New name, new faces

My new title is Praise the Lord!!  I can remember this one.  :)  The new faces on my profile pic are Alex and Violet.  They will be married in October and have been chosen to run Trinity Fields where I will be living too.  These are 2 amazing people with a passion for God and sports.  Alex is a preacher with the gift, he commands the attention of the entire room when he begins to speak.  We became great friends during my time in Uganda as Alex was able to travel with us to all the different villages we went to.  It's so wonderful to make those connections with people that have similar vision and passion.  I can't wait to get started with what God has for us in Buvvi when Trinity Fields gets built.

What is Trinity Fields?  Derek Stanton has a dream to build a huge sports complex with super nice fields. Soccer, baseball, basketball, netball, tennis...  It will be amazing!!  He wants to bring kids in from all over Uganda to have like a camp experience.  A chance to play on fields like they've never seen, and learn about Jesus at the same time.  He does this in the US at Camp Berachah once a year, but here we could do it all year round.  We all have ideas and dreams, and Trinity Fields offers the opportunity to see them all come true!  This picture is of our team walking the border of the 20 acres of land Derek has purchased in Buvvi.  It's a beautiful place with a great view.

London Day 2

Woke up with my knee still screaming with every step.  But I headed into town.  Nothing is open at 8am.  I got breakfast at McDonald's.  I know, I know.... but it's cheap and familiarish.  I swung thru Buckingham Palace and then headed for the Museum of Natural History.  Yuck.  Filled with so much mumbo jumbo "science" propaganda.  I got out of there fairly quick.  Tried the Victoria & Albert museum.  I only did the Europe section - old Catholic artifacts.  They just either amused me or disgusted me so I moved on again.  Thankfully those were both free museums. 

I headed toward the theatre where I'd seen the Lion King was playing (the stage production, not the movie)  :)  I got in on a standing room ticket for only £13.50!!  That's about $20!!  Wow!  So after walking around from 8-3, I stood up for 2 1/2 hrs.  It was totally worth it!  What a beautiful production!!  I was annoyed by little Simba's overly British accent, but otherwise it was great!!  Rafiki and Nala were my favorites I think.  Rafiki was a real South African woman and she did it very well.  This was a wonderful end to my African adventure!!  :)  I'd like to see it again though, in America.  : P

Time is up.  Tomorrow I fly out.  I leave here at 3 and arrive in Seattle at 4:45.   A nice short ...... 9 1/2 hr flight.  :(  With a stiff knee?  I hate these long flights, and the movies of this month I've already seen or they don't interest me.  But what else is there to do for that long??  Try to sleep. 

See y'all soon!!

London Day 1

I'm writing this because I had an adventure today, but also for my own memory so I know what I took pictures of since it seems I took 150 today!! 

I have no clock, there's not one in my room, nor anywhere that I have found in this hotel.   Even the computer I'm using doesn't show the time.  So I was apparently up very early, since I spent about 40 minutes online then caught the 7am bus to the airport.  I took the underground into the city, heading for St. Paul's Cathedral first.  I got all turned around, stopped for breakfast and asked directions.  My $6 breakfast was microwaved fried eggs and "bacon" - nasty, but I forced it down cuz I needed something in my stomach to take my malaria pill.  I walked quite a ways to St. Paul.  The first place I headed because it was big turned out to be the Freemason Library and Museum. 

Lots of cool random buildings on my way to the Cathedral, but once I saw it there was no doubt that was it.  What a beautiful, huge building!  Humanity used to know how to honor God with fabulous architecture that's for sure.   I didn't go in because there was no photography allowed and it was around $25.  I like pictures, and I figured the outside was cool enuf.  Headed over the Millineum Bridge to do the Queen's Walk down the river.  Hit Shakespeare's Globe briefly, then walked toward the Eye.  That thing is huge!!  Lots of strange people dressed in really random costumes with a hat sitting in front of them.  Really??  You want money for wearing a costume on the street?  I took a cool one for my auntie (you'll have to see it later )  and gave him a coin.  I walked all the way to Westminster Bridge where Big Ben is.  I'd seen him last time, but no pix, so now I got some.  :)  Across the street is Westminster Abbey where I did the tour last time. 

From there I headed for Trafalgar square.  I stopped at a McDonald's and got a Coke.  Wow!  Coke has never tasted so good as after 6 weeks of strange pop and Coke that tastes all wrong.  This was good!!  A familiar flavor at last!!  As I left there, I heard a faint sound of music.  This was really a cool thing.  I couldn't quite make out the song, but I knew it was familiar, and I knew it was Christian.  My heart was leaping and I started running, dodging buses as I headed toward the Square.  I finally got close enuf to recognize the song as "Dancing Generation" and I found a parade of Jesus people following the music.  I joined the parade singing for joy!!  LOL  Yes I did!  They were holding some massive outreach in the square with a big stage and prayer stations and all sorts of music!!  It was pretty cool! 

