Earlier this month we took our three children, ages 4, 2, and 1, with us on a 2.5-week trip to rural Uganda. We went with a team of five others, Katie Ann, Lena, Lillian, Naomi, and Jonathan, and spent the majority of our time in Masaka, Uganda, at Love and Care Children’s Home and with the families that live and work there. Overall, it was a really great experience, and by the time we were done, our oldest did not want to leave.
Around noon on Tuesday, January 2, we piled all our luggage into a trailer and all our people into a 12-passenger van, and we left from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania to head 3 hours north to New York City’s JFK airport.
Once at the airport, we unloaded our piles of luggage, got in line, and waited patiently (?) for the desk to open so we could check in. There were some tears from small humans and a discovery of a couple of large knives left in someone’s carry-on backpack. Finally, the customer service desk opened, and we took turns checking in. There was a slight issue with several bags being overweight, including carry-ons! So we took things out, rearranged them, and eventually got all the bags to be the proper weight. Then we piled backpacks onto our backs, grabbed the hands of the children, and began walking to our gate.
Finally, that evening we all boarded the flight, got settled in, and began our first 8-hour flight to Istanbul, Turkey. I sat with our youngest. Our 2-year-old sat with my husband, Aaron, and our 4-year-old sat with her two aunts, Kate and Lena. The children did well, but didn’t sleep much. We took along a harness for Jason, our youngest, to help him stay in his own seat, plus we also took along “hammocks” for our two youngest that hung between the back of their seat and the seatback table in front of them. That allowed them to stretch out and sleep a little more comfortably. We were also served two meals on the plane, which weren’t too bad. They also gave me baby food for Jason as well as milk for his bottle, which was helpful.
We left NYC around 8 in the evening and landed in Istanbul around 2 in the afternoon. It was an 8-hour time difference. Once in Istanbul, we had about a 5-hour layover, which we spent walking from one side of the airport to the other and back again. There was some miscommunication about which gate we needed to go to for our next flight which resulted in us walking literally a couple miles. Istanbul airport is huge, and there are not any shuttles or anything. You get to use your own legs and walk. Fortunately, for the second half of the long walk we found an abandoned airport stroller (they have strollers available for rent in the airport) and an abandoned luggage cart. We quickly commandeered them and used them to haul all the luggage and some very tired, less-than-cheerful children.
By the time we found the correct gate, they were pre-boarding, so we walked right onto the plane with family boarding. Once again we got everyone settled in for another 8-hour flight into Entebbe, Uganda. This flight was a little more eventful as the children hadn’t slept much at this point and were overtired. The girls used their headphones, watched movies, and listened to music which helped distract them til they fell asleep. One of them though ended up getting airsick and threw up over everything, so we had to clean her up and change her clothes. Thankfully, we were sitting near the bathrooms; I had extra clothes along; and I had plenty of baby wipes. The stewardesses were nowhere to be found, so I couldn’t ask them for any assistance, but we did get it sorted. Kate ended up walking around until she found a stewardess who gave her some napkins for clean-up.
The flight also stopped in Rwanda on the way to Uganda. It was supposed to be a quick drop-off and pick-up about an hour stop. However, it turned into a couple hours since they had to wait for the fog to clear up enough off of Lake Victoria. After about 30 hours of travel, we finally made it to Entebbe, Uganda, around 5 in the morning on Jan 4.
We fairly quickly cleared customs, gathered all of our luggage (that all made it! PTL!), and found John waiting to pick us up outside. We walked through the cool early morning darkness to his van and began to load everything up. The children were just happy to be outside and not in the plane or airport anymore. Then we loaded all 11 of us into the 8-passenger van and began the 3-hour drive to Masaka, where we would be staying.
On the way, a few of us dozed, but mostly we stayed awake because the outside scenery was so fascinating. Driving on the “wrong” side of the road, “bodas” (motorcycles) with 4 or 5 people on them, cows tethered on the roadside, scaffolding built out of tree branches on construction sites, people everywhere dressed immaculately, merchants selling their wares, buses and taxis and people everywhere going every which direction! It was chaotic and thrilling and so fun!
Eventually, we made it to the guest house compound that would be our base for our stay. Aaron and I immediately took naps while the children hung out with Sarah’s children. By suppertime that evening, the children were so tired that they all fell asleep early. The girls slept for about 14 hours straight and by about day 2 were completely adjusted to the 8-hour time difference. Jason took a few more days and a couple of micro-doses of Melatonin before he was completely switched.
That evening we also had a short orientation to the country and were alerted to certain things that could be viewed as offensive, like the way we motioned for our children to come or females wearing pants or men wearing shorts outside of the compound.
