curt's journal from Uganda-July 28 (Actual date)

Well, last night didn’t bring much sleep, but I’ve got a good feeling about tonight. I’m not really sure what sounds more off key, the Karaoke or the howling dogs. I think it’s a toss up. The dogs definitely have more rhythm though.

This morning, we relaxed around the apartment as our bodies are still trying to adjust. It was nice to just chill out and get to know Resty, the young lady who cooks for us and is pretty much our guardian. She doesn’t seem to get tired of my thousands of questions.

This afternoon we got to see the choir practice. It was amazing. They went to school all morning and when we got there at about 3:00, they had already been practicing for quite awhile. When we got there they stayed up on the stage but we received some of the most loving looks I’ve ever received. Sam Straxy, the main “trainer” had us introduce ourselves and then each kid told us their name and grade. I had seen them perform on video, but it was nothing like the real thing. I was amazed at how young and small they are. I think on video they looked so poised and skilled that I assumed they were older than they are. The practiced hard for the next two hours and I enjoyed every minute of it. They spent a long time going over and over one part. I can’t imagine a group of American kids holding their concentration that long. The youngest, Peter, is only five years old! My mom sponsors him and I know she would really like him. Our family and extended family sponsors so many of these kids, I felt like I knew them all. After they were done practicing, they called us up on stage and we all gathered in a circle and they sang a song. Then Sam had them spend some time praying. I was not prepared for what happened next. Some of them got down on their knees and some of them remained standing. They prayed out loud and I’ve never seen more sincerity in my life. It was truly a humbling experience. These kids truly live what they believe and believe with their whole heart.

After this was done, the kids all gathered around us and we finally got to meet them face to face. They came up and gave us big hugs and said, “You are welcome.” This is the phrase that I’m hearing a lot. It means “thank you for coming to our country…welcome!” I think because of their relationship to Hillary they were as excited to see us as were were them.

After this we walked up to the high school, because Hill was already there to play basketball with the boys. Little did we know, this would be a real game with a ref and everything. Some of the graduates of the high school, who are now in college came to scrimmage one of the school’s teams. So, there was Hillary, starting guard for the St. Mbuga Prophets. She played great and the crowd grew and got louder in the second half as the Prophets mounted a serious comeback. They ended up winning by about nine points and the place went crazy. Hillary’s been sick, so she took herself out of the game a few times, but her presence was felt. The surreal moment for me, when I KNEW I was in Africa, was when a chicken wandered onto the bricked court and no one really even noticed.