Morning seemed to arrive earlier than usual. I don't recall if I slept well or not, but I know I woke up earlier than I set my alarm for. Before I went to bed, I made the mistake of brushing my teeth with the tap water. BIG “no-no”. Then, I made the mistake of not taking my anti-malarial pill the night before after dinner, so before going downstairs to breakfast, I ate a granola bar I had in my backpack and took the pill. When you are told to take your pill on a "full" stomach, they mean it! A granola bar hardly qualifies as a full meal. I went down to breakfast, and ate a little more, but my stomach was already beginning to get upset. I am not sure what the culprit was, but by the time the van arrived I felt nauseous.
Marty, John, and Curt were in the van plus our Rotarian host, Hassan. We took off to go get Mary and Ken. As we traveled along the rutted roads, the jostling and swaying just made my stomach worse. I felt green. I told everyone how poorly I felt, and about being kept out so late and the five beers the night before. Well, I should have kept the last part to myself, because all they did was tease me about having a hangover!
It was raining that day, so our original plans were changed and we were taken to a couple historical churches. The first church we went to was a Catholic one. The church was constructed in the 1700s. Our guide went over the history of its founding and the martyrs who are memorialized there. Up until I was age nine, my family practiced Catholicism. I remember being fascinated by stories of martyrs. Hearing about African martyrs was something I found equally as fascinating because the only stories I had ever read involved European ones. The influence of Catholicism in Uganda is astounding. I had never seen so many Catholic churches, schools, or nuns in my life. Plus, I saw countless numbers of people wearing the Rosary as a necklace.
The church was enormous. The stained glass windows and carvings were works of art. There was even a centuries old pipe organ that was just gorgeous. We asked our guide if it would be okay for us to sing a hymn. He agreed. We sang"Dona Nobis Pachem". The acoustics were ASTOUNDING, it was ethereal!!! I asked Hassan if he would use my phone to take a video of us while we sang. It is awesome to go back and watch it. What's even more is the diversity of faith among those of us singing. Represented were: Methodist, non-religious christian, Hindu, Atheist, Buddhist, and a believer in a Divine creator. I don't think I have ever experienced worship so simple and so sweet. 
We left the building and went on to the first Protestant cathedral built in Kampala. There were renovations going on, but the pastor there agreed to take us on a brief tour. We entered a room that was dedicated to prayers and small ceremonies. In the back was a collection of drums. John and the pastor did a demonstration for us. That was very cool!
Everywhere we went there were existing churches, churches being built, and churches advertising their meetings from all different types of buildings. I was struck by the thought that these churches being built exploit the workers the same way the churches of Europe did in medieval times. Everywhere we traveled we saw more of the same, I became disheartened. I can almost guarantee you that the men that labor on these opulent buildings barely get paid enough to support their families.
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