Our Final Day!

We woke up knowing just how hard it would be to say goodbye- to our old friends, our new friends, and this country we had fallen so deeply in love with. Thankfully, we had a lot on the agenda to distract us from the sadness!

We had become very close to 2 of our drivers/guides, Sam and Narcis (pronounced Na-sis, with a soft r). Both are in the processes of having their cultural and church weddings which we got to learn allll about over the 2 weeks! We were excited to meet both of their lovely spouses and our dream came true! First thing in the morning, Sam brought Vio over to the house for us to meet! She had driven over 4 hours from where she works, we were so touched and she was an absolute sweetheart.

We then made our way to the Baha’i House of Worship for our final visit. We were so fortunate we got to visit 3 times, twice attending their Sunday program filled with prayers, readings and music. While we were there, the temple was in its final weeks of construction so the devotions the week before were held in a nearby building. We pulled up to park and there were no cars in the lot. We were confused for a moment but then the security guard came to tell us the temple was open!! You can imagine the wave of gratitude that washed over us knowing that in our final hours in Uganda, the temple was opened!! We made our way up and sat down for devotions.

We had invited Sam, Narcis and their wives to join us but knew how busy they were and that it might now be possible. Narcis had told us he really hoped to as he knew his wife would love it! We sat down right at 10:30 when devotions began and assumed they weren’t able to make it. Following the program, we stayed a bit longer to say our own prayers and soak in the final moments. As I wiped my tears and stepped out, I saw Narcis and Sylvia walking towards me, beaming from ear to ear! They had come and loved the program! Sylvia wanted to get her hands on any book she could find as she was so moved by the inclusivity of the Faith. Lisa walked out after just saying prayers inside for Narcis not knowing he had made it, and was moved to tears. It was another special, special moment in our final hours. We made our way to the bookstore, helped Sylvia get some books and invited them to join us for lunch back at Sally’s.

In addition to Narcis and Sylvia, we had another special guest for lunch! “Aunty Vi” as everyone calls her, a Baha’i who moved to Uganda over 50 years ago as a young mom and school teacher with the hope of spreading the unifying message of the Baha’i faith. She told deeply moving stories of the hardships the country was facing at the time and the sweetness of those that took her under their wing. We all were enthralled by her stories as we enjoyed a final home cooked Ugandan meal!

Our flight was late in the evening so we had a little more time to spare! Sally knew of one more store of local art we would love and she was right!! We may have needed to borrow one of her suitcases to bring all our goodies and gifts home 😂 We finished off with some delicious ice cream with Sally and the boys, savoring our final moments together and planning all the fun things we want to do together on their next visit to the US.

We made our way home, showered and put fresh clothes on (because we would be traveling for over 24 hours), packed up and gave our goodbye hugs. Our dear Sam drove us to the airport, with one final stop for smoothies on the way. We said our heartfelt “see you laters”, knowing this was absolutely not goodbye forever.

The flights were longggg but truly not bad! We went from Uganda to Amsterdam (8 hours), Amsterdam to Atlanta (9 hours) and then Atlanta to RDU (1 hour). All of our luggage (including the extra lol) even made it home with us!

We are home now trying to readjust our sleep schedules, unpack, catch up on laundry, download all our photos, and catch up on work. An hour doesn’t pass where we don’t think of sweet moments from this trip of a lifetime! Thank you for following along on our journey and if you are interested in visiting Uganda, we would love to support you!!

❤️,
Aneesa & LisaRead more