Sleeping In the Slums.

American commodities. Its pretty much what everyone here looks forward to, how lucky was i to find that upon application, my most important commodity of deodorant smells like coconut. I don’t think you need to even poll the audience, Regis, to tell from my tone my emotions tied to the smell of freshly artificialized coconut. mmMMmmm. It actually turned out to be ok because shortly after, i found out that i wont be smelling much like coconut but for the first 30 minutes after the shower. Last night we did meet up with Jon which it was good to see a familiar face and make that connection. he is staying in a guest house which is nice. Not quite Robin status but its got electricity and a nice shower...

After we talked to Jon and Jeremiah the other guy that is here from vintage with him, we went on our way to find Julius our connection through Abby. We chose to skip on the bota (scooter) ride and try hitch hiking because Jonathan said they had been saving money doing that so we were automatically down. About ten seconds into the ride we decided the only vital part to hitch hiking other than making sure the guy doesn’t work for the bad man downstairs is knowing where you are going. All in all we got there, but it was a wonderful adventure. Finally we had made it and both of us were about ready to kick it on day 2 of being in africa. 

 I don’t know if any of you heard me say that we were going to be staying in the slums with the kids trying to get to know what their life is like? Well we sure kept our part on that end of the bargain. The orphanage is nice. The area around it, not so much. But after only spending a day with these children i have found that i trust them. It helped that they were hand picked by Abby but they were also looking out for us and the earthly few earthly possessions that we have chosen to bring along, but some of their hearts made mine look like an empty Guel (g-ooo-l) mountain. (Neighbor Mr Eds name for the worst part of wake forests city dump.) Mr Ed, i have now answered the question “what if someone actually lived here?” I do.  

Today we met Abby. I think she is truly amazing. Not like a “if you like it better put a ring on it” way. (parents its a song. google it.) But she shows up looking like the freshest part of America and shes the one that is living with these kids all this time? Ben and I had been there for like 24 hours and we were dripping with sweat, covered in dirt, and the scent of coconut was as old as history itself. And she know how to love these kids like no one has ever before. Overall we have only been here a short while but i am already beginning to see a purpose to the first part of this journey. From far far away im signing out. 

-Andrew

L4L 

-Co Founder

Tomorrow ill try to put up some photos. 

Like most children in foreign countries, the boys we are living with love soccer.  So this morning, after eating some pourage for breakfast, we went out to the field that they play on.  Its not really a field though.  Its located in the middle of the slums, is 90 percent dirt and rock and slopes downhill at one end.  Men on on their way to work and women going to the market would casually meander through the middle of the field as we played.  There were also several cows grazing on the 10 percent that was grass.  This set up for something I had never experienced while playing any sport.  Andrew had the ball coming toward our goal.  One of the boys ran at him and he cut it back across a fairly large patch of grass, planted his right foot and swung his left through the ball which had rolled on top of a hidden pile of fresh cow dung.  It exploded everywhere and hit everyone ( I was 15 yards away some hit me, it was still warm).  All the boys laughed.

A couple of them had shoes they played in but almost all of them wore plastic sandals given to them by the orphanage.  Despite their few belongings and dirty clothes, they are some of the nicest and most hospitable people I have ever some in contact with.  Last night when we first arrived they would came straight up to Andrew and would grab our hand and say “How are you?” or “Nice to meet you.”  They did  the same this morning when we woke up.

Later today we met with Dan Morris, a pastor from Vintage 21 who is heading up the Acts 29 church-planting vision in Kampala.  We talked for a while and tomorrow should begin on a promo video where he expresses his vision and plans for the future.

One last thing-There is no organized trash pickup system in Kampala so there is garbage everywhere.  We were actually told to litter because there are not trash cans and if there are, they just get dumped into the streets or alleys anyway.

Ben