the Sports Outreach facility in Gulu! The bus ride was filled with lots of story times with Jolly, trivia games, many meaningful conversations, a few naps here and there, and lots of laughter and smiles.
The gangs all ready to go!! Try to spot the baboon food hidden in the photo:)
The drive went along smoothly and the views were absolutely beautiful! Towards the end of our trip, we were able to see the Nile River. Everyone was absolutely amazed at the power and force of the water as we drove over the bridge and the view was absolutely breathtaking! Also, alongside the road were multiple baboons just roaming around and playing with each other. Even little baby ones were sitting alongside the bridge as we crossed and we all shared a good laugh watching them! Sadly, we didn’t get the chance to feed them any bananas.
The view of the Nile River before we crossed…we wish you could see it in person, pictures don’t do it justice!
Arriving to the campus was such an amazing experience. The campus itself was beautiful, but the people were what made it so special. The minute we stepped off the bus we had a large group of young girls come up to us singing, dancing, smiling, and welcoming us to the campus! They were so happy and excited and it rejuvenated our souls and refreshed us with excitement and hope after a long bus ride.
After putting away our things we headed our to go play some soccer! We were blown away by how many people were there. There were two teams warming up and ready to go; The Good News team from Gulu and The Super Eagles from the local community. They invited us to join in on the game so a few of us split up between the two teams! We learned a lot from the way they played and were amazed by their speed and talent. Even our very own Matt Margaron joined in on the fun and gave it a spin!! The difference in the level of play provided many laughs to both our team and the locals. Although many people were gathered around watching the main soccer game, there were multiple other activities going on.
The starting line up for the big game, featuring Jack, Annelise, Emma, Keegan, Addi, and Julia from left to right. Subs cheering from the sideline.
On the other fields, there was another smaller soccer game going on, some spikeball, ultimate frisbee, tag, and fruitful conversations all taking place. Every member of our team found their way to be involved and interact with our new friends! Ed immediately drew some kids in and taught them how to play ultimate frisbee and the kids loved it!! On the smaller field, Ty welcomed the younger players in, the field was quickly filled with competitive laughter. Emma had a little group of girls that started out playing spikeball, and ended up just playing with the spikeball ball! I (Sav) being unable to participate in many of the physical sports, found my place on the sideline holding a beautiful little baby! In our group debrief, every team member kept highlighting the joy they each individually felt through all these special moments from the day.
After these activities wrapped up, we had the opportunity to share the gospel with all the community members. We are looking forward to continuing these relationships throughout the next few days. During one of the most delicious meals we have had so far, we shared lots of stories and laughter together. Afterwards, the laughter continued as we debriefed as a team enjoying funny moments during the conversation.
Hey, that’s all. We gotta run… off to play some moonball, spikeball, and cards! Stay tuned for some more exciting updates to come, and pray the community members will continue to be receptive to the gospel!
Today we started off the morning with some delicious breakfast (once again) before heading off to the GO Ministries compound to help out with different sports camps. We split up into two groups, one that went and played basketball and one that went and played soccer. At soccer we played a bunch of games on their beautiful field with a group of young girls. One of the players made us laugh by hanging out way offsides and calling for the ball by shouting “gringo!!!” every time one of us had the ball. After a few hours out in the hot Dominican sun we were definitely feeling the effects. Some of us ended the session by talking to the group of girls about the importance of women in sports and sharing some knowledge we have gained through our experiences as female college athletes. While some of us were at the fields playing soccer, others were on the basketball courts playing game after game with the kids. The kids were very excited to scrimmage us and show off their skills. The first 3 games were rough and we found ourselves losing but over time we built up some team chemistry and rallied together. We ended up winning the next four games. Let us remind you these were full court 5v5 basketball games to 16. To say the least, the five basketball players found ourselves extremely tired after playing, but they had a blast. It was amazing to see the smiles on the kids faces and the love for the game we all shared.
