Africa 2023

Friday, March 29, 2019 We are now official time travelers!  We have travelled forwards and backwards in time by 8hrs!  Pretty cool, right?! 12 am Friday morning found us at Dubai airport.  With a 2hr layover after arriving before midnight, we couldn’t board our next flight until 1:45am.  During our down time we bought drinks and snacks to tide us over.  Felt good for some people to have ice cream and Starbucks coffee again. We used their free WiFi to check messages, Facebook, email and whatever else.  Some of us were doing crosswords and word finds as well. We sang Happy Birthday to Dr. Donna at the stroke of midnight!  Happy birthday Donna!  We are so glad we got to spend the last couple weeks with you! Dubai to JFK was a very long flight: 14 hours to be exact.  We watched movies and the external plane cameras to help pass time.  Many of us got as much sleep as we could.  The flight crew were very nice and attentive to our ...

Thursday, March 28 We began the day enjoying breakfast with our good friend Moses Abasoola.  It was good to see that he is doing well.  Then off to the Market for some last minute souvenir & gift shopping.  It has been a fast and busy two weeks, so the couple hours browsing the African marketplace was much appreciated.  Price haggling is a new experience to some, but is expected for the best shopping experience here.  Busy roads back to the compound allowed for us to etch the sights, sounds, and smells of Kampala into our minds for future memories. It was soon time to set off for Entebbe airport for the long journey home.  We were returning with only 13 checked suitcases instead of the 24 we brought with us.  The extra glasses were going to stay in Uganda for future clinics.  Kaitlin Smith, the new missionary nurse would also be able to test people for reading glasses after we leave.  We are so grateful to have served as many Afric...

Tuesday, March 27th, 2019 Lions, hyenas, and more! Today was a day for adventure! For those of us who were feeling well enough to (many of us have been battling stomach issues) we started our day with a buffet breakfast  at 5:45am . There were many options to choose from, like toast, eggs, fresh-squeezed juice, and fruit (the types of fresh-squeezed juices we’ve had are pineapple, pineapple-lemon, apple, mango, watermelon, passion fruit, and maybe a few more!).  At 6:15 , we headed into the savannah on the search for animals. We had received rain and thunderstorms the night before so the animals were all out! Uganda is currently experiencing a long drought in waiting for the rainy season to come, so the animals had renewed strength with the rain. Through the dirt roads we saw many species: hyenas, different monkeys, like baboons, many birds ranging in size and color, wild dogs, hippos, and antelope galore, like wildebeest, kobs, and the cute little oribies. We also saw w...

Monday, March 25, 2019 Early rise and shine at the Stevenson’s. Up at 5:45 am, and breakfast at 6:30 am to prepare for our travels for our adventures to the true African safari. Waking up groggy from our long travel day before and trying to clear my eyes to even function, I knew the next few days of rest would help sort the emotions running through my head. I’m full of emotions about how many people got to come to the eye clinics! Mr. Wilson, our travel guide for the next few days was waiting for our seven hour trek to Murchison Falls National Park. He greeted us with the wonderful Uganda handshake and smile, ready to show us what Uganda has to offer. As we are getting to know one another, Wilson lets us know he is from “Canada-aye.” LOL Only one of us fell for it. It only took two hours for Pastor Roy to have a question about Canada, but, needless to say, Wilson could not answer it. So, now we all know Wilson is not from Canada! We could now continue asking questions about Ugand...

Sunday, March 24 A 5:30 am departure time got the alarms ringing early. The hotel staff packed breakfast to go, with a Rolex and banana. No, not a watch, but a chipati (flatbread like a pancake) with a cooked egg. Our long drive through the windy mountain pass included a few stops. One where a lorrie (18 wheeler flatbed truck) had tipped over, blocking the road. We got out and walked around the crowd, while Moses and Sundae did some fancy four wheel driving through the ditch. Another breakdown and refilling of radiator water further delayed our arrival. We left the vans in front of the police station and trekked to the waterfront for a ride across Lake Albert. No, not in a cruise boat, but in a massive fishing vessel. Wooden, no seats, and an outboard motor. But, oh so glorious to feel the refreshing breeze and watch the waves lap and roll. When our destination came into view, we understood why it was not accessible by land; the village was tucked into the mountainside. We disemb...

Saturday March 23rd 2019 Our last day of eye clinics was again at the Nsonga Church of God near Lake Albert. After a very nice breakfast at our guest house where we tried a new food( porridge made with maize). We headed out for the hour journey to the church. So much to see, families living in all kinds of cement, wood, straw, and tin structures. Children can be seen at a well pumping water into jugs. They are so strong to carry more than one of these. Trucks loaded with large bags of charcoal and grains or produce as well as people. As we pass through small villages, you can smell the cooking of chapotis and the roasting of cassava roots. People from near and far are waiting at the church for us to open the clinic. We are always welcomed with open hands and hearts. The heat today did not let up. It was so draining, sweat just poured down our bodies as we met these people and tested their eyes. Many had a story to tell. It was so hard to close up the clinic without seeing everyone, ...

Friday March 22nd 2019 This morning we were up and ready for breakfast by 8am which in Africa time meant we ate at about 8:30 haha. Today was our first clinic day at Nsonga which in apart of Hoima. We held our clinics at the church of God there, everyone was so kind and welcoming! We got all set up and as we started we gained some extra translators that helped us so much! Savior, David, and Belief, as well as Annie and Olivia who had traveled with us. We got the chance to meet some incredible people today the ones that stood out to me were Beatrice who is 6 years old and has cerebral palsy. She was with her dad who just loved on her and it was so touching to see. It was amazing getting to see her see when her new glasses were put on her face. Then there was little Brenda who was about 7 years old and she was so sweet and she has Down syndrome. I got to work with her when she got to visual acuity she had a very apparent lazy eye and would hardly look at me, so I got closer to her an...

