All 11 of the Uganda Relation-Trip folks have arrived safe and sound. Quite a few days of travel . . . 3 different flights totaling around 17 hours of flying time, then a bus ride from Kampala/Entebbe to Nebbi. Now we are all tucked in and ready for some good sleep!

Tomorrow we will visit Acres of Hope and spend the day there. We had the opportunity to drive thru and drop off the bins today and it is simply amazing! Just in the past two years – – – it has been transformed. Cows, goats, water tanks, new school buildings, a garden and so much more! Tomorrow we get the grand tour and how cool it will be!!!!!

I know people, including myself, sometimes wonder where our charitable giving goes and if it really makes a difference.  Clearly this has been a relationship/partnership that has been so valuable in giving people hope! Pastor Geoffrey has had (and continues to have) such vision and leadership to bring this to fruition. It will be so exciting to get the full picture tomorrow.

The “full picture” today came from our lunch experience.

We stopped at a restaurant between Kampala and Nebbi and each were able to order off the menu.

Not thinking we would stop for lunch, I had a little snack on the bus of some nuts/crackers. (If you know me, you’ll understand that perhaps I become HANGRY at times, and I really wanted to spare the mission team that experience. My family is not here to filter me . . . so I am trying to be on my best behavior! Therefore – no “hanger.”)

Because my hunger was minimal, I ordered a grilled cheese.

I didn’t realize it came with fries, but that was a nice surprise.

All in all – there was a LOT of food on my plate for what had seemed like a small order.

I ate what I normally do, picking off the excess bread and leaving some of the fries on the plate.

As the lady who took my plate picked it up, she started to put it back down, thinking I was not finished.

I explained that I was, and kindly thanked her for the food.

“Was it not good?” she asked.

“Oh yes, it was great! Thank you so much!!!” I replied.

“I do not understand why you say it was great when you left it on your plate.”

She frowned and she walked away.

Functioning on some major sleep deprivation I am not exactly what I said next, but I am relatively certain I was ignorant enough to use the phrase, “It was great! Thank you so much! But I left some because I am full.”

FULL.

That word takes on new meaning once here.

The thing that strikes me the most about that lunch situation was I had ridden in a bus for four hours and seen children and adults’ hungry.

Not HANGRY but hungry . . . really, truly hungry.

As I rode, it tugged at my heart.

And even though the trip had been long and I personally was tired, I was so glad I was here.

I was/am reminded how big God is when I walk alongside those who live and breathe continually in a sustaining Love that sometimes I struggle to understand.

Even though my brain comprehended the need of the cultural context I was participating in, how quickly both my heart AND brain forgot when I sent food AWAY . . . stating that I was full.

I was much more careful at dinner with my choices.

For the next several days, I will be personally pondering what it means to be “full” because I think I have a ways to go before I really understand.