When you look upon a tomb stone, there are generally two dates noted: birth and death. Between those two dates, frequently there is a dash. While the birth date is a day of celebration, and the death date is a day of mourning, what happens inbetween is their life. There is so much unsaid when there is just a "dash" between the two dates.
Since last writing in "The Keeping Room," the dash has not been absent. Much of life has a degree of routine to it. A trip to Uganda is NOT routine, and thus it deserved recognition within the "dash." I want to talk a little about some of the not so routine events during this period of silence.
In the summer of 2008, my life began to tingle. More accurately, my feet! After several visits with the doctors and numerous tests, it was determined that I have something called peripheral neuropathy. My understanding, in a nutshell, is some of the nerves that head towards the feet and course around them are dying. Why? So far there has not been an answer. We know what is NOT causing it, but not what IS causing it. I'm on a medication whose original purpose had nothing to do with neuropathy, but has been shown to help reduce the pain, tingling, pressure, and myriad other manifestations of the neuropathy. It helps - all I have to do is miss a dose and my feet YELL at me loudly.
In the spring of 2009, my confirmed bachelor son became a spouse. He began dating his lovely wife several years ago - actually just before Barb and I married. He tells me they had a plan: 1) get married; 2) buy a house; 3) get a dog; and 4)... have a baby! They are currently in the midst of #4. Their baby is due early next summer. Congratulations to them. And to me - I'm kinda happy for them too. Okay, I'm really happy for them.
This past summer, pain arrived once more. I'll spare you the details, but a couple of incisions related to an inguinal hernia seems to have relieved it. I was off of work for four weeks total - one to preach for the Columbus Avenue church in Anderson, Indiana, and three recuperating. It is an understatement to say that I was ready to get back to work! Two scars, and some residual "discomfort" are all that remain of my painful summer experience.
Complications also came into the life of my eldest son. For about four years, he had been experiencing an increasing difficulty with ordinary things, like cleaning stepping over things, climbing stairs, and other muscular complications. We are thankful that he has always been very active and physically fit. Had he not been, the doctor says his situation would have been much worse. He is still undergoing testing to find out more of what is actually happening. They have a name for it, but names don't always tell the whole story. Right now they are looking for controlling his symptoms. We are praying that the tests will reveal something more about its source and point them towards a viable solution.
This fall has been very busy for Barb. She has been taking courses to further her abilities in the classroom. They are demanding, but she is blessed to have found classes that are not just credit worthy, but classroom enhancing.
What will the "dash" be in the days, weeks, and months to come? God will reveal it to me - and to you - one day at a time. I'm really glad we only learn it one day at a time. Aren't you?
Friday, November 27, 2009
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Returning Home to America
All good things seem to come to an end, and our journey to Uganda was no exception. On Friday, January 4, we returned to Entebbe for the night, staying at the Central Inn. It was clean and relatively comfortable. Naturally, there was no air conditioning, but there was an oscillating fan. The fan was a wonderful touch.
We arose early the next morning for our last meal in Uganda with Betsy and D’rae. They would be going to Kampala for a couple of days awaiting the arrival of one of Betsy’s close friends who would be arriving late Monday evening. Following breakfast, the hotel’s shuttle loaded us up and took us just a couple of kilometers to the airport. We said our goodbye’s and took our place in line. The Entebbe airport is like other international airports – there are lines that must be maneuvered before you can get to your plane.
We navigated the long lines of fellow travelers and arrived at the gate to await our boarding time. We did not have to wait long, but there was about an hour delay in the plane’s arrival and therefore our departure. We boarded the plane and settled in for a flight of something over eight hours.
Shortly after boarding, the captain greeted all of us and announced there was a change in our flight plan. Do you remember the Kenya elections and the fuel shortage on our journey to Jinja a few days earlier? It’s still there. The captain announced that since Entebbe airport did not have any aviation fuel, we were going to have to make a pit stop in Nairobi, Kenya to refuel. Nairobi is east and south of Entebbe. Our eight hour journey was going to be a bit longer. By the time we arrived in London, it was thirteen hours from when we boarded the plane in Entebbe.
Once we landed in London, we needed to proceed through immigration and Customs because we were going off the airport for lodging. Though our hotel was right outside Heathrow, it took us almost two hours to get to it and into our room. It had been a very long day! But, oh, how comfortable the bed was that night!
Our journey to Chicago was uneventful except for a little delay. Through immigration, through Customs, and we were headed back to our car. Now, where did we park and in what lot?
It was great to get home! Back to the familiar. Back to the ordinary. Okay, not so ordinary. The temperature was about 60 degrees outside, but the furnace had quit working inside. Our house was about 52 degrees. Earlier in the week, the temperature had been in the single digits, and we don’t know when the furnace broke down. At least, there was a good friend who talked me through troubleshooting in, and Monday morning we were back on line with a working furnace. But on Monday the temperature rose to 67 degrees. Who needs a furnace in weather like that? Oh, yea, it’s still January and snow is forecast for later this week.
