Blessings from Uganda

Monday, June 17.

I got to the airport about 1 1/2 hours prior to departure. No problems getting checked in. One of my bags weighed 47.5 pounds and the other one weighed 40 pounds. The TSA line was short, so I breezed right on through.

I got to my gate and sat down to catch my breath and relax a little. What a hectic morning. I had so many things to get done, errands to run, Michelle's flowers to water, dishes to wash, emails to send, cat litter box to clean, and I had to pack! Needless to say, I was somewhat frazzled by the time I got to the airport.

The flight to Chicago left right on time. The weather was good and we actually got into Chicago about 10 minutes early. After I got off the plane, I decided that I probably ought to grab a quick bite to eat. So, I stopped at a McDonalds that was along the route to my next flight and got a McDouble and a sweet iced tea! Looking back, that was a pretty wise move on my part.

The flight to Brussels boarded on time but for whatever reason, we left about 45 minutes late. So, it was now 7:45 pm and I was hungry. I would have been really hungry if I hadn't stopped at McD's. And, because of turbulence we did not get our dinner meal until we had been in the air for over 2 hours!!

This had to be the bumpiest and coldest flight I have ever had. It seems like we had turbulence almost the entire flight. Between the cold and the bumps, I may have slept for an hour of the eight hour flight. Oh, well?

Tuesday, June 18.

Even though we left Chicago 45 minutes late, we arrived right on time in Brussels at 9 am local time. Nice day here. Partly cloudy and about 70 degrees.

Good flight to Entebbe but long. We even had ice cream! Awesome! We first stopped in Kigali Rwanda and then on to Uganda. Total of 10 hours. My back and hips are killing me! Thank The Lord for Aleve. I arrived in Entebbe at 11 pm, got through customs very quickly, and both of my suitcases were on the carousel waiting for me. Another big hurdle was crossed.

Pastor Daniel and our driver were waiting for me just outside the security area. We loaded my bags in the van and went to a nearby hotel to catch a few hours sleep before having to pick up Luke and Brittany. The folks at the hotel were very nice. They even fixed us an omelet and hot tea! I think I finally got to bed at about 12:30. I love coming back to see my friends here in Uganda but these 22 to 24 hours of flight time is tough!

Wednesday, June 19.

Daniel and our driver left at 3 am to pick up Luke and Brittany. I got up at 3:30 am to take a shower and get ready. I found that there was very little water pressure. I thought that I was never going to get the soap out of my hair! At least the water was hot? Luke and Brittany arrived at 3:15 am, they came to the hotel to pick me up, and we departed for Iganga at 4 am.

The drive to Iganga from Entebbe, depending on the traffic, can take 4-6 hours. We hit it just right this morning. At 4 am there is hardly anyone on the road. Usually, the road between Entebbe and Kampala is bumper to bumper, but not this morning. We sailed right through downtown Kampala. Once we got through Kampala, we did start seeing a lot big semi-trucks on the road to Iganga, but we were able to pass them fairly easily and safely.

We rolled into Mums Resort Hotel at 7:15 am, got checked in and decided to rest a few hours. After lunch, Daniel is going to take us to a bank to get some dollars exchanged for Ugandan schillings and to visit some of his projects in the local area. After that, we will spend some time getting ready for our teaching which will start in the morning. Luke is supposed to preach on the radio later this evening. Daniel didn't say anything about it this morning, so it might not happen.

Well, that's the report from Uganda for today. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers!

Blessings!

Fred



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