First day in the Bush

Wow! What an incredible time we are having in Acholiland! Our first day out in the bush yesterday was such a sweet welcome to this place that we have all already come to love so much. Our day started out with a devotional and the overwhelming message we received was that our lives are simply about loving Jesus, and through that His name will be known. It is not our job to do and go and plan, its our job to simply love Him and let Him take care of the rest! Hallelujah!

After a VERY bumpy 2-hour bus ride out into the bush, we arrived at Lagot libi village where a crowd of people were awaiting our arrival. We were greeted with singing, children, youth, men and women. The team took no time striking up conversation, picking up babies, and tickling little tummys. Immediately a soccer game was started and hands were grabbed to go help prepare lunch (which meant gathering fire wood and bricks, stacking grass for lighting fuel and starting the fire for the big pot of rice and potatoes).

Our goal for the day was to set up a medical clinic, which saw about 150 people, lay beams for a church roof, go hut-to-hut handing out mercy bags and praying with people, and overall just loving on the village where the Holy Spirit led us to do so.

We returned home tired, spent, and ready for a good nights rest, but not before a shared dinner together of, what else, than beans, rice and cabbage. Stories and laughter was shared and we went to bed energized for the next day.

This morning was another wonderful time spent together in the word and we are now getting bags prepared for another day out in the bush...except this time we will be staying and camping out over night! We are excited to ring the New Year in Acholi style!

Another update when we return tomorrow evening. But in the mean time, some prayer requests:

• Energy for the team as we are running a VBS program with the kids today while other members share time with the men and women in the village. We will also set up another medical clinic.

• That the Holy Spirit would continue to guide our every step and that we would recognize Him above our own plans and expectations.

• That our night camping would be an incredible experience and for those first time campers, that they would enjoy every minute of it and any worries would be laid to rest.

• For Tony's (our VOHA director in Gulu) van. He is experiencing car troubles and we use his van a lot to carry extra things when camping.

• For continued health for all team members.

Thank you all for your prayers...we can literally feel them as we go about our days!

We made it to Gulu!!!

Good news! We made it to Gulu and the team is safe and sound! After a VERY long day and a half of flight time, a short nights stay in Entebbe and a 6 hour bus drive north to Gulu, we rolled into town around lunch time this afternoon. The team was tired, but very excited to be in Gulu town and at our new “home” for the next week and a half...JoJo’s Palace. We then ate a fabulous lunch at a near by restaurant. (Some of the team members got a big surprise when they ordered “fish and chips” and an entire talapia fish was staring them in the face when their plate arrived...quite entertaining!)

After lunch the team had the opportunity to meet Chairman Martin, the head district chairman for Gulu (equivalent to a governor in the US), who was very pleased to greet us and catch us up on the current condition of Gulu. We then headed back to the JoJo to give the team time for some much needed relaxation and wrapped the night up with a delicious Acholi-style dinner...beans, rice and cabbage (something the team will become very acquainted with over the next several days) and a meeting lead by Tony, the VOHA director in Gulu.

Thank you so much for all of your prayers of our safe travel...the Lord is faithful and the Holy Spirit was with us the entire way and continues to go before us. We have a busy day prepared for us tomorrow, but the team is excited to hit the ground running.

Prayer requests:

-Health for the team and that our bodies would become acclimated after the long travel, the new food and surroundings, etc.

-The Lords favor with our work tomorrow as we will be handing out mercy bags (filled with sugar, soap and salt), helping to build a church, and medical clinic outreach.

-That the Holy Spirit would continue to reveal Himself to us through the time spent here, that divine appointments would be made, and that each team member would have boldness in their conversation with the nationals. 

Uganda Bound

The CBC Uganda team is packed and ready to go! We will be leaving around noon on December 27th. Please keep us in your prayers as we travel. We will be arriving in Entebbe, Uganda late Wednesday night, will stay one night there and the next morning will take a 7 to 8 hour bus drive up to Gulu in the north. We are hopeing to update you once we arrive in Gulu.

Please check back often for pictures, stories and updates from the field. But please be patient with us as internet access is limited at best.

Thank you in advance for your prayers!

CBC Team headed to Uganda

On December 27th, a team from Community Bible Church will be joining VOHA in Gulu. The team of 19 is so excited to share in what God is doing in Acholiland!

Check back here daily for updates, pictures and stories from the field. For now, keep this team in your prayers as they are preparing to go. If you would like specific prayer requests, click here to download a printable document that you can use as prayer guide.

Welcome!

Welcome to VOHA's new blog! We hope that in following this blog, you will be blessed, enriched and encouraged. Here you will find info on new developments in our work in Gulu, stories from the bush, and mission team news.

Be sure to look around and let us know how we can improve things.

Blessings to you!
Villages of Hope Africa