January 3, 2009

Language barriers can pose problems, but only if you let them. Here in Uganda, we’ve learned to roll with the punches because if you’ve been following this blog you might have read about “Africa Time” or maybe Simon’s go to expression, “Blessed are the flexible.”

So far in Uganda, I have had an absolute blast doing the program and skits for club. In Jinja at the leadership training camp, Franz, Jamz, and I (Hanz) became very comfortable in front of the crowd and most of the leaders were able to understand what we were saying and we even had a similar sense of humor. (FYI – Franz = Schroder, Jamz = Wilson, and Hanz = Bailey). But yesterday, we had club again in a village that we traveled to via a regular cab Mitsubishi pick up. All of us fit more than comfortably in our 1 hour drive. We had club in the shade of a tree in the middle of a primary school and our audience spanned 3-4 generations of Ugandans. However, the vast majority of the people did not speak English, so we had to adapt program a little bit to make kids laugh. Thankfully, Simon’s brother Augustine was with us and he dressed up with Wilson and I as we led a game. He did a great job of translating for us and if it were not for him, there was no way we would have been remotely funny.

Once we did our program and a few games and skits, a couple Ugandan kids showed us up with a game of their own. It was amazing to see the crowd so involved and entertained.

Having done program in Uganda, I have learned many things, but one thing I have learned is that Young Life club is a place where people are unified. People come together to laugh and love one another and it doesn’t matter how you got there or what you’re about, Young Life club is a place where kids can feel loved and welcomed and where they can hear the Gospel. Praise the Lord.

Lastly, I want to thank my two program partners in crime, Schroder and Wilson. Getting to stand up in front of a crowd and do and say ridiculous things has been an absolute joy. I don’t know how I haven’t broken character every time because watching them on stage is hilarious. (You’ll have to have Schroder demonstrate his moonwalk and Wilson his weight lifting techniques…) For now you can use your imagination. But in all seriousness, I am thankful for being able to serve alongside these two guys. God bless you wherever you may be reading this from.

Bailey Pouns


You still know you’re in Uganda when…
-You share an outhouse with a bat that flies beneath you while you “go” into the hole
-Your bag still has not arrived from the airport and you haven’t changed your shirt yet because it doesn’t really bother you that much
-A vicious bug bites you on your fanny and it is appropriate for everyone to examine it. You later learn fanny doesn’t mean the same thing here…makes for a good laugh.
-When you use the word “conglomerate” and they look at you like you’re a moron (Thank you, Shroder)
-While watching a 45 minutes dramatic theatrical performance at a Young Life Club, a naked baby runs around flashing everyone spread eagle ….UUPPPPPPS
-You are able to differentiate each rooster’s cock-a-doodle from the chicken coop starting at 4:30 a.m. each morning.
-You go to the well to collect water and all the ladies laugh at you while you try to put the 70 pound bucket on your head
-It is not against the law to ride 20 deep in the bed of a truck meant for two
-A dad will walk 3 miles into town in the middle of the night in order to sit with his daughter who is sick with malaria
-You go to watch a Young Life soccer tournament and 2000 people show up to watch. Talk about contact work.

Loving life,
Haley Gage

P.S. Grace, Wilson wants to know if Kilimanjaro is a volcano...?



Today was day number 3 and a half in Pallisa and I feel that we are so removed from any sense of knowing what day it is other than our watches tell us and maybe from the dates we write in our journals. I could have never imagined exactly how remote things would be here, nor could I have ever imagined how absolutely amazing this experience would be. Walking into town today was a nice and relaxing and was much less stressful than our rides in the back of a 6ft bed pick-up truck going 50 mph down a dirt road (more like a path that has holes and drop offs) with 20 plus people cramped in the back and having to stand and eat about 200 African bugs with your teeth, nose and cheeks.

The walking makes me a lot less nervous than the riding in the back of the truck, and these people basically walk everywhere with no other choice and do it without complaint. I can sometimes get frustrated when I realize I need to go the grocery store that is about a mile away in my car that takes me there. Talking about being stripped from all things comfortable……WOW!!!!

In addition to the adventurous car travels……talk about some amazing sleeping situations!!!! 9 girls in a 6 x 12 room and being one of the last girls to go to bed….this then makes it interesting. Looking down at a space that is about 2 feet wide and realizing that 2 people need to share that space….. not to mention that it is about 99 degrees in the room and there are a few random bugs that may crawl across you while sleeping.

I would take my experience here so far over any of the comforts of home….Although this does make me appreciate the little things a lot more!!!!

This is Africa – TIA

Loving Africa,
Wheeler Burns