We are traveling and without internet, so will post, as able. Thursday, March 21 Today is a travel day, as we have just finished two days of eye clinics in Nampunge. We will be heading to Hoima for our next clinics; actually, we will have the clinics at the Nsonga Church of God, outside of Hoima. It’s a remote village set by Lake Albert. Before we left Nampunge, we stopped at the Marion Primary School (elementary), named after our Colleen’s mom. We had a suitcase filled with school supplies, hygiene items, toys and candy. We also had one for the secondary school (high school) next door. As we pulled into the driveway of the school, the children,  all dressed in their uniforms, were standing and clapping for us. What a beautiful sight! The superintendent and a little girl rushed up to hug us. The children’s choir sang two songs welcoming us and the head student did a small speech. The head of the primary school and the head of the secondary school gave small speeches, as did C...

March 20th “You are welcome” is how we are commonly greeted when we arrive. The first time you hear this it feels a little odd. When people come to our church there is a little less of a formal greeting. Maybe we ignore them at the door and save the hand shake for “meet and greet time” maybe an assigned greeter will say hello, but here, people want to meet you and want you to know you are really welcome.  Today a member of parliament dropped by. He heard what we were doing and wanted to see for himself if the church was making a difference. There is a saying “if the your church closed tomorrow, would the community miss you?” Well the government actually checks up on missions and wants to know if the community is benefiting or they should send you home. The honorable Dennis Ssozi Galabuzi was very pleased as he got an eye exam and glasses and knew that many people were getting the same. We saw about 200 people a day for the last few days. Everyone left with either prescription ...

March 19 Yesterday we traveled  from Kampala to Nampunge which was only a few hours away.  The trip seemed longer with all the holey roads and having to avoid the ones that would swallow the van.  It took two large vans to hold us all since we had so many materials. (Glasses and equipment ).  We stayed in cottages that were nicer than we expected and had a picturesque view of mango trees posing for a picture and grass singing of summer. Today we went to Nampunge to set up our clinic in a small medical compound that had both a school and a clinic on it.  We had a building to work out of, so it broke the heat of the day for most of us.  We put Jeff and Crissy’s area (spectacle dispensary) on a covered porch and put a tarp around it to protect the glasses from disappearing mysteriously.  Unfortunately it did stifle the breeze a little for him.  The acuity area will need help tomorrow because it was too hot standing out there.  Our missionary...

Sunday March 17:  I guess it’s actually continuing the work.  If you know us you know we have been preparing for a few months now.  Once we pulled out of the driveway Friday morning to drive to Buffalo, it was too late to squeeze in one more thing in to do.  The SUV was full to the brim with the suitcases for our clothes etc but also equipment. Sunday ... Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in Thanksgiving. Col. 2:6,7. Today we arrived in Saudia Arabia about 7:30....after a 12 hour flight... after a 4 hour flight...and a four hour sleep at the hotel......after a 7 hour drive.  But we weren’t finished.  We walked to the other end of the airport, got on a bus for 20 minutes. And boarded a plane for a five hour flight to Entebbe. Are you exhausted just reading that? So, yes we are exhausted.  Our adrenaline was keeping us going...

Saturday, March 16, 2019 Buffalo Airport prep... we put white duct tape on 24 pieces of luggage for the baggage check, and orange yarn on all our belongings. Each helped by taking a carry-on of fragile medical equipment. We’re praying all will arrive in good stead. Oh, the thrill of being in the air again... witnessed spectacular colors as they edged over the eastern horizon! From JFK to Dubai Airport, we’re on a double decker plane, ten people per row, two aisles separating. We’re enjoying the camaraderie of our group, and people-watching. I was struck again by the vast cultural differences. Everything is in English and in Arabic, that beautiful language that looks like art. Between all crew members, they speak a total of 18 languages! On The Greatest Showman, P.T. Barnum’s biggest critic called the circus “a celebration of humanity.” That’s a good description of international travel: all of the colors and sounds of mankind blend together in a grand celebration of humanity. We ...

It was so exciting to see Jeff, Donna, and Crissy pull up to the hotel this afternoon and finally be all together as the 2019 Ugandan Mission Team from Busti COG. The months of preparation and years of fundraising has ultimately brought us to the Eve of our departure. I can speak for Norma Jean and Molly Angelo, Lynn Smith, Courtney Spence, Sally and I that it was so awesome to be sent off a few hours earlier by friends and family knowing that we have an army of prayer warriors who will be interceeding for us daily. While we do not know all that is before us, we do know that Jesus will be present and working wherever we are. We also have the privilege of following his cues and entering into situations and relationships that creates for us that are sure to change us forever in ways we cannot yet imagine. We learned on Tuesday that we will be going to two villages next week, one in Nampunge, and the other in Houma. These are villages that are NW of Kampala, and where there are...

Uganda Team Update Eyeglasses: oodles and oodles of eyeglasses. I never realized how much I take my sight for granted. People in third world countries don’t have access to eye care like we do. Eyes get infected, yet not treated. Eyesight deteriorates, yet no intervention given. They don’t have government programs to give aid, no social workers to come alongside. If there are no family members to help, then there is no help. In seven weeks, our Uganda Team will depart with thousands, yes, thousands of eye glasses and an eye doctor. We’ll conduct eye clinics where people can have eyes tested with a focometer and a prescription matched. It’s a giant effort, but allows us to be the hands and feet of Jesus to bring sight to the blind and Good News to all. We are done collecting glasses, as the process of getting the glasses ready is pretty extensive. They have to be washed, sorted and measured for prescription strength. Then, our eye doctor will order more, if needed. But, w...