After spending the morning at GO’s Leadership Development Complex, we went back to home base for lunch of rice, beans, and steak, then headed to “The Hole.” The Hole is a place that we have been talking about all week, so we were all a little anxious to experience it – but we had no idea what to expect. It is a village in the middle of the city set on a river that used to be a garbage dump but after it was shut down people began building homes at the site. It set lower than the stores and city streets surrounding it – hence the title. We parked our bus on a curb, with some stores on one side and a sidewalk and some grass on the other. Just a few steps over was a turn leading down into the Hole, an alleyway that descends down into what looks like a maze of small homes leaning into each other, many in very poor condition. The walkways for this town weren’t wider than two people across, and flowing through the middle of the walkway was a small moat in the concrete of flowing water. I think all of us would agree that it was unlike anything we have seen before.
Walking through the Hole to find kids to go to the park.
As we walked through the Hole we arrived to the church that we will be visiting tomorrow for a service. We met a couple of people who work with GO and the church and they talked to us about how the church started and about their stories. One of the men, named Estarlin, shared how he grew up in the Hole, going to the church’s nutrition center and playing basketball through GO, and how he is an example of how sports brings people to the feet of Christ.
After we met them, we walked back through the streets of the Hole, collecting kids as we made our way to the park. Our group flooded the park and the craziness commenced. We brought our balls and bubbles and toys and everyone was doing something different with so many children. Paulo played basketball with some of the kids and was working pretty hard. There was a young kid who was playing incredible. It was a great experience to just be in the sun and play with the kids.
Katie playing frisbee with the kids.
We then returned to GO Ministries for the night. We were all pretty exhausted and ready for a shower. After we had the chance to clean up and soak in some of the amazing A/C we took a short walk to a GO Ministries store and Empanada restaurant. We had fresh empanadas and local juices for dinner.
After dinner we took a nice walk around the neighborhoods surrounding our home. This was a great time spent together talking and growing closer as a group and individually. Returning from the walk we had our daily debrief where we reflected as a group on where we saw God today. Everyday we see God in different ways and it truly has been a blessing seeing the way God has worked through each other during this trip. Next the team listened to Dan, Elisa, and Jake share their life stories with the group. Every night the group has had great conversations as we learn more about each other. Today was another great, long day filled with a number of amazing experiences. We are excited for what the rest of the trip has in store!
We woke up this morning to see a beautiful clear view of the city. This was the first time we saw the city with no fog and it was breathtaking. After a debrief of our day yesterday and a delicious breakfast, we split up into two teams to go to different locations throughout the day. Thankfully, we (Jack and Anneliese) were in different groups and can tell you individually about everything we did today so buckle in, it’s a long one.
Dom and Ty had the opportunity to play with the Good News soccer team at the Sports Outreach Center the day before. It was a lot of fun to watch especially with such a great view!
In the morning, the two teams headed to Kampala School for the physically handicapped or Nateete, a slum in Kampala. I (Anneliese) went to the school and it was easily the highlight of my group’s day and even possibly the trip. We were barely off the bus before the kids began to smile and wave, running towards us. We were instantly surrounded with love and acceptance. The kids stole our hearts and it was apparent they cared about each other by the way they treated one another with kindness. It was amazing to see what this school has done for these kids (over 170 of them!) and how many resources their school has provided them with. Time flew by and before we knew it, we had to head back for lunch. We did not want to leave but felt so full of love and joy from spending our morning with these sweet kids.
Joni, Ella, Keegan, and Sav with some of the kids a Kampala School for the physically handicapped.
We (Jack and friends) had the opportunity to travel to the slum of Nateete to distribute water filters. The people were super accepting and happy. We played frisbee and “Tilapia and Silverfish” (Ed’s version of “Sharks and Minnows”) with around 20 kids. Ty had a great time teaching them how to take pictures with his camera and they were super excited to learn. It was very nice to see the joy and gratefulness from those receiving the filters.
Ty showing the kids at Nateete the photos he took on his camera.
Both teams got back right in time for lunch at the Namirembe Guest House. We all had such an amazing morning at both locations and could not wait to see what the afternoon adventures entailed.
