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.

Unpacking Eid-al-Adha

Exploring traditions from other cultures helps your child grow in understanding and love for the peoples that God loves. Eid al-Adha (eed uhl-ad-HAH) is a Muslim holiday starting on the evening of Friday, June 6, 2025.

As you discover more about Eid al-Adha with your family, consider reading the biblical account of Abraham’s sacrifice from Genesis 22 together. Afterwards, ask them to point out the differences between the Bible and the Qu’ran (kuh-RAHN) versions. Let your children know the Bible’s account is true, but many Muslims think their story from the Qu’ran is right. Pray for the truth of God’s Word to be made clear to Muslims.

Each year, the exact date of Eid al-Adha changes on the Western calendar because it’s based on the Islamic lunar calendar. This means over time, the date of Eid al-Adha moves up eleven days each year because it’s based on the moon's phases.

Eid al-Adha means “Feast of Sacrifice” and is one of the biggest holidays of the year for Muslims. (Like Easter is for Christians!) It celebrates a story from the Qu’ran, a Muslim holy book. The story tells how Abraham received dreams from God to sacrifice his son, Ishmael. On Abraham’s way to sacrifice his son, Satan tries to stop him. Abraham throws stones at Satan and makes him go away. When Abraham prepares to offer his son as a sacrifice, the angel Gabriel stops him and provides a ram for the sacrifice instead of Ishmael.

Muslims celebrate Abraham’s willingness to obey God’s command each year. They start the holiday by offering an Eid prayer, then (if a family can afford it) sacrifice an animal—a camel, sheep, goat, or ram.

The meat from the animal is split three ways so everyone in the community can eat a good meal on this holiday. First, the family that sacrificed the animal keeps some of the meat. Second, some of the meat is given to friends and relatives. Third, a portion of the meat is given to those in need.

Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha for four days and dress in nice clothes, visit family and friends, eat tasty food, exchange gifts, and greet each other with “Eid Mubarak” (eed MOO-bahr-aack), which means “Have a blessed Eid!”

Read the full article with ways to pray and a family activity on Via Families.