This morning we went had a good breakfast and went to the orphanage to finish setting up the solar lights and water filter (no more boiling their drinking water). We rode in the back of Phil’s truck, standing up holding onto the rack. Which is common. We saw many Uganda buses, flatbed trucks with rails where people stand and hold on. Every time we walked to the orphanage, we gathered stares from the people on the streets, but riding in the truck like this made us feel like we were in a real parade. “Watch the mzungus” (white people). We smiled and waved back to the people as we rode by. One must wave like a parade queen in Uganda anyway. The folding-fingers-over-palm wave is their way of calling their children to come to them. (Phil used this kind of wave to call me from the van to the porch to meet some school officials.)
Water Filter Barrel in Orphanage
After the few chores were finished at the kids house, we loaded back into the truck and went back to the missionary house. Everything was ready for our trip of rest. We reloaded into the van with an overnight bag and water bottles to go to Sipi Falls for a much needed rest. We really wanted to stay with the kids, but this scheduled respite was needed. We stopped to pick up Susan, her mother and baby Kaith then got on our way.
The drive was to be four hours in the direction of Kenya. That’s a long trip considering that every village uses huge speed bumps to slow traffic. That’s on top of the pot holes that take up most of the road. Phil said the roads will be fixed and reworked when an election is upcoming. I guess, politicians in every country want votes and do things to get them.
We rode in a new-to-the-ministry van that had “new” seats which were very comfortable. The drive took much longer because the van kept getting overheated. We stopped often to pour our water bottles into the radiator. Once we began to run out we had help form the locals who fetched the water from a river or somewhere that had dirty reddish water. The ground in Uganda is red and the water has a red tint. The dirt is sort of like the red clay stuff on the baseball diamond. Turns out the van was fresh from Tokyo and had some strange blanket over the radiator making it heat up.
Ocean of African Plains
African Dog Overlooking Ocean of African Plains
As we approached Sipi Falls, mountains rose out of the plain. These mountains are not quite like any I’ve seen in America. They were beautiful like ours but different. Cows grazed and farmers walked the steep hillside working crops in places similar to the ones the goats and sheep bound from in Yellowstone. Once we were in the mountains and looked back, it seemed like an ocean of African plains laid below as far as the eye could see.
Uganda Orphan Mission Team at Sipi Falls
Uganda Orphan Mission Team at Sipi Falls
Eight hours or so later, our van finally made it to our overnight place. We pulled in and had a European lunch that should have been served at 1 but we were arriving at 5. That’s Uganda time again. One never knows what will happen or when. We ate “lunch” then hiked a short trail to a handmade cave under the first water fall. It had rained and the red dirt was mud. Sipi Falls was more like Slippery Falls.
European Elegant Dining at Sipi Falls
Once we started out on the trail about 6 youths joined us to hold our hands and be tour guides. I had one on each hand to keep me from slipping. They were barefoot and kept solid footing the whole time. I might as well been in ice skates and I don’t skate! We slid back for dinner by 7:30. We dined in elegance in an African hut rustic meets Europe kind of place. European foods (A creamy fish soup to start off served with big crusty rolls and jam, followed by curried chicken and rice with steamed veggies, then brownies which were more of an unsweetened, bitter chocolate version, and African Tea. Chuck got altitude sickness and missed the meal.
Grass Hut Experience
Grass Hut at Sipi Falls
Inside Grass Hut at Sipi Falls
Grass Hut Keeping us Dry
After dinner, I went with Chuck to our grass-roofed hut for the night leaving the team visiting with their African coffee and tea. It was raining and dark out, but we were amazingly dry in our grass hut. Once again, it was so elegant and quaint. The grass on the roof was at least 12 inches thick and the edge of the roof showed only the first inch wet. The bed and night stands were rocked into the hut with a foam mattress to rest on. The bathrooms were in a separate grass hut and the showers were in another.
Chuck and I at Sipi Falls
Sipi Falls is a very romantic kind of place. We slept with the roar of the waterfall lulling us to sleep. Through our opened door, the morning light held a splendid view of the falls with beautiful foliage surrounding.
More pictures are uploaded on Facebook. Check them out.
Please pray for the mission. You can sign up to be a partner in prayer. And for updates while on location you can subscribe to feed here.
Please comment below. I’d love to hear any questions you might have about mission work in Uganda.
This post is part of the Living and Working on Mission Blog Series and you can read more about our trip in the previous Uganda posts. If you enjoyed it you may also like the Insights into Ministry & Leadership Series, the Spiritual Journey’s Gentle Nudges Series or the otherBlog Series.
Was this post helpful? Consider subscribing!
Check out the options for subscribing here! That way you won’t miss a post. And if you really think it’s tops, Twitter it and like the FaceBook page!
