William in Uganda : All good things have to come to an end

My 9 weeks in Uganda has been so much fun. Time really does fly when you are having the time of your life. What was so great about this trip was living life and being part of a Ugandan community. You can imagine after so many weeks you really do make lots of relationships which doesn't make it easy saying goodbye.

Joy, Ruth, Bosco, Ishmael and Lillian

Above is a family I came across. Joy is the Grandma looking after her 4 Grandchildren. The only income she gets is from selling the odd crop she grows. This is usually not enough for all of them. Having no place to live, Pastor George let her stay in their mud hut store. Even though half of the mud hut was still used as a store, the 5 of them still managed to live in this terrible condition. After sharing this story with people back at home they agreed to help this family. Only paying £11 per month, they get a 2 roomed brick house. They were so pleased when I broke this news to them and that day I helped them move in. When my Parents and I moved recently it took at least two days with lorries, a van and many car loads. This took 30 minutes. About 5 sacks of clothes and blankets, 3 peaces of foam to sleep on and 2 cans of drinking water was all they had. Still looks so basic to us but for them, this was a dream come true.

I was so shocked with what they had to sleep on. These piece of foam were smelly, dirty and full of bugs. All 5 of them including the old Grandma had to share these pieces of foam laid on the floor every night with no mosquito nets protecting them. To buy 5 mattresses and beds with mosquito nets would only cost £260. If you feel like you could help with this by donating money, even if thats in a small way, please get in touch with me because it would be amazing if we could bless this needy family.

We would never question not having our own bed, but the option is that or food for many…….

Please contact me if you think you would like to help.

Trevor and Coline

Above is Trevor and his Father. If you have read my other posts you would have met Trevor before. Coline didn't have a job so Trevor wasn't able to go to school. Again people were touched by his story and were able to support him by paying his school fees. He now attends school and has extra tuition to help him catch up with what he has missed.

Trevor in his school uniform

It wasn't just money that was needed to make a difference. A lot of them just needed your time and love. This trip wasn't just about me going out there making a difference, I have actually come back feeling that they have made a difference in my life.

Hearing them pray is something that stood out to me. Often our prayers are about 'Wants'. Ugandans prayers are about basic 'Needs'. Food, water, somewhere to live, school fees……

…...Yet they are so grateful for what they have. Realising that life is truly a gift is a lesson all of us should learn.

This morning was the first day waking up here in England. What hit me was the choice of what I could do today. In Uganda there seem to be very little choice. You get up and do what you have to do to live.

Thank you to all my family and friends who have been a constant encouragement through my time away. It really kept us going through the hard times. You can imagine the emotions I am feeling right now and the questions I have about my own life.

One day I hope to return to see all those beautiful people again.

The last 2 nights we spent at the Maasai Mara in Kenya on Safari. This was a great way to end a fantastic trip. Seeing Gods creation at its best.

Here are some picture of the last week.