Hello from Soroti!
We have a lot to catch up on from the past two days, we will
do our best to fill you in!
Friday morning started with devotions at a local church with
the Divine Stars. Mike gave us a challenge from 2 Timothy 4 about enduring our
hardships. He asked people to share their struggles with the group and we were
able to pray for those who shared.
After devotions, we walked to a nearby primary school that
had 1,554 students and 27 teachers. Logan and I (Juliana) were able to
demonstrate the Sawyer water filter to the teachers and students. After showing
them how it worked we were able to present two filters to the head teacher who
was very appreciative. We then had the chance to split the kids into groups by
grade and play a few games with them, including field hockey, soccer, and other
various games. The guys were able to combine with the Divine Stars to play a
soccer game against students from the school. They had to work to keep the cows
and the children off of the field during the game. To conclude our morning at
the school, the Divine Stars led a worship time which involved A LOT of dancing
with the students. Although it was very hot and very tiring, we all enjoyed
ourselves!
After lunch, we arrived at the soccer field and the guys
combined with the Divine Stars and played a local team. The girls had a chance
to spend time with some local children we had met previously during the game.
Toward the end of the guys game, the girls were informed that we were playing
against the Divine Stars Women’s Team. Now remember, none of the girls play
soccer so we did not know how the game would go. The guys finished 0-0 and it
was our time to play. The game evenly matched and we ended in a tie of 0-0.
This was the biggest crowd that the girls had ever played in front of, there
were over 300 people there. After the games, the program began with more songs
and dancing and then Brooke shared her story. She did a wonderful job of
explaining the importance of trusting God and not worrying. She combined the idea
of water filtration with God being the living water. We then came back to the
hotel, had dinner, and all went to bed. It was an exhausting but rewarding day.
So, now on to today. We had morning devotions at a community
service center. Don shared a message on trusting God when things don’t seem to
go how we planned. We spent some time in worship and thanking the Divine Stars
for the week we have had with them.
We drove to the marketplace where we were to do community
service. We began with slashing and hoeing the tall grass and also spent time
sweeping the marketplace with their brooms, which are made from dried bush
branches. The marketplace was full of dirt roads and trash so it was difficult
to sweep up only the trash without dust flying everywhere. It made housework in
America look pretty easy!
This afternoon we had a little time to relax and rejuvenate.
Most of us took much needed naps! This evening was another crusade in a local
village which had not had a group of Americans our size there before. There
were well over 700 people in attendance for the games. The girls combined with
the Divine Stars Women’s Team to play a local team. We ended up winning 2-0!
Juliana brought home the only American goal from the trip, she is thinking of
switching sports when we return. Just kidding J (Teri) The guys game followed with
another score of 0-0 but had an exciting thunderstorm in the middle of it! The
village that we were in was home to many children who are sponsored through
Compassion International. It was encouraging to see. Aaron shared the message
tonight after another worship session. We left as they began showing Pilgrims
Progress on a big screen to the village.
It was difficult to say our goodbyes to the friends we have
made here in Soroti. They all send their love to you and request your prayers
for their ministry here. Tomorrow
morning we leave early for a six hour trip to Murchison Falls Game Park where
we will stay at the Paraa Lodge. We are all looking forward to spending time
together debriefing and celebrating what God has done on this trip! We may not
have internet until Monday night. We would appreciate your continued prayers as
we travel and enjoy God’s creation.
God is good all the time, all the time God is good, and that
is his nature, WOW! (typical African greeting we have learned)
Much Love,
Juliana and Teri
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