Uganda: Live, Love, Laugh (with the Staff)

By Shayla

After incredible visits in both India and Thailand, we finally touched down in Africa. I sat by the big glass windows in the airport, peering out at what felt like my looking glass into the early dawn of the pale orange African sky. During the planning of this trip, I had always felt a draw...some pull inside of me to come to Africa. I'm not sure exactly what it was, perhaps due in part to reading Kisses from Katie, or hearing stories from missionaries, or God putting it on my heart. Whatever the source, I had known that Africa had to be on the itinerary. But as I sat in the plastic chairs in the terminal, struggling to get WiFi, it was hard to imagine what was going to come next. Our previous destinations had surprised me. I had never guessed how deeply connected I would feel to India and my family at Little Flock, or what amazing times we would have in Thailand. Now we had arrived to fulfill my biggest dream, and it was hard to picture how anything could surpass those life changing experiences. 

All I knew about the next week was that we were going to help at a camp in Uganda run by a woman named Kindri from the Bay Area who volunteers with youth at Dad's TYM camps. I had no idea what the week was going to look like, or what responsibilities I would have, but I was ready to find out. 
When we arrived in Entebbe, Uganda, and made it through the Ebola screening and Immigration check, we walked out of the quiet terminal and looked all about for the driver Kindri had arranged. We didn't find anyone by the name we had, but there was a guy from a taxi company trying to convince us that he was supposed to give us our ride. It was the first time on the trip so far where I had felt this icky mistrust, like he was trying to con us or something. Thankfully, Dad handled it well: he reached Kindri on the man's phone, and a driver arrived for us after a bit. Richard, a Ugandan in his mid-20's, officially welcomed us to Uganda and escorted us to his car and we began our long 4 hour journey to Jinja, squished together in his little car. The next hours did not include our finest moments. We were jetlagged, hungry, hot, and uncomfortable...but we did learn a lot of interesting things about the people, the culture, the language and the history of Uganda as Mom showered Richard with a myriad of curious questions.

When we finally did get out of Richard's cramped car, we came to a Guest House where I finally got to meet Kindri. Right away she was super likable and began to give us some insight into local Ugandans. She is a nurse back at home, and she had been leading a youth camp here in Uganda several times a year to teach health education and healthy relationships in response to the tragic AIDS epidemic. Many of the kids who attend camp have lost one, if not both parents due to AIDS. Tragically, that is all too common here.

Soon we were loading with our gear back into another car, this time with Kindri to guide us. We made our way up the red dirt roads to the YWAM Discovery Center, the facility Kindri rents for this ministry she founded called Abundant Life Camp (ALC). Kindri and ALC have recently purchased a property just up the hill, which will become, as soon as it can be constructed, the new base for Abundant Life Camp. It is 29 acres of sloping hillside property, with a breathtaking view of Lake Victoria and the valley below. When bunk rooms are built, Camp will have the capacity for over 300 youth, rather than the current 55. It was exciting to see the land, and hear the vision.

Next Kindri took us to her favorite restaurant and we ate a feast and listened intently as she told us more stories. A very important thing we learned was that here we are called Mzungu or "white one" and it is a term we became accustomed to hearing. That night we crashed under our mosquito nets, after our first long day in Africa.  
Over a toast breakfast, Kindri told us more about the plan. She normally runs camps for younger kids, but this week was going to be taking a new step. With the new Camp site bringing capacity to hold a lot more campers, and the vision for Camp to be led by Ugandans, Kindri knew that she was going to need to develop an expanded team of youth leaders to take on the roles of Camp Counselors.  When she learned that our family was going to be coming to Africa in January (which was during school holiday in Uganda), she decided to schedule the first ever Leadership Youth Camp for ALC since Mom and Dad have lots of experience with youth camps, team-building and leadership development. 
So the plan was to first run a Staff Training on the weekend with the young adults who would be this week's Camp Counselors. These are young people who had been campers many times themselves, and several of whom Kindri had already been involving as camp leaders. The weekend training would help them become better leaders themselves, and enable them to pass along the skills they learn to the "soon-to-be" camp leaders arriving Monday to the our Youth Leadership Camp. For the week of Youth Leadership Camp, Kindri had invited teenagers who had been to camp before and had also been identified as leaders in their communities. The goal: to raise up a new generation of youth as great leaders for camp, and also for the future of Uganda.
For the weekend Staff Training, we were expecting 12 of Kindri's 20'ish-aged Ugandan staff recruits to arrive, but as we waited, she reminded us that we are on African time...basically nothing ever goes when planned. I really didn't know what to expect, or where Trevor and I would fit in for a training weekend with 20 year olds. The first one, Shallom, arrived and I soon discovered that Ugandans love hugs. It was strange for me to greet people I'd never met that way (even though I love hugs) after spending so much time in India and Thailand where bowing is the norm and physical affection is never shown in public. Immediately after meeting Shallom and the next few guys who turned up --Julius, Micheal, Alan, Andru, and Brian-- I knew that it was going to be a great weekend. They were each so welcoming, kind, enthusiastic, and hilarious. I was pleasantly surprised that they spoke English very well and I could talk normally (It has been awhile since that luxury). In the first 20 minutes, Shallom got us into a ruckous game of Ludo (basically like the game Sorry), and we were laughing hysterically. 
Once most of them arrived, the veteran staffers led us in some silly get-to-know-you games, which included dancing, whispering, tossing, clapping, and shouting. I don't know if it's true generally in Uganda, but here at Ugandan youth camp, there is no such thing as a gradual introduction, you just jump right in! After lunch (rice and stew), Dad led us in what he calls the Trust Sequence as a way to do some team-building, and Mom began introducing the 5 Practices of Leadership from The Leadership Challenge. 




