June 2008

This past week we (finally) were able to take our P-3 and P-4 (2nd and 3rd grade) students up to Sipi Falls in Mt. Elgon National Park. We had tried to schedule the activity two previous dates, but the bus company we had hired to take us there had problems each time. Finally on Friday (the 13th), we loaded up the bus and began the 2.5-hour drive across our swampy plateau and up the mountain. Upon reaching Sipi village, we unloaded the bus at one of the lodges with convenient access to the middle falls (there are three waterfalls that make up Sipi Falls). Our guide met us at the bus, and the hike began. Behind the lower part of the falls, a cave has been dug out. This allowed us to see the water as it crashed onto the rocks in the river at the base of the falls. At the edge of the cave, a strong mist constantly swirls through the air. Then everyone followed the guide out of the cave and up the steep slope of the mountain-side to the top of the falls, where a small pool of (very cold) water forms a few meters before the edge of the falls. The children had a wonderful time playing in the water before we headed back down to Sipi village for lunch.

But while the children (and teachers) had a very enjoyable time, the trip wasn't just for entertainment! Along the way, Mr. Stephen Otuta, our P-4 (Third-grade) and Agriculture teacher, pointed out a variety of plant species that the children had studied in class but not seen before, such as Bugisu-Elgon coffee trees. The children also had a wonderful time of fellowship and singing songs from children's church along the way. While we were in Sipi Village for lunch, the children and staff distributed tracts in three different languages. Although the people of Sipi do not speak Ateso (the language of Soroti), still we were able to give them the gospel in a language they could understand. Please pray for those who read the tracts, that they may be
saved.

On the way home, we stopped in some of the trading centres along the way to purchase beans, potatoes, and other foods grown on the mountain as the prices there were significantly less than the prices in Soroti. We returned to SOAP safely that evening well before dark. The trip offered several spiritual lessons for the children. The owners of the lodge where we stopped to hike up the falls told us that if we had come the other days were had planned to come, the falls would have been crowded with tourists making the narrow paths even more difficult to navigate. The children were able to see another tribe -- a different culture than what they are accustomed to -- and to see that they, too, need the gospel. The variety of terrain, fauna, and flora are a testimony to the loving creativity that God has used in speaking our world into existence, and the neverending supply of water testify to His continual provision and care of us and the place He has created for us to live in.

Thank you for your prayers and support of the Soroti Orphan Assistance Project as we care for and train the next generation of Christian leaders in Uganda.

The SOAP Team

P. S. Pictures from the trip are available online at www.SOAPUganda.com/sipi08