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.