One of the many evenings we spent dancing and singing with the kids. Mike demonstrating one of his signature moves.

Dan shooting footage of the kids at Amazing Grace.

The kids at Amazing Grace shooting their first music video.

Life is an adventure. So is buying meat on a stick from a street vendor before an 11-hour ride to Adjumani. Karin and Laura chowing down. The team posing with Susan Tabia at
Amazing Grace. The girls were given dresses, and the boys given shirts as a gift from Susan and the local widows.

Hello Friends! This is Poni Karin writing safe and sound back in the States, writing to share with you a few pics from the first few weeks in Uganda and Sudan and give you a snapshot of re-entry.

Ryan Connole and I flew out of Entebbe on Wednesday and arrived in London in the evening. As our flight out of London wasn't to leave until the next morning, we grabbed at Taxi and headed into the city. My friend Jess had invited us to stay with her at her flat and show us a bit of her neighborhood. Our time there was brief, but we made the most of it taking in a brisk (um, the climate transition was tough – especially in flip-flops) walk though old Chelsea, grabbing a bite and a pint at a local pub, enjoying a morning commute back to Heathrow on the Tube. It was weird to wake up without the kids, my team, and the oddly comforting wake up call of roosters, but great to have Ryan along with me to debrief the trip a bit, and share one last breakfast together at the airport before I left for Portland, and he for San Diego to visit his family.

Hard to sum up the past few weeks - I can say that I couldn’t have hand-picked a better team, or dreamed up a more amazing adventure. I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to laugh with the kids, experience a feeling of community with my team, Ezbon, Emmanuel, Susan…dance with the widows, and simply experience God’s presence and movement in Africa. It was just awesome to be able to share in the daily lives of the people there. I am so excited to continue to walk through life with my new friends and to find more ways to partner with them in the work they are doing. The idea of living and working in Africa one day continues to stir me…

If I could convey one thing about the trip, it’s that I have seen that there is HOPE in Africa. Beyond headlines of war and HIV/AIDS and disasters and political corruption…there is the laughter of orphans who are healthy, happy, and well loved. There are widows who despite a history of pain, are finding joy in the Lord and in the simple gift of a blanket and a cooking pot. There is rebuilding of farms, businesses, homes, in a place once overridden by landmines and gunfire. There are Africans dedicating their lives to serving their communities and building each other up. There are schools being built and young girls getting education. I left feeling encouraged, and am moving forward with new hope that even the smallest act has the possibility to make an impact.

Love and Peace from Poni, and again, thank you for your prayers and continual encouragement!