Day 9 Update:

Good afternoon,

Below is the final, on-the-ground report from our Uganda Team. The Lord has certainly moved in and through them along the way, and we are excited to pray for continued nourishment and harvesting as seeds were planted, nourished, and grown. The team is traveling home now, so please pray for their safe travel, for rest upon their return, and for all that the Lord is preparing to do through their ongoing debrief and the sharing of their testimonies here. Thank you for joining this team in prayer and encouragement as they have gone and served!

Hi friends  -

This will be the final report from the FPC Uganda 2026 team, as we’ll be traveling back home beginning tomorrow morning. It will be a long day! We’ll load up our bus early to drive from Murchison Falls National Park back to Kampala. We’ll have some time in the afternoon to say our goodbyes to our brothers and sisters at Operation Uganda, and may even have enough time to visit the  Kasubi Tombs  (burial place of the Ugandan kings, and a World Heritage site) before our 11:30 pm departure from Entebbe. Then it is on to Brussels, Washington DC and home to San Antonio, arriving Wednesday night.

We’ve used these two days in Murchison Falls to rest, enjoy the majesty of God’s creation in this part of the world, and reflect on what we saw and did here in Uganda. In our team debrief, there were some overriding themes. All of us feel anguish over the level of poverty that we experienced in home visits with both Operation Uganda and Rescue One More. Most of the homes we saw were not much bigger than an American walk-in closet and would serve a family with multiple children. The homes had no running water or sanitation. Many homes were headed by a single parent, usually the children’s mother. Through our home visits and visits to safe houses of Rescue One More, we also became more aware of the brokenness of sexual abuse in Uganda.

And yet…and yet…there is a wealth of faith and hope amidst the poverty and darkness in Uganda. We met staff members of Operation Uganda and Rescue One More, who are young, energetic, and committed Christians who go into communities to redeem lives for Jesus. We are excited to explore ways we can participate in their missions through ongoing reciprocal relationships.

All of us on the Uganda team re SO thankful for your financial and prayer support. We couldn’t have done any of this without you.

Our mission trip is coming to an end, but the conversations on FPC’s relationship with these two outstanding Ugandan organizations will continue.  Thanks be to God!

 

 

Day 8 Update:

Yesterday, the FPC Uganda team spent another day at Jordan House, the community center run by Operation Uganda. We played with the kids in the community, including those who attend the day care on a daily basis. As you’ll see from the attached pictures, these kids have a great time playing games and learning while being mentored by caring Christian staff members. Several members of our FPC team have been so moved by both the need and the loving support provided by OU staff that  we have made the commitment to sponsor a child.

In the afternoon, we played several rounds of bingo with the OU staff. Some of them were playing for the first time, but all of them got a kick out of the game (and the bingo prizes we brought with us)! Throughout our stay here, we’ve tried to do things that delight the staff of OU and show our appreciation for all they do.

In the late afternoon, we made a small shopping spree at the downtown Kampala market. Now, if we can only get all this stuff in our bags as we return home…

Today (Sunday) we drove for a little over five hours to Murchison Falls National Park, in northwest Uganda, to have a little R&R and reflect on the past week’s activities. As a team, we wanted to have some relaxed time after a really busy week to discern what God is speaking to and through us in the experience we’ve just had. More on that in our  next report.

 

Day 6 Update:

Today’s Uganda report starts with a late night development from last night. Several members of our group attended a large worship rally in Kampala that was recommended to us by Scott Lambie, Co-founder of Rescue One More. The Worship House Busabala fellowship is a weekly gathering at a large soccer field that draws throngs of worshippers. Those from our group who went enjoyed African praise music, dancing and a great message.

This morning, we all had an earlier breakfast and then set out for the second day of loving and serving children at another Rescue One More safe house in a city outside of Kampala. The drive to the safe house, like all our drives around Kampala, was a kind of sensory overload. There were boda-bodas whizzing here and there, street scenes of vegetable vendors, dealers of scrap parts, butchers and beauty salons. We often see signs that are puzzling or make us laugh.

As we were introduced to the staff of the second Rescue One More safe house this morning, those in our group who had been to Uganda previously used African names that were bestowed upon them yesterday by staff at safe house #1. They are:

Mike Munroe - Omukisa (blessing)
Mike  Meadows  - Musisi (earthquake)
Ellen Meadows -  Nakamuli (flower)
Kathy Timberlake - Sanyu (happiness)

(And, by the way, Mike Meadows’ African name came very quickly to the Rescue One More staff).

Our day at safe house #2 was much like our schedule yesterday: crafts with the kids and rounds of bingo, a new game for them, and one they loved. On both our visits to safe houses, the rescue One More staff provided a delicious lunch and a warm welcome.

Tomorrow will be our last day with Rescue One More staff, a staff appreciation day on Lake Victoria, where we will celebrate their work.

Day 5 Update:

Hello friends –

Today, Wednesday, June 3rd, our group was introduced to a second FPC mission partner, Rescue One More.  Rescue One More serves children who have been victims of sexual abuse, often at the hands of a family member or other familiar person. The organization removes victimized girls and boys from the immediate unsafe situation, comes alongside them as advocates, and works to prosecute the perpetrator to bring them to justice. Rescue One More uses a proven approach that includes a multidisciplinary team working in cooperation with mental health counselors, social workers, the police, and courts.

In the morning, our group drove to a safe house where we met the staff as well as girls who could not safely return to their homes. We then divided up into small groups and drove (with Rescue One More staff) to the homes of other families whose children had suffered abuse. Needless to say, these were hard stories, and often the trauma of the abuse was compounded by shocks to the family’s financial sustainability.

