Since Brad and I have been here, we have made so many wonderful new friends- inside and out of our mission organization. Even within the first week we were here, someone had us over for a meal each day in order to help us adjust and get to know each other better. The many meals and time we spend together will certainly be some of my best memories once we come back home. These people are so dear to our hearts, that we know we won't be able to stop talking about them... So here's just a quick profile of a few. Every week, Brad and I have been meeting up with our friends John, Erica, and Jeannie. This is a time that not only do we eat dinner and ice cream together, but we also spend time (girls with 
girls and guys with guys) just talking about what the Lord is teaching us that week. It's just a time to be intentional with each other and dig down into each others lives. It's amazing! John and Erica have been married for two years and come from Kentucky. Jeannie is our age, just graduated from Asbury in Kentucky, and is from Georgia. Side note, just about everyone here in our mission is somehow affiliated with Asbury. The three of them are actually only in Kampala for just a little while longer. 
They are here learning Swahili in order to move to Arua to do missions there. Arua is in Northern Uganda, and WGM is just now setting the foundations to begin pastor training not only there, but also in the Congo and the Sudan. Sadly, our friends leave in about 2 weeks. Brad and I will probably take the long road trip with them to help them get settled in their new houses. But until they leave, we're going to spend as much time continuing to get to know each other and encourage each other weekly- daily even. In the first picture is, (left to right) John, Erica, Jeannie, myself, and Brad. The second is Delight, Lee Ann, Ben, Jeannie, myself, and Ethan. These are just a few of our other friends within World Gospel Mission. The third is Lisa and Ethan. We live with behind Lisa, and are always laughing because of her bubbly personality.Out of Kampala and into Africa
0 comments Published by Annie Brown on Friday, February 16, 2007 at 3:32 AM
A few weeks back, Annie and I got the chance to head to a town called Jinja- which is about 70km away from Kampala. Leaving the city opened our eyes to a new part of Africa. The city is full of smiling children, monkeys, pot holes, outdoor markets, poverty, swarms of vehicles, and irrupting with technology. However, in the bush we found forests of banana trees, cattle, mud homes, and the occasional cell tower. What we did not expect to see were class 4 and 5 rapids at the source of the Nile River. Annie and I quickly made plans to return for some awesome white water rafting down the biggest rapids we have ever seen. This certainly is not what I imagined when Moses was placed in the reeds.
Two weeks ago was Spirit Week at Annie's School. It was full of games, contests, and I spoke everyday at chapel. This was so much fun!
However, the challenge was how to teach students as young as kindergarten and as old as high school in the same chapel. The talk
s ranged from sin/salvation to ministry that is unique to you. It was fun to watch the kids get excited about growing in their love relationship with God and then taking that passion out to others. This week, I will also be leaving Kampala to go into the the Village for pastor training. The last picture is one that was painted by one of Annie's students, Karlijn (from Holland). She was showing that her favorite part about SPIRIT week was "Mr. Brad" speaking! Three of our Favorite Things
5 comments Published by Annie Brown on Thursday, February 8, 2007 at 11:00 AM
Daily we are able to see a Africa from a new perspective. Sunday we had the chance to go with one of our new Ugandan friends, Nelson, to his church. Nelson lives with his nine children in a home that is made of mud bricks and surrounded by banana trees. When you walk down the dirt road to his home you notice two things. First, a hole the size of a VolksWagon Beetle that they throw all of their compost in, and the second is a long bamboo hut.
The rhythm and dancing reverberated from inside the bamboo hut as we stepped into his church. This week, Nelson and his wife Lucy lead a ten day revival, and Annie and I were blessed to join. Dancing is a huge part of worship in Uganda. They do not just sing praise to God, but they dance. For two hours we danced and prayed before Nelson gave his sermon. I was able to give my testimony, and Annie was asked to spend time teaching the children.
There are three big things to love about Uganda.
The first...there are no enforced speed limits. Driving is absolutely crazy, and it is awesome. We have become pro's at driving on the left side of the road with a left handed stick shift. The dirt roads have pot hole that literally swallow some trucks. Every rainy day becomes a great opportunity to throw the car into 4 wheel drive and have some fun. Old Land Cruisers and Land Rovers are popular here because they have the power to handle the roads. Recently, Annie and I have hired motorcycle taxis, called boda bodas, to take us around town.
The second...Coke is IT!!! Everyone here drinks coke products. Sure, if you look hard enough you can find a Pepsi, but we don't go into those kind of places. If you have ever been to Atlanta and gone through the coke museum you have had the chance to try the different flavors of Coke, tailored for the individual countries. In Uganda, Coke taste different, but Sprite has quickly become a big favorite off ours.
The third...you can never be late. Ugandan time is free and relaxed. There is not need to stress if you have a meeting at 1:00 and the group does not totally show until 1:53. As long as they make the meeting within the hour there is no reason to fret. This is a reason that some churches sing and dance for two hours before beginning.
Our journey to Uganda began about two and a half weeks ago (and there is so much to tell), so we are just going to jump right into the adventure.
The first picture was taken on our first official tour of my school. It is just as beautiful as all the pictures on their website. There are palm trees
all around, a stream running through the center of campus, and lots of sunshine. Even though the school is extrememly nice, outside of the school walls is the poverty you typically think of when you think of Africa. The next pictures are of the street we drive/walk on everyday to and from school. The people are so friendly, and their faces light up when you smile and wave! Right on this street you can buy anything from vegetables to airtime for your cell phone.
As for Brad, he has been running around with the mission field director, Jon Mayo, before beginning pastor training on the first Thursday and Friday. He was able to observe some of the classes Thursday, then on Friday he jumped in and taught the 4 gospels... in 4 hours! I think he really enjoyed his time with the pastors, and we all know he did a great job! I’ll have to let him explain it in greater detail later.
We were wrong about the number of people that live here in Kamapala. It is not 800,000… it’s more like 3.5 million! Because Kampala is the capital, people from all over the world live here. There are approximately 3,000 Americans living in Uganda. The life expectancy is about 42, (compared with the age of 30 only 10 years ago) and about 70% of the population are under the age of 30.
I cannot begin to tell you how much we are enjoying our time here! God has been so good, and we look forward to being able to keep you posted on more of a weekly basis. Unfortunately that is all we have time for for now. We love you all and miss you dearly! Thank you for all your support and prayers. Feel free to email us at annieandbradbrown@gmail.com or send us snail mail at P.O. Box 11788 Kampala, Uganda (not zip code necessary).
Well, we are off!
Brad and I are moving to Uganda, Africa in the middle of January. There we will be in Kampala, the capital, and working with an organization called World Gospel Mission. I will be teaching Kindergarten at a school for both missionary and local children. Brad will be taking part in church planting, as well as teaching pastors. We have created this website to keep our family and friends informed on all of our adventures. We cannot wait to share our experiences with you!
So, we're off.