Reflecting Back on the Trip

I guess it's about time that I stop procrastinating and write about my time in Africa.

I (along with 12 other people from South Reno Baptist Church) took a 2 week trip to Jinja, Uganda. Going into the trip I had no idea what to expect of the culture or the situations that I would encounter. I was told that I would be working with two nurses teaching public health. Vanessa and Melba are the amazing women that I was paired up with for the week and we spent the majority of our time at schools and orphanages explaining why cleanliness and hygiene are so important. It was very humbling to speak with gracious adults about what a germ is and how diseases spread. The information that we take for granted in America is inaccessible to the villages of Africa. We took a first aid kit with us to each site and taught the adults how to diagnose and treat malaria, disinfect and dress wounds, and use Tylenol to break a fever…ect.

Fount of Mercy is the organization that we connected with once we were in Uganda. They linked us with 4 non-governmental organizations that they had researched and chose to offer aid to. Through Fount of Mercy these organizations were given information about public health, teaching skills (such as classroom management), pastoral workshops, grant-writing assistance, and Vacation Bible School for the children. The 4 ladies that run Fount of Mercy are tangibly giving their lives to God’s work, and even though it’s only been established for about 3 years, He has blessed every bit of the process.

Some of my favorite moments during my two week stay in Africa were hanging out with the people. I fell in love with the culture and I’m convinced that Africa has some of the most beautiful people in the world. We stayed at Ebeneezer Guest House, which was a large house, owned by a family. Lawrence and Prossy were the parents and they had 7 children with ages ranging from 11 months to 23 years. I really enjoyed the times when I was able to help out the family with their chores and discuss life in Africa. They were absolutely amazing and I’ve kept in touch with their oldest son Richard since I’ve been back in America.

At the end of the trip Pastor Joe asked us to put in 10 words what the trip meant to each of us. After being exposed to such poverty and desperation I have no choice but to believe that God is going to use me in the future amongst the villages in Africa. I am excited and willing to go back whenever he calls me. My ten words are “God loves all people equally and passionately and desires to rescue his children”.

I truly had the time of my life!

Aspen Holloway