The next day, Friday, we were given a grand tour of all the properties that belonged to the mission there. Zion Christian School, the farm that produces food for the children’s home, Sarah’s house, John’s house, Darren’s house, and finally, Love and Care Children’s home. By the time we got to the children’s home, the children there were pretty convinced that we were never going to show up. For some reason, they thought that we would be arriving at 10am, but we didn’t get there til 2 or 3 pm. We were warmly welcomed with music and dancing, as well as a mud sign on the front ramp. After the welcome, we all introduced ourselves and Lena handed out candy to all the children. There were around 100 children, I think, that were there. The rest were home for school holidays.
Saturday, we had a chill morning, ate lunch at a local cafe called Plot 99, and spent the afternoon getting ready for leading church the next day at the children’s home.
Sunday morning, we showed up to church around 9:30 am. The older children had the first service where they preached and led some worship. There was a small break, and then the second service began. The dance teams did some more welcome dances for us that they had not been able to finish on Friday, and finally, around 1pm or so it was our turn. I had a chance to share my testimony of being healed from my mental health struggles to children who have faced huge obstacles in life, abuse, abandonment, street life, and more. I hope that I was able to give them hope that things can get better.
On Monday, we went to Sarah’s house. Sarah is a single woman from our church who moved to Uganda 6 years ago or so, is in the process of adopting 5 children, and fosters 4 more who were too young to stay at the children’s home. Most of the team spent the morning cleaning out her chicken barn and replacing dried coffee shells that she uses for flooring. They also picked coffee for her. The afternoon was spent playing games, and in the evening we had a campfire and talked. Meanwhile, all the children played and played, imagining great and marvelous stories.
On Tuesday, I woke up with a slight fever, so the team took the children along and they all went to the mountain to the children’s home and did a bunch of activities with the children there. I slept most of that day, so I’m not sure what all they did. In the afternoon, the older girls from Love and Care came down to the guest house and Katie Ann did some fun things with them. Aaron helped John work on building a swingset for the children’s home. In the evening, we held a little birthday party for two of Sarah’s children who turned 3.
On Wednesday, I was still not feeling great, plus I had already planned to keep the children home with me that day since they planned to work on the farm. However, the girls wanted to go with Sarah, so I let them go, and Jason and I hung out at the guest house and slept. Lena and Lillian went to the school and helped work on the foundation for the new teacher’s quarters that they are building. Aaron went and worked some more on the swing set. That evening a bunch of locals came and we joined in their weekly prayer meeting.
Thursday morning was cloudy and drizzly. We had planned a pool day at a local resort, but we discussed changing the day. Eventually, we decided to just go with it as it usually cleared up in the afternoons, so we went and had a wonderful time. The resort had a large pool and waterslide just for the children, as well as a playground. The cool water felt great, and the children all played so hard that they ended up napping on benches in the shade. I did get a little sunburned on my shoulders, but it was worth it.
That evening we got to hear Mama Hawah’s story of being raised a Muslim and then finding Christ and coming to work at the children’s home and school. Mama Hawah was one of our local team leaders and our resident expert on all things Uganda and was always happy to answer our questions about Ugandan culture. (Calling an older woman “mama” is a sign of respect. “Auntie” is reserved for nannies or younger women, and “jaaja” is used for all elders, male and female.)
Thus ended week 1. I will do another post about the second half of our time since this one is getting longer and longer.
Some people have suggested that I am brave for going so far with three small children while also being 10 weeks pregnant, but it’s part of how I want to raise our children. I want them to become comfortable in other cultures. I want them to be adaptable if the solar runs out and we have no electricity. I want them to see others as potential friends. I want them to be able to use “squatty pottys” or latrines without thinking. I want to expand their worlds to include so much. I want their passports to be full of visas and stamps. I want them to be able to see God in others. And this trip was a great way to add to those goals.
Ida, 4, said her favorite part of the trip was making friends, and make friends she did. She talked to everyone, whether they spoke English or not. She also went a long way in conquering her fear of dogs. She has a long list of all her friends that she left in Uganda, and she asks nearly daily when we can return.
Damaris, 2, loved making friends also, even though she’s much more introverted and needed more chill time at the compound. Her favorite people were the aunties at the children’s home.
Jason, 1, loved the music and the fact that he was allowed to be outside all day every day. I would bathe him and five minutes later, he was covered in dirt again. He was completely happy that way. He also loved playing with all the dogs and not having to ride in a carseat.
My favorite part was watching the children adapt to and thrive in a new culture. I loved watching them make new friends. And even though the majority of my trip was spent taking care of our children rather than fully immersing in all the activities we did, it was still fun. I would still do it all over again. (Just maybe wait a little while.)
Let me know in the comments if you have any questions while you wait to hear about the second half of our trip.
Adventurer with God 
Liz, this was so interesting to read. I admire your enthusiasm and love for everyone, and wanting to give your children that same opportunity. We prayed for your safety while you were gone. Glad it all went well and that you’re safety home again. ❤️
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