Thank you, God, for watching over our journey to see Betsy and for watching over our home while we were away. God is awesome, and His world is beautiful.
We arose early the next morning for our last meal in Uganda with Betsy and D’rae. They would be going to Kampala for a couple of days awaiting the arrival of one of Betsy’s close friends who would be arriving late Monday evening. Following breakfast, the hotel’s shuttle loaded us up and took us just a couple of kilometers to the airport. We said our goodbye’s and took our place in line. The Entebbe airport is like other international airports – there are lines that must be maneuvered before you can get to your plane.
We navigated the long lines of fellow travelers and arrived at the gate to await our boarding time. We did not have to wait long, but there was about an hour delay in the plane’s arrival and therefore our departure. We boarded the plane and settled in for a flight of something over eight hours.
Shortly after boarding, the captain greeted all of us and announced there was a change in our flight plan. Do you remember the Kenya elections and the fuel shortage on our journey to Jinja a few days earlier? It’s still there. The captain announced that since Entebbe airport did not have any aviation fuel, we were going to have to make a pit stop in Nairobi, Kenya to refuel. Nairobi is east and south of Entebbe. Our eight hour journey was going to be a bit longer. By the time we arrived in London, it was thirteen hours from when we boarded the plane in Entebbe.
Once we landed in London, we needed to proceed through immigration and Customs because we were going off the airport for lodging. Though our hotel was right outside Heathrow, it took us almost two hours to get to it and into our room. It had been a very long day! But, oh, how comfortable the bed was that night!
Our journey to Chicago was uneventful except for a little delay. Through immigration, through Customs, and we were headed back to our car. Now, where did we park and in what lot?
It was great to get home! Back to the familiar. Back to the ordinary. Okay, not so ordinary. The temperature was about 60 degrees outside, but the furnace had quit working inside. Our house was about 52 degrees. Earlier in the week, the temperature had been in the single digits, and we don’t know when the furnace broke down. At least, there was a good friend who talked me through troubleshooting in, and Monday morning we were back on line with a working furnace. But on Monday the temperature rose to 67 degrees. Who needs a furnace in weather like that? Oh, yea, it’s still January and snow is forecast for later this week.
Thank you, God, for watching over our journey to see Betsy and for watching over our home while we were away. God is awesome, and His world is beautiful.
A Day on the Nile
January 3rd was River Nile day. We met at a rafting outfitter and were taken to the Nile for a morning of rafting. We are not brave. We opted for the “family float trip” along with a family visiting from the Netherlands. We were in one raft; they were in another raft. One kayak accompanied us as our safety vehicle. (Sidebar: our kayaker was the Ugandan champion rafter last year. He was a treat to watch with the Dutch children as well as to watch some of his tricks with his kayak.)
Our raft trip consisted only of Stage 1 and Stage 2 rapids. They were fun! But I would not want to take on anything larger. Coward is not a bad word, but I prefer to be known as cautious. Barb was nervous even with the family float trip. Neither Betsy and D’rae were wanting to do the rapids raft trip again. Our float trip was enjoyable, and the rapids were exciting. The scenery was beautiful, and the Nile great to swim in. Barb and I opted not to swim, but Betsy and D’rae plunged in, as did the children in the other raft.Our take out point was a camp about 7 km down the Nile. As we approached the take out point, we had to look up. The banks of the Nile are quite steep at this point, and stairs had been made to walk up to the top. Combine the altitude of the Jinja area (almost a mile), the fatigue of paddling on the Nile, and the steep angle of the steps to the top of the bank, and that journey up from the Nile suddenly became daunting. There is a saying among the Ugandans. In English, it translates to something like “slowly by slowly.” It means take it slow. We did. After we arrived at the top, we watched the porters carrying jerry cans of water up from the river, as well as the two rafts and the kayak up from the river. The porters made a couple of trips for water while we were watching. They are much more accustomed to the altitude.
Our journey to the Nile was a wonderful experience. As I stood near its banks, I thought about the journey the waters were making towards the Mediterranean Sea, about the waters of the Nile turning to blood and God’s deliverance of His people Israel. Then my thoughts turned to another’s blood and the deliverance God provides for His people today through Jesus.
A Trip to Jinja
On New Year’s Day, we began making arrangements to travel to Jinja for the next phase of our adventure. Jinja is situated on Lake Victoria at the headwaters of the Nile River. It is about 300 km from Mbarara to Jinja, passing through the capital city of Kampala. Travel to Jinja would be by private hire (AKA taxi).
