Final Day in Choma!

Hi this is Sam Vree and Jo Cook. This morning, several of the team members woke up for the sunrise. After watching the sunrise, the rest of the team joined for breakfast before the Poetice crew showed up. After breakfast, some of the team went to the prayer room for a time of individual prayer which was a great time to reflect on our week here at Poetice. After prayer and before church, John, one of the leaders at Poetice, led us around their property showing us their vision for the years to come.

Our service was amazing and unlike anything most of us have experienced. We spent time in worship to open the service. The songs we sang had us clapping, jumping and dancing around. I, Sam Vree, had to teach Jake how to clap on rhythm. After the opening songs, the service transitioned into a baby dedication. Parents from the church brought their kids to church, and several Poetice staff members spoke prayers over the families. After the dedication, we ended the service with a couple more songs and then transitioned into a church picnic.

The church picnic consisted of the members eating, playing sports and relaxing on the church base. The children were full of energy running around, getting their faces painted, a stickers table, nail painting, and playing different games. We had dodgeball, volleyball, soccer and basketball games going. After an hour of playing and relaxing, we ate together as a congregation and then continued in the festivities. John told us it was their first time having a day quite like this after church, and they were really happy with how it went.  It was really fun for all of us. The church day was perfectly balanced with times for worship and fellowship.

After the picnic, several of the mamas stuck around for water filter demonstrations. We gave away several more water filters, and showed them how to set them up on the Poetice base. We then followed the families into their community to their wells filled with unclean water. After demonstrating that we were willing to drink their dirty water after it passed through the filters, the mamas were amazed and appreciative.

On our way back through the community, we stopped at a soccer game. We supported two of the soccer teams that were at our camp, and seeing them in action was really great. While there, we had a giant dance circle with kids who were there to watch the game and several of our team members were called into the spotlight. The children on the sidelines were a blast to play with, and saying goodbye to all of them for the final time was heart-breaking.

Our final Zambian dinner was chicken and nshima. Poetice staff wanted to celebrate our last night being on the base and we had ice cream for dessert and a campfire as a place for worship. During our worship time at the campfire, people in the same sports split up and talked about worries or anxieties that might be holding us back from a true relationship with God. Many found this time to be important talking to team members. After worship, we went into debrief and all spent time together reflecting on our time in Choma and how it has impacted us before going back home.

Sam & Jo

Answer: A tomato
Question: What do people say about the restaurant on the moon?

 

Safari Adventure

What a lovely day it was. We began with some yummy pancakes (thanks Mya!) which fueled us for the three hour drive to Paraa Safari Lodge. Seriously Mom, look this place up! The drive was a bumpy one, but the change of scenery kept our hopes high. As we entered the gates to the safari district, Wilfred noticed that one of the tires was nearly flat. We had to turn around and went to the nearest town to get that fixed. We sat in the bus for an extra hour while they fixed the tire. Unfortunately that decreased the amount of time we had to check into our hotel, eat lunch, and catch the river cruise on the Nile River! Uh oh! However, as Connor likes to say, “a minor setback, is primed for major comeback!” The words rang true as we made it to the ferry with only seconds to spare! This added some excitement to our afternoon.

The River cruise was unlike anything any of us have ever experienced. It felt as though we were living our childhood dreams of seeing a multitude of African animals (Giraffes, Elephants, Wort hogs, water buffaloes, crocodiles, hippopotamus, monkeys, and more!). Don’t worry Mom we took plenty of pictures. The sounds of “The Circle of Life” from the Lion King were running through our heads the throughout the day. The cruise took close to two hours and dropped us off near two huge waterfalls.

After we were dropped off, we had a hour long hike along the river which led us to the top of the waterfalls. It was unbelievable witnessing these falls and how they portray the power of our God. Following our hike Wilfred had the bus ready for us at the end of the trail and we shuttled back to the lodge.

Today has definitely showed us a completely different side to Uganda. The tourist-y stuff we did today is completely different than the villages and slums we have been in this last week and it has been a cool opportunity to see both.

