Random Thoughts from Uganda

I’ve been on the ground in Uganda for 48 hours and going full steam from the get go. Unfortunately my brother, Mark, has only been on the ground for 24 hours as mechanical problems made him miss our Brussels flight by 15 minutes. More mechanical problems nearly made him miss the next flight too.

He’s here now and it’s great to have Mark with me on this trip. He and Adam Langford have hit it off well and we’re really enjoying hanging out together. Adam is obviously doing great work here.

Some random thoughts from my first 48 hours in Uganda….

I don’t miss jet lag. My body pretty much stopped functioning around 8 p.m. last night Uganda time. It’s now 3:30 a.m. and I’m rarin to go.

Uganda is not rarin to go as it is dark, quiet and peaceful. I miss the quiet peaceful moments that come much more naturally in Uganda than America.

It’s definitely rainy season in Uganda. The green tropical surroundings are amazing.

My African allergies are alive and well. I wonder if Ugandans think my eyes are always red and puffy.

I miss Briley, Easton, Tyler and McKensey.

Jinja Church asked me to preach. Preaching without much preparation but with jet lag and a bad case of allergies is always an interesting combination. It’s those times I give up trying to preach a great sermon on my own and let God. I believe He did. I was surprised when my emotions got the best of me and I teared up in front of the 50 or so people.

I preached from Ephesians 4 on community, the importance of relationships, and “making every effort” to encourage and keep the bond of peace with each other. For me and this trip, I’m convinced that taking time to just show up in Jinja is the effort I needed to make to reconnect with such important relationships I have here. My Ugandan friends encourage me so much and their smiles, hugs, and handshakes have let me know they’re also encouraged.

I looked around Jinja Church and was pleased at the strong faith and community I have with several of my closest friends. Richard & Idah, Moses and Irene, Alice, Ronald and Lazarus (and more) are all producing great fruit through their ministries / lives. I don’t believe it’s any coincidence that most of these are the people that for about five years we spent nearly every day of our lives together working at The Source. It reinforces in me the value of relational ministry. It also reinforces in me that serving the community through a Christ-centered business is a great way to deepen Christian relationships and develop whole people. The spiritual, physical, emotional and educational aspects of life are all important and I’m glad that The Source and Jinja town ministry provides for all of those.

Mark, Adam and I had lunch with Moses and Irene and their four children. I was laughing with them that five years ago they were childless and now they have four! The oldest, Jared, is about 10 and is an AIDS orphan. He is Moses and Irene’s nephew.

AIDS continues its march to wipe out a generation here in Uganda. The good news is that there is now free ARV treatment for those suffering the worst. Unfortunately it’s too late for so many Ugandans. I have heard account after account of church members and their family members who have died from AIDS the past few years or are dying from AIDS right now. Moses and Irene have a brother-in-law on his death bed right now.

We spent Sunday afternoon in the village of Kyabirwa visiting my good friend Manda Wilson and his family. They are also great leaders in this church movement leading by service and a seemingly unshakable faith in God. They moved to Kyabirwa to help oversee the property owned by the church and which the land is designed to produce coffee and livestock (pigs, goats and more) to provide for the sustainability of Basoga Bible School. Manda is the Assistant Director of BBS. The former caretaker of the land, Charles, died of AIDS a couple of years ago and the property has largely been unattended and uncared for since he became sick. Manda’s wife, Sarah, generously provided us a good meal of sweet potatoes and beef.

We ended the day by seeing God’s incredible power at Bujagali Falls on the Nile River. There continues to be a lot of economic development in this area because of the Nile River. It is known for its world class rafting and kayaking. South African firms are building up an impressive tourism base here. That only helps the success of The Source. We sat by the river to wind down and reflect on a good and full day.

The on the ground Jinja team continues to impress me. The Langford, Bogles and Manry’s are incredibly talented while serving so humbly. They were appreciative of our small groups at Memorial Drive buying their lunch Saturday.

Today, Monday, will be another busy day. We’ll spend as much time as we can at The Source. I want to reconnect with as many Ugandan friends as possible. Mark is excited to drink freshly picked and roasted coffee at The Source and to meet people. Adam and I will make our third trip in four days to the airport in Entebbe (on average a 3 hour one way trip) and the three of us will end the day sleeping in Kigali, Rwanda.

More from there….