The Mbarara mission team frequently uses a gentleman by the name of Charles for their private hires. He does not speak English very well, so the arrangements are made through his wife, Deena. Also because of his poorer English, he typically subcontracts with other drivers for the team. He was contracted first to move some things back to the Betsy and D’rae’s apartment from the home where we were staying. Late in the afternoon, Deena arrived with a driver who apparently was not Charles because his English was quite good. We agreed on a price which was much higher than we had anticipated to simply move suitcases and tubs of food between dwellings. Then we spoke about our trip to Jinja. The driver’s name was Goma. He was a pleasant enough fellow, but wanted about twice as much as we had originally contracted with Deena for this trip. But this is Africa and things change, sometimes by events seemingly unrelated to where one is.
Enter the elections in Kenya… The Kenyan government had recently held its presidential election. There were two ethnic factions who had candidates running; and each of their candidates declared themselves the victor in separate ceremonies on the previous Sunday. The former president may or may not have won the election. He asserted he won by twenty thousand votes; his opponent declared he had won by over a million votes. Violence erupted, the borders were closed, travelers were stranded, hundreds died. With the borders closed, that meant that no petrol (gasoline) could come into Uganda. There was an immediate shortage, and price gauging was common. The price went from around 2500 Ugandan Shillings per liter to around 10000 UShillings overnight. We had now learned why the price was so much higher for moving things back to the girls’ apartment and for the trip to Jinja.
Back to the driver to Jinja… Goma told us he was Charles’ brother and that he would be driving us for Charles to Jinja also. That was fine with us, because it was what Charles typically did for “mozumbu” - white people. That evening, Goma called, and Deena called. There was a conflict. We presumed it was for more money because of the fuel shortage. Turns out, Goma was NOT Charles’ brother, and that he was only an acquaintance whom Charles arranged to take the tubs back to the apartment, not drive us to Jinja! Because of the business that the team has given to Deena and Charles over the years, we wanted to honor our agreement with Deena. However, Deena was fearful of what might happen. She and Charles came over to talk about it face to face. They left saying they would call us in the morning to let us know who would be driving us. She would call us and she would call Goma. There was not a lot of restful sleep that night.
Wednesday morning, Goma picked us up. The price was set and held; the trip was fairly uneventful, except for concerns about finding petrol on the return trip. When he dropped us off in Jinja, it was at a Shell station that had gas. The price was 10000 UShillings. He still had about 3/8 of a tank so he was unwilling to pay that price and would head back and get fuel in Kampala. We had not seen any gas in Kampala. (Sidebar: on Friday, we saw lengthy lines in Kampala for gas.) We were grateful for the safe journey God had granted us to Jinja, and for the peace that should exist between Charles and Goma.
The Mbarara mission team frequently uses a gentleman by the name of Charles for their private hires. He does not speak English very well, so the arrangements are made through his wife, Deena. Also because of his poorer English, he typically subcontracts with other drivers for the team. He was contracted first to move some things back to the Betsy and D’rae’s apartment from the home where we were staying. Late in the afternoon, Deena arrived with a driver who apparently was not Charles because his English was quite good. We agreed on a price which was much higher than we had anticipated to simply move suitcases and tubs of food between dwellings. Then we spoke about our trip to Jinja. The driver’s name was Goma. He was a pleasant enough fellow, but wanted about twice as much as we had originally contracted with Deena for this trip. But this is Africa and things change, sometimes by events seemingly unrelated to where one is.
Enter the elections in Kenya… The Kenyan government had recently held its presidential election. There were two ethnic factions who had candidates running; and each of their candidates declared themselves the victor in separate ceremonies on the previous Sunday. The former president may or may not have won the election. He asserted he won by twenty thousand votes; his opponent declared he had won by over a million votes. Violence erupted, the borders were closed, travelers were stranded, hundreds died. With the borders closed, that meant that no petrol (gasoline) could come into Uganda. There was an immediate shortage, and price gauging was common. The price went from around 2500 Ugandan Shillings per liter to around 10000 UShillings overnight. We had now learned why the price was so much higher for moving things back to the girls’ apartment and for the trip to Jinja.
Back to the driver to Jinja… Goma told us he was Charles’ brother and that he would be driving us for Charles to Jinja also. That was fine with us, because it was what Charles typically did for “mozumbu” - white people. That evening, Goma called, and Deena called. There was a conflict. We presumed it was for more money because of the fuel shortage. Turns out, Goma was NOT Charles’ brother, and that he was only an acquaintance whom Charles arranged to take the tubs back to the apartment, not drive us to Jinja! Because of the business that the team has given to Deena and Charles over the years, we wanted to honor our agreement with Deena. However, Deena was fearful of what might happen. She and Charles came over to talk about it face to face. They left saying they would call us in the morning to let us know who would be driving us. She would call us and she would call Goma. There was not a lot of restful sleep that night.