For the afternoon we laughed and got to  know each other. Never have I gotten to know or become so comfortable with a group of people so quickly. Maybe partly due to the team building that made us work together or maybe because they have such inclusive and fun personalities. I don't really know, but by late afternoon, Trev and I were passing a volleyball with the 8 that had shown up so far, belly laughing and making total fools of ourselves, yelling random things that would cause another round of laughter.
Over meals I got to know each one a bit more, about where they are in their schooling or their goals for the future. Each one of them has faced loss or obstacles in their life, and each has unique dreams and aspirations. I felt so grateful that we could talk and joke with ease after less than a day of knowing one another.  That is where we come in. Both Mom and Dad have careers in leadership training, and they get to use their gifts to pass along some of their tools and knowledge. 
Day 2, Sunday morning, we gathered, spending wonderful time in worship in yet another continent, country and culture. 
Next, Kindri gave us a challenge. Since skits are so helpful and are a great way to teach and lead others, in each of our two groups we have to throw together a short skit in under 20 minutes. Game on! Both groups brainstormed, and then we performed for one another. Each one was great and had a touch of humor. Kindri sent off the staff (this time, just Ugandans, no Mzungu)...to come up with another skit--this time from the Camp Curriculum--CPR (Creating Positive Relationships). The guys came back and performed a hilarious skit with the message: Show me your friends and I'll show you your future. Boy do they have a talent for acting and being silly...I was belly laughing as Julius and Silus played the part of the teenage girls.

The afternoon was spent learning more team-building games, and more of the 5 Leadership Practices, such as Challenging the Process and Modeling the Way.


After the sessions were over, Brian was set on teaching me to dance. After dinner, Alan and Brian brought out the speaker into the porch light and led the way. It was hilarious to watch because they get really into it, losing themselves in the rhythm and steps. Its so fun to learn new cultural dances as we travel the world. Soon I got into the mix and failed miserably at imitating their fast rhythm and moves, but I just laughed, trying my best. 




The highlight of the day for me was when Andru, one of the quieter guys, but sweet nonetheless, gave me my Ugandan name. He said I am Nangobi, which means kind. I feel like I am a part of this place already. The days feel long, but they don't feel long enough. I know I am right where I am supposed to be. 

At the end of the night we had to break up the dance party to plan for the week ahead.  After Kindri shared some of her vision for Abundant Life Camp, she told them of her hope that "this is no longer my Camp, but also yours." Next, she let the staff take the lead on what they wanted the week to look like. We split into two groups and narrowed down the activities that we felt should be included. The trust sequence and team-building games were a must, but sports competitions got "thrown under the bus." With a goal to raise up leaders, it was important that all activities helped reach that goal, as well as a must for having fun, because what is Camp without that ingredient? They discussed things to leave out and ways to improve things. It was neat to see how empowered they were to make Camp awesome.
As I walked through the cool grass back to our dorm house to retreat to bed, I was so content. But I was struggling with the idea that 40 or so new teens were going to show up here the next morning for Camp. I was so enchanted with the time we had spent bonding with the staff this weekend. It felt like I now had 10 caring and fun big brothers and sisters, and I didn't want to lose what we had.