Summer Travel Club: Ticket to Uganda (Part 4)

 Jambo! Welcome to the fourth and final part of  the Summer Travel Club: Ticket to Uganda.

Remember to pick what components fit into your family's rhythm and don't stress about the rest!

Now let's finish our trek to Uganda (part 4)!

OPENING QUESTION

Have each family member answer the following question:

What is your favorite way to worship God?

WHAT DO UGANDANS LOVE TO DO?

Let's play a quick game to find out something Ugandans love to do!

1) On a piece of paper, draw five blank lines for the five-letter word mystery word. The mystery word is dance.

2) Have kids take turns guessing letters. If they guess a letter correctly, fill it into the right spot. 

If they get a letter wrong, start drawing one part of a stick figure. (First, a circle for the head. Second, a line for the body. Third, one arm. Fourth, the other arm. Fifth, one leg. Sixth, the other leg. Seventh, one eye. Eighth, the other eye. Ninth, the mouth.)

3) Kids win if they guess the word before parents can draw a full stick figure person.

DANCE TIME

Ugandans love to dance, including kids!

Watch these two short videos of Ugandan kids dancing:

• Dance to celebrate Independence Day on October 9th (about 1 minute).

• Kids dancing to Kumbaya (about 2 minutes).

CHURCH IN UGANDA

Ask your kids the following question: 

What do you think is a key part of worshipping God in Uganda? 

(And of course, the answer is dancing!)

• Church services in Uganda are longer, louder, and less structured than in the United States!

• Ugandans like to sing, dance, clap, and play drums during the time of worship through music.

• Sometimes people walk far to attend church.

• Church services can last hours!

Watch a snippet of a Ugandan church worshipping Jesus (around 30 seconds.). 

What do you notice is different about how the church in Uganda than your church in the U.S.A.? What was the same?

WORSHIP LIKE A UGANDAN CHRISTIAN KID

Now let's take a few minutes to worship a bit like how a Ugandan Christian kid might. 

1) Find a drum or two. (You can use some pots or bowls. Or create makeshift drum by cutting off the bottom of a balloon, stretching it over the open top of a cleaned aluminum can, and holding it in place with a rubber band.)

2) Play the Swahili worship song, Hakuna Mungu (about 2.5 minutes). While the song plays, everyone in your family dances, sings, claps, and plays the drums.

What did you like about worshipping the Lord with this type of energy?

Different cultures bring God praise in unique and beautiful ways! 

PRAYER TIME

• Pray for believers to share their faith with those who practice other religions.

• Pray for Christians who are geographically close to take the gospel to a nearby tribal people.

BONUS ACTIVITIES

1) Good books let us “meet” people we may not encounter in our neighborhood. Try reading one of the following books together as a family:

*Be sure to read my full book review of Orange for the Sunsets on my blog before diving into it.

2) Play a popular Ugandan game together as a family: Mancala (ages 8 & up). In Uganda, it's known as Omweso. (You can even snag a version of Mancala for kids ages 6 and up here.)

Thanks for joining us on this adventure to Uganda! 

Remember prayer is key to God's global plan for everyone to know and worship Him—including Ugandans! Keep praying for the world this summer!

Summer Travel Club: Ticket to Uganda (Part 3)

Jambo! Welcome back to part 3 of  the Summer Travel Club: Ticket to Uganda.

In case you're just jumping in, Ticket to Uganda is a four-part guide designed for families to work through at their own pace this summer—whether that's daily, weekly, monthly, or anywhere in between. Each part includes a discussion question, cultural focus, kid-friendly activity, way to pray, and bonus activities.

Remember to pick what components fit into your family's rhythm and don't stress about the rest!

Now that the pre-flight announcement is over, let's continue our trek to Uganda (part 3).

OPENING QUESTION

Have each family member answer the following question:

What's a challenge you've faced?

WHAT DOES MBU MEAN?

Let's uncover a challenge many Ugandan kids face: mbu. To figure out what mbu means, let's do a simple scavenger hunt. 

(Parent note: you'll need to prep this activity in advanced for the kids to do.)

1) Print off the puzzle onto cardstock. 

2) Cut the puzzle into pieces.

3) Hide the pieces in a specified area.

4) Have kids search together to find all 16 puzzle pieces.

5) Assemble the puzzle to figure out what mbu means.

What does the Swahili word mbu mean? What's a challenge Ugandan kids face?

WHY MOSQUITOES?

Now that we know mbu is the Swahili word for mosquito. Let's unpack why mosquitoes are a challenge for Ugandans.

• Malaria is sickness caused from an infected mosquito bite.

• Malaria is the leading cause of death in Uganda, especially among kids.

Image by brgfx on Freepik

• Many Ugandans don’t have enough money to get medicine or access to receive medical care.

• Mosquito bed nets are a key way Ugandans can fight against mosquitoes. The bed net prevents mosquitoes from biting people while they sleep by keeping those pesky insects away.

Discuss the following question as a family:

How well do you think you’d relax knowing a mosquito was trying to bite you as a you slept each night?

PRAYER TIME

• Pray for more people to have access to mosquito bed tents.

• Pray for Ugandan kids to experience the love of Jesus.

BONUS ACTIVITIES

1) Complete this crossword puzzle to see how much you remember about our journey in Uganda! (And here's the answers just in case.)

2) Color this map of Uganda. How many countries border Uganda? What are three things this map tells you about Uganda?

Swing by next week for the fourth and final part where we learn something Ugandans love and what church looks like.