Monday in Kampala

We started this morning with a trip to the Makerere University, one of the main universities in Kampala. We had the opportunity to meet with the professors in the Department of Women and Gender Studies. There were about 18 professors who teach different areas of health, sexuality, economy, politics, religion and inheritance, all in relation to women and gender. It was a fascinating experience and we had the opportunity to ask many questions and learn so much. We learned about the feminist movement here and how different it has been from that movement in America. We learned about issues that women deal with in Uganda, and how the university is helping to train and equip both women and men to address these issues.

After lunch back at the hotel, we headed out to meet Frances Mondo, the Commissioner for Youth here in Uganda. "Youth" as defined by him are those Ugandans who are between the ages of 18 and 30. He gave us a lot of information about this country, and specifically women in that age group. He discussed many of the issues that women here face, how it affects the culture, and how we as foreigners can effectively offer our assistance. We enjoyed that meeting very much, and again, learned so much! One of our team members was a scribe of sorts at both meetings, so if you're interested in more of what we learned about, ask one of us when we return and we can show you the notes of what we talked about.

Tonight we had the honor of having dinner at the Archbishop of Uganda's home. He and his wife welcomed us warmly into his home and served us a beautiful meal. We gathered around him in the living room and he shared with us about what he does here, what Uganda has experienced politically and spiritually, and how things have shifted over the years. He talked about ministries that are happening through what he does, and it was very clear to us that he loves the Lord and was very passionate for what he does in service for God. He and his wife were incredibly welcoming and hospitable, and we all felt very comfortable there. They were so much fun and it was overall just a wonderful experience.

Today was full of learning and growing for us. We travelled around with open eyes and ears, and found out so much. It was so interesting and enjoyable! We all felt so blessed to have these opportunities.

Tomorrow morning we leave for a four hour drive west into some of the villages. We'll be travelling for 3 days, and the First Lady will be joining us (!!!). I don't know if we'll have internet access or not at the hotel we'll be at there, but we'll be sure to come back and update you all as soon as possible. Thank you all so very much for your prayers, and for the comments yesterday. We loved reading through them at our debriefing meeting! :)