Back in the BRIGHT RED DIRT

     After WAY too long…I am finally back in the RED DIRT of Uganda. The flight is never really that bad for me. Although it is usually around a 40-hour journey from Los Angeles, California to Tororo, Uganda, I never really mind it. I have never had any issues sleeping on planes, but the flight from Washington to Ethiopia was…ummm…something special. As my friend Lisa Ibarra and I got into our seats we just started chatting about all the excitement that was ahead of us. While everyone was boarding I paid no attention to the people who were sitting around us. Then I looked around and realized…we were in the “family” section of the plan. Directly in front of us was an Ethiopian family with 7 children all under the age of 11 years old. Directly in front of them was a family with a new born baby and directly to our left was a family with 2 children under the age of 3 years old. I looked around the plane and came to the sad conclusions that neither Lisa nor myself were going to get much sleep on this 12-hour plane ride. We both looked at each other and just laughed at the chaos that surrounded us. What else were we going to do?

   Finally after 12 hours of children screaming, laughing, arguing, and occasionally singing a Taylor Swift song...out loud, we made it to Ethiopia. It was an interesting journey to say the least. Then after a short plane right to Entebbe Airport, I was finally reunited with Pastor Ruth. It was so good to be with her again.

                                        

    We got our bags, walked to the van and prepared for our 5-hour drive from Entebbe to Tororo. While in the car, Pastor Ruth told me many stories and challenges that faced us in these next few weeks. Within hours we laughed, worried, prayed, and encouraged each other.

   We finally arrived home and I got see all of Pastor Ruth’s children, which to me, are my brother’s and sister’s. We have so much fun when we are together. We had dinner and laughed and caught up on each other’s lives. Mama Ruth and I discussed the agenda for the next day, and it is going to be long, but GREAT day! I hit the ground running. I am so excited for all that God has in store for me this trip and I CANNOT WAIT to see my kids tomorrow at Smile Africa.

“Thank you Jesus for protecting us as we traveled around the world. Thank you for getting us to Tororo safely. I pray that you will continue to protect us as we are here. I pray God that you will give me YOUR eyes and YOUR heart while I am here. Help me continue to take leaps of faith and trust in You. We love you. Amen”