Hey y’all! God woke me (Ashley Nicole) up this morning with the NeedtoBreathe lyric, “wake on up from your slumber; come on open up your eyes.” That is such a summation of today as it’s our last full day in Uganda and we had time to reflect and debrief on how our eyes have been opened.

Today, we woke up and headed from Masindi Hotel to the Parra Safari Resort. The resort has been such a blessing and a haven to begin to process all that has happened to each of us this week, to disconnect from all that has become so familiar to us here, to get to know each other better and hear each other’s experiences. Even though we debriefed quickly each day after dinner, we are all over the clinic, it’s difficult to catch everything or even really realize all that God’s accomplished through us here.

From the resort in Murchison Falls, we were able to go on safari in open-air vehicles. With eyes wide open, we saw giraffes, elephants, baboons, tons on antelope-like creatures, wart hogs, Jackson heart beasts, amazingly colored birds. We saw hippos in the Nile River and the beautiful landscape that God created. It is He that has opened up our eyes to this beautiful land that is so different from each of our lives in the states. It was such a beautiful moment to look across massive amounts of land and see all that He’s created for us to enjoy.

We have all had our eyes opened to a new people, a new culture, a new kind of medicine, new faiths, new food, new challenges and new expectations for ourselves and the Lord. We have seen miracles performed…the blind see, the lame walk, the dead rise.

Give us all grace as transition back to the USA. Ask us our stories and be prepared for extensive answers if you are ready. Be ready to wake up from your slumber and open up your eyes.

Thank-you to our support team who has made this trip possible. I know for me, my even being here is a miracle and such a blessing. Thank-you to those who send us as we are called to go. You are as much a part of this mission as we are. May the Lord richly bless and keep you. We’re up bright and early to start heading back your way. Keep us in your prayers. We’ll update when we can.