Amidst the  darkness of this abuse, which affects more than one third of Uganda’s girls, the are stories of the creativity, prayer, and persistence on the part of the Rescue One More staff. The Rescue One More women are full of love and nurture for the girls they serve, but are tough as nails in their work with Uganda’s justice system.

After lunch with staff and the girls, Kathy Timberlake made a beautiful presentation with felt figures representing sheep and the Shepherd from the 23rd Psalm, drawing out our ultimate safety in God.

We also had some fun and games with the girls: arts and crafts and several rounds of bingo, which was a real hit.

Tomorrow we return to another Rescue One More location to interact with staff and children in their care. 

 

Day 4 Update:

Day four of our Ugandan adventure revolved around the kids of Jordan House and students in a primary school that Operation Uganda (OU) supports.

Every day, OU staff at the Jordan House daycare program play games, teach classes, and provide a midday meal for dozens of little children in the low income Kasumi neighborhood of Kampala. The kids clearly love all the attention from these caring adults in a neighborhood that has its share of brokenness  and sorrow. Today we joined the staff, and did face painting, Lego building, and other activities to promote friendly competition and sportsmanship. Several of our team members are nursing sore muscles after participating in games like the sack race, but we have joy from our time with the kids.

In the afternoon, we took a short trip to the neighborhood primary school to meet with the principal and visit kids in two classes. Operation Uganda staff have a partnership with the school to provide spiritual education on topics like honesty, purity, and honor. Additionally, OU provides scholarships, uniforms, and other support for selected students so that they can continue their education in a country where public school students must pay their own way, and many drop out in the early grades. (Several of the young adult mentors of OU began as primary school students in this same school.) In our meeting with the students at Kasubi Primary, they had the opportunity to ask us questions. Though there were a few questions directed to “Big Mike” and others, Annabelle Halbach was clearly the cool kid in the room.

That’s all for now. We are all headed to our rooms to catch up on some sleep. Please continue to pray for our health, our physical endurance, and openness to the Holy Spirit’s moving.

 

Day 3 Update:

The team in Uganda is encountering the Lord in rich ways, as they serve with our partners in Kampala! What a blessing it is to see their smiles, to hear their stories, and to see how God is at work! Please enjoy this update from yesterday, and the pictures at the end of this email.

The FPC Uganda team awoke early this morning to the sound of a torrential, tropical thunder shower. The work plan for the day included our helping Operation Uganda serve a large community lunch following Sunday services at Jordan house. OU’s staff had been working through the night to prepare enough food for over 800 people in their neighborhood.

As our team concluded breakfast, Kathy Timberlake led our morning devotional on the scripture accounts of Jesus’ feeding of the 5,000. We talked about situations where there might not be enough food for guests, and how we would respond. We talked about God‘s ample provision for his people.

As the storm began to lift, we made our way to Jordan house.  Once we arrived, we found a large group of worshipers beginning their worship service. Kinetic and spiritual energy abounded through singing, dancing and the preaching of the word.  FPC’s group was introduced to the congregation, and Benson Meadows played a praise song for the congregation, one which was familiar to both our group and our Uganda n brothers and sisters.

As the worship service wound down, we were ushered out of the sanctuary and laid out food for the banquet: matoke with peanut sauce, rice, beans and meat. Then all the children were gathered for handwashing. Finally, bowls were distributed to all the children. Then serving lines were opened up to the adults. The whole neighborhood, it seemed, had turned out. Would there be enough?

Thanks to God’s great provision (and ongoing coaching from church ladies on portion control), everybody had enough food, and there were 12 basketfuls left over. (OK, this last bit was an exaggeration, but all the OU team and our crew had plenty to eat after all guests had left.

The lesson for the day: whether the weather is unpredictable or you have a greater-than-expected number of guests at the banquet, God WILL provide.

Day 2 Update:

The first full day of FPC’s mission trip to Uganda was a mixture of joy, heartbreak, and hope.

When our team bus rolled into the entrance of Operation Uganda ’s Jordan House, we were met by a joyous throng of several dozen small children, all dressed in colorful Uganda n outfits and singing and dancing Uganda n songs.

In the afternoon, we walked with OU staff through Kampala’s slums, meeting the families served by staff members and praying for one another.

In the afternoon we were also able to speak at length with members of Operation Uganda ’s local staff. We found hope in the fact that a number of OU staff members started out as children from this same neighborhood. They were loved and cared  for over the years, receiving mentoring and skill-building until they were able to help children who came after them.

What we saw on day two was that this world still harbors terrible injustice, but that God is at work through dear brothers and sisters in Christ. They labor on, in partnership with our church, looking forward to that day when Jesus brings perfect justice and perfect peace.

Day 1 Update:

It was nearly 30 hours of travel across three continents.  We were never completely confident of what time zone we were in. But the FPC Uganda team is finally on the ground in Kampala! The trip logistics all came together, and we actually met other Christian pilgrims on our flight from Chicago to Brussels - Louisiana families with small children who were going for a full month to serve the Lord in Poland. Tonight, before we turn in, we ponder how God will use us in the coming days. We are filled with anticipation for this reunion with brothers and sisters serving in Uganda !

Please pray for health, for strength, and for the Holy Spirit to move so that we and our ministry partners might form meaningful relationships.

Travel Day - Friday, May 29, 2026

Thank you for coming alongside the Uganda Mission Trip Team in prayer throughout their journey over these next days! Your prayer support is an important work in supporting and encouraging this team, as the Lord is at work in and through them.

The team flew out from San Antonio yesterday afternoon and met up with their final team member in the Brussels airport for the final leg of their journey in the early hours of this morning.

Join in praying for the team’s last bit of travel, along with the Lord’s provision through jet lag as their feet hit the ground in Uganda later tonight (Texas time).

Please enjoy the attached photo of the team prior to their first flight, in the San Antonio airport, and stay tuned for more updates along the way!