Wednesday morning, Goma picked us up. The price was set and held; the trip was fairly uneventful, except for concerns about finding petrol on the return trip. When he dropped us off in Jinja, it was at a Shell station that had gas. The price was 10000 UShillings. He still had about 3/8 of a tank so he was unwilling to pay that price and would head back and get fuel in Kampala. We had not seen any gas in Kampala. (Sidebar: on Friday, we saw lengthy lines in Kampala for gas.) We were grateful for the safe journey God had granted us to Jinja, and for the peace that should exist between Charles and Goma.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
We Made It Here!
We made it! Barb and I have arrived safely and mostly soundly in Uganda. To say, “It has been an experience” is an understatement. Let me tell you a little about it.
We were scheduled to fly out at 5 p.m. on Saturday, the 22nd. After we had checked in, we, and a lot of fellow travelers, found out our flight had been canceled. We trek back to the ticket counter to find alternatives. By the time we got through the light to the agent, he announced that our flights had been rescheduled. We would now be leaving Peoria at 1:35 Sunday afternoon. A little bit of quick math in my head questioned whether we would still get in Uganda on Monday morning. He looked at a couple of screens on his computer and, “Yes, you’ll still arrive Monday morning at 8:30.” Great we thought.
On the way home from the airport, disappointed we were still on the ground, but grateful that we would still arrive on time, we began pondering the wonders of how we could put a 19 hour flight into less than 10 hours on the clock. Hmmmm. Some thing was wrong somewhere. I checked on line for our reservations and found out we were arriving in London at 6:30 a.m. the same day we were landing in Entebbe, Uganda, at 8:30 a.m. The flight from London to Entebbe was still scheduled for 11:05 Saturday evening! I grabbed the phone.
After about three hours and two buck-passing airlines, we were scheduled for our original flights, just two days later. Disappointed that we would not arrive until Wednesday morning, and spend Christmas Day in Heathrow airport, we were still grateful that we were able to go. We were now waiting for Monday afternoon at 5pm.
Sunday about noon, we found out that our originally rescheduled flight on Sunday afternoon was canceled. Is there a pattern starting up here?????
Monday morning we are anxiously checking the airlines for flight delays and cancellations. There was that big storm on Saturday, fog on Sunday, and who knows what else was happening. The airlines tend to get backed up with delays like that. 12:00 noon – our flight is showing a 50-minute delay. 12:10 – being just a little AR, I checked the flight coming in from Detroit upon which we were to fly to Detroit. It was showing canceled. I quickly moved to the Peoria airport site and now our 5 p.m. flight was showing canceled. Grab the phone – quickly.
Buck-passing continues between airlines, each one saying it is someone else’s responsibility, call them. British air finally found us seats on a 3:40 p.m. flight that afternoon which would enable us to catch our Tuesday night late flight to Entebbe. However, because they did not issue the paper tickets, they could not go ahead and issue new tickets. Call Northwest. Around 2 p.m. we finally got everything straightened out but we were supposed to have been at the airport by 1:40 to check in for this international flight. While I’m finishing up online, Barb is gathering all the things we needed and getting them in the Jeep. We dash off to the airport.
Fortunately, there is no line at the ticket counter. Strange, we thought. They, American Airlines, were able to book us through to Entebbe. We dashed back to security, said hello to the people who cleared us on Saturday, and walked leisurely to our gate. On the way, I stopped at a vending machine to get something to drink. I put in one dollar bill, and it took it. The second, it refused. We had no change, and no other dollar bills available. I hit the button to return our dollar and got… 20 nickels! Then I returned to the other side of security to get some change. Mission accomplished, change in hand, return through security. But, alas! The security door is closed with a sign saying they will reopen at 3:45 pm. My flight leaves at 3:40! Knock, knock, knock. One of the Security people ambles over and says they will be open at 3:45, like the sign says. I tell them my flight leaves at 3:40, and they say, “No, it doesn’t. It’s been cancelled.” didn’t you hear the announcement?” I told them Barb was back there still, and so they went after her. Two very sad puppies right now because if we miss this connection, we can’t get to Entebbe until Saturday morning!
Back at the ticket agent’s counter, we begin investigating options, which are slim. They could get us to Chicago on a United flight later that evening, but that would miss the connection to London, however, they could book us on a flight through Brussels (Belgium) later and get us into Entebbe at 11 p.m. Wednesday. With the travel arrangements already confusing and set in Uganda, that was not an option. Option #2, we could drive to Chicago and try to catch the 7:55 p.m. flight to London. Hmmmm. It is already 3:00. If there is no traffic, if there is no weather, we might be able to make it on time. We’ll try. Thank you very much, we tell them.
We get into the Jeep – it needs gas. We head out and drive to Chicago, getting gas en route. Not being real familiar with O’Hare, we get on the phone to Picker who gets us the information we need. He said “Lot D” is the closest to the international terminal. We should park there. As we drive up to drop Barb off with the bags, all six of them, we notice that Lot D is only $50 a day. Hmmmm. $50 a day for 13 days. Ouch! I drop her off, and find the Economy lot; it’s only $16 a day! But that is better than $50. Now how do I get from where I am to the terminal. There’s an elevated train. Never been on it, don’t know it’s schedule, but I don’t know where I am from the terminal anyway. Take the train.
