Uganda 2012 Day 10 & 11

Day 10 began at 3:30am, packed and checking out of the hotel we headed to Entebbe to drop off Dot and Ashley as they began their trip back home ahead of the rest of the team.  Pastor Scott decided with the first phase of our work completed, we'd head North where the wild things are and spend the night at a national park.  
Our team has varying degrees of comfort and response to things like wart hogs and crocodiles.  To be honest, when the crocodile suddenly leaves his rock to swim at and bump into your boat, it is a little unsettling, in a crazy adventurous exciting kind of way.  Some screamed, others snapped photos, the boat driver laughed at all of us.  We cruised down to see the falls and on the way back saw a bunch of crocs surrounding a dead hippo in the water, as they were moving in, so was our boat and darned if one of those huge reptiles didn't leave the hippo to assault us under water!  Geez, like we were really going to try to share their dinner...a selfish and aggressive breed they are.  
After 10 hours of driving and 2 hours on the river, we disembarked just in time for a pouring rain storm, another one of my favorite things in the world.  We ate dinner on a thatched roofed room, and went to bed in a tent.  Hippos are knows to be the most deadly animal in the jungle, lions are seen in the camp on occasion and I was trying so hard to hide my enthusiasm in respect to the nervous ones, but I was like a kid going on the DisneyLand jungle cruise only everything was real! 
I had been fighting a migraine all day from all the bobbling of my head on the drive.  Infrastructure and road paving are not Uganda's strong suits.  But after writing a letter to one young girl in the village of Kakira who lost her dad a year ago, I fell sound asleep.  
Up at 6am this morning, with our breakfast in tow, we headed for the game drive area and were so privileged to see giraffe's, elephants, monkeys and more hippos.  Then headed back to Jinja on a ride that felt eternal. 

 Wart Hog!

Way more fun than the Hotel!

He made a hippo that weighs a TON!

God's fingerprints are everywhere

Merchison Falls

One minute he was smiling away at us...

The next he rammed the boat!

Water Buffalo

Hip hip hip hippopotomus!

Did I mention we are in AFRICA?                                                                                              Tossing candy out the window to children walking along the road made the day.  We got back to the hotel about 7:30, settled back into our rooms, repacked suitcases and bags for all the things we'll be taking into the village to leave with them.  Excess VBS supplies, clothing and very simple gifts for each of the 21 people who made the week work by assisting us in every way.  We'll be out the door at 9:30 am for one of the most difficult days I've had in a very long time.  Worship and a sermon and set the clock to good bye to Olivia, in motion.  Each minute we spend there is going to feel like a heart breaking beat, knowing that this time with her, though very scattered as we worked the same ministry, but not side by side, is soon over.  Please pray for me as I love them so much.  Janet and those girls.  If it was easier for them, it would be easier for me, but this is the way of it.  Giving your heart away to a child and then dealing with the separation won't kill us, I learned that when each of my own went away to college, but living through the pain of it is only a breath above death, there is just no describing it.   A beautiful young girl who so badly wants me to be her mom.  To stay or to take her with me, neither of which is a option.  Hearts knit tightly together isn't enough this time.  We both need face to face and arms around each other, we just do. 

So you wouldn't be wasting a prayer on us tomorrow, as we attempt the impossible.  Thank you...as you sit in church tomorrow...praise Him for all he is and all he has done...He is worthy.