Sparks family revisits Uganda

Today at 12:57 PM Listen Comments Share Share this article A surprise motorcade escorted the Sparks family as they returned to the Musana Camp they had helped start in the Bukunja region of Uganda. Smiles, tears, hugs and a big celebratory meal ensued upon arrival as old friends were reunited this summer. Travel time of 36 hours included a 14 hour flight from Chicago to JFK to Nairobi then to Uganda where they stayed for three weeks. ADVERTISEMENT Another factor in planning this trip was the media’s coverage of Ebola outbreaks taking place and traveling to affected areas. Prior to their departure since there had been no new Ebola cases for 21 days in Uganda, even though it was still raging in the Congo, the Sparks felt it was safe to travel. Sparks stated that Uganda is very good at containing Ebola by locking their borders tightly. Also a key factor is knowledge in how it is spread and using careful hygiene. The Sparks did have extra questions going through the New York health screening and had to check in with health officials after returning home. Their biggest question upon returning was what it would be like but they said it felt like “we’d been gone for a long weekend and returned home.” “The sights, sounds, tastes and above all the people just felt normal,” Sparks said. They felt it was important to visit these friends with their children. “People who were crucial to the camp and our success became our best friends.” He also stated, “We got the chance to see the camp in action, doing well and growing and keeping to the vision even better than when we were there.” While there he enjoyed teaching at camp sessions focusing on Bible teaching,evangelism and discipleship. Sid and Andrea Sparks met at a leadership program in Westboro, Wisconsin and as newly weds felt called to go to Uganda to start a Bible camp for children. Sid first taught at New Hope Uganda before moving to the present camp. The Sparks were there for fifteen years and hadn’t been back since 2023. Sid said he had actually designed a similar camp while in this program and was excited to put his plan into action. ADVERTISEMENT Under the umbrella mission of New Hope Uganda,the Musana camp was first planned in the remote bush area by Lake Victoria in 2007. It was designed for the mission's directors and worker’s children to have a camp experience. While Africa was familiar with refugee camps; this was different in that a private organization who already had a ministry raised their own funds and had it staffed by local residents and foreign staff. Teams of volunteers have visited and helped with clearing and building through the years. The camp now has enough facilities with a capacity of 120 not including staff quarters. Yearly increasing in popularity, 16,000 people have attended the various camp programs up to the time the Sparks left. The 800 acre camp is by Lake Victoria; a popular tourist destination of white sandy beaches. Uganda is known for its beautiful landscape and big animals including mountain gorillas in the wild. Varied economic levels result the further from the capital city of Kampala one goes so this camp 80 miles away is situated in a lower income area. Most residents there speak English as well as some of the fifty two local tribal languages. This area of Africa is known for agriculture, and fishing with timber being a very valuable commodity. Since there are many types of timber, heavy foresting practices have ravaged the landscape. Musana Camp employs security guards to make sure their surrounding trees are not poached. ADVERTISEMENT The Sparks call Uganda home and miss the lifestyle they had there. The children said the highlight of this trip was being with their friends again while Levi Spark’s best memory was swinging on vines among the trees. They also enjoyed the local cuisine, especially the fresh tropical fruit such as passion fruit and four different types of bananas. Dried bananas are called “gonja”. A mixed fresh fruit cocktail was a tasty treat. Meat is usually infrequent as beans are the main staple. “Posho” and beans are as common there as America’s peanut butter and jelly are here.Ground nut sauce is commonly poured over all. They brought back some of their favorite treats they had missed along with many priceless memories. Sparks said life is more simple and relaxed there and the cost of living is cheaper there .While the healthcare system may not be as advanced there is more emphasis placed on caring for people. They appreciated the affordable medical care they received as four of their five children were born there. Since their children have lived in two different continents, they especially enjoyed attending the “kid’s camp” where they associated with other children who are born in one culture but live in another but may not quite fit in one or the other. They bonded quickly with others in the 12-18 age group and reconnected with some of their good friends during the week long session. Musana Camp hosts a wide variety of camp experiences and activities for the whole family in a beautiful and convenient setting. Musana hosts one of their biggest and very popular camps in honor of Independence Day around October 9th where surrounding local children are invited to attend for a very inexpensive cost. This camp includes a championship soccer and ladies netball tournament and kid’s games. Also that week a medical clinic offers free medical treatment as an outreach to their surrounding neighbors. ADVERTISEMENT Now the family is embarking on a new mission. They will be moving to Westboro, Wisconsin to the Forest Lake Conference Center where Sid and Andrea first met. They will help develop and direct JOURNEY, a vocational discipleship program there. “While Uganda will always be a place we will want to go back to; it’s home,” Sid Sparks remarked, “ we are looking forward to new adventures, friends and memories." Courtesy Photo Courtesy Photo Comments Share Share this article Listen to this article Conversation ADVERTISEMENT What To Read Next ADVERTISEMENT Get Local Must Reads College Clock strikes midnight for DSU in loss to Montana Tech 52m ago · By Carter Dooner Prep The Dickinson Press - Area Athletics, Nov 6, 2026 2d ago · By Carter Dooner Local Women Empowering Women launches annual holiday drive for elderly women, pursues community programs 2d ago · By Kelly Harju Prep Blue Hawks look to turn late-season surge into postseason berth 3d ago · By Carter Dooner