By the time I got to the terminal, Barb was still in line. We waited patiently for the agent to help us. When he pulled up our itinerary, his chin hit the floor it was a mess! We were already checked in for the Chicago to London flight, and checked in for the London to Entebbe flight, but they were wrong! About 50 minutes later, and a very gracious ticket agent – his name really is Richard Anderson, and he worked like McGiver - we were on our way back to Security and the gate. You may have noticed that we haven’t eaten yet. No problem, there’s a meal on the plane. McGiver did give us better seats on our London flight, so that was a nice flight. We didn’t sleep any – who can sleep on an airplane?
We landed on time in London and were looking forward to our Christmas day experience in what we thought would be a nearly deserted Heathrow. Do you know how many people are traveling on Christmas Day? We staked out our territory by Gate 7 – it was nearly empty when we arrived. Watched it fill up and empty; walked around the airport; had some tea; ate some lunch; ate some supper; kept returning to our staked out Gate 7, and bided out time until our flight had a Gate assigned and we could go there. We would fly out of gate 1C. We had a home we could go to! Our flight! While we are waiting, another flight is “night stopped” – it won’t fly. Will our Entebbe flight go out tonight? How empty will it be? How many people fly from London to Entebbe on Christmas night? Simple answer: a lot!
The flight was uneventful, though long in coach seats. We tried the other meal British Air was offering. Watched more movies, listened to more music, and bided out time until we landed at Entebbe.
We landed in Entebbe a little early. Betsy had told us how to get through immigration and where customs was, so we were ready. We stood in the immigration line with our $60 for visas and waited. While we were waiting, we heard the agent in the next line tell his people that the visa was $50. We handed the agent our passports, shot records, and $60 for two visas. He looked at them, tossed the money into the drawer and gave us a receipt for $100 for two visas. Where is customs? Where are our bags? Did they even arrive?
The bags did arrive – all of them. So we got a cart (they’re free in Entebbe International Airport, and larger than in the US), loaded them with our bags, and headed to customs. There are two lines at customs. Well, one very short line, and two signs: red customs and green customs. Red had one family in it. Green had no body in it. And almost everyone was heading straight to the exit. Let’s follow the crowd. If they stop us, they stop us. They didn’t stop us! We saw Betsy and D’rae waiting for us with signs, and everyone was very happy. But we hadn’t experienced riding in a Ugandan taxi yet. Oh my!
If I tell you the ride was harrowing, believe me. If I tell you we thought we were going to die in Uganda in a traffic accident, believe me. If I tell you we thought our driver was going to run over bicyclists, moped riders and motorcycles, believe me. Traffic laws. I don’t think there are any. We saw one police car in the next 4 and a half hours of our journey. We’re told there is only on per district.
Since I am writing this, you know we made it safely to Mbarara where Betsy lives. We slept well that night - the first sleep since Sunday night. It was now Wednesday night. We slept for about 11 hours! It was good to be here.
On Thursday, we spend the day in the Ruti village area. We visited with three families in three different villages around the Ruti trading center area during the day and had our first two experiences with Ugandan food. Same meal almost exactly at two houses. It was edible, but very bland. The Ugandans don’t seem to use any spices in their cooking. That is not necessarily bad.
Getting to the village was an adventure in itself. First we walked from our lodging into town. It was just a few blocks. We stopped at a market and picked up gifts for our hosts in the village. This something the missionaries always do because the village people always put out there very best when they visit them. The village of Rutu was outside of town several miles. We could walk, but it was about an hour and a half walk. Betsy convinced us to ride the boda-bodas. These are mopeds with an extra seat on the back. What an experience! We’ll have pictures of it later. And we’ll tell you about the meals later also.
Friday, we got up at 3:15 to get a taxi to the Queen Elizabeth National Park. It is a game preserve on the western side of Uganda next to the Congo. It was an experience, again, like we’ve never had before. We saw some great animals. Did you know that hippos wipe their bottoms with their tails while they are emptying their bowels? Neither did we, but we saw it. Hilarious site! That hippo was about 15 feet from us and walking about free. One of the staff at the lodge where we ate breakfast and lunch in QENP, told us not to get too close. We really didn’t need that advice, but he stayed around anyway to make sure. There were also wart hogs, a momma and her baby, wandering around the gardens of the lodge. We were supposed to take a boat ride on the channel between Lake Edward and Lake George, but it didn’t work out. So we went on our afternoon “game drive” – driving around the park looking for game – to see some elephants. It was now about 3:30 in the afternoon, and the elephants were going down to the lake for water. We saw a herd – a bull, three cows, and five calves! We were excited! That bull elephant was HUGE!!! That sight made our early morning trip worthwhile. But there was more to come. In all we saw over 100 elephants that afternoon.
