Packing, Cleaning, Traveling and Safely Home, by Pat

Our final day on the ground in Uganda started early Thursday morning at 6:00. Sheets were stripped so they could be washed and dried in time to be packed away. One quick shower for those who wanted it and then the packing began in earnest so that final cleaning of the house could take place. Mattresses were stacked and covered, floors were mopped, bathrooms cleaned and windows locked. We then loaded up on the Taxi to go to Ozzie's for a leisurely breakfast. We took a little stroll down the street and suddenly Elton's name was called! There was Chris Cotner of Water 4 out of Edmond, OK on the street of Jinja, Uganda. You never know who you might run into when you're away from home!
When we returned to the Compound, w said our final goodbyes to Grace, Abdu and family and many others who were stopping by. Then the creative loading/stacking of the Taxi took place. Paul and Pam would be coming later. They sent their adopted son, Jeffrey, along with to accompany us. We headed toward Kampala, stopping along the way to taste raw sugar cane and walk through a field of growing tea. We also experienced a detour due to road construction so we rode through a village on bumpy roads and noticed that there are impatient drivers all over the world. Once in Kampala we stopped at a modern shopping center and looked over the different merchandising methods and made some final purchases. While in the grocery store, Elton sought out the rice produced in Kenya at Dominion Farms under the label of Prime Harvest. Standing next to the display was Cassandra, the most recently rescued former prostitute who is now a merchandiser. She was just hired off the street last week. We had a good visit and were excited to see her at work in the store.

We then ate a wonderful meal at a restaurant called Good African Coffee and loaded up to head to the airport. After off-loading our bags, we said our final goodbyes to Peter, our Taxi Driver and adopted Team Member. He spent every day with us and we all had a great time with him. He gave us a greeting card and a gift of sweets, also known as candy, so we all enjoyed that treat and then we gave him many goodbye hugs. Paul and Pam arrived and we all checked in together. Our flight from Intebbe to Amesterdam was uneventful, therefore it was good. At the Amsterdam airport we said our goodbyes to Paul and Pam. Some took showers, some tried to catch a little rest. We had our group devotions before boarding for our flight to Detroit. Again, the flight was good. It took a while to get through Customs at Detroit. Several drums were being taken home as carry-ons which brought attention to the possibility that we may have been bringing home agricultural products. Upon observation of the others who were having their bags searched, it was also apparent they needed some plain white Americans to balance out the Middle-Eastern folks that were also having their bags searched. Since we had a tight schedule, we were thankful to learn that our final flight had been delayed. This gave everyone a chance to grab some fast food and get their Dr. Pepper fix. There were some pretty big smiles since they had lived without Dr. Pepper the entire time they were gone from the USA. Dani sang "America the Beautiful" as she walked through the Detroit Airport and warned us that she planned to sing "Oklahoma" when she landed in OKC. Which, she did!

Upon arriving in OKC, we were greeted by some very excited parents, family and friends. After lots of hugs and the collection of the bags, we loaded on the bus. We had our last group devotions before the bus left for Fairview. We are so thankful for our faithful bus driver, Linda Klinger. She has done a wonderful job.

We plan to share about our experiences during church on Sunday, August 8th at the Fairview Mennonite Brethren Church. Hope you can all come!