Today marks one week that my team and I have been in Africa! Already we have experienced so much, and see hurt in people that you couldn't fathom without being here to witness it. We've met a blind lady well into her fifty's, prisoners that never will taste freedom again, children begging for the gum out of your mouth just to get a taste, and the sweetest little girl that you can imagine and finding out from her mom that she is dying of HIV/AIDS. Despite all of this hurt and pain, there is a light that just shines from these people unlike any I have ever seen. Their faces light up at every glance at us; the "mzungu's". Each time we return from town, the staff that works at the hotel, greats us at the van with hugs and "welcome backs" no matter if we have been gone for fifteen minutes, or all day. The hospitality here is absolutely incredible. Our meals are always on time, they clean our rooms every other day, our driver sits and waits at the hotel all during the day just in case we need to go somewhere, and they are always talking to us and treating us as if we were the most important people in their lives.
Today (Sunday), we went and experienced our first African church service. I had always heard that they are much more intense than services in America, but I had no idea on just how different they truly were. People were going absolutely insane. But insane in a good way. They didn't care who was watching or what other people thought of them; they just worshiped. After church we went to the Lira prison. At the prison there were people incarcerated for anything from stealing food to feed their families, to murderers. There was no barbed wire, few guards, and walls that I am pretty sure I could escape from. About half a mile from the prison was a childrens home…. Only in Africa. At first I am pretty sure all of us were apprehensive about going into the prison and seeing all of the prisoners. But when we got there, the prisoners didn't act all tough and hardened like you would think a prisoner would be. They stood up, didn't say a word, and gave up there seats and didn't sit down until we each had a seat. After we were seated a preacher stood up and began preaching. Once he was done we prayed for the prisoners and met a few of them as well. For one of them it was their first time ever seeing a white man in person! As we were walking out, our translator informed me that I will be the one talking to them next Sunday. I am obviously scared because I have never done anything like this before, but I am also excited because I already know what I am going to speak to the about.
I am going to be really good at soccer when I come home. I have played soccer with children, the ladies on staff at the hotel, and even the security guard and driver here at the hotel. They love soccer but few of them can afford to actually buy one. I bought one so I could at least let some of the kids use it for a little while. When we went to buy it at the store, the guy told me it was 90,000 schillings (about 35 dollars) when it really should have been about 20,000, we call that "getting the white man price". So we went to another store and Patrick, our driver, went into the store with me and got it for 25,000.
I miss everyone more and more everyday and can't wait to come home and see everyone in December. I love you mom, dad, and Grey!
Love,
Adam Townsend
