HungryForLifeInternational

Hi all!
It has been a few days since my last blog, but time sort of slips away from you. I got word that Mark and Helen Montgomery got home safe and sound, leaving Schafer here for another 3 weeks I think it is. He returns on the 5th of October. For the Johnson family we head home today around dinner time. Our time here has been wonderful, fellowshipping with Piet and Pita and many other staff here. Just yesterday a few of us peeled potatoes with the kitchen staff for 2 hours, it was fun just being there with them.
　
One quick story... Last night as we headed out for a good bye dinner, Piet received a phone call to come back to the children's home as one of the children were in trouble. Without hesitation he pulled a quick u-turn and trucked it back 40 mins to find a young girl (11 yrs old), sweating and hyperventalating. After a treating her with a mild sedative, she calmed down and her blood pressure and heart rate returned to normal. Piet then turned to me with a smile and said, "I can tell you how every day starts, but I can never guess how it is going to end!".
　
Thanks to all those who have followed our journey as it will soon come to an end. Continue to pray for us as we travel and for Schafer as he remains here to help.
Blessings,
~HFL Team Leader
Steve Johnson

Hello again,
It is early Thursday morning, typing as the sun comes up over the valley here at Noah's Ark Children's Ministry. I am not sure how long ago I blogged, but I thought I better keep you informed.
Yesterday we spent the day at Jinja, Uganda's 2nd largest city. It's main source of income is tourism as Jinja's distinction is being the "Source of the River Nile". The team got to do some shopping for local trinkets and goodies and then go out on a river boat tour of Lake Victoria and the River Nile. It is usually a beautiful boat ride as the breeze comes off the lake and keeps you chilled from the hot Ugandan sun, but not this time. This time it rained, well poured actually. The team was not disappointed as it was still an adventure and some animals were spotted.
We then headed off to Bugali Falls (not spelled right), winding our way down the bumpy roads that were now awash with a current of red water. It was a lot of fun to be speeding along as the splashing water looks like Clamato juice or something and all the school kids walking home would stand by the side of the road, wait, and then scream with excitement when they got splashed. We even passed some Muzungo's on motorcycles that we managed to splash! If you know me, you would know that that sort of thing is rigth up my ally. The team got soaked while visiting the Falls, but it was still awesome to see them.
When we finally got back to Noah's Ark and got all showered and washed up, we enjoyed a splendid BBQ dinner that Mark and Schafer cooked for the rest of us. It was a great way to end Mark and Helen's last night in Uganda as we spent the night in fellowship.
Mark and Helen will be off today at about 11am to drive to Entebbe and begin their journey home. Please pray for their safety during travel, for their flights and their health.
Blessings,
~HFL Team Leader
Steve Johnson

Hello again from Mukono!

Much has happened since Marks first note from us - we have returned from our Safari and Nile river trip - 6 hours by Toyota van over deeply rutted roads - sometimes having to drive off the road to get around the potholes. We highly recommend prayer and Toyotas - it was amazing - having lunch with warthogs roaming around and the hippos, elephants, giraffes and all the wild life was awe inspiring. It is hard not to talk in cliches but it is incredible to experience God's creation and feel like we are living in the zoo. The monkeys chatter in the trees over head and there is always sound - the most wonderful sounds being that of the children's laughter. They are always quick to want to play and love to sing and spend time with all of us. Schafer usually has 3 children hanging off of him. We are learning much about Ugandan culture and the complicated process of caring for so many children from different backgrounds and raising them with love, faith, and wisdom.

We are all well and thank you for your prayers. We will have lots of pictures when we get home.
This is a wonderful home for children and the needs are great but it is inspiring to see how God is working here - there are wonderful people following God's guidance with humility and very good common sense and wisdom. We are blessed to be here.
Blessings to you all, with love,
Helen, Mark and Schafer

We are back from Safari, all present and accounted for except for...no that's right, we all made it back!
It was a long 2 days of travel in a squeaky, bumpy, noisy Toyota van, but we manged to make it to Murchison Falls National Park in order to do a river safari and animal safari. Both were fantastic as we got to see giraffes, elephants, warthogs, hippos and many more. On our first day we even had the opportunity to hike up to the mouth of the Falls, it was a long, hot hike but it was definite worth it (check out the pictures!). We spent our night in some cozy little banda's, that are pretty much one room huts with a bed and mosquitoe net. For many of us it was a great nights sleep, with the only sounds coming from the crickets and other animals in the distance.
Enjoy the pictures, I am sure team members will be sharing many more when they return (Schafer mentioned how many pictures he had of elephants, over and over again).

Hello from Mukono!
We have had very enjoyable and thought provoking and relaxing and tiring and even more enjoyable, if I said enjoyable twice then there is a reason! Our trip went well, two nine hour flights, one one hour flight, one six hour layover and one four hour layover, with no lost bags and pretty standard airplane food. We arrived at 0930 on Sept 2, and had a tour through Kampala, which consists of people streaming everywhere, cars streaming everywhere, but in fewer numbers than people, and red clay dust everwhere. The city is most memorable for the number of people walking in all directions, and the condition of the houses, which we wouldn't accept for our animals and possessions, let alone our relatives or our neighbors. All that changes when we get to Noah's Ark property- there are several buildings, new and modestly appointed, very comfortable, Schafer is in his own room, and Helen and I in our own room, separated only by a mosquito net, so close and yet so far! It is amazing what God is doing through the lives of these children in their care, and to prepare the children for lives as caring adults, and also to touch Uganda through the workers at the Home and to develop the medical services, the dental services and to develop the education and training opportunities for the children. It is very exciting and humbling to be a very small part of that vision. We will be helping out in the medical clinic, advising on the development of the clinic, helping the medical and nursing personnel with some training and thoughts on management of children's problems.The clinic is very much on its way, plans for computerized medical records, brand new building and very clean examining rooms, well stocked, and ready to help out. Schafer and Helen and I spent the day with the children, playing and holding and watching the "aunties" get 108 children to sit down and eat a meal. We will be off to a safari tomorrow for two days and then back to Mukono, will be in touch then, from your Muzungo(white) family in Uganda, God Bless, Mark and Helen and Schafer

Today we all woke up after a good long nights sleep, so needless to say it was not an early morning! We spent much of today acquainting ourselves with all the faces of the children here. Mark spent some of his morning listening to the chests of a few of the toddlers who are struggling with TB and pneumonia. He was able to look at some of the x-rays that Pita had available for those toddlers as well. They both seem to be doing ok today, but he will keep an eye on them to see if he can lend some of his expertise to the situation. The rest of us, as I mentioned above, have been busy with the kids and I have the pictures to prove it!
Enjoy!
~HFL Team Leader

Today was our first full day here in Uganda with my family. The team arrived shortly after lunch, from their long journey from Calgary, via London and Nairobi. We spent the afternoon touring the compound here at Noah's Ark, with Piet sharing his vision for the children of the home and their future. The highlight of the day or trip thus far has been the "Fat Baby" as all the kids are calling him. My poor son must feel like a monkey at the zoo as all the children here are swamping him. I have put some photos on the blog here so you can see for yourself just what a show having a white baby in Africa is like.
Enjoy!

~HFL Team Leader
Steve Johnson