Day 5: Finding Joy In Uganda

Every morning we have morning mass with the seminarians and the sisters. Dad was the Deacon during todays morning mass and did an AMAZING job during the homily talking about finding JOY!! My mission for the day was to look for JOY throughout my day!! Now let me tell you that was not hard to find here in Uganda!

Let’s start off with Breakfast!! • Uganda has the best warm tea in the universe!!! I never drink warm tea in the states but here in Uganda I crave it at every meal! We had the chance of seeing the tea factory. This tea factory was HUGE when I say huge it was acres and acres and acres and acres of land. This brought me JOY knowing this Tea Factory has given many families jobs for many years!!!

•Father Jude had awesome plans to take us to his Plantain Garden and Coffee Garden.. BUT one problem..SNAKESSSS! Dad and I packed hiking boots but those boots weren’t tall enough. Father Jude stopped at the market to take us shoe shopping. YES, my favorite shoe shopping! Father Jude brought me so much JOY by being able to experience shoe shopping in Uganda!

Update: We ran into 1 dead snake on the road.. Thankfully no live snakes! Totally all because of my black shiny boots!

• Packing for Uganda I wanted to bring something that would be new to the children from the United States. I brought bubbles to introduce to them! Now let me tell you those bubbles brought so much JOY! At first they just looked at the bubbles in awe as they flew away with the strong Ugandan wind. Then Father Jude started popping them showing the children how to pop the bubbles. The children showed JOY by giggling!! Then they followed Father Judes actions by popping them with their hands! Then they started stomping on them with their feet which turned into a fun game.. I will now find so much JOY stomping on bubbles with my feet!! Watching the children blow and pop the bubbles brought me so much JOY that it will forever be a moment in my life that I can never forget!

•White Ants are now my new favorite insects in Uganda! Please tell me you know the book..

“There was an old lady who swallowed a fly”

Well today in Uganda..

“There was a Deacon who swallowed a White Ant”

In Uganda, these White Ants bring JOY every May and September by flying out of small holes for people to catch and eat! People will set up traps over these holes to help keep the ants from flying everywhere. If you dont have a trap.. like us.. you are in the grass leaning down one by one picking up the ants and throwing them into your cup. You add salt to help the White Ants from flying out of your cup and to add some taste! YUMMY!!!

Find JOY!!

Love, Peyton