Kampala: Tuesday Aug 3

August 3

We spent our last day in Uganda with Pastor Wilson. After our last breakfast at Namirembe we went to a Ugandan Mall called Garden City. For us it was like stepping into a different world. Our visit to Garden City marks our first step back into the west.

We chatted with Pastor Wilson over lunch about the priority projects he sees coming in the future. We’ve been talking with Wilson about projects that will support the school ministry from multiple different angles. For instance if the school had a van/bus Wilson would be able to pick up students who currently live too far to access the school. Parents would pay fees for their child to use the bus. Also a bus/van could be used to bring in extra income when not being used for students. We are hoping to find revenue making projects for Wilson and the school. The school is in need of finishing off a P6 and P7 classroom. Right now the school doesn’t have a P6 class. However, in January when P5 advances to P6 there will be need of a classroom.

There are many things that we talked about but my favorite part of our final gathering with Pastor Wilson was the time we took to share prayer requests. After each member of our team shared something Wilson told a story about something similar in his own life. It was his way of saying, “I am trying to relate to you and now I know how to pray for you.” When we finished sharing Pastor Wilson prayed for us. I loved his prayers for us. For each of us he prayed that God would work in our lives in such a way that we’d have opportunity to give testimony to how God had answered our prayers. I remember being in Ukraike this summer and being really moved by the testimonies of God’s transforming power in people. As I’ve been in Africa I have heard people give witness to the miracle of the incarnation. So of course it would be the prayer of Pastor Wilson that we too could offer testimony to God’s goodness in our lives now and in the future. God is alive and working!

Wilson left us to go home, run some errands, and fetch Grace so that he and Grace could meet us at the airport. We all wanted to get cleaned up before taking the airport shuttle. Even though our flight was to leave at 10pm we had to leave the guesthouse at 5pm. Because security has been so tight since the bombings last month we expected it could take 90 minutes just to get into the airport compound. It wasn’t that bad although they did have us exit the car to check our persons. (but they didn’t check the van…go figure) We arrived at the airport at 6pm and waited for Wilson and Grace to arrive so we could say our final “see you next time”. What great friends they are. Tonight he and Grace took 3 modes of transportation just to get to us. Our team laughed some as we talked together about the flight experience. Wilson asked if we could role down the windows on the plane. We’ve talked some about how great it would be for Wilson to come to the USA for a visit. And we’ve known that this would be quite the shocking experience for him. His questions about the flight experience reminded us that he has no context for knowing about international travel. We said our goodbyes, sadly, and began the long process of getting to our gate.

“Nothing is easy in Africa.” This has been my slogan for the last 21 days. And it proved true to the very, very end. As we entered onto the bridge to the KLM airplane I said to Grant, “We are crossing the bridge into “The West”. I was right, mostly. However, when it was feeling like we should be going the captain got on the loud speaker to inform us that there wasn’t enough fuel. He said he was negotiating with the grounds people for the fuel we needed to make it to Amsterdam. He wasn’t sure if we’d get it. “Nothing is easy in Africa.” I’ve never had that experience…. I just assume that when I’ve booked a flight, and boarded a flight, that we will have fuel. Nope. Not tonight anyways! I’m so grateful that on this night it worked out for us and we were able to get the fuel needed to make it all the way to Amsterdam.