On 31 March the Well Spring of Blessings Team (Bill Sjoberg, Jenna Gubbels, and Greg Anders) gathered at Dulles Airport in Virginia to check in for their flight to Uganda. Even with boarding passes in hand the journey seemed surreal. All the arrangements were made but the apprehension was very real. Everything had to go perfectly and this trip was as far as any of the team had every traveled.
The overnight flight to Istanbul went smoothly and the team got through security and quickly prepared for the next leg of their journey. During the time at the Istanbul Atatruk Airport the team saw all kinds of people, from numerous countries and cultures. There were opportunities to discuss Uganda with other teams of Americans traveling there to serve in a variety of ways. During the stop in Ruwanda, Jenna was able to make friends with fellow travelers as they prepared to visit family in Uganda.
The team arrived at Entebbe Airport around 3am on 2 April. Following their move through Ugandan Customs the team was able to find Aloysius Mugisa in the crowded parking lot. Aloysius had a taxi waiting to take them to a small bed and breakfast near the airport. A few hours later they were headed to Kampala for a brief stop ,and then were westward bound to Fort Portal near Buheesi.
The shortest leg of the trip was the hardest as the van broke down half way to Kampala. After several attempts to repair it, a new van and driver arrived, and the journey continued. The main east-west highway across Uganda had plenty of villages and a lot of small markets on each side of the highway. Although the road was passable, traffic problems slowed the trip down. Also, the second van was overheating causing a stop along the way for the van to cool down and to allow water to be added to the radiator. The team finally arrived in Fort Portal in the evening. A quick dinner followed. Finally, the tired travelers unpacked at a local B&B , that would be their headquarters for the remainder of their stay in Uganda.
Despite the long cross-country journey the team was excited for the next day, Tuesday 3 April. The village-wide celebration at the new secondary school promised to be something the team would never forget.
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