From there I was very tired, and it was only 12:30 or so.  My knee was killing me and my foot was hurting.  I kept seeing buses advertising movies, so yes, I set out to find a cinema, and yes..... I did pay £12.95 which is about $22 to go see Eclipse!!!!!!!!    You may think I'm crazy, but do you know that is the most comfy seat I've had in 6 weeks!?!?!?  I absolutely loved this movie!!  I was bummed I missed the opening at home, so I paid that ridiculous amount of money to see it here.  I thought New Moon would stay my favorite, but this one was definitely better!!  The series is picking up!! 

From there I got a Burger King kids meal and headed for home.  I stopped one more time to wander a bit, but my screaming knee was begging me to go back to the hotel. 

So tomorrow..... Betsy, you'll cross your fingers for me....  I saw a lot of half price ticket shops selling theatre tickets.  I'm going to check that out for a matinee tomorrow of Lion King.  My sister loved it, and I know I would too, so if I can swing that, I am going to try.  I saw the theatre where it is playing, so I can find it again I think.  We'll see!  I also saw that Jeff Goldblum is doing a show here right now.   It was funny to me all the American shows they were doing like Legally Blonde and Grease....   Other than that, my plan is the Natural History Museum, dinos and all you know?  and then whatever.  Maybe the Tower of London, maybe nothing.  I'm just winging it, exploring, getting lost, and spending ridiculous money.  Everything is double priced here!  ick! 

Just for the record, I don't like this city.  Yes, there are some amazing things here, but way too many people, and waaaaay too expensive.  I know it's a saturday, and these are mostly tourists, but still, not my thing. 

Just 2 more nights here then fly away home!!!  I'm looking forward to being back.  I miss a lot of things, all of us spent a lot of time discussing food throughout the trip.  Food in America can't be beat!   I need my Taco Bell, Olive Garden, Red Robin, Wendy's......  and milk and cheese!!  It's funny the things I craved and couldn't get.  I really want milk.  OK, enough.  I gotta stop that!

Goodbye Africa :(

It was very sad yesterday flying out of Uganda.  I just don't want to leave there.  We had a wonderful 5 weeks, we saw amazing numbers and God did a lot of things in me personally.

 I was hoping to write more blogs on here from my journal once I got home to faster and more frequent internet use, but my journal got stolen in Kampala about a week ago, so not going to happen.  I will be posting pictures when I get home, adding to the old posts, and then maybe adding some new ones if my pictures spark a story. 

The safari the last couple days was awesome!  If you know me - you know I love big kitties!  Last time I was there I got to see a leopard up close and personal, and that was awesome, but I had no camera at the time.  :(  This time we were hoping to see lions, and on our first game drive we found a lioness with 2 cubs sitting under a bush with a fresh kill.  They were sooooo beautiful!  We got within 15 yrds of her and just watched.  Then.... the evening game drive, we'd just gone a little ways down the road when we saw a male lion right along side the road!!  Then, as we watched him, 2 more walked across the road and joined him!!!  That was so incredibly cool!  As I saw the one that was walking straight towards me, I said it awe "Aslan is on the move."  The male lion is the coolest animal ever!  So beautiful, yet so terrifying.  I think CS Lewis picked right.  The awe and the beauty of God is so clearly represented in him.

Now I am in London, I have 2 more nights here.  I was hoping to be able to walk to the tube from the hotel and travel into town, but it looks like I have to take the hotel hopper bus back and forth and it's £7 round trip - which is about $12 I think.  :(  Plus the tube price which I don't know yet.  I hope to go to St. Paul's Cathedral today, then walk around the river walk to see the Eye of London, maybe ride it, Big Ben, Parliament, Westminster Abbey....  Lots of cool stuff in that area.  Then tomorrow I want to go to the natural history museum.  At least it's free.  We'll see.  I think I'll be lonely, but I'm happy enough just walking around looking at old architecture and taking pictures, so hopefully I'll kill the time. 

My hotel room has a tv, but there isn't much on.  I ended up watching Friends last night.  :P  I will say it's nice to have a hot shower, real bed, and sink water I can brush my teeth in.  It's been a long time.  Although in Africa a cold shower really isn't a horrible thing.  :)

I fly into America on Monday, I'll be back in Wenatchee on tuesday.  I have no cell phone anymore, I'll update y'all with new info when I get a new phone.  Chau!  See you soon!