God’s animals are beautiful. Stubborn, but beautiful. One of the young male elephants was crossing the road in front of us. There had been a mixing of two herds at that one point, and that is a bit tenuous. This young bull was about last. He was trumpeting, stomping, and just really showing out. He saw us and directed is tirade towards us. No problem for a third grade teacher – Barb talked to him. And he seemed to listen. She was elated, and we all had a great laugh.
Speaking of funny things, there were several that day. In the morning, we were looking for lion. Our guide, who was also our taxi driver both times, kept in touch with other guides and we found out there was something sighted at one place. We went there and found a number of Kob, that’s a small antelope kind of animal. As we watched, we saw a lion poke its head up from the grass, and begin herding a lone Kob. Then we found out there was another lioness lying in wait not far from where we were. We found that out as Barb was walking along the grass by a brush outcropping, and our guide said, “There’s a lion in that bush.” You should have seen Barb’s face, and her quick retreat. Granted the lion was about 75 yards away, but it was scary, but funny afterwards.
Oh, by the way, Thursday was our second anniversary. You should have seen the looks on Barb and my face when Betsy mentioned it. It was hilarious. We had both forgotten it in the tiredness and hecticness of our journey.
Today, we are waiting for a celebration this afternoon for some of the locals Betsy and D’rae know. They have no family locally, and this is going to be a Christmas celebration. Gigi, a local whom the missionaries hire to cook, is preparing a typical Ugandan meal for the celebration. It will be almost identical to what we had on Thursday, BTW, what we ate on Thursday with the exception of goat meat and millet, are the diet of the people in the villages, and for the most part in town.
This journey is quite an experience. God has blessed us, taught us, and carried us. The glory belongs to Him.
We were scheduled to fly out at 5 p.m. on Saturday, the 22nd. After we had checked in, we, and a lot of fellow travelers, found out our flight had been canceled. We trek back to the ticket counter to find alternatives. By the time we got through the light to the agent, he announced that our flights had been rescheduled. We would now be leaving Peoria at 1:35 Sunday afternoon. A little bit of quick math in my head questioned whether we would still get in Uganda on Monday morning. He looked at a couple of screens on his computer and, “Yes, you’ll still arrive Monday morning at 8:30.” Great we thought.
On the way home from the airport, disappointed we were still on the ground, but grateful that we would still arrive on time, we began pondering the wonders of how we could put a 19 hour flight into less than 10 hours on the clock. Hmmmm. Some thing was wrong somewhere. I checked on line for our reservations and found out we were arriving in London at 6:30 a.m. the same day we were landing in Entebbe, Uganda, at 8:30 a.m. The flight from London to Entebbe was still scheduled for 11:05 Saturday evening! I grabbed the phone.
After about three hours and two buck-passing airlines, we were scheduled for our original flights, just two days later. Disappointed that we would not arrive until Wednesday morning, and spend Christmas Day in Heathrow airport, we were still grateful that we were able to go. We were now waiting for Monday afternoon at 5pm.
Sunday about noon, we found out that our originally rescheduled flight on Sunday afternoon was canceled. Is there a pattern starting up here?????
Monday morning we are anxiously checking the airlines for flight delays and cancellations. There was that big storm on Saturday, fog on Sunday, and who knows what else was happening. The airlines tend to get backed up with delays like that. 12:00 noon – our flight is showing a 50-minute delay. 12:10 – being just a little AR, I checked the flight coming in from Detroit upon which we were to fly to Detroit. It was showing canceled. I quickly moved to the Peoria airport site and now our 5 p.m. flight was showing canceled. Grab the phone – quickly.
Buck-passing continues between airlines, each one saying it is someone else’s responsibility, call them. British air finally found us seats on a 3:40 p.m. flight that afternoon which would enable us to catch our Tuesday night late flight to Entebbe. However, because they did not issue the paper tickets, they could not go ahead and issue new tickets. Call Northwest. Around 2 p.m. we finally got everything straightened out but we were supposed to have been at the airport by 1:40 to check in for this international flight. While I’m finishing up online, Barb is gathering all the things we needed and getting them in the Jeep. We dash off to the airport.
Fortunately, there is no line at the ticket counter. Strange, we thought. They, American Airlines, were able to book us through to Entebbe. We dashed back to security, said hello to the people who cleared us on Saturday, and walked leisurely to our gate. On the way, I stopped at a vending machine to get something to drink. I put in one dollar bill, and it took it. The second, it refused. We had no change, and no other dollar bills available. I hit the button to return our dollar and got… 20 nickels! Then I returned to the other side of security to get some change. Mission accomplished, change in hand, return through security. But, alas! The security door is closed with a sign saying they will reopen at 3:45 pm. My flight leaves at 3:40! Knock, knock, knock. One of the Security people ambles over and says they will be open at 3:45, like the sign says. I tell them my flight leaves at 3:40, and they say, “No, it doesn’t. It’s been cancelled.” didn’t you hear the announcement?” I told them Barb was back there still, and so they went after her. Two very sad puppies right now because if we miss this connection, we can’t get to Entebbe until Saturday morning!
