Team Uganda

Don't hate us because we're beautiful!

Kampala, Uganda

Kampala is the capital of Uganda...It is one of the fastest growing economies in Africa. Did you know that drivers drive on the right side of the car and left side of the road in Uganda?

Kidepo National Park

Half our team had a little layover in Kidepo National Park (northeast Uganda), which shares a border with Sudan and Kenya. If you're looking for a safari adventure in Uganda's most remote wilderness, gotta land on this dirt runway!

Bird's-Eye View

For those who are scared of heights, we wanted to give you an aerial shot of Uganda...Yikes!

Gulu, Uganda

After 2 days of travelling from the States, this was our first view of the land in Gulu, where we spent 10 days.

Hospital Visit

We visited a local hospital ran by the government. There were hundreds of patients with an extreme lack of hospital sanitation and an overwhelming need for doctors/nurses. It was such a blessing to be able to give the patients bars of soap and words of encouragement. Thank you to all our supporters who were apart of our giving here!

True Joy

My teammate Andrew and I evangelized to this grandpa, who had no family. He lost all his children and grandchildren. When we first met him, he seemed to have a deep sense of loneliness but after Andrew shared about Christ's love for him, he beamed with this beautiful smile!

Port-a-Potty

In most of the villages we visited, there are these 'outhouses' built out of mud and clay. Inside is a simple hole dug in the ground...you get the picture...

Family Affair

There are literally thousands of bikers in Gulu. It's definitely an economic way to travel because gas is so expensive and at times, scarce. I was amazed at this family of four traveling on one bike!

7-11

I suppose you would call this their version of 7-11...

Village No. 1

In the first village that we visited to provide medical services, the people were ready to be seen and treated as soon as we arrived. This village had no clean source of water so unfortunately, all their medicine had to be taken with muddy water. We pray for their treatment, but ultimately believe God is the healer!

In the Village

In these villages, it's so heartbreaking to see the homes they live in...huts made out of tree branches and typically, there's about 8 to 12 people living in one of these! There were so many babies and children...so precious to hold and adore!

Moments of Beauty

It was pretty chaotic and intense providing medicine and bandaging wounds all day, but once in a while, you would look up and catch moments of beauty, such as this grandma maybe blowing her first bubble...Amazing!

Simple Pleasures

My forever memories of Uganda will be the children...couldn't get enough of them!

IDP Camps

IDP stands for 'Internally Displaced Peoples'. I'll give you a cliff note version of their situation...These camps were created for the people of northern Uganda, who continue to suffer under a 20-year reign of terror imposed by Joseph Kony and his Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). More than 1.7 million northerners have been displaced by the war and live in harsh and often desperate conditions. 1,000 people are dying every week because of this war.

Love On

We express our deepest gratitude for those who partnered with us and our team to meet the medical needs of those in the IDP Camps. All the clothing donations we brought from home meant so much to the Ugandans. It was such a privilege to tangibly show Christ's love to them.

Lines

Lines for clothing, lines for the sick...The need is so great! We did not rely on our own strength for our ministries...

Burn Baby Burn

After a day's end, everything had to be destroyed. Otherwise, the children will scrounge for the pills that dropped in the dirt.

Thirsty

Some IDP camps were lucky to have a water well. The Ugandan ladies will fill those tanks full and walk miles...they rock!

Love Language

Isn't it amazing that love is our unspoken language? On that note, I was incredibly blessed by my dear husband, Stephen, who gave so much of himself on this trip...

Gulu District

This is a part of Gulu district where our beloved Pastor Chris and his family resides. He lives in a one-bedroom yet he may have up to 20 people staying over his place. His generosity blew us away! The animals live next door to him...definitely a common sight in Uganda to see families raising livestock.

Celebration

We had the honor of celebrating Gulu Bible Community Church's 1-year Anniversary. It was so much fun feasting with all the children and members from town!

Strength and Joy

What amazes me most about the Ugandans is that despite all their suffering and hardships, one thing is crystal clear- it is their love for family. Whether it is a crew of 9 in one hut or a grandma taking care of her grandchildren on her own, the Ugandans are such a people of strength and joy. It truly humbles me to see how they extend their lives for each other.

Earnest Pleading

We hope to remember all the beautiful faces and people we encountered, but we pray that God will protect their lives and future. Our hearts drop at the thought of another child being abducted by the LRA or the young girl who will be sold into the sex trade...Please pray with us!

Declaration

We are not finished loving and serving our family in Uganda...(P.S. Thank you to our awesome team member Ralph, who captured so many of the beautiful images on our site!)

*Note for Team Uganda

Dear Team Uganda, We just wanted to say THANK YOU for truly being agents of Christ's love...It has been such a privilege to be on this journey with each one of you! We will forever be impacted by you and smile remembering our goofy moments, like singing opera together while waiting for our plane all day...We love you and remember, as we sang with our brothers and sisters, 'It is well, with my soul...' (I hope that's the song on the screen!) Love You! The Lees