Day 9: Best.Day.Ever in Uganda, Africa

As we are driving further into the deep green Forest with the tall evergreens at 7:15am all you see is miles of fog! On the side of the road you see the beautiful Ugandan children hurrying while walking to school. Some students wearing shoes, others wearing uniforms, others carrying their lunch (oh no not in lunch boxes) like sugar canes, and my favorite the siblings holding hands while the fast cars pass by on the dirt road.

You ask yourself so many questions passing these children:

• “How many miles/kilometers do they have to walk everyday?” Father Jude mentioned he had to walk 5 kilometers everyday to school. He even showed us the path he took AND the rock where he knew the snakes were!

• ”Why does that child or even group of children not have shoes on?” Father would then reply “The families can not afford a pair of shoes”

• “What happens if a student is late?” Father replied with loud laughter at first then told us students in Uganda will be punished by being spanked by the teacher for arriving late to class!

I was feeling defeated during this drive! What are we about to see during our visits at the 4 schools? I was honestly beating myself up for not buying enough soccer balls and bringing enough supplies before I even made it to the schools. The material side of me was coming out. The children had so little on their walk to school that I automatically thought they would not be happy.

WOWWW did they prove me wrong!!!

The secondary school we visited (middle school & high school) welcomed us for morning mass! Let me set the scene we are in a beautiful church. The choir of students first language is Luganda and throughout school they are learning the English language.

Now are you familiar with the song “Lord, I need You” By Matt Maher? If not it’s a very powerful song!

The choir sang that song 10x better than I have heard any other choir sing it in the states!!! I cried, I sang, I gave a BUNCH OF thumbs up, and I clapped when they finished!! IT WAS AMAZING!

We continued the day visiting primary schools (elementary school) with Father Jude and another priest, Fr. Raphael who works with these primary schools! This priest very much reminded me of Father Jim Golka and Father Josh! When they walked onto the school property all the students eyes were beaming with excitement ready to hear what he was going to say! The students heard my Dad (Deacon Matt) talk about how much JESUS LOVES THEM and how important it was to stay in school.

Then together we would deliver in front of the students pencils, erasers, colored pencils, bags, rosaries, a soccer ball, and a pump for the soccer ball! The excitement that filled the school grounds and the joy that filled my heart I will never forget! The LOUD cheers, laughter, and claps for the ONE soccer ball for 200 students I will hold close to my heart and I will count my blessings!!

Uganda you continue to steal my heart!

I can not wait to bring back others for you to steal theirs!

Love, Peyton