Back at the ticket agent’s counter, we begin investigating options, which are slim. They could get us to Chicago on a United flight later that evening, but that would miss the connection to London, however, they could book us on a flight through Brussels (Belgium) later and get us into Entebbe at 11 p.m. Wednesday. With the travel arrangements already confusing and set in Uganda, that was not an option. Option #2, we could drive to Chicago and try to catch the 7:55 p.m. flight to London. Hmmmm. It is already 3:00. If there is no traffic, if there is no weather, we might be able to make it on time. We’ll try. Thank you very much, we tell them.
We get into the Jeep – it needs gas. We head out and drive to Chicago, getting gas en route. Not being real familiar with O’Hare, we get on the phone to Picker who gets us the information we need. He said “Lot D” is the closest to the international terminal. We should park there. As we drive up to drop Barb off with the bags, all six of them, we notice that Lot D is only $50 a day. Hmmmm. $50 a day for 13 days. Ouch! I drop her off, and find the Economy lot; it’s only $16 a day! But that is better than $50. Now how do I get from where I am to the terminal. There’s an elevated train. Never been on it, don’t know it’s schedule, but I don’t know where I am from the terminal anyway. Take the train.
By the time I got to the terminal, Barb was still in line. We waited patiently for the agent to help us. When he pulled up our itinerary, his chin hit the floor it was a mess! We were already checked in for the Chicago to London flight, and checked in for the London to Entebbe flight, but they were wrong! About 50 minutes later, and a very gracious ticket agent – his name really is Richard Anderson, and he worked like McGiver - we were on our way back to Security and the gate. You may have noticed that we haven’t eaten yet. No problem, there’s a meal on the plane. McGiver did give us better seats on our London flight, so that was a nice flight. We didn’t sleep any – who can sleep on an airplane?
We landed on time in London and were looking forward to our Christmas day experience in what we thought would be a nearly deserted Heathrow. Do you know how many people are traveling on Christmas Day? We staked out our territory by Gate 7 – it was nearly empty when we arrived. Watched it fill up and empty; walked around the airport; had some tea; ate some lunch; ate some supper; kept returning to our staked out Gate 7, and bided out time until our flight had a Gate assigned and we could go there. We would fly out of gate 1C. We had a home we could go to! Our flight! While we are waiting, another flight is “night stopped” – it won’t fly. Will our Entebbe flight go out tonight? How empty will it be? How many people fly from London to Entebbe on Christmas night? Simple answer: a lot!
The flight was uneventful, though long in coach seats. We tried the other meal British Air was offering. Watched more movies, listened to more music, and bided out time until we landed at Entebbe.
We landed in Entebbe a little early. Betsy had told us how to get through immigration and where customs was, so we were ready. We stood in the immigration line with our $60 for visas and waited. While we were waiting, we heard the agent in the next line tell his people that the visa was $50. We handed the agent our passports, shot records, and $60 for two visas. He looked at them, tossed the money into the drawer and gave us a receipt for $100 for two visas. Where is customs? Where are our bags? Did they even arrive?
The bags did arrive – all of them. So we got a cart (they’re free in Entebbe International Airport, and larger than in the US), loaded them with our bags, and headed to customs. There are two lines at customs. Well, one very short line, and two signs: red customs and green customs. Red had one family in it. Green had no body in it. And almost everyone was heading straight to the exit. Let’s follow the crowd. If they stop us, they stop us. They didn’t stop us! We saw Betsy and D’rae waiting for us with signs, and everyone was very happy. But we hadn’t experienced riding in a Ugandan taxi yet. Oh my!
If I tell you the ride was harrowing, believe me. If I tell you we thought we were going to die in Uganda in a traffic accident, believe me. If I tell you we thought our driver was going to run over bicyclists, moped riders and motorcycles, believe me. Traffic laws. I don’t think there are any. We saw one police car in the next 4 and a half hours of our journey. We’re told there is only on per district.
Since I am writing this, you know we made it safely to Mbarara where Betsy lives. We slept well that night - the first sleep since Sunday night. It was now Wednesday night. We slept for about 11 hours! It was good to be here.
On Thursday, we spend the day in the Ruti village area. We visited with three families in three different villages around the Ruti trading center area during the day and had our first two experiences with Ugandan food. Same meal almost exactly at two houses. It was edible, but very bland. The Ugandans don’t seem to use any spices in their cooking. That is not necessarily bad.
