Adventures begin in simple ways. This adventure began months ago with a simple invitation to join in the work of SWOH, but just a few days ago it got wings. We met at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, weighed luggage, checked-in, walked through security and – with the maximum carry-ons allowed - boarded a plane. Just imagine the journey of one of those carry-on items. Let’s be more specific – a backpack. This heavy, overburdened backpack slowly traveled down the hallway to the gate. Why slowly? Shouldn’t we have booked it through the airport to get to our gate? No, because this mission team is a little different than the usual SWOH mission team. There are two very short, very immature team members. Fiona (5) and Rowen (3) are the first (and hopefully not the last!) children sent by SWOH to serve the Lord in Uganda. Don’t worry. SWOH sent their parents too.

Arriving at the airport in Houston

Ready to fly!

L to R: Ian, Rowen, Fiona, and Sara

Back to our backpack friend. Backpack waited in the boarding line, rode up the ramp and onto the plane only to be unceremoniously shoved into a cramped space under a seat. Then Backpack flew for 8 hours to Amsterdam without the refreshment of a meal or snack provided by the flight crew. (The mission team didn’t have this problem. They had plenty of food and refreshments.) Next Backpack, freed from the confinement of the plane, rode back into an airport, but this time in Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. The expected 4-hour layover was closer to a 2-hour layover. Most of the layover was spent having a snack together as a team at McDonald’s and slowly, slowly, very slowly walking to the gate. The team had a few minutes to burn, so Jeremiah and Ian hung out at the gate, while Backpack and the girls, Emerald, Sara, Fiona and Rowen, found a place to play. Then it was back to the gate, into the boarding line and onto the plane where Backpack received the same treatment - shoved in the cramped space under a seat for 8 hours.

Backpack (and the mission team) arrived at the Kigali airport (Kigali, Rwanda) and waited while passengers got off the plane and other passengers boarded. After this long interlude, the plane flew 30 minutes to Entebbe, Uganda (the international airport in Uganda is in Entebbe, about 40 minutes from Uganda’s capital, Kampala), where it rode down the ramp and into UGANDA – at least the airport. After arrival, there was a quick meeting before the team went through immigration. Immigration was quick, and the luggage was waiting on the luggage carousel. The team was almost there! Outside the airport, Joy Situka waited to take the team to her home. What a relief to be greeted by her smiling face and warm hugs! Next, Backpack was loaded into a car and rode the 40-minute drive to the house near Kampala. The weary travelers fell into bed and Backpack was left on a bedroom floor to await the next leg of the adventure.

by Sara Call

For more of backpack and the team’s adventures, head over to Instagram and give @SWOHministries a follow!

Hello supporters of Sovereign Wings of Hope!

Our 2019 Community Transformation Project (CTP) mission team landed in Uganda on Thursday of last week. Right now, we're all feeling the jet lag, but in good spirits otherwise. Big praise to Him for getting us here healthy.

Stay tuned for more updates from this trip!

Remember to follow us on Facebook and Instagram for photos.

Merry Christmas, SWOH family and friends!

Thank you for being part of our SWOH family! Your partnership has engaged thousands of lives in Uganda, from young and old! 

On behalf of all of our missionaries, local Ugandan Staff and volunteers, we want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. 

Blessings!

View fullsize

This Nov 27th is #GivingTuesday. This year we are fundraising to provide hospice care to 190 patients and 500 family members in Eastern Uganda for 2019. Facebook and PayPal are matching donations on Facebook for a total of up to $7 million dollars. In addition, your donations to SWOH could be matched! Mark your calendar and help us reach our $12,000 goal.

Hospice Care delivers holistic care for dying patients and comforts family members. Hospice Tororo.

Here’s one story about Ernest:

Prior to his illness, Ernest was a boisterous young Ugandan man with plans for better life. He was a technician working in the capital and was able to take care of his two sons one in high school and the other in middle school. He aspired for a better life for his sons than what he had when growing up and all was going according to plan until he was admitted to the hospital.

Ernest found out he was living with HIV/AIDS and Kaposi’s sarcoma of the right foot. We found him in the health clinic Mulanda subcounty, Tororo District. As things progressed, his leg became swollen and septic, discharging smelly pus and smelling profusely. Not only could he no longer work but his severe pain meant he could hardly sleep. As like many cancer patients in Uganda, he became isolated and refused to eat due to depression. He felt like his dream was lost as his health deteriorated.

Then Hospice Tororo physicians were able to assess and care for him. He received medical assistance which controlled his pain physically and psychosocial care which eased his fears and hopelessness. Soon his health improved and after a month he began to limp around the hospital sharing jokes and inspiring joy.

Now after months of the program, Ernest feels like himself. Though he still has a disease, he takes pain medication regularly, is able to treat his wounds (which consequently do not smell), and believes he can return to work early next year. Ernest says “Without hospice, I don’t where I would be.” We praise God that we can provide this work to over 190 patients in that same district.

In America, a new school year for elementary and middle schools began mid-late August. In Uganda, the final school term of the year starts in September. Wings of Hope Christian Academy (WOHCA) 700+ students, faculty and staff embarked on finishing this school year well. Andrew Menees, shares his reflections on experiencing the education system during his 3 week missions project this past summer.

In Uganda, school life has a different meaning. Teachers typically get paid low wages and students often will walk miles to school. They both seem to take advantage of giving and receiving education and they see it as a very important part of life no matter how hard it may be for the students to get there or for the teachers to take their time to really make sure each student is getting a good education.

At WOHCA, every teacher I met is very passionate about caring for their students both individually and as a class. Francis, one of the teachers that I observed, really made me appreciate his teaching. Though he was a science teacher, he taught more than science to his students. He taught them how to give better presentations, how to spell words like hypha and mycelium, and that was only in one day. He isn’t getting paid any extra to teach them more, but he does anyway because he wants the students to be able to leave the class knowing more than the biology of a mushroom.

As we traveled to other cities, we could see students in uniforms walking in almost every place we passed. They also usually have hours from 8 to 5 but have more frequent breaks to play and visit with each other. But in between net ball (a game the girls play) and football (soccer), the team and I got to look at some of WOHCA exams and were able to see how intelligent they are. We read through the English papers of the P7 class ( 8th grade) and they seemed to know the subject better than many American students I know.

I can say both the teachers and the students are fun, loving, engaging, and just happy to be where they are. The education goes beyond a designated subject a teacher is hired to teach and the students are intelligent and surprisingly focused on learning more. I honestly loved seeing the people I met [at WOHCA] and I was very grateful for the opportunity to experience a Ugandan school and all the people in it. It’s amazing to see how God is already working here. He has placed each individual where He wants them because He knows what they need in order to see the love He has for them.

To learn more about how our school is strategically placed to provide quality education in a high at risk population in Uganda, click here.