A couple of days have passed since my last blog, but that doesn't mean that nothing happened. We spent our last day visiting the Villages as a group. It was a short visit in terms of time, but it will be full of memories. For instance, the kids found a Hedge Hog. By the time we noticed what they had found, it had already been hurt. I believe it was Gloria, not Jackie, that rescued the Hedge Hog from the children, but it was Jackie that released it off the roadside along our way home. The funny thing though is that we later found out that they would have eaten the Hedge Hog. Strange, we took food away from the very kids we were there to feed. I can assure you that it would have only been a small portion.
Aside from the Hedge Hog, the team members who had not done a home visit to their sponsored kids were able to do so. I accompanied Tania and two of her girls to one of their huts. The mother was so grateful. It was amazing to watch her with that family. Tania went on and on to the mother as to how smart her daughter was. She would then turn to the girl and tell her to stay in school. The young lady has dreams of becoming a nurse. I think she will do it!
Wednesday we spent the day traveling. We took the long route in hopes of being able to stop on road and feed bananas to the Baboons. Unfortunately, the baboons we did see scrambled when we stopped the bus. No bananas for them!
After a long day of driving we arrived in Jinja to learn that the government had decided to hold a secret meeting at the hotel we had reservations at. That meant that all reservations were cancelled. They did however, help us to find other accommodations. The new rooms had a great view of Lake Victoria, but also had a great view to a lot of ants and what they call a lake fly. Joseph took us to a very nice restaurant and by the time we arrived back at the hotel, it didn't matter. We, at least I, had a great nights sleep.
Thursday we had an early breakfast and then it was back on the road. This time, though, it was different. The rest of the team was headed home. An early morning conversation with my niece and nephew, Dallas and Dax, really brought to my attention that I was about to be here without my teammates. The day was off to an emotional start.
So it was off to Kampala for a busy time at the market that everyone was looking forward to. It was a chance to pit our US bargaining skills against those of Uganda. I think they won, but it didn't matter. Our team was happy with the deals they had made, and they are headed home as we speak with lots of goodies for their families and some very fortunate friends. I hope I didn't spoil any ones surprise. It was fun, but I will live to shop another day.
After shopping, it was off to eating. We had pizza! Our goal was to get out of Kampala before five o'clock. It seems that they are still protesting a bit, but now they are doing it by making as much noise as they can everyday at five o'clock. We succeeded in our mission, but it was strange to see the ramp up of police in anticipation of the protest. It is legal for Ugandans to protest, but they must get a permit. I don't want to get into the politics here because that is not why we are here, but when you talk to people, they seem to be happy with their President, but like everyone, they want a better life.
We stopped at the hotel in Entebbe that we stayed in our very first night in Uganda. That is where Joseph and I reserved a room for Thursday night. As a team, we sat down on the beach of Lake Victoria and just visited waiting for the time to take them to the airport. Time both went slow and fast. Slow in that I know they are ready to get back to their families. Fast in that they were leaving. Time does have conflictions.
Once we arrived at the airport reality really sank in as to them leaving and me staying. It was hard to say goodbye. As we hugged and said our goodbyes, it was the l
kiss on the cheek that Jackie gave me that turned on the tears. My eyes water as I type this. However, there is once again a conflict with time. As much as I hated to see them go, it also means that it is time to really get started on project that I feel so strongly that God has called me to do.
Joseph and I will spend some time today in Kampala looking for tools that we can get to make this project happen. Keep us in your prayers. Keep me in your prayers.
Goodbye for now, I'll share more as time allows.
God Bless,
Tom Cox
No comments:
Post a Comment