Quote of the day: “Did you hear about the hippopotamus that is being put on trial for murder?” “Right now he is in de-Nile!” – Ashleigh

Connor, Taylor and Natalie

 

Wonderful Wilfred and the Magic School Bus

We started the morning off with a wonderful breakfast cooked by the lovely kitchen staff. Most of the team has become reliant on the Ugandan hot tea served every day with breakfast, lunch, and dinner. After that, we headed to devotions at a local school. We sang arguably our favorite song of the trip. The chorus goes, “When Jesus say yes, nobody can say no!” After that, we each carried 12-foot-long poles of bamboo to our first home visit. We built a drying rack and gave a water filter demonstration for the woman and the people of her community. Both activities were a team effort and taught us many things, including the “Ugandan Two-Man Saw”.

Then came our second home visit. This may have been the most amazing home visit for one reason: Wilfred’s driving. Let us set the scene; one path, three feet wide. One bus, seven feet wide. One man, ready to risk it all. After this ride we realized we’ve been paying way too much money for the rides at Cedar Point.

After lunch, we took a shopping trip to Lydia’s Place. Here you can purchase goods made by the students of Christine’s House Trade School. They are taught things like sewing, carving, and weaving, which will help them secure a source of income when they are able to return to their communities. We won’t say much about what we bought, but our families should definitely look forward to some goodies!

We returned to the school where we had spent the morning at for a fun afternoon of sports and other activities. Soccer, dodgeball, sharks and minnows, and bubbles were all a huge hit! Whitney and Ashleigh were master artists using the kids’ faces as canvases. There was a volleyball showdown between the Hope College team and the Sports Outreach Staff; but you know what they say… Hope plays, Hope wins. We all spent the afternoon soaking in the joy of the children since this was our last camp of the trip L. We left feeling happy and sad as the realization of how much time has passed hit us all.

Before dinner Richard talked to our group about the Empower Me program. This Sports Outreach program allows you to sponsor a child and fund their education and manage other needs in their life. If you have any more questions, definitely ask someone on the trip or learn more at sportsoutreach.net! Overall, a satisfying last day in Gulu and we all want to come back!

Peace and Blessings,

Whitney, Anna, Ashleigh

PS Moms: only a few more days until we’re home!

Pizza Party

The transformation of feelings in the group has radically changed throughout the last week from anxiety to joyfulness. Since being here for a week, it’s been evident how the Lord has taken ahold of our hearts. Whether it be giving out water filters to families in need, spending time in laughter with the children, or late-night team talks, God has been present throughout all of it.

Our day started with our routine breakfast and devotions with the Sports Outreach family. Pastor Aloysius continued this month’s theme, by focusing his message on the Prodigal Son and how God is willing to leave the 99 to find the one. This message set the tone for the full day ahead of us.

We started with visiting a level three medical facility located outside of Gulu. We were able to bring water filters for the staff and patients to keep everyone healthy while they are at the clinic. We always make it an emphasis to demonstrate the Gospel through the water filter demo. We also brought water filters to a nursery and primary school for the children and staff there. It’s always encouraging to see the lightbulb go off for the people we share the filters with when they realize the impact it will have on their community.

After we had a nice lunch, we were able to visit two different community members and bring water filtration systems. Not only was it an honor to be welcomed into their homes, we were able to give them words of encouragement and prayer. During one of the visits, a woman shared her story of how she stepped away from the church for two years after losing her husband. Through the guidance and encouragement of our team and Sports Outreach staff, she opened her heart to Christ again. This was a beautiful moment to witness and be a part of.

Following the home visits, the team re-grouped at a school in partnership with Sports Outreach to run sports stations. The stations included dodgeball, handball, volleyball, bubbles, limbo, soccer, face painting, and fun games with Chris. Once the rotations had ended, each group had an opportunity to share the Gospel with the kids as well as share our testimonies with them. It was great to see one small girl dedicate her life to Christ after hearing Kendall’s story of how Jesus Christ bridged the gap between our sinful nature and God.

Once we arrived back to the farm, we were treated to pizza and French fries! This made a lot of us happy, very happy. During our debrief, Stephanie had the amazing idea to write each team member a letter of encouragement. This has been a very fulfilling day and we are excited for our final adventures here in Uganda!!

