First days in Uganda.



After 3 days of traveling we have made it to Uganda! We lost 3 of our bags and had extra time at the airport. Mandy (the director of the orphanage) had connections with one of the customs agents, Joyce. What a beautiful, kind, genuine woman. She got us through customs saving us around $600.

Uganda isn’t the “Africa” I was expecting. It is very lush and green. Kampala is a huge city and we spent some of the afternoon stuck in traffic. We exchanged our money and I became an instant millionaire…four times over. We ate lunch at the local mall…I know, right, where am I? The town of Jinja is incredible. The orphanage is 2 blocks from “downtown.” There is an internet café, post office, a few banks, lots of shops and restaurants. It is very “modernized” and easy to get around. In just a few days I feel very at home here.



Afterwards we went to the international hospital to check-in on one of the babies. Little Seth wasn’t expected to be alive today and yet he is a fighter and keeps hanging on and improving every day. His mother went crazy and didn’t feed or take care of him at all when he was born. He came to the orphanage incredibly malnourished and has been in the hospital for 3 days now. Please pray for his continued healing.


We received a very warm welcome when we got to Welcome Home. The kids are AMAZING. Within seconds they were in my arms and laughing and smiling…kids taking turns being held, wrapping their little arms tight around my neck…it took seconds for my heart to melt for them all.

We are staying at Arise Africa. It is one of the former homes of the evil dictator Idio Ammin. It is a beautiful place now run by a national missionary. It is a Christian home and it has been fun meeting those that are staying here. Ashley is here from S. Carolina and is doing an architecture internship. Pastor Rick is from Virginia and is here with Mission Link. I had an incredible conversation with him about ministry and passions and purpose. It was encouraging to both of us. The room is beautiful. I am not roughing it what so ever! I have a queen size bed and Tiffany has a twin (she offered, I promise :o) ). We have closet space, shelves, 2 small tables, a bath tub, running water, HOT water!!! The list goes on.



The food here is incredible. So far I have had a cheeseburger, fish sticks, chips (French fries), tilapia, an Indian Chicken dish, lots of pineapple (best I’ve ever tasted)…not a lot of traditional Ugandan food yet, I’m sure that will come soon. I’ll let you know if I still think that the food is incredible then.

Today, Friday the 14th, we had a full day with the kids. I spent a lot of time in the preemie house. I gave baby massages, changed diapers, fed them bottles, and rocked babies to sleep in my arms. Many were abandoned by their families, left to die when they were brought to Welcome Home. It was a joy being with them today.

I also got to sit in on 2 Bible Classes with the older children. We played instruments and danced all the while I had 3-4 kids at a time fighting for my lap. We learned about King Samuel and his wisdom today. Great fun. It was nice enough this afternoon to play with kids in the yard. Total controlled chaos. Both Tiffany and Nick were peed on today, I somehow managed to avoid that:o)…I’m sure that won’t last long. I have become “Mommy Rachel” to 55 children in a matter of one day. I am never without a child in my arms. I LOVE IT.




It looks like I will begin doing a lot of work with the village ministries and the youth there. I’m supposed to meet and talk with the youth director from Welcome Home in the next few days.

Thanks again to all of you for getting me here and for all of your prayers that are keeping me here. I have had no problems adjusting and have experienced great favor with the people here. I already have 3-4 new “Best Friends.” I can’t wait to see what all the Lord has in store for me in this beautiful place. I’m just taking it all in right now and enjoying every minute. More updates to come!

PS: This morning as I was getting ready in the bathroom there was a lizard in the sink. Not something that you see everyday in America…so I let him be hoping he would be gone when I returned in the evening…he wasn’t. So Tiff and I tried to scare him out of the sink only to find that he was dead! How a dead lizard got into my sink I will never know…but brave me picked that thing up, went to Nick’s room and threw it on him…Fun times!