Shortly after lunch, the two teams headed to Katwe or Kibuli. I (Anneliese again) went to Kibuli (pronounced chi boo lee), one of the slums in Kampala. We went into the church where there was a circle of children. We sat with them as one of the Sports Outreach Employees, Lydia, shared a Bible verse with the kids and gave them porridge. Lydia grew up in Kibuli and was one of the kids that came to these meetings for food. It was so encouraging to see how she used to be one of those kids there, sitting and eating porridge, and now she is mentoring them and sharing the Word. Throughout our time, we were able to connect with the kids and some of the parents before we began sharing about the water filters. They were extremely receptive and I even led the kids through building a water filter on their own. It was amazing to see these kids show me what piece goes where and how they answered each of my questions correctly and quickly. Even with the hardships these children face, they were so willing to learn and always had a smile on their face around us. When we left the church, we went on a home visit. It was heartbreaking to see what these families go through, but so encouraging to see how welcoming they were to us and how they continue to persevere.
We (Jack and friends again) were lucky enough to visit the Katwe chess academy, the same place that is famous for the movie Queen of Katwe. We distributed water filters for some families of those who live in Katwe and met some very special people involved in their chess academy. Robert Katende, who works through Sports Outreach, was the one who started the chess academy. He took us through the slum to show us all the areas the movie was filmed. Through this we got to see the harsh reality of living in the slum. The people were very happy and welcoming to us even in their difficult circumstances. It was certainly a special place and we are very grateful for these experiences today!
Today was a very emotionally draining yet beautiful day for both teams. We were grateful for a bit of time to rest before dinner to process the day we had. We were still rather drained at dinner, but being together allowed us to have great and meaningful conversation. We had such an impactful day and now need to go to bed because guess who has a 7 hour bus ride to Gulu tomorrow!?! it’s us. This is Jack and Anneliese signing off for now!
Edward, a student at the Kampala School for the physically handicapped, enjoying some tootsie pops this morning. We hope you enjoy his smile as much as we did! 🙂
Hi everyone! Ella and Keegan here to update you on our awesome Thursday!
It was another very long day full of fun and surprises that gave us memories to last a lifetime. We had breakfast at the hotel and headed out to the Sports Outreach facility for our morning devotions and worship. The singing and dancing did not disappoint, bringing big smiles to our faces once again.
Today our task was to distribute 11 water filters to community members living in the slums. My group (Ella) had to walk about half a mile up a mountain to get to the quarry where the families were working. It was incredibly hot as we arrived. The families gathered around and we showed them how to assemble their water filter and described to them how it could take dirty water and provide them clean water to drink. They looked a bit skeptical at first, but once they saw it pour out clean water, their faces lit up with excitement. We were able to share the gospel while we were there, which was pretty special too. Suddenly, our leader Sam told us we needed to start walking quickly back to the bus because it was going to rain. Well, let me tell you, he was right. We headed down the mountain and it started to rain… then pour… then pour even harder. Thankfully no one slipped (even Sav)! Jumping into the bus, it looked like we went swimming. There was nothing to do but laugh! We drove back to the facility and bonded over our crazy experience. What a time.
My group (Keegan) went to a small village and demonstrated how to make and use the water filters. After a whole group demonstration, the Hope students paired up one one with a member of the village to individually construct the filter system. Once all the filters were made, a small time of fellowship between the Hope staff and village which consisted of holding babies, eating candy, and playing with baby chickens. We left the village to the sight and sound of some villagers dancing and singing in thankfulness.
After another delicious lunch, the whole team headed to a eucalyptus nursery where we would do a filter demonstration to the workers and tour the nursery. Through the use of the filter and comparing what life is like before and after Jesus Christ, Pastor Simon Peter asked the workers if any of them wanted to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. A resounding 16 people dedicated their lives to Christ today!
Later in the afternoon, a soccer match took place between the Sports Outreach staff and a team of local players. Ty and Dom joined in on the Sports Outreach team and dominated the competition. After 90 minutes of play on a slick pitch, Sports Outreach came out with the 2-1 win. Hope staff that were not playing watched the game or played sports with the spectators. There was no need for verbal communication when playing with the spectators; a ball was the only thing we needed. Our trip back to the hotel took extra long due to the traffic of Ugandan night life.
