There were plenty of smiles to be seen among each group of students Spiker encountered during her two-week trip to Uganda. Photo courtesy of Carol Spiker

CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) – Carol Spiker, a retired special education teacher and member of Celtic Cross Presbyterian Church in Citrus Heights recently returned from a two-week symposium mission trip to the capital city of Kampala, Uganda where she brought her lifelong love of music to a young group of special education students.

It wasn’t long before Spiker was affectionately given the nickname of “Jaja,” a Ugandan word for grandmother as she delighted the children with both her fiddle playing and teaching them how to play the kazoo.

Spiker was recently welcomed back from her trip by Celtic Cross Pastor Sam Jun who invited her to share the details of her trip with the congregation and Joy Lineback who chairs mission outreach work for the church.

Spiker prepared presentation boards for the Celtic Cross congregation highlighting her many experiences in Uganda with a safari outside the capital city of Kampala. Photo courtesy of Carol Spiker

The congregation of Celtic Cross Presbyterian Church, located at 5839 Dewey Drive, provided $1,000 in support to allow Spiker to participate as part of the Sacramento Uganda Fellowship on a two-week February mission trip to the largest city in Uganda, which is situated in the southern part of the country, just north of Lake Victoria.

The Sacramento Uganda Fellowship was established in 2016 as a New Worshipping Community under the support of the University Presbyterian Church, now known as Sierra Vista Community Church in California.

The annual Sacramento Uganda Symposium is a gathering focused on sharing knowledge, training youth, empowering women and creating sustainable development paths for Uganda. The symposium brought together experts, leaders and community from both Uganda and the United States.

In 2020, Sacramento Uganda Fellowship initiated the Sacramento Uganda Ministry Network (SUMD) to unify and coordinate faith-based development efforts across various churches and organizations with a shared vision. This network fosters cross-border ministry and outreach in sectors like education, music, health and agriculture.

“I can’t wait to go back,” Spiker said. “There’s so much work to be done to help develop reading programs and to train special education teachers to develop reading programs for all of their students.” Photo courtesy of Carol Spiker

Spiker joined eight other members of the North Central California Presbytery (NCCP) in Carmichael on the Uganda trip which sponsored her and provided liability insurance during her travels.

Spiker said it was her first time travelling in Uganda where she said she developed a greater understanding of the challenges which face young students who can be dismissed from public education at age 8 or 9 if they fail to pass a reading proficiency test.

Many of the children Spiker encountered are orphans and need special education support. Most students have a basic fluency in English as Uganda was a former British colony early in its history.

“I can’t wait to go back,” Spiker said. “There’s so much work to be done to help develop reading programs and to train teachers to develop reading programs for their students.”

In April, Spiker will make a presentation to the congregation of Celtic Cross about her recent trip and what she learned. While on the trip, Spiker was able to take a safari and explore the countryside outside the capital, she said.

Carol Spiker was recently welcomed back from her trip by Celtic Cross Pastor Sam Jun who invited her to share the details of her trip with the congregation and Joy Lineback who chairs mission outreach work for the church. Photo courtesy of Carol Spiker

Spiker also brought back an assortment of keepsakes from her trip and plenty of photographs to share.

“The children are eager to learn to read, and there’s a shortage of books available, including popular classics like Dr. Seuss which are available to them,” Spiker said.

Spiker hopes to encourage donations of children’s books in good condition which can be provided to the students she met.

And it wasn’t just reading that Spiker actively wanted to introduce the students to during her recent to Uganda. Music was on her mind too.

She carefully packed two suitcases, one of which included a fiddle which she brought to play and which she then donated on behalf of the West Coast Swing Society in Rancho Cordova, of which she is a member of.

Spiker is also a multi-instrumentalist and enjoys playing banjo and all kinds of stringed instruments in a variety of local country and bluegrass-style bands sits in with, including “Assorted Nuts,” a personal favorite.

She brought kazoos and small rhythm musical instruments to the children and taught them to play them. She also donated these same instruments to the schools she visited.

“We had a great time playing together,” she said.

“Music is the universal language,” she said. On one occasion, while dancers performed on stage, Spiker accompanied them with her fiddle.

Spiker was affectionately given the nickname of “Jaja,” a Ugandan word for grandmother as she delighted school children with both her fiddle playing and teaching them how to play the kazoo. Photo courtesy of Carol Spiker