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Hi Ugandan missionaries, Amazing, isn’t it? You’re just about to go on a trip as a “missionary to Uganda.” I’d bet a few years ago that would have seemed highly unlikely! Isn’t God great—the way He slowly draws us into His heart and His plans as we continue on our journey with Him. My name is Susan Sealy and I’m the lead project director for the Uganda mission trip. The other two project directors are Micah and Cheryl Barnard. We feel honored and privileged to be able to go on this trip with you and share in all that God is going to do in and through you in Uganda. This is going to be a long email/blog. I want to share with you all the info I can think of that you would need at this point. I would suggest you print it out and go through it as you have time. I’ve tried to stick to the most relevant items, but there are tons of them. If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at any time at 918 527-3629. First of all, we’d like to share with you that it’s important to prepare your heart well as your luggage. I believe God desires to bring hope, help, healing and His Son to many people as we journey in Uganda. There are 58 people on this mission and our primary task is to stay connected to Him and in unity with each other as we undertake the work He has prepared for us to do. We would like to encourage you to think of these next four weeks as a time of consecration. In the days before the Israelites crossed the Jordan River to take Jericho, Joshua instructed them, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” Consecrate means to dedicate yourself to a purpose—to set yourself apart for a while in order to keep yourself focused on the things of God. We encourage you to create some extra time and space in your life for prayer and reading in the Word and to eliminate for a season those distractions that pull you away from His lordship in your life. As we seek Him as a team, we’re confident He WILL do wonders amongst us and we’ll return with amazing joy. Concerning practical information, let me just run down the list as they come to my mind: DRESS CODE: The Ugandan people are a modest people. The women always wear skirts, even in the most difficult or impoverished situations. The men always wear long pants. Our desire throughout the trip will be to be respectful of those we’re ministering to. We want to honor these people with casual but nice clothing. Consequently, when we’re in any ministry situation, girls always have on long skirts (definitely lower than the knee—mine are mostly calf/ankle length) and guys always have on long pants (jeans are ok but can be hot). T-shirts are always acceptable on top for guys and girls. Tank tops should be avoided. In all your choices, avoid being too tight, too low or too short. In non-ministry situations, like around the hotel compound or on travel days, you’re welcome to wear LONG shorts as in walking shorts, jeans or cropped pants. The only exception to the girls in skirts rule is for those that work at the Amani Baby Cottage. Danyne, the founder, allows the girls to wear long pants. However, in Masaka, skirts are always mandatory. I take about 5 skirts that I got at Walmart—the long, flowy, cheap kind that don’t wrinkle. Concerning shoes, sandals are ok, everywhere and every day. However, you should definitely bring a pair of close-toed shoes for various situations. All the guys on the trip will be playing soccer in Masaka on one afternoon (Americans vs. Ugandans—don’t worry if you’re not a good player; we still need you). Concerning bathing suits, there is a pool at one of our hotels (though I’ve never seen it). You’re welcome to swim, but please make sure you bring a modest, one-piece bathing suit. You may choosing to white water raft on a free day. Guys usually where the longer bathing suits and women usually end up wearing cut off jeans and t-shirts over bathing suits. Concerning jewelry, you might want to leave most of it at home. We want to avoid looking like rich Americans and you don’t want to leave it in the hotel. Something you wear all the time like a wedding ring is totally ok. WEATHER: On sunny days, it’s in the 70’s or low 80’s. Loose cotton clothing is probably the most comfortable. Also, it can rain a lot. Definitely bring a rain slicker or something that’ll keep you from getting wet. LAUNDRY: There are not really any laundry facilities. You can wash things out in your room, but because of humidity it may take quite a while to dry. Sometimes you can pay a minimal amount to have stuff hand washed, but you may see it being washed on a rock. SHOTS AND PILLS: Uganda requires a yellow fever shot. You need to bring the proof of your shot (usually a yellow card) in order to enter Uganda. Also, you should definitely be taking malaria pills the whole time you’re there (actually before and after also as prescribed). Anything else you get is cautionary. I’ve had lots of other shots (typhoid, tetanus, etc.), but that’s because I go every year. They’re not required. MONEY NEEDS: (Important to read this one all the way through!) Officially, you only need to make sure you have $30 to pay for the visa you get in the Entebbe, Uganda, airport when we land. However, you should bring extra money for hanging out in airports coming and going, shopping and buying souvenirs, and having fun on free days. The activities we do on free days range from shopping to 3-wheeling (about $75 for five hours and dinner) to white water rafting down the Nile ($95 for 8 hours including dinner). One of the issues in Uganda is the exchange of money. You can NOT use Travelers Checks. Concerning cash, apparently Ugandan banks only want money in large denominations ($50 bills) which were printed between 2000 and 2008. They often will not accept older money. We’ll exchange money for you at the airport. Please bring newer money in $50 denominations. The current exchange rate is 1700 shillings to $1. LUGGAGE AND PACKING: First of all, you don’t need a sleeping bag or a pillow. The hotels supply all that. You do need to make sure you only bring one suitcase for checking and one carry-on. DEET insect repellent and hand sanitizer are really important items to bring. A flashlight and alarm clock are also really helpful. . Don’t forget your Bible and the mission devo booklet you’ll be getting from BWO soon. FOOD: Please make sure to bring one jar each of peanut butter and jelly in plastic containers. Bring any other snack food you want. Snack food is pretty rare in these hotels. It’s just a question of space in your luggage. Mostly at the hotels our breakfasts are eggs, bread and fruit and our dinners are rice, chicken, a green vegetable (not always identifiable) and fruit. I think you’ll like the food. Our lunches are usually pb&j. We supply all the bottled water you want to drink and then we encourage you to drink more. ITINERARY: Basically, after we arrive in Jinja, we’ll spend a day getting ready as teams and then spend 4 days ministering. We’ll have a free day on Saturday, the 14th, have church on Sunday the 15th and then travel to Masaka. In Masaka, we’ll have 5 or 6 days of ministry before returning to Entebbe to fly home. CULTURE: The Uganda people are a lovely people. They’re quiet spoken but amazingly hospitable. You’ll fall in love with them. Over one half of the population is under 15—more than any other country in the world. This is the dramatic results of HIV/AIDS in Uganda. Almost everyone, including the pastors, have lost immediate family members to aids. Consequently, orphans are everywhere. Christianity is listed as the greatly predominant religion, but that’s in a similar way as to the US. The percentage of people who know and follow Jesus is much, much smaller. LUGANDAN PHRASES: Here’s some key phrases in Lugandan, the mostly widely spoken language. You may have more fun if you know how to speak a little of it: Hi Ki kati I’m fine Bulungi GIFTS FOR UGANDANS: I know lots of you would love to bring gifts. Anything you can fit in your suitcase is great. Extra luggage is very expensive and difficult. We will have some extra luggage that has to go with us (pharmaceuticals, crafts, etc.) and we’ll need people to check them as a second piece of luggage, but BWO will cover that cost.
Can’t wait to meet you all! Susan Sealy
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