Quote of the night: “The greatest adventure you will ever go on is following God!” – Kendall

Hailey, Terrell, Connor

Road Trip to Macha!

Hello! This is David and Mallory! Today we changed things up a bit from the normal routine and journeyed to Macha, Zambia. It was about an hour and a half drive and it was a great way to see the African landscape during their winter season. In Macha, we partnered with the organization Push the Rock. Messiah College, who has a program similar to SEED called Aroma, had just arrived yesterday and was spending their first day running a sports clinic similar to ours. It was fun to meet another group of college athletes that are also passionate about sports, kids, and faith. Seeing them on their first day reminded us of our first days and how far we have come in just a week.

After we arrived, we ran sport stations with the Messiah students such as soccer, badminton, basketball, lacrosse, etc. Then we came together and students from both schools shared their stories (David & Sam crushed it).  And then unlike our camp, the kids left before lunch. Lunch was a good time to connect even more with Messiah and Push the Rock. After lunch, everyone assembled for the 3rd annual Poetice versus Push the Rock volleyball game, and we found a way to win in four games! (with grace). It was a blast to play together as a team in such a competitive game.  The time spent in Macha was a reminder that God is at work in Zambia in many ways.

For dinner, we had chicken and chips (fried chicken and fries). It offered a taste of home just like the flavor-blasted goldfish, granola bars, and candy we pass around at night.

We are looking forward to church tomorrow with Poetice, and they are doing a family fun day, as well. It is slowly dawning on us that we only have a couple days left and our time together is dwindling down quickly. Since we have been feeling this way, we want to soak in everything we can, so some of us have been rising at 6am for the awesome sunrises as a reminder of how great God is and how beautiful his creation is.

David and Mallory

A: Attire
Q: What is red and goes up and down in an elevator?

 

Field Day!

Today was our last day doing sports camp here at Poetice. Today instead of doing sports stations, we had a field day set up. The kids competed at 11 different stations ranging from throwing a frisbee to a balance test. It was so fun to see the kids compete and be competitive with each other. In the morning the kids rotated to each of the stations and then after lunch the best in each age group competed in a few of them in the final showcase: the 50m dash, Frisbee golf, soccer juggling, and softball throw. We then did an awards ceremony for the winners of each age group and the showcase.  We also presented each coach of the 4 teams with a Bible in Tonga (along with a printout of the scripture that was shared with them this week), a team picture we had taken that day, and 2 new soccer balls.  It was really hard to say goodbye to all of the kids today. Everyone here has made connections with different kids so it was sad to say goodbye. As all the kids were leaving we were able to pass out candy and stickers to all the kids. It’s awesome to know that Hope College will forever be a part of this community.  Poetice opens their gates for their youth (age 13-17) on Friday afternoons, and we heard at debrief that a few who hadn’t ever come before came today because they now know who Poetice is through the sports camp from this week.

After the sports camp ended we walked into the market in Mawpona with some of their youth (who had also participated in the camp this week) and students from Poetice’s School for Justice and Mission who have stuck around this week to help us. Afterwards we walked to a local soccer practice of one of the teams from this week and watched them scrimmage as the sun set in the background of the field. Dinner was a delicious meal of tacos without the shells and included rice, beef, sauce, and vegetables.

We then had debrief, and played cards and games together.  We have all been really enjoying getting to know each other this week. Everyone has been open with each other and we have all grown close. We are all looking forward to doing things together this year at school.

Andrew & Mackenzie

Joke answer: It was exhausted
Joke today: What’s the difference between a well-dressed person on unicycle and a poorly dressed person on a bicycle?

Brick by Brick

Breakfast was great.

We followed breakfast with a devotional with the young women from Christine’s House and Vocational School. Terrell and Chris each had a brief speech to add to the devotional. Unknowingly, Chris’ devotion about the Prodigal Son matched the scripture that was currently being studied with the school.

After, the team did some work on the farm helping stack bricks for a new dining enclosure and pulling weeds in the green pepper beds. James is the lead farmer on staff and he encourages us to find God in everything we do, including pulling weeds and passing bricks. He challenged us to find God and Biblical principles within tasks that we wouldn’t usually consider.

