Uganda 2018 – The Time is Now

After 7 months of planning, the time is now. There were emails, phone calls, late nights and early mornings. The team is assembled and we are on our way to Gulu, Uganda.

The travel time is around 31 hours and can be exhausting, but spirits are still high when we arrive at the Kampala airport. We clear customs and travel by bus to our hotel. The city of Kampala has a vibe all its own. There is a lot of traffic and the motorcycles weave between buses and cars with inches to spare. Traffic laws are more like guidelines here. There are markets alive with activity even in the early morning. The street vendors are still cooking chapati — the Ugandan tortilla — and countless other delicacies. The unmistakable smells of charcoal-burning stoves permeate everything and the cool night air is heavy with humidity.

Our luggage takes its own mode of transport. We have loaded a box truck with 3 tons (about 6,000 pounds) of supplies. Our personal items are packed into our carry-on bags; it will not be uncommon to wear the same outfit more than one day this week.

The team is made up of 40 professionals representing cities around the US who sacrifice their time, talent and treasure in service to others. The travel nurses and scrub techs live their professional lives working 3-6 month contracts, seeing new places and meeting new friends, and plan their contracts around mission work. They recruit their friends to join us in service of Medical Missions Foundation. Our surgeons and anesthesia providers plan their vacations sometimes up to 12 months in advance to join the team. We have veterans who have participated in many missions and newbies on their first trip out of the country. It is a great mix of experience and wonderment.

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