Elections are Coming

Today is a Ugandan public holiday, which means I have the day off. This is a bit of an odd week because elections are coming up. Elections in the past have been pretty peaceful but this year may be a little different. There have been riots in surrounding towns and especially Kampala. Yesterday, the candidate with the biggest following for becoming President, Besigye, was arrested in Kampala. The police then had to use tear gas to try to prevent problems. One of my good friends was working in Kampala that day and was affected by the tear gas. Luckily he is okay and made it back safely to his wife and kids in Jinja.

Rugby field in Jinja when Bisegye was in town - Posted by Josh Hamby

Corruption is a huge part of the government here. In past elections, other people have won but Museveni has stayed President despite this. It will be interesting to see what happens with the election this time. If Museveni wins again, the supporters of Besigye won’t be happy. If Besigye (or any other candidate) wins, supporters of Museveni wont’ be happy. Elections occur Thursday and Friday. We find out a couple of days later who wins. Please keep us in your prayers during this time. Pray for peace, a fair election, and an easy transition no matter the decision. Pray for the safety of everyone voting and those here serving the people of Uganda.



The weekend before last was full of sickness. I got extremely ill suddenly on Friday and ended up having to go Saturday morning to get an IV. They had to get fluid in me because I was dehydrated from not being able to keep anything in me and then I had to get medicine intravenously too.  I basically slept on and off from Friday afternoon until Sunday around 7. I then was feeling okay enough to watch Super Bowl 50.  It didn’t start until 2:30am here.  I was exhausted but it was a good game and I was able to take a short nap before work started Monday morning. Then after I was better, my brother got extremely ill and was in and out of the ER multiple times. He is now home and feeling better but the doctors are still running tests to try to figure out what is wrong because this is a recurring problem. Please keep him and the doctors in your prayers.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” – 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

In exciting news…Tina is back! She arrived at the end of the week last week and it has been great having her back here. She is allowed to remain in Jinja for 5 weeks this time, and as long as her treatment continues to go well while she’s here, she’ll be able to return in May for 3 months! Prayers for her continued healing would be much appreciated.

Tina seeing the women for the first time since being back 

Tina made us all dinner on Valentine’s Day. It was an evening full of delicious food, lots of chocolate, and tons of laughter. It has been so hot that despite it being 8 o’clock at night, we were all sweating around the dinner table. Then the power went out which meant dinner in the dark and no fans! We wanted to play a game together and came to playing heads up using our phones because that was something we could play in the dark. Luckily during that time, the power came back on and we were able to put the fans back on! Literally it has been so hot these past few days it has been brutal. Overall, it was a very nice Valentine’s Day.


“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. “ – 1 Corinthians 13:1-8a


Let us strive to love one other as God loves us. God bless you and all that you do. 

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