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The day started early as Bill and Roberto’s bodies adjusted to the seven hour difference between Virginia and Uganda. As Bill went out to take a picture of the Bed and Breakfast where they were staying, he was approached by two sisters on their way to the school next door. Curiosity knows no nationality. The road alongside the B&B had a steady flow of motorcycles as replacements for school buses, often with three or four kids aboard.

Aloysius arrived to take the team to the school for their Welcome Celebration. The students formed a line at the turn off from the road and performed as a honor guard all the way to the place of honor near the Administration Building.

The first order of business was a tour of the school. The team had not seen the new Library and Computer Lab Building. It was amazing how effective the school was in using the buildings that the Well Spring of Blessings donors had provided.

This was followed is a Catholic Mass which is something that has been customary for all the celebrations over the previous two years. The nearly 200 students were joined by many parents. The student choir was wonderful and the priest took advantage of the time to pray a blessing on the school’s graduating class.

After mass the dancing and singing began. It was incredible to see how the dance troupe could keep up the rhythm and the intricate dance steps they performed. They also insisted that the esteemed visitors joined in. It looks like Bill didn’t need much convincing.

Just as the program was moving towards lunch, the skies opened up. The heavy rain and high winds took down the orange tent and the people raced for cover in the school buildings. The driving rain extended the lunch time but finally the rain slowed sufficiently to resume the festivities. It gave Bill and Roberto a chance to give their talks to the students with Aloysius providing the translation. Based on the bursts of laughter it was clear the Aloysius was adding some additional content

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It was clear that despite the rain the celebration was a huge success. The team rode back to the B&B with the music still playing. It was anyone’s guess how long the party went on. The team knew they had to pace themselves every day. Tomorrow’s plan is to visit the latest newly build wells and visit the families that live nearby.

We took advantage of our retreat-like stay with the Mill Hill Missionaries. We got some very nice pictures of the grounds before dinner and after breakfast the next day.

When the long flight finally caught up to us we headed to our rooms. Of course the changing time zones made it a little difficult to sleep but we got in enough hours to survive for the next day. Mass was at 7am followed by a leisurely breakfast. We then packed the rental van. But first let’s exchange some dollars for Ugandan Schillings. Not so fast that required fighting the traffic in Kampala the capital city and then finding out that the bank would not take dollars in the denominations we had.

After an hour of trying to find a road that was useable out of Kampala, we were finally headed West. It wasn’t long and we were in rural Uganda. Only the highway was terrible, with potholes, entire sections of dirt road instead of pavements, and overloaded trucks try to take their lane and half of yours. It was bone jaring, wild swin

This is Bill’s third trip to Uganda and Roberto’s first. Going through Dubai was such a positive experience in 2019, that we decided to use Emirates again this year. The plane is huge, with two levels. The upper level is for first and business class. The lower levels was for us economy class people. Every seat had a screen for movies, tv shows, and to flight follow the route to Dubai.

Everything went as planned and we were able to make it through the HUGE Dubai airport to the gate where the flight to Entebbe Uganda left from. The airport is so beautiful that it was difficult to not stop and do a little sightseeing.

Soon we were jetting across the horn of Africa to Uganda in beautiful skies. A bit of a line at immigration did not dampen our enthusiasm and connective with Aloysius was not difficult at all. Sixty minutes later we were ready to enter Mill Hill Guest Facility for dinner and an overnight stay. As tired as we were excited about the next day’s adventure.

This is so true in Uganda. The alternative to well water is rainwater catchment or from a nearby stream. Having visited Uganda twice and seeing Buheesi’s streams, trust me you don’t want anyone using them as a source of water. A generous donor provided two wells this year and it was truly a cause for celebration. When finished, the donor was given a chance to have a sign created for a lasting remembrance. Our donor put a scriptural reference on each. Nearby villagers will get to know that scripture by heart very soon.

Every well is christened by a gathering of villagers and a prayer.

Yellow five gallon water jugs are everywhere in the village. It takes muscles to move this precious commodity, but it iw worth every tired step.

These wells are numbers 8 and 9 for Buheesi. Over the years they have sturdy centers of community and maintenance free. Hopefully they will be working properly as these young boys grow into men. The need for additional wells remains. Would you consider providing the necessary funds for Well number 10?

The students at the St Pope John Paul II – Rwenzori Valley Secondary School went through a difficult years of the COVID Crisis. As their families fought to provide food for their families, the school was closed. Homework assignments were delivered by the school staff. Finally the school was reopened and the graduating class continued their journey to graduation. March 5th was a beautiful sunny day as the graduating class gathered in their finest clothing.

Of course their parents were their to celebrate as well.

Generous Well Spring of Blessings donors provided the funds for the Graduating Class Memorial Portrait Gallery to be hung in a place of honor in the administration building.

The funds were also sufficient to provide each of the S4 students with an individual memento commemorating their hard work and the successful completion of their study requirements. As they move forward to their next phase in life we hope to keep track of their journey filled with success!