This morning we had breakfast with the Bishop who we worked with before he transitioned things over to Patrick.  He and his wife, Vasta, son Gideon who stayed with us for 4 months in the U.S. and their daughter Sarah all joined us and it was great catching up with them all and hear how God continues to work in their lives and through their ministry.

Then we went to do a little shopping in the capital of Uganda, Kampala.  We ended the day with a debrief and had a great time beginning to process all that has happened here and what God has done in and through our lives.

We had a crazy 2 1/2 hour drive through traffic that makes LA look tame.  We have made it to Entebbe airport and are now sitting on the plane waiting to depart.  This will be the last post because we will be in LAX in 23 hours or so.  Looking forward to seeing you all and sharing what God has done.

See you all soon!!

The Uganda Team. 

We had a safe journey to Kampala and have just gotten settled at the Namirembe Hotel. What a difference from where we have been staying!  Good transition point as we start our journey home. The team has mixed feelings about leaving and I am so glad that we will have a couple of hours tomorrow afternoon to begin the debrief process.  This truly has been an amazing team!!!  Until the very end they have been supportive of each other, encouraging, accommodating.  What more could any leader ask for in a group of nine.  Looking forward to resting and a good dinner after the long drive from Rukungiri.  We will do some shopping tomorrow, start the debrief process and leave for the airport after dinner.  We are all looking forward to seeing our families and friends on Wednesday.  

This is going to be short because it's really late and we have to be ready to leave at 8 in the morning for our 9 hour drive back to Kampala.

We had a great day today as we wrapped up our time here in Rukungiri.  The team split up to go to two different churches.  John, Kari, Tammi and Pam went to Murama and did another Sunday School with the kids.  Terrilee, Keri, Matt and Liz went to All Saints which was a very different experience as it was  much more affluent compared to Murama.  After almost 3 1/2 hours we were ready for lunch!  Then we got to go and see the Bishops home in the afternoon and then tonight was the long drawn out but very special farewell dinner, where we are appreciated and get to thank our hosts and partners.

It is with mixed emotions that we leave tomorrow.  Of course we miss all of you, but the people and children here have captured our heart.  God has been working  in  all of us and we will not be returning the same as when we arrived. Can't wait to share pictures, stories and how God has worked.  Thanks for your prayers and support.

The Uganda Team.

Today was Mosaic Vision Center Day where over 100 children came to the diocese headquarters to have a time of worship, devotions, games, lunch and just getting to hang out together.  Many of these children we have known over the years and it brought so much joy to connect with them and see how they have grown and changed.  The time of worship was amazing because boy can these kids sing and dance!  So much joy and abandon!  After that we broke into 4 groups.

John and Matt took the older boys and shared their testimonies.  Liz and Pam shared with the older girls, Keri and Kari encouraged the caregivers and Nicole and Tammi were with the elementary age kids, this was a last minute addition, so kudos to them for their willingness to be flexible and do what it takes.  They did a lesson on creation and how we are all broken because of the first sin.  They did an amazing job and when they were done quite a few kids prayed to accept Jesus as their savior.

The Mosaic staff ended up having to do the translating for us, so were not able to get as much time building into them as we had hoped.  We managed to change things around in the afternoon and I was able to get a little over two hours talking with them encouraging them and praying with them.  They are an amazing group of people that truly are the hands and feet of Jesus to these children.  It has been a huge blessing to be with them.

We have church tomorrow and the farewell dinner then back to Kampala on Monday!!

Bye for now,

Terrilee for the Uganda Team.  

We have been having a lo of rain here but today was an answer to prayer as we headed to the Child Survival Program in Kashenyi on a beautiful Friday.  We were welcomed by a large group of moms / caregivers who were singing and dancing and playing the drums.  Their beautiful healthy babies were with them, some strapped to their backs others their fronts.  This is a program that Compassion International started to reach moms who were pregnant or had children under 3 because 1 in 5 were dying before they reached the age of 5.  They give prenatal care, teach them hygiene and nutrition and help them learn a way to earn an income to just name a few of the things these families gain from being in the program.  The moms have community, they learn skills and the fathers are involved as well, which is not the norm in Uganda.  We got to go visit 2 of the CSP homes and really see how what they learned was put into practice in how they set up their homes and planted their gardens.  We were so humbled by the way they share food with us from the very little they had.  The moms put on a program for us when we got back to the project at the church and I had a chance to encourage and speak into their lives.  The Crossing funds this awesome program and if you are not already a part of it I would challenge you to join in by sponsoring at $20 a month.  It is so little but changes the lives of so many.

The team is a little tired because we are going nearly non stop so keep on praying for us to finish strong the next couple of days.

Love to you all!

Terrilee for the Team. 

Hey friends and families,

This is Liz.  I have written and rewritten this text multiple times.  I cannot adequately describe how today has impacted our lives and touched our hearts.  Today we met the children we sponsor.

I started sponsoring Emanuel because he had lost both of his parents to AIDS and was raising 3 of his 9 siblings.  We've only written each other once but seconds after I met him, he told me he loved me and was so happy I came to see him.  We spent the day getting to know eachother, praying and playing.  Emanuel skipped a lot of play time so that he could write me a letter.  The letter said that I will be his "mother until the end of his days ..."  

Everyone has a story from today that touched their heart and we can't wait to share them with you!!  We have seen in incredible ways the ENORMOUS value of sponsoring a child and the hope it gives them for a chance in life.  The whole team would agree with me that this was one of our favorite days!

Please keep praying that we can finish strong over the next 3 days with our partners, that we can show and share God's love to our partners and all the people they serve in this community.

We appreciate your prayers and support and hope you are in some way tracking with us on what God is doing in and through us.

Can't wait to share with you all,

Liz for the Team!!

We had a great and relaxing day today as we hit the midway point on our mission experience.  We left this morning and spent the day at Queen Elizabeth National Park.  It was very fun. The team was in great spirits and looking forward to a day of fun, rest and recharging for the rest of our mission.  We drove through the park and saw quite a bit of wildlife, warthogs, antelope, an some amazing birds.  We stopped at a Safari Lodge to have lunch and then go on a boat ride to see other animals.  We were near Lake Edward and Lake George and they are both full of wildlife.

Lunch was amazing and for many the highlight of the day because everyone was a bit tired of the same food we had been having at pretty much every meal for 4 days so it was a treat to have a burger or piece of pizza or pork chops.

After lunch at the lodge we got on a boat and right away we got to see some elephants right up close.  We saw many hippos and some just born babies.  Did you know that more hippos take more lives in Africa than any other animal?  We had a great guide who gave us a lot of interesting info on all that we ere seeing.

We had some rain on the way in but while on the water the weather couldn't have been better!  It was an amazing day and we got a ton of pictures we look forward to sharing .

This team is awesome!!! Everyone is approaching things with such great attitudes.  There is no complaining and we are all getting along well.  Couldn't ask for a better team!  Everyone is excited for tomorrow when we get to spend the day with our sponsored kids, some of whom have traveled for a couple days to get to us.  It is always a sweet time to be with them and encourage and speak into their lives and learn about their lives, families, dreams and challenges.

Love to you all,

Terrilee Stevenson