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.

Summer Travel Club: Ticket to Uganda (Part 2)

Jambo friends! Welcome back to part 2 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 2).

OPENING QUESTION

Have your family answer this question together:

What's a typical meal you eat in your family?

TYPICAL UGANDAN FOOD

Let's learn about three typical types of food you would likely eat in Uganda.

1) Matooke - It's often boiled and mashed up to eat. It can be wrapped in banana leaves and steamed. 

It's often served with meat or fish. It's a popular weekend dish.

2) Ugali - It's made from maize (corn). It's served with most meals.

3) Fried Grasshoppers - This is popular snack, especially during the rainy seasons (November, December, January, April, May, June) when there are lots of grasshoppers around.

LANGUAGE MATTERS

God knows and understands all languages!

Did you know most Ugandan kids learn at least 2 languages–English and their local language?

Learning someone’s language shows care and respect for their culture. Missionaries learn the local language to communicate and share the love of Jesus.

Since language is one way to show care and respect for other cultures, let's spend some time learning one of the languages spoken in Uganda, Swahili!

Let's take a safari in Uganda and learn some of the animal names in Swahili:

• lion—simba (SEEM-buh)
• zebra—pundamilia (POON-duh-MIL-ee-uh)
• giraffe—twiga (TWEE-guh)
• rhinoceros—kifaru (kee-FAR-oo)
• elephant—tembo (TEM-bo)
• ostrich—mbuni (mBOON-ee)
• hippo—kiboko (kee-BO-ko)
• crocodile—mamba (MOM-bah)
• monkey—nyani (NY-ah-nee)

LANGUAGE LEARNING GAME

1) Print off the pictures of the safari animals you might encounter in Uganda.

2) Take turns pointing to an animal and repeating its Swahili name.

3) Once you've spent some time practicing the Swahili animal names, try the Fly Swatter Game.

4) Find two fly swatters (or empty paper towel rolls). Either tape the pictures to a wall or lay them down on the ground. 

5) Have two family members each holding a fly swatter and stand in front of the safari animal photos. 

6) One family member calls out a Swahili animal name. 

7) The two family members with the fly swatters try to swat the corresponding animal picture first.

8) Rotate through so everyone has a chance to play the game and call out safari animal names in Swahili.

PRAYER TIME

• Pray for the gospel to be proclaimed all across the country and for many Ugandans to follow Jesus.
• Pray for the Bible to be translated into tribal languages so they can learn about Jesus.

BONUS ACTIVITIES

1) Color the Ugandan flag. You can print off this free Ugandan flag template from Crayola. Then do some research about what the colors represent and what type of bird is on the flag.

2) Learning a new language is hard work! Did you know there are over 70 languages spoken in Uganda! Many of these languages don't have a Bible translated into it!

Complete the Wycliffe Kids decoder activity as a reminder of how important it is to have the Bible in your own language.

After decoding the message, pray for Ugandans to hear about Jesus in their own languages.

Swing by next week for part 3 where we dive into a challenge many Ugandan kids face.

Summer Travel Club: Ticket to Uganda (Part 1)

Jambo friends! (That's Swahili for hello!) Are you ready to travel to Uganda and learn about this wonderful African country?

Before we get soaring, let's go over some pre-flight information.

Summer Travel Club: 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.

You'll learn about Ugandan culture and step into your role in missions through prayer in fun, engaging ways.

Explore Ugandan culture from a biblical worldview this summer with your family. 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 begin our trek to Uganda (part 1).

OPENING QUESTION

Have everyone in your family answer this question:

What's something you're super excited about?

Let's learn about something God's super excited about.

"The Lord told me, 'You are an important servant to me. You will bring back the tribes of Jacob. You will bring back the people of Israel who are left alive. But, more importantly, I will make you a light for all nations. You will show people all over the world the way to be saved.'"
- Isaiah 49:6 ICB

God's super excited about making His name known around the world and He wants us to be a part of this.

The more we learn and understand about other cultures, the more we can have a heart to care about and pray for others around the world.

God wants people all over the world know and worship Him, including Ugandans! God loves Ugandan kids as much as kids in the United States of America!

This summer, we'll learn more about Uganda and how we can pray for God's name to be made great there.

ABOUT UGANDA

• Find Uganda on a map. It would take about 22 hours to fly from San Francisco, California to Kampala, Uganda!
• English, Luganda, and Swahili are the top three languages spoken in Uganda. This summer, we'll focus on Swahili.
• Jambo means hello in Swahili. Practice greeting each other.

RELIGION IN UGANDA

The largest religion in Uganda is Christianity. But some Ugandans may practice an ethnic religion. This ethnic religion is often called tribal animism.

As a family, watch this short video (under 4 minutes!) produced by Pioneers (missions agency) for kids to gain insight about tribal animism.

Animists (those who practice animism) live with fear about many things. Since they believe there's only a small amount of good available in the world, they don't want good things to happen to others. This false belief robs animists of the joy-filled life Jesus can give.

Using the Bible verse below, pray for animists in Uganda to turn away from their false beliefs and experience true life in Jesus:

"A thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so they may have life. I want them to have it in the fullest possible way."
- John 10:10 NiRV

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF UGANDAN VILLAGE GIRL

Let's learn what a typical day looks like for a village girl in Uganda.

Watch this short video about Okella.

After watching the video, discuss together what things are similar and different from what you do each day. Consider things like your home, morning routines (like brushing your teeth, getting ready for school, how you get to school), school experience, and chores.

Find at least three ways your day is similar to Okella's day.

PRAYER TIME

• Pray for village girls like Okella to hear about Jesus and have their lives transformed by Christ.
• Pray for tribal animists to recognize that Jesus is more powerful than evil spirits.

BONUS ACTIVITIES

1) Using the Wycliffe Kids Travel To Another Country printable worksheet to guide your research, take some time to learn about the country of Uganda. Consider visiting your local library to check out books on Uganda.

Use this research about Uganda as a springboard to praise God for the diversity He's created around the world and to pray for Ugandans.

2) Create a paper doll wearing traditional Ugandan clothing. Girls wear an outfit called a gomesi. Boys wear an outfit called kanzu. 

You can use whatever materials you want—from construction paper to fabric to yarn. Here's a free paper doll outline to print off.

Hang up your paper doll somewhere to remind you to pray for Uganda this week.

See you next week for part 2 when we go on a safari to learn some Swahili!

Coming this June!

What if your family could travel to another country and learn about how to pray for a new culture without leaving your neighborhood this summer?

Summer Travel Club: 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.

Families will learn about Ugandan culture and step into their role in missions through prayer in fun, engaging ways.

Explore Ugandan culture from a biblical worldview this summer with your family. Pick what components fit into your family's rhythm and don't stress about the rest!

Each week on my blog, starting June 2nd, I'll release one part of this four part guide. 

Grab your FREE guide and embark on a family adventure to Uganda this summer!