Week of February 8-14, 2026 in Uganda

 

Welcome to my Journal / Blog!

February 8, 2026

Home to Uganda - 21:30 hours fly time

Home to motel in Entebbe 36:00 hours

This blog covers February 8-14, 2026

*Asterick indicates it was copied from a handbook for volunteers that Christopher and Chloe wrote.

*The Work

The OPUM (Orthodox Presbyterian Uganda Mission) has been operating in Uganda since 1995 and in the Karamoja region since 2000. The goal of the Mission is to labor, with the grace given by Christ, to establish an indigenous church that is self-supporting, self-governing and self-propagating. The gospel of Christ is at the center of all we do.

Our Flights While in the Grand Rapids airport, Jeff got a message that our three night stay at a hotel in Entebbe was canceled! That caused us a little stress. Between the Chicago layover and the Washington DC layover, he was able to get a hotel for us. I thought this was interesting; we were flying at 630 mph with an altitude of 35,004. The outside temperature was -60 degrees.

In Entebbe, the airport staff that pushed my wheelchair was able to get us to the Customs/ Immigration offices very quickly and did some personal talking with the Customs Officer to hasten the process. We arrived close to midnight on Monday, February 9.

Entebbe to Karamoja We spent 3 nights at a very nice hotel in Entebbe to relax and unwind before heading to the bush and cold showers.

Rooftop Terrace Restaurant 

  

Our concierge, Sam took us to the Wildlife Conservation
Education Centre on his day off.

 

Christopher V. and Douglas C. picked us up for dinner in a 30 year old rusted red Toyota Land Rover. It looked like a truck straight out of one of those jungle movies. Monkeys, goats and cows roamed the sides of the roads as we headed to the restaurant. The lights of dozens of small fishing boats could be seen on Lake Victoria as it started to get dark. The restaurant prices were reasonable. My meal was 30,000 shillings which translates to $8.48. 

Chris picked up Ben, Jeff and I the next morning and we headed toward Kampala, the capital of Uganda. The roads are busy and chaotic. Following British influence, Chris drove on the left side of the road. There are some roundabouts but drivers don't follow any rules when they go through, other than driving clockwise. Motorcycles outnumber cars. Everyone tailgates. Cars turn right in front of you. There aren't any turn lanes and often times the lanes aren’t marked. Everyone has their own agenda. Don't think twice about the move you want to make. Just do it. There seems to be a rhythm to the chaos. Pedestrians walk across busy roads without a care in the world. It's as if they know that they won't get hit. Christopher said, "If you hit someone, don't get out of your car. There will be a mob and there will be violence. They may even kill you. But if you hit someone and they're hurt badly, pick them up quickly and put them in your car and drive to the nearest hospital".

Mbale streets are also very busy with cars, motorcycles and pedestrians. There are people everywhere. We went to BAM, a grocery store. (I miss Meijer and Walmart.) Mbale is the cloeses grocery store to us. It is two hours away. Chris said shoplifters are put to death.

 

Knox School of Theology

In Mbale, Knox School of Theology (KST) prepares men for pastoral ministry. Programs include Diploma and Bachelor’s in Theology.

Reformation Book Room. *OPUM runs a coffee shop and book room in Mbale where everyone is welcome. The shop has bookshelves filled with theological and Christian literature. It acts like a Christian library and is intended to give access to otherwise hard to find literature and give opportunity for conversations about Christ.

The mission compound where we are headed is the Karamoja region (NE Uganda), which is two hours north of Mbale. Driving up to Karamoja we saw three ostriches and some other animals. We passed two cattle herders walking their cattle along the side of the road. They were likely watusi/ankole cattle. They reminded me of the Fulani tribe and their cattle that my family would see in Nigeria sometimes.

There were several run down buildings and some roadside markets where we bought produce. Chris picked up "rolex" for lunch. "Rollingeggs" is how the indigenous people pronounce it. It is a chapati (flatbread) wrapped around an omelet filled with vegetables like tomatoes, onions and cabbage. It is a cultural icon. 

Friday afternoon we finally got to Karamoja. We were warmly greeted by the mission team. Flowering trees, plants and bushes provide a serene atmosphere and with the variety of birds, it makes a stark contrast to the dry bush surrounding the compound. The mountain ranges of Mount Kadam border two sides of the compound. Villages are within walking distance. Thunderstorms have been prevalent every day in the afternoon since the 14th. The rainy season usually starts in late March, but we are grateful the rainy season has started early. It provides a brief respite from the heat.

 

Woodland Kingfisher

The compound has running water but no water heaters so the cold showers are not pleasant. There are screens on the windows but the openings are very large. We brought our bug zapper from home. It must have zapped at least 100 bugs the first night. After the 5th night of use, it burned out.

We're living in the main house for now. It's a large house and is used for groups. The oven door doesn't shut all the way unless you give it a kick with your foot. The oven temperature isn't constant. There wasn't a working fridge the first day, but the next day, they had a solar powered fridge and freezer hooked up. It was so nice to have cold water and ice tea to drink! Fruits and vegetables have to be soaked in bleach and water for two minutes. We boil water for washing our dishes, then we wash them in hot bleach water and "dish soap." I really miss Dawn soap! The dirty dish water has to pour through a mesh colander before going down the drain.

We soak our produce in bleach water.

We can buy fresh produce at markets nearby. 






 

 

The kitchen in the Main House

                  

 

 

 

Praises  

On very short notice, we were able to get a hotel in Entebbe.

Some of our layovers were short, yet we were able to make the connecting flights.

We got through Customs/Immigration quickly.

We made it safely through the busy cities of Kampala and Mbale and we didn't hit any pedestrians!

It took us awhile to physically feel better, but God has answered those prayers.

We haven't seen any snakes yet.

*The mission team is very humble and are dedicated to bringing the gospel to Karamoja, with the goal of making the indigenous church, Nakaale Presbyterian Church self sustaining, self-supporting, self-governing and self-propagating.

Travis, Ben and Jeff work very well together. I couldn't imagine a better combination of skills and personality.

Prayer Requests

Pray for good health and no injuries.

Pray that our work will be an encouragement to those on the mission team and that we will be a blessing to the Karamojong people.

Travis and Bonnie Emmet and family will be flying home to PA on March 2. Pray for safe travels, good flight connections and a safe and healthy delivery of baby number five.

Kids are listed in order of age.

Thank you for your interest and especially your prayers,

Gloria Davis