A Royal Visit

Yesterday, we made a spontaneous visit to one of the palace's of the King of Buganda. We went with our friends, the Showalter's for an Ugandan cultural experience. It was also a wonderful opportunity for a field trip! It is not everyday you can just walk up and go to the palace in Uganda. Now, the king does not actually live at this palace so we didn't get to meet him and we didn't get to go inside, but we still learned somethings. There is a primary and secondary school that are in the compound of the palace and I think it would be pretty cool to say you went to school at the palace.

Looking out at the city of Kampala

The palace is located on one of the seven hills around Kampala. The modern palace was built in style of British architecture. From the palace there is a straight road which leads to the parliament building. This road is lined with fifty-two trees that represent the fifty-two clans of Uganda. Each clan is represented by an animal. When you are born you take the clan of your father, but if you are a child of a king you take your mother's clan.

Part of our tour told of Idi Amin and how he took the presidency of Uganda by force from the king and president in the 1970's. He took the palace by force while the king was away. He bombed the palace and 10 Rolls Royce and Bentleys that the British had given as a gift the the king. They have left the cars shells as a reminder of that time. We were lead to a dungeon of torture, which was built built into the hill by Amin. It was very sad to hear about what happened there and what it was like for the prisoners. No one who entered came out alive. It was a very dark time in Uganda's history, but by God's grace, the people of Uganda are moving forward, seeking and turning there heart's to Him.

Rolls Royce

Dungeon

Our tour ended in a museum with pictures of the current king from childhood till present. I had an opportunity to try on some Ugandan artifacts. Ben says he is not sure if I look Ugandan or redneck. I'll let you decide. We have been very blessed during our adventure to learn more about the world and people God has created. So very thankful for these opportunities to open the eyes of our children to new and different things. I pray we never take for granted the blessings He has given us.

Traditional Ugandan Shoes

Women's Day at Jjogo Community Church

Hannah's Daughters in Traditional Dress

Our son, Emmanuel's mother leading worship
So blessed to have Christine as a Sister in Christ

Dancing for the Lord 

Preaching in my African Attire
Momma Phoebe took me shopping

Dinner on the Grounds

Let's Eat

"I will Rise"

Sharing our Lives

Women of Jjogo
Black and White thanks to the church children helping Ben take the snap
OPPS!

On Sunday, we celebrated the ladies of Jjogo Community Church. I, Rebecca, wanted to spend some time fellowshipping with and blessing the beautiful women of Jjogo. The worship was lead by the women's group, Hannah's Daughters. They were wonderful and all dressed in the traditional Ugandan dress. I was asked to preach, which was a big stretch, but God was faithfully and blessed the word. We then had a catered lunch at the church for all the ladies and children. When we had finished, we gathered together again for worship. Abigail and Elizabeth choreographed a dance to "I will Rise", by Chris Tomlin, to share with the ladies. I am very proud of the girls for working hard together and performing beautifully. Then Phoebe and I sat together with the ladies and had a time of sharing and questions. I shared what it was like to be a muzungu in America and what my life there is like. This time really showed me some big differences in our cultures and parts of their lives that are hard and difficult. I would like to encourage all of my sisters in the US, to pray for our sisters in Christ around the world who are dealing with very difficult situations and hardships. We serve a loving God, who knows our joy and our pain. Who is with us always no matter where we go. What a wonderful day we shared together. Thank you Women of JCC. You have blessed me more than you will ever know. To God be the Glory!

"Vistahs"

Dr. Rogers, Momma Vikki, and Uncle Trent with our  tribe

On Safari with the Thomas family

On the Equator

Just relaxin by the Nile River at the Lodge

Sunset on the Nile

Yes, that is an elephant and no, there is not a fence

Our driver Hannington and guide Sarah with the gang

Peter, Rachel, Hannington and Jacob

We were so blessed last week with "vistahs" from home, the Thomas Family, Rick and Vikki Rogers and Trent Messick. We had a wonderful time catching up and just being together. Of course, we could not let them go home without going on safari and seeing all our friends at Divine Grace. We had a great safari. We saw elephants, hippos, giraffes, Cape buffalo, Jackson Heartbeast,  monkeys, baboons, lizards, and more. I am truly amazed each time at how great God is and how wonderful all his creation is.
We spent a few days around Kampala going to church, visiting Jjogo school, and just hanging out. We then made our way to Divine Grace Primary School, stopping at the equator for a photo and an equator experiment. Did you know that you weigh 3% less when standing on the equator? We had a good time visiting with the staff and students at DG. They are always a blessing to be with!

To our dear friends who are family,
Thank you so much for making the sacrifice and taking the time to come ALL the way to Uganda. You will never know how great a blessing it was for us to be with you all. We love you all and look forward to seeing you soon!!!