Today in Africa

It is about 11PM here and with a 6AM wake up call I need to go to bed soon. But all day today, I thought about how I need to write a blog and let you know what is going on here. I'm afraid that if I wait until tomorrow, then there will be just as much to write then.

Please tell me that you are reading the blogs of Doug, Michelle, and Renee, Kristen, and of course the Passion blog. They are on my team and it is good to get another perspective. Doug manages to post the most pictures, which is quite a feat since the internet connection here is such a pain.

I'm going to give you a run down of today.

After breakfast, we had our usual meeting, but today all of our Ugandan counterparts came to the meeting. It took longer than usual.

After the meeting, most of our team went to Bethany village to visit an orphanage. I was really looking forward to going because even though I am in Africa, I don't feel like I have seen the real Africa. I have been staying in a really nice hotel with armed guards at the gate. I leave and go to a field on a college campus (and only a very elite 1% of students go to college here) and then I come back to the safety of the hotel.
Unfortunately, I did not get to go the orphanage. We officially opened registration at the field today and since that is my job, I needed to be there instead.

While I waited on the wrist bands to get to the field, I met with Dan, Sally, and Susanne about the touch team (essentially the informational and directional volunteer team). Then Susanne and I finally started cleaning up the field. It was hot!

When Ben (my Ugandan counterpart) got to the field with the wristbands, I was able to take a few early arrival volunteers and set up a registration table.

Here's the tough part: this event is for college and university students. I can't tell you how many stories I got today about why I should give someone a wristband even though they didn't have a University ID. But we have to be firm. It makes me so sad to turn anyone away, but I believe in the strategy to reach the people that will reach the most people. I am just trusting in God that He will take what happens here and multiply it.

Registration at the field only stayed open about an hour and a half, because the sky quickly turned dark and the bottom fell out. We are at the end of rainy season, yet it hadn't rained all week. Today made up for it. In a matter of 45 minutes, there was a good 4 inches of standing water on the field. And lots of mud.

And one of the 2 ton LCD screens that are set up beside the stage (it's the huge screen that shows the speaker and band and lyrics) was blown over by the wind and ended up face down in water. That's not such a great thing for an LCD screen.

I got some great pictures of it, but as we have already discussed, posting pictures is a pain. You might just have to wait.

After getting entirely soaked, we left the field to come back to the hotel. The van I was in got stuck in traffic and a 15 minute trip took over an hour. We got back and I took a very warm shower (have I mentioned how in love I am with the can shower head in our shower?) and then met Sally and Dan for dinner. There are two restaurants in the hotel where we can eat dinner. It's okay food, but I am ready for something different.

After dinner, we talked more about touch team and I drew out a map for them to use in placing volunteers. Maps make me happy. And I am pretty sure that my map made them happy too.

Now it is bed time.

Here is the good news:
-as of today, we have had about 12,000 students pre-register and get their wristbands.
-we have plenty of volunteers signed up and many of the American volunteers will be joining us tomorrow (including a group of 30 from Auburn)
-no one was hurt when the LCD screen fell and I heard a rumor that it might actually still be in working order

Here are the things that we could really use some prayer for:
-unity between us and the Ugandan leaders. We definitely work differently.
-pray that we would be able to pre-register the rest of the students tomorrow and Friday morning. It was make things so much easier Friday afternoon.
-pray that our systems will work and that we will not have people rush the field (I keep having visions of a soccer match in an overcrowded stadium, but on a field).
-our energy as things really kick into high gear now
-the LCD screen and equipment that got wet today

Finally, you can pray that I will feel better. I have been fine thus far, but tonight I have had some stomach issues of which I will spare you the details. Even though I missed out on the orphanage, it seems as if I am indeed going to get to experience the real Africa.

thank you for being on this journey with me.