Heswall YF Uganda mission team have been in Uganda since Friday 15th July, along with a medical team.

They have been sending regular text updates since then and are having a fantastic time so far, serving the Ugandan communities and learning a lot about the Ugandan people and culture.

Thank you to everyone who is supporting them and praying for them, they really appreciate yours thoughts and prayers.

Alastair (who is leading team 3) sent the update below on Sunday when the team had internet access.

For further updates from all 3 teams please visit the blog section of this website and for medical team updates visit the blog section on www.newhope.co.uk

Alastair: Team 3 Update

We seem to have been in Uganda for ages and yet the time also seems to be flying. It hardly seems a week since we arrived at Entebbe airport and were met by Pastor Stephen and pupils from the Rock of Joy School Primary School Lungujja before transferring to Backpackers hostel in their mini buses. 

On Sunday morning we enjoyed worshipping at the Watoto Church in Kampala in a vibrant and lively service which was a bit like a Ugandan 'Spring Harvest'. It was great to see people queuing round the block to get into the church and we joined a congregation of over a thousand worshippers in one of a several Sunday services making the total congregation about 10,000 people.

In the evening we went to see a traditional Ugandan dance show performed by the Ndere Dance Troupe and enjoyed an open air barbecue. It was a lot of fun and there was some incredible dancing and drumming. All the Teams got up to dance but there were several unexpected pauses when the sound and lights cut out due to powercuts - apparently the government is in dispute with the national electricity company over unpaid bills and this is a regular occurrence.

On Monday, Team 3 made the short 15 minute journey to Lugala to spend our first week at Antioch Primary School. We had a wonderful welcome from the staff and pupils including a show performed by the pupils with a song or dance from every class.

Every day we have made the 15 minute walk from the hotel, down the red dusty road, to the school with a chorus of 'See you Mzungu!' from the little Ugandan children. The route is lined with little shops selling everything from fruit and vegetables to sofas. Everyone in the team is working very hard but loving our time with the children. We have been teaching lessons, running holiday clubs, playing sport, making crafts, reading with pupils, teaching recorders etc. Holiday clubs take place on a barren piece of common ground and we have all gained a 'fake bake' from the red dusty earth. Sometimes we have been forced to put a game on hold as a herd of long horned cows has passed through the middle of it. We also organised and ran a youth group involving music, drama, prayer, bible study and testimony - in Uganda anyone who is not married is considered to be a youth so we had a wide range of ages!

Antioch School before the teams visited in 2009

There have been a lot of positive changes at Antioch since we last visited in 2009. The open sewer has been covered, classrooms have been extended, floors and passage ways concreted and the church now has a roof which came in handy on Thursday when we had a torrential downpour for half an hour. We spent the first part of the week whitewashing the front wall of the church and Baby Class and by Friday had painted a colourful scene of Noah's Ark and all the animals which was much appreciated by the pupils and staff.

We finished the week by leading a whole school assembly including a drama and songs that we have taught them - 'Every Move I Make' is a new favourite!

We have been very well looked after and eaten lots of traditional Ugandan food including matoke, kasava, millet, avocado, chapati, tilapia (fish) and fresh fruit including pineapple, mango, water melon and paw paw (papaya). 

Everyone is well and in good spirits. We've spent this weekend back at Backpackers with the rest of the teams and went into Kampala today to visit the craft market, visit the internet cafe, and go swimming at the Sheraton hotel - refreshingly cool after a hot sticky week! Adam W, Hannah B and Anna M returned from the medical mission having had an amazing time, and Simon, Sophie and Bex will be joining the medics tomorrow (Sunday). 

This Sunday we are dividing ourselves between the services at Antioch Believers Church (Lugala) and Kingdom Gospel Church in Lungujja. Some of the young people are running the Sunday Schools whilst others are preaching in morning service - please pray for them. Team 3 have also been asked to perform a drama. In the afternoon, we will be having lunch at Lungujja and have been challenged to a football match against the Ugandans - please pray for us again! 

We have had a fantastic first week at Antioch and we are now looking forward to our second week at Lungujja.

With lots of love from us all,

Alastair