GOBU2014: This is Africa (TIA)!

On Friday morning, Emma, Quel, Kailey, Jen, Sienna, and I set off for Entebbe and boarded a ferry bound for the main island in the Kalangala Island system (made up of 86 islands) on Lake Victoria (the second largest natural lake in the world at 200 miles across). We were joined by ten nationals led by our dear friend from last year, Timo. The team of nationals was comprised of medical and nursing students along with Timo's sister, Kate, a university student studying tourism.

The three hour ferry ride provided us an opportunity to get acquainted with the rest of the team. Most of our girls took advantage of the opportunity to have cornrows put in their hair by the Ugandan girls on our team. This proved to be an excellent bonding experience for the whole group.

This seems the perfect moment to more thoroughly introduce our friend, Timo. Last year's Uganda team spent time building a worship facility for Mityana Community Bible Fellowship. Timo leads music for this congregation and grew up in Mityana Orpahange where the team also serves. He now attends medical school in Kampala just having completed his third year. Timo generously offered his time to our team during the week we spend in Kampala last year. He was an incredible source of encouragement to us and also served along side our team as a translator. Many of us forged a close friendship with him which we have maintained over the year. I have been in dialogue with him since last summer regarding the work he does to provide medical clinics on Kivunza Island and the possibility of an OBU team serving there. As a result, we were intentional about bringing two pre-med students on this year's team (Emma and Kailey).

We landed on Kalangala at 5pm in order to be driven across the island and then take a short boat ride to Kivunza Island and our final destination (the home of the pastor of the church we would be serving).

At this point, our situation seemed to deteriorate rapidly. I had anticipated that we would all travel across the island together. Instead, we were shuttled across in two groups by a single car while Timo and George followed on motorcycle. Emma, Kailey, and Jen travelled in the first group with Franklin and five other of our new friends. I waited back near the dock with Timo, Quel, Sienna, and the rest of the group. The driver finally returned from dropping the first group near sunset. The drive was a bit longer than we anticipated and the driver unexpectedly stopped to shop for supplies the pastor had requested. We remained in the car. By this point, we were separated from Timo and George who were on Timo's motorcycle and were growing anxious.

The clearest guidance that Krisann had given me was for us to never be out on the islands after dark. By the time we reached the other side, it was pitch black. There is little electricity in the villages so we could see nothing. Our arrival at the dock was confusing and disconcerting as we were driven through a primitive fishing village submerged in darkness. We learned here that none of our hosts speak English. Our car only held six girls and none of us had been to Kivunza previously. There was no sign or information provided about the rest of our team.

We boarded a small canoe-like boat with an outboard motor. There was still no sign of Timo and George nor any word of greeting or explanation. We simply departed into the dark to our final destination.

We were grateful and relieved to be welcomed by the rest of the OBU team on the shore of Kivunza. They had become increasingly concerned for us as they hadn't seen us in over two hours.

We were shown to the house where we would be staying. While I have been in much more primitive homes in my two trips to Uganda, this was by far the most challenging living situation that I had faced. Timo had been telling me for a year that the accommodations here would not be up to American standards. Our housing situation would likely not have seemed as challenging had we not already felt incredibly anxious, nervous, and fearful of the unknown and unfamiliar.

We shared a room with the six national women accompanying us for a total of 12 women in a room that was likely less than 20x20 with eight beds! It is common here for friends to share a twin bed and so most of us needed to do this as well.

We selected our beds and returned to the common room / kitchen. Rice was served for dinner at about 9.45pm along with soy coffee (a hot drink made with soy beans). We were given lessons on the toilets which, much to our relief, were equipped with standard toilets (rather than the common squatty potties). Nevertheless, they didn't flush for most of our stay. There is no hot water or water pressure and the showers are fairly primitive. We all opted not to shower till we returned to Kalangala for the final night of our trip. Power is provide by a solar power and is limited significantly.

We were informed that we would sleep late, rise for a French toast breakfast prepared by Timo (as he perceives this to be a typical American breakfast), and depart for the church at 10am to set up and conduct the medical clinic.

Roosters began crowing outside our window at 5.15am and I rose early as is my custom. I enjoyed watching the sun come up over the lake, the fishermen come in from their night's work, and the waterfowl descending with their own fish. Inexplicably and unexpectedly, the music of voices rose from the house as I watched the new day arrive over Lake Victoria. They harmonized in Lugandan and, with them peace descended on the shore. I hoped these voices would be harbingers of a better day.

The guys on our team slept in a tent near the water's edge and Pastor Matthew started a lovely fire to welcome the morning. Daylight always brings fresh perspective and I eagerly anticipated that this would be the case for our team. We know that the Father has great things in store and we do not want to allow our circumstances and cultural discomfort to interfere with His work.

