After over 30 hours of traveling we finally arrived at YWAM Hopeland in Jinja, Uganda!! On my first flight I befriended a lady called Christine from the UK who was milling around at the back of the plane. After telling her a little of our story and why we were travelling, she went on to tell me some of hers. She was on her annual trip to visit her family who had emigrated to Australia and mentioned how she had a few back problems. She was in pain so I asked her if I could pray for her there and then. Christine agreed and, after praying the first time, she mentioned a small improvement. I prayed a second time 'Your kingdom come, your will be done on this plane as it is in heaven.' Again she felt a slight improvement. Christine took my hand, squeezed it, said thank you, then shortly after made her way back to her seat. When we arrived in Dubai for our connecting flights we parted ways both a little more loved and looking forward to reaching our destinations.

When our team arrived in Uganda we were greeted by Frank- a volunteer with Ywam Hopeland and our driver Peter. Seven hours later we arrived at the base late in the evening and were greeted by hot food and friendly faces.

The YWAM base is a very large compound, there are lots of people who live here and others who are volunteering on a temporary basis. The base has various teams that run amazing ministries into the communities around Jinja.

-Written by Hannah

Ministry in the clinic

We hadn't even arrived at hopeland before Frank's phone was ringing with a request. He passed it over to Sam,

"Hello?"

"Hi I'm a midwife in charge of an antenatal clinic tomorrow. There are two of us expecting 80 pregnant women. I heard there was a team coming. Any help would be greatly appreciated"

So we did exactly that. The next day we found ourselves in a taxi heading off to a remote clinic across the Nile and faraway.

The healthcare students amongst us set about taking blood pressure. We were also taught how to carry out an antenatal examination. This involved measuring the bump (which equates to the number of weeks pregnant), palpating for the position of the foetus, and listening to the foetal heart.

For Sam, Hannah and I this was a great experience: we palpated more pregnant women than we would hope to meet over the entirety of our medical studies.

As a team we were amazed by this opportunity that God provided for us to be able to demonstrate his love practically.

- Written by Dan

Some of us, on arriving, were ushered around to a tree, where a little tartan bag/nappy thing was hanging from a branch, in which we had to place babies, weigh them, and write down the weight on the mother's hand, so it could be copied onto an official document! It was so bizarre to be entrusted with these ladies' babies, and to be filling in these documents, but it was also great to be helping these people at the clinic.

We played with the children in the village who lived near the clinic - carrying them and taking photos with them. As it was our first day in Uganda we were trying out phrases like "Oli Otya?" meaning "how are you?" and trying to chat with the children. We got to know them really well over the course of the morning. It was such a blessing to be able to build relationships with these kids so quickly. Despite arriving in a place where we had such little qualifications and had no idea what was happening, it was clear that God was really in charge.

-Written by Angus

Hospital ministry

On our first day of ministry, after working at a clinic in a rural african village, we found ourselves in the middle of Jinja hospital.

We had the opportunity to go around chatting to the patients, telling them about Jesus and offering to pray for them. I think the whole team found this to be a surreal opportunity. It was such a huge blessing to be able to love on the patients in the hospital.

We met a lady who had been there for over six weeks. She had been admitted because of a deep cut in her leg. However, because of her inability to afford bandages, she had been refused treatment. Her daughter, who was supposed to be bringing her food, had run away. She was so frail and weak, as she had been stranded in the hospital with no food and no medication. We had the opportunity to talk about Jesus with her and pray over her.

Written by Natasha

It is fair to say that Ugandan hospitals are very different to those in the UK. Resources are in short supply including basic painkillers and bandages; all treatment and care has to be paid for by the patient and their families. For example we came across one child who had a cast made from cardboard because plaster casts were not available or affordable for him. Conditions inside the hospital are a far cry from the NHS standards. Many of our team were deeply touched by the suffering we encountered there but it was an incredible opportunity to be able to bring hope and pray with the patients.

-Written by Daniel and Hannah

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Home of Hope

Home of Hope is organisation which provides a home for disabled children. Families will often abandon their children if they are born with a disability.