This was followed by a visit to Christine’s House of Empowerment where we had the opportunity to meet with the young women and hear the mission of the house. This is an amazing place that supports young girls and women who have been victims abuse. While the women’s stories were not shared, the strength in each of them was evident in how they spoke and how they acted.

Lunch was great.

After lunch we went to distribute water filters to families and we met three amazing families. We had the opportunity to meet Francis, a 25-year-old man with a severe disability. Francis and his grandmother radiated God’s love and showed courage which touched us all.

After a trip back to Koro Farm and a quick regroup, we headed out to the soccer field at the farm to have a sports camp with children. We split into four groups, taught them volleyball, dodgeball, and softball while getting our butts kicked in soccer. After the sports session, we had the opportunity to share life lessons that we each took from our sport.

Dinner was great.

After dinner several members of the staff shared their testimony and how Sports Outreach has impacted their lives.

We ended by discussing the day and encouraging each other to continue to bring energy and positivity to each moment.

Peace and love,

Whitney, Taylor, Chris

Camp Day 3 and Filters!

Mwabuka buti!

This is Emma and Arinn and we first want to thank you again for all of your thoughts and prayers for this trip. We are truly witnessing God work in amazing ways, both in our lives and in this community of people.

Today was the third day of sports camps. We are making lots of wonderful connections with the children that are coming and participating. Today Mallory shared part of her story to the kids, and was able to show and share God’s power. In the afternoon sports camps our patience was tested by the incredible wind that lasted all day and made several of the sports much more interesting, but they went really well in the end!

This afternoon we had the opportunity to break up into small groups and go into the community bringing Sawyer water filters, and sharing God’s word through them. It was an eye-opening experience to see the families look at the unclean water in the bucket and then the clean filtered water in the glass, and realize that they could now actually drink the water from the shallow wells in their communities (that are unsafe to drink as is). We also were able to see their homes, and some of their daily routines, like how food is prepared, how laundry is washed, and where they sleep at night. The kids at each home were filled with so much joy at the sight of the clean water, and the fact that they can now drink the same water that they previously only used for baths and dishes.

Through the demonstrations we were able to explain how the filter represents Jesus.  That once we truly know Him and accept Him into our lives, we go from being unclean and sinful, to a new creation.  Forgiven.  While sharing the gospel we noticed large groups around the demonstrations listening to God’s word and how the water would change things. Each group visited multiple homes in the community to hand out the filters, and it was a great part of our day.

We had some time for some team bonding before dinner, and we were able to have a lot of fun being together. Our group has grown very close and it is crazy to think that we came together a week ago.  It has been really amazing to see the vulnerability of the group and the willingness for people to open up and share about their life and faith journey.

We had another amazing worship session tonight that was able to speak to a lot of students and continue to let them see how awesome God truly is.

We realized today we never gave the final report on the lost luggage…but it was found and returned to its original owners!  So all is good on that front.  Thanks again for following along on our journey.

Emma & Arinn

A: Bi-son
Q: Why didn’t the car start?

Kids, Kids, and More Kids

Hello everyone!! This is Courteney (Junior/Women’s Basketball) and Jake (Junior/Men’s Basketball). Today was our second day of sports camp and it was so awesome to welcome the kids from the day before. We have developed relationships with them and even made some sweet secret handshakes. On the first day, kids slowly trickled in throughout the morning, but today, several children were there right when the gates opened for registration at 8am and immediately the first dodgeballs were starting to be thrown. There were kids playing soccer, volleyball, and practicing their basketball skills before the camp officially started. Before the kids arrived it was calm and we had just finished our morning devotion.  The quietness of the early mornings here on the base is a stark contrast to the fun and laughter had by hundreds of kids when camp is in session.  This base has been here for over 10 years and has grown to heights bigger than imagined. Matthew 13:31-32 is an accurate description of Poetice.

“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants; it grows into a tree, and the birds of the air come and perch in its branches.”

In the morning, we started with the core and stretching, strength and conditioning, speed and agility and education stations. The education station has been a favorite of the kids both days. Today they learned about first aid: concussions, sprained ankles, and how to care for cuts and scrapes.