The beauty of the lake and the islands is something incredible to behold. Our pictures will not do it justice. However, the heart of darkness is also evident in many ways. This is the most remote place I have been in my life. There is much lack and little light. I simply desire that our brief visit here will bring a fragment of the Father's all encompassing love to this place; will encourage Pastor Matthew in his work here; and will offer some physical and spiritual healing to the people who make this fishing village their home.

After breakfast, we made our way to the church for the clinic. We had supplies and medicines that were donated by OBU's Science Department, AuBurn Pharmacy's corporate office in Garnett, Kansas, and that we had purchased in country with team funds. Pharmacies in Ugandan are open so we were able to obtain malaria cures and antibiotics without a prescription here. In addition to these supplies we brought 33 pairs of shoes donated by OBU grad Hayden Blessing and Witness Kicks to give to the children of this village.

As we began, Quel and Jen gathered the children to share stories of the Father before handing out the shoes. Kailey partnered with Andrew while Emma worked with Franklin to see patients. Sienna along with George began visiting with those waiting to be seen. She was blessed to have one woman pray to receive the Son in her life.

It should also be noted that none of the people on this island spoke English. While I have encountered people in Uganda with highly limited English skills, this was the most I had been around a significant group that only spoke Lugandan.

The nursing students from Kampala ran the pharmacy to distribute the medications prescribed during their consultations. The clinic ran from 10am to 3pm with a constant group waiting to be seen.

For lunch, we were treated to a staple in the Ugandan diet, matoke (steamed plantains topped with gee-nut sauce) along with fresh caught fish from Lake Victoria which was purchased that morning from a local fisherman. The afternoon was spent near the pastor's home. Many children gather in the yard all day to play or to get water from the pump located there. A young girl suffering from malaria who had been seen by Kailey at the clinic appeared during the afternoon. She was quite sick and had a high temperature. Jen, Kailey, and Emma took turns caring for her until well into the evening.

A group of us hiked up to a ridge overlooking the lake and then returned to share a dinner of cassava root followed by sugarcane around the campfire.

This trip had enabled us to make some remarkable friends (too numerous to introduce here). One of the nursing students, Lily, is from Rwanda. She lost her parents and some siblings to the genocide in her country and subsequently made Uganda her home with her remaining siblings. I was blessed to hear her story and her thoughts on the importance of friendship. I was also thrilled for us to have the opportunity to become friends with Timo's beautiful and talented sister, Kate! Kate was a member of the African children's choir and, as such, has travelled extensively. She is also a talented writer and gave me this snippet that she wrote over the weekend:

There is a grace that reached out to me and brought me home. There is a spirit that searched me and removed all the filth. There is a river that flowed in me and quenched my thirst. There is a faith that flooded in and quieted all doubt. There is a fire that consumed me and made me whole. There is a voice that spoke and calmed all my fears. There is a breath that filled me and made me live. There is a light that shown in the dark and gave me hope. There is a love that embraced me and made me It's own. And now I know heaven is right here with me and it can be yours for the taking if you open the door of your heart and welcome it in.

Sunday morning, our breakfast consisted of katogo (matoke and gee-nut sauce mixed together) and eggs. We attended church together. Services were to begin at 10am but, as we so often experience, African time is quite different than that of Americans.

The worship service was mostly in Lugandan with some English to accommodate us. We are all asked to introduce ourselves to the congregation and they introduced themselves in turn. Our full team of Americans and Ugandans sang "Mighty to Save" to close the service. It was interesting to note that only women and children attended the service. The men stay up all night fishing and sleep during the day.

We shared a lunch of Irish potatoes, rice, and gee-nut sauce that was lovingly prepared by two of the nursing students while the rest of us attended church. After a group picture with Pastor Matthew's family, we signed the guest book, and prepared for our immediate departure.

The afternoon was one long series of travel challenges. The boat engine wasn't functioning properly and both travel groups spent time stuck in the middle of the lake. The final group had to be towed to the shore of Kalangala by another boat.

We stayed in a beachside hotel for the evening which seemed absolutely luxurious after our weekend. The team was in good spirits and able to share their weekend experiences with one another. Showers have never been more welcome than on this evening! We relaxed, played on the beach, laughed, and shared a meal together before turning in early for our 8am ferry departure. We also found ourselves quite eager to reunite with the rest of our team back in Mityana.

This morning we boarded what ended up being an incredibly eventful ferry ride. A rain storm came in and the boat rocked all the way to Entebbe. Many passengers on the overcrowded boat became ill including several of our team. The three hour journey took almost four. We were so thrilled to see Eric upon our arrival. He subsequently took us to eat at a nice restaurant that caters to Westerners. It's amazing how good familiar food is after an experience like ours!

Thank you for lifting our team over these past days of opportunity and challenge. It's hard to believe that we only have a few more days to serve, love, and absorb all that this beautiful country and its people have to offer. Continue to keep us in your thoughts as we attempt to finish this leg of our race with strength, grace, and mercy. May the Father be glorified through the Son and through us, his children.