It is run by a woman called Edith who has an amazing story! She gave birth to a boy called Derek who was misdiagnosed and mistreated for malaria when he was actually suffering from meningitis. This caused damage in his brain and spinal cord and resulted in Cerebal Palsy. She was abandoned by her family and friends but she ignored God's call for her to help others like Derek. That was until she got in a boda boda (motorcycle) accident which left her paralysed down one side. She was told that she would never walk again... so she began to pray. She prayed that if God healed her she would serve him. She prayed and prayed everyday for the same thing and slowly she was healed! So she started up the home and now has forty two children under her care. Unfortunately Derek passed away two years ago but Edith's heart for the home is still strong!

When we arrived, the children ran out to meet us with huge smiles on their faces! We made balloon animals and blew bubbles with them and they loved it so much! We took a few of them for a walk in their wheelchairs which they also really enjoyed! It was so good just to spend time with them and show them how much they are loved by Jesus! I spent most of my time with a boy called Junior who couldn't talk or walk but it was so great to just watch him laugh as I tickled him and to watch him copy me clapping my hands together! Praise God!

-Written by Chloe

A little boy in Home of Hope captured my heart, his name was Ebila. On arriving to the home, I found him stationed in a wheelchair close to the doors. My first impression of him was a reserved, distant child who wanted to watch what was happening rather than participate with the group. I went over and knelt down next to him and, not quite knowing what to do, gently scratched his back. He then leaned over and placed his head on my shoulder and mumbled “thank you”. For the next half an hour Ebila hugged my neck and kissed my cheek. His hunger for love broke my heart and, with tears streaming down my face, I prayed blessings over him. It was such a privilege to experience some of the love God has for the children in Home of Hope.

-Written by Natasha

Prison ministry

On Thursday afternoon we were taken into Jinja city to a very large prison. As we got into the truck we found out that we would be leading a service in the women's prison. On the short journey we decided that we would each share part of the gospel. We used gospel bracelets, scriptures, testimonies and illustrations to reaffirm the women in their faith. We also had a drama to perform about everyone's unique giftings given by God.

Prostitution is a huge problem in Uganda; men pay less than 50p to sleep with a prostitute. Most of the women had found themselves in prison after being raped by a policeman.

As you can imagine we arrived expecting to find a broken, miserable group of women who had very little hope in life.

What we actually found was quite contrary. We were amazingly welcomed and even the guards were excited that we had come. We chatted to the women and they all congregated in a room together. Our African friend, Frank, was there to translate for us. With just a drum, the women sang together praises to God. It was amazing to worship God with them and see them smiling in the joy of God.

After the worship, we were able to share the gospel with the women. The gospel bracelets made it very easy to get the good news across and the women loved to recite wheat each colour meant. The women's faces lit up when they heard that their shame is not counted against them by a God who loves them. We then performed a skit and invited some of the prisoners to join in (much to the amusement of the prisoners and guards). We prayed with the prisoners and heard stories of trials and court cases that were months and sometimes years late.

The entire team had was struck by the openness and vulnerability of the prisoners when we prayed for them. We realised that our initial perceptions of them were wrong and we began to understand how God sees them. There was no difference between us and them.

Written by Sam and Thom

“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:28

Prayer requests

I hope you appreciate that God has done some amazing things over the past week. We are so grateful to all who have been praying for us - it's made a huge difference. As we continue our time here, we need God's guidance and provision. Below are some specific things we would love you to be praying for:

• Our days are all very busy and so we are all quite tired-pray that we would be energised and refreshed by Gods spirit.
• We are so grateful that no one has fallen ill - please pray for continued health
• Pray for all the people we have met. Pray that God would continue to work in their hearts.
• As we soon travel to Tanzania pray for protection and safety.
• Pray for Dan as he returns home
• As we start work in Tanzania, pray we would settle there quickly
• Pray for YWAM hopeland that God would continue the amazing work that is going on there

Some more pictures!