The Visions of Hope Uganda Team arrived back home Wednesday night and oh wow, where do I begin to tell you all that happened. It will not be possible to relay all the details (nor would you want to sit for a number of hours), but I will summarize.
The challenge is getting back on the present time zone. We have been 7-10 hours ahead of you for three weeks and chased the sun on the way home. The team will have to endure a couple of days of adjusting. It is always surprising to be so wide awake and hungry at 3 AM. I will definitely need some proof reading before you see this.
God loves to create stories and in our case the stories are blended with skills and talents He bestowed on this team. It became a maximizing of those abilities. I will add details in Part 4.
All of us have been blessed with God-given talents—and yes, that includes you. It is easy to see the bible clearly spells it out. Romans 12:6 says,
“In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well.”
Observing the team during these 22 days the “doing certain things well” certainly demonstrated itself. They all rose to the challenge even when it wasn’t easy.
For today, I will summarize this trip with comments from one of our team. James has such a gift of writing, and we all were blessed (almost daily) with his perspectives. His way with words agrees with each of our hearts for Uganda, Otino Waa Children’s Village and Journey International.
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“How do you say goodbye to a place that has not only captured your heart but made you feel truly loved? As a foreigner, I came in not knowing what to expect, and I leave feeling like I truly belonged.
I witnessed total despair, hopelessness, and devastating disease—yet, in the same breath, I saw unshakable joy, unrelenting faith, deep hope, and smiles that could light up the darkest rooms.
I saw what it means to love someone right where they’re at. I learned that I do not need to fix, repair, or change anything. I am simply called to bring joy, hope, love, vulnerability, and above all—play.
I now have a deeper understanding of what faith and trust in the Lord truly look like. I saw firsthand what real dependence on Him is. Circumstances may not always change, but hearts do—when our focus is on the one true source of hope.
I’m forever bonded with six amazing individuals who I now call family. To have shared such a life-changing experience with them—outside of my own family—I couldn’t have asked for better companions. “Love” doesn’t even begin to describe how I feel about each of them.
To our driver, Jeremiah—my new friend and brother—you are absolutely the best driver in all of Uganda. Kind, charming, hard-working, and a bright light to behold.
To Russ, Rhonda, and your beautiful family—thank you isn’t enough. Your hospitality went above and beyond anything I ever expected. Most of all, thank you for fueling my faith and showing me what living out the Gospel truly looks like. Without preaching a single word, you inspired me and challenged my walk in what it really means to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.
To Dan and Charles—you’ve inspired me with your hard-working, joy-filled servant hearts. I’m beyond blessed to have shared the same space with you both. You now have a mzungu brother who loves you very much.
To the beautiful country of Uganda—thank you for opening your doors to me, for sharing your breathtaking landscapes, and your even more beautiful hearts. I am forever changed by this journey.
So I won’t say goodbye—I’ll just say, until next time.”
With love—your friend and brother in Christ,
James K. Yount
“The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.”
John 1:5
Beautiful!
Welcome home everyone!