The first few days in Uganda

Hello to all of our friends!

It is Thursday evening, June 18th, I think. We have been in Uganda for two full days and it is still amazing to me that we are here. I wish I could describe to you vividly what we have seen, but I fear that words cannot adequately describe it. For those of you who saw Slumdog Millionaire, suffice it to say that the film depicted poverty well.

Our first day here was one of travel and exploration. We are in Kampala, the capitol city. We arrived here yesterday after traveling by taxi from Entebbe. The ride in itself was an experience - taxi travel is one of the most used methods of transport. It is crazy, chaotic, but also somehow systematic. It just works. Along the road from Entebbe to Kampala we saw an endless stream of small (alcove size) shops and businesses. People were selling, creating, etc. all along the streets. It became apparent that they use and reuse everything and make their livings in a simple way. Animals also grazed along the road, with no thought of stepping into traffic.


Once in the city, it was a different version of the same thing. Shops along the roads, with taxis and boda bodas - motorcycle taxis - filling the streets. People were everywhere. But there was a sense of calm and content amidst people sitting on the streets for lack of anywhere else to go.

We have met with several of our scholars in the last few days and it is so nice to be able to be in face=to=face contact with them. My dear friend and adopted son Usuman has spent the time with us and is a joy. All of them are wonderful.

One thing that comes to my mind is that in the poverty here they do things that we should all do, but we don't. For example, nearly all beverages are in glass bottles - no wasted plastic. I also am finding that no matter the culture, people are people. But lack of possessions seems to turn the focus to the things that really matter - like gratitude and relationship.

Tomorrow, we will go to Jinja to visit a beautiful area where there are falls and the source of the river Nile. We will spend a few days there with Usuman and perhaps see Henry. You can check out our destination by googling Kingfisher Lodge Jinja. We are looking forward to a nice experience and then heading to Gulu on Monday.

Peace and love to you all!