Special Thanks

Our trip is only made possible with great support.  For supplies, we had a lot of support from Patterson Dental who helped make our trip successful.  We also received help from Butler, African Christian Fellowship of Minnesota, and of course all of our employers who gave us time to chase our dream.  Lastly we would like to thank our friends and family who keep us in their thoughts and prayers while we are away.

Home at last

We arrived at the airport in Entebbe for our journey home at 10:00PM.  Due to increased security, we had to be dropped off with our luggage at the lower level and carry our baggage up two flights of stairs to the check-in level.  The shower that I took before leaving for the airport was pretty much wasted at this point.  However, we all made it through check-in and flew from Uganda at 1:45AM.  After an uneventful flight, we arrived in Amsterdam at 7:40AM and had a few hours to explore Amsterdam.  After saying goodbye to Jim and Bob (who had an earlier flight), we ventured out.  First we got train tickets for a round trip from the airport.  After asking several people (very few of which spoke English) we were on our way.  After going through several stops and realizing that the scenery was becoming more rural, we decided we were headed in the wrong direction.  We exited the train, crossed to tracks headed in the right direction and 25 minutes later were in downtown Amsterdam.  What a culture shock!  Amsterdam is very liberal with their laws and ideals.  There were many stores that openly advertised drug use and other things.  We were able to find some excellent cheese shops and eating places.  After arriving back safely at the airport and boarding our last flight, we made it safely home.  All in all, it was a great trip with great weather, great patient numbers, great experiences, and everyone being safe.

Last day, then home ..

Our last day of clinic for this trip went very well.  We saw 40 children from the Mildmay Clinic and were ready to pack by 1:00PM.  For packing, we store our equipment and supplies on site in large metal boxes that we have had constructed in Kampala.  The craftsman (because there is no other word that could describe him) makes our metal boxes one at a time without the use of power tools or metal brakes.  He makes everything (hinges, hasps,handles, and tops) by hand with a hammer and small piece of metal to bend the parts over.  They are works of art and have protected our equipment for two years now.  Packing went very efficiently with John Walker taking the lead and controlling the packing groups.  Within 3 hours we were packed and able to start getting ready for the long trip home.  This trip was very successful with over 500 children seen and alot of good work done.  Everyone was kept safe and the weather was ideal.  Tonight we leave for the airport at 9:00 and will leave Kampala at 1:45AM.   After a long layover in Amsterdam, where we hope to do a little site seeing, we will finally arrive home late tomorrow afternoon.  I will post pictures late in the weekend.  Bye for now.

Day and night

Thursday at clinic was loud but productive.  The kids we saw were from upcountry and were more vocal with more of a language barrier.  We saw 86 patients and will be well over our unofficial target of 500 for our trip.  We try to see as many children as possible with no upper limit.
In the evening I, my wife,our daughter, and Amanda were invited to Dr. Rose's home.  She is a Ugandan dentist who helps us greatly each year.  We arrived at her home that has a heavy iron gate with a night watchman and when the gates opened we were surprised to find a very American looking home.  They had 5 bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a family room.  They ordered takeout pizza, fish, pork, and refreshments for us and we were very appreciative.  Pizza is hard to come by in Uganda.  They are fortunate that they are both professionals and can afford some of life's luxuries.  Her husband Steven is also in the Rotary Club which has allowed them to travel.  By traveling to the U.S. they were allowed to buy a flat screen tv (1/3 of the price that it would have cost in the Uganda).  We had a marvelous time.
Today we see patients in the morning and pack up our clinic for another year.  Tonight begins the long journey home.

Ugandan Independence Day

Ugandan Independence Day is January 25th and gives our group a day to recuperate from clinic.  Some of us were up and on a bus at 7:00AM for a bus ride to Jinja to do whitewater rafting on the Nile.  It was a great time with class 3,4, and 5 rapids.  We all enjoyed great weather, great vistas, and surviving whitewater rafting on the Nile.  We joined the rest of our group at the end of the day in downtown Kampala at a pizzaria.  Some had gone shopping and relaxing at a resort.  Others explored the town.  Back to a busy day at clinic on Thursday.

Robbie Burns Supper

For a bit of diversion, a group of 7 of us plus a Mildmay director (Caroline MacLeod) went to a Robbie Burns Supper.  Every year throughout the world Scots celebrate the birth of Robert Burns on January 25th.  In Uganda it is no different.  We enjoyed a night of great food (yes, including wonderful Haggis), fascinating conversations (with people from the U.K., Sweden, and Uganda), bagpipes, and Scottish country dancing.  Although we were tired from a day at work, we enjoyed ourselves greatly and want to book it with a greater group next year (Lord willing).  It did make for a late night though with dancing continuing past when we left at 1:00AM.  Wednesday is a holiday with people going different directions.  More later.

Tuesday, January 25th in clinic

Tuesday was another good day with 79 children treated.  Some issues were worked out with the spare cart and tech group making everything run smoothly.  Bob, Jim, Terry, and John have done a fantastic job this year keeping everything running.  The children came from just outside Kampala and had fairly decent oral hygiene and could communicate  better than some.  It makes our jobs easier.  We also have had help communicating this year with Ugandan volunteers.  Nicholas (a dental nurse), Dr. Rose ( a Ugandan dentist), an Gladys (a former worker at Mildmay) have been especially helpful and gave of their time freely to help.  We appreciate them.  Everyone says hi to home.