A Mission Trip Reflection by Ally Auringer

​​Although interacting with the children in the villages brought me joy, my experiences in Uganda were so awesome because of the people who went on the trip with me. As I said earlier, there were several people, similar in age to me, on the trip. Four of them, Paige, Preston, Will and Charlie, went to Lutheran High and I had seen them but never talked to them. These four people, plus my sister, really made my trip. They were so fun to spend time with and talk to. On our bus rides to each village, we jammed out to music on my sister’s speaker. We stayed up late playing card games like uno, one night werewolf and spoons, which got very competitive every time we played it. I normally go to bed early every night but I always wanted to stay up with them. We joked that no one wanted to go to bed even if we were tired because of FOMO. We went on a boat ride and had a DJ playing music for us. We had a major dance party and genuinely enjoyed being with them. All of these memories are so special because of them.

​Some other people that made my trip so memorable were the Ugandan Hearts and Hope staff. These people worked for the organization, but they lived in Uganda. One of my favorite people was Violet. Violet had many sayings like “trouble in the house” or “who does that”, but her thick accent made it funnier when she said these things. We taught her slang from America like “that’s cap” or “you popped off”. She also played games with us kids, but she liked to cheat, even if she didn’t think she was. Another person that influenced me was our bus driver, Julius.
He tried to teach me some words in Swahili, even though I don’t remember any of them now. He wasn’t a fan of the music we played on the bus, so he would turn on his music so that it overpowered ours. I enjoyed talking to Julius and Violet and can’t wait to see them again someday.

As I reflected on my trip to Uganda, I thought of how it had impacted my life. Uganda taught me to be grateful in all circumstances. Gratitude is so important especially since we do not realize how blessed we truly are. Some realizations I made were that I take a nice place to sleep, bathrooms, water, and food for granted. One of the days, we made a home visit to a seven-year old boy named Timothy. Timothy is the oldest of his five other cousins and siblings, who are being raised by his seventy five-year old grandma and grandpa. His grandma also takes care of a mentally disabled adult. He lives in a very small brick house and sleeps on the dirt at night. Hearts and Hope for Uganda are looking for someone to sponsor him so he can attend school. It was heartbreaking to see the living conditions that people have and it even made me feel guilty. I wished I had something to give them because I had so much, while they had so little.

In the villages, they have latrines, which is basically just a hole in the ground. I only had to use the latrine once, thankfully, because I couldn’t stand the smell and I had difficulty using it. Another thing is clean water and food. The kids that attend school in the villages are provided a lunchtime meal, which is probably the only meal they get each day. One day, I had a little boy on my lap and I let him eat my lunch because he needed it more than I did. Little instances like that made me feel good and like I was making an impact. When I came back, I was so grateful that I had access to a bathroom, clean water and food 24/7 and that I got to sleep in my comfortable bed each night.

​Uganda is definitely one of my favorite trips I have ever been on and I would do anything to go back. Uganda brought me a kind of happiness that I had never felt before. It’s hard to explain my trip to others because they won’t actually understand what goes on there unless they experience it for themself. No matter the difference between my life and theirs, God is working in and through us. I am forever grateful for the relationships and memories I have because of my trip and I can’t wait to go back someday. I am so thankful I was a part of this trip and I hope I made an impact on the kids because they made an impact on me.