Following the morning stations was time in the worship center. David got to share his story with everyone, and we would like to thank him for having the courage to step up on short notice to talk in front of 100 kids. After David spoke, Coach Kopas shared Philippians 3:8-14 with the group and Coach V shared how the verses apply to our lives and also correlate to sports. A life of following Jesus is greater than anything else in this world, and may call for sacrifices along the way that we have to press through.  Then, we headed to lunch!

We had the privilege of teaching basketball today.  We got to cover everything from ball handling to lay-up lines.  The enthusiasm on the concrete where we played was so great and was one of the favorite sports stations. Even though the kids don’t have much experience with the sport of basketball, their energy and eagerness to learn were evident.

Once the sports stations were done, we had to get ready for the Poetice Kids and Youth, their Wednesday ministry for the communities that surround them.  Approximately 500 kids were at Poetice late this afternoon!  Our team split up half with the kids (infants-12) and youth (13-17) and each group talked about a certain sermon. The kids lesson was about the story of Abraham and Sarah and it was super interactive. The youth lesson was on marriage and relationships and what the Bible says about both. The youths ideas were expressed in small groups. Witnessing the power of God shine through these kids as they learned about the Bible was memorable. Their faith is incredible.

We wrapped up this day with some team time and our daily debrief. Our team has grown significantly both individually and as a team and we are able to share many more things now during our debriefs and morning devotions than we did when we shared our stories in Holland.  It’s amazing how fast these friendships have formed.  We cannot wait to see how God moves in all of our lives the rest of the week!

Courteney & Jake

A: Because they are shellfish.
Q: What did the buffalo say when his son went to college?

 

Wheels Rollin

The bus pulled out of our hotel in Kampala at 9:00 am sharp!  We had a 7 hour drive to Koro Farm in Gulu.  As always, Wilfred did a wonderful job safely navigating us to our destination- even with all the crazy traffic!  We were eager to experience this new city and area, because last night we learned about how it is still recovering from a long civil war.  We are all excited to continue to see God working through us and those of the Sports Outreach ministry!  On the bus we shared many laughs, went over many speed bumps and saw some of God’s beautiful creations.  The landscape in northern Uganda is much different than what we have previously experienced.  Here there is more lush vegetation and it is less populated.  About an hour before we arrived in Gulu, we saw our first baboon on the side of the road; everyone was excited to see its bright red bottom!  As we continued down the road, we saw the most amazing sight as we crossed the Nile River!  Whitney shared about how she sees so much beauty in Gods creations like this, and the rest of us agreed!  Unfortunately, due to Ugandan laws, we could not take any pictures as we crossed the bridge.  For a stretch of road after the river, there were baboons everywhere!  We all took many pictures of them- especially the baby baboons!

Once we arrived to Koro Farm we were warmly greeted by a staff member who gave us all hugs and attempted to physically and emotionally lift us off the ground in excitement. After settling in, we began our tour of the farm beginning with a meeting of the girls and women who live on the farm and partake in their programs. They have a vocational school where the girls learn tailoring and other skills to help create a vocation once they leave the programs at the farm. These women cheered and clapped when they saw us and the girls danced and sang. Of course, we tried to dance with them, but like most Ugandans when they see our dancing, they laughed. We were able to play an ice breaker game and learn more about the girls before continuing our tour. They showed us the school and told us they have 3 teachers for 145 kindergarten students! We saw the room where the vocational students complete their program and got a sneak peek at the items in their store. It’s amazing to see what these women can learn and create in only a year!

After we looked at the store we ventured over to the agricultural side of the property. We were guided to the farm animals first, where we saw goats, chickens and a pig sty. We learned yesterday from Robert that pigs were the foundation of this sports outreach program in Gulu, as 3 pigs traveled the same journey that we did today (Kampala >> Gulu) when the program was just beginning. We also saw a beautiful field of sunflowers and a TONS of corn. After the tour we had a delicious dinner with Moureen, who gave us the back story of Sports Outreach in Gulu and shared about what we will be experiencing in our next days here. We are all very excited to be in a new place and meet more incredible people.

Thanks for tuning in!

Love,

Natalie, Anna, and Carly

P.S, Mom… promise we didn’t get out of the van to pet the baboons! 😉