Getting to the village was an adventure in itself. First we walked from our lodging into town. It was just a few blocks. We stopped at a market and picked up gifts for our hosts in the village. This something the missionaries always do because the village people always put out there very best when they visit them. The village of Rutu was outside of town several miles. We could walk, but it was about an hour and a half walk. Betsy convinced us to ride the boda-bodas. These are mopeds with an extra seat on the back. What an experience! We’ll have pictures of it later. And we’ll tell you about the meals later also.
Friday, we got up at 3:15 to get a taxi to the Queen Elizabeth National Park. It is a game preserve on the western side of Uganda next to the Congo. It was an experience, again, like we’ve never had before. We saw some great animals. Did you know that hippos wipe their bottoms with their tails while they are emptying their bowels? Neither did we, but we saw it. Hilarious site! That hippo was about 15 feet from us and walking about free. One of the staff at the lodge where we ate breakfast and lunch in QENP, told us not to get too close. We really didn’t need that advice, but he stayed around anyway to make sure. There were also wart hogs, a momma and her baby, wandering around the gardens of the lodge. We were supposed to take a boat ride on the channel between Lake Edward and Lake George, but it didn’t work out. So we went on our afternoon “game drive” – driving around the park looking for game – to see some elephants. It was now about 3:30 in the afternoon, and the elephants were going down to the lake for water. We saw a herd – a bull, three cows, and five calves! We were excited! That bull elephant was HUGE!!! That sight made our early morning trip worthwhile. But there was more to come. In all we saw over 100 elephants that afternoon.
God’s animals are beautiful. Stubborn, but beautiful. One of the young male elephants was crossing the road in front of us. There had been a mixing of two herds at that one point, and that is a bit tenuous. This young bull was about last. He was trumpeting, stomping, and just really showing out. He saw us and directed is tirade towards us. No problem for a third grade teacher – Barb talked to him. And he seemed to listen. She was elated, and we all had a great laugh.
Speaking of funny things, there were several that day. In the morning, we were looking for lion. Our guide, who was also our taxi driver both times, kept in touch with other guides and we found out there was something sighted at one place. We went there and found a number of Kob, that’s a small antelope kind of animal. As we watched, we saw a lion poke its head up from the grass, and begin herding a lone Kob. Then we found out there was another lioness lying in wait not far from where we were. We found that out as Barb was walking along the grass by a brush outcropping, and our guide said, “There’s a lion in that bush.” You should have seen Barb’s face, and her quick retreat. Granted the lion was about 75 yards away, but it was scary, but funny afterwards.
Oh, by the way, Thursday was our second anniversary. You should have seen the looks on Barb and my face when Betsy mentioned it. It was hilarious. We had both forgotten it in the tiredness and hecticness of our journey.
Today, we are waiting for a celebration this afternoon for some of the locals Betsy and D’rae know. They have no family locally, and this is going to be a Christmas celebration. Gigi, a local whom the missionaries hire to cook, is preparing a typical Ugandan meal for the celebration. It will be almost identical to what we had on Thursday, BTW, what we ate on Thursday with the exception of goat meat and millet, are the diet of the people in the villages, and for the most part in town.
This journey is quite an experience. God has blessed us, taught us, and carried us. The glory belongs to Him.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Where Has It Gone?
August, September, October, November, December… Where has this year gone? In a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, the second half of 2007 has flown by as we have been busy with life.
School started up for us in August, and it is has been a very busy school year thus far. That’s not a bad thing. Barb’s class is a nice size this year, but it has its challenges, as each class does. She learned of a Pilgrim project in early November and put it in place in time for Thanksgiving. It was quite an adventure as the students embarked on their own crossing in their own Mayflowers with their family and friends as their co-travelers. It was an exciting time, but consumed a great deal of time in preparation (this was the first year for it) and in executing it in the classroom. It was a great breathing break when Thanksgiving came around.
I was privileged with teaching a class at the East Peoria church during this fall as well. I had approached the shepherds about teaching on Wednesday nights from time to time, and they took me up right away. Then they handed me the base material – it was to be a study of the times between the Testaments. It was also a topic that I had never taught in more than twenty-five years of full-time preaching and teaching. The opportunity had simply never come up. So, the adventure began, and what an adventure it was! It is said that the teacher of a class gets more out of it than the students, and in this case, that was certainly true. There were many hours of preparation each week for the mid-week adult class.
There was another blessing in it for me as well. In my work with the school children, I am able to introduce them to and help them use various Microsoft Office programs, including PowerPoint. This class allowed me to use some of the theory what I had been teaching my school students in a real world setting. If those in the mid-week class were candid, they may acknowledge that the accompanying PowerPoints improved over the three month teaching period. Though I am not able to use it with my Sunday sermons, I am thankful for the opportunity to have been able to use it in my teaching.
During these past few months we have also been making plans for a great adventure. In July, I surprised Barb with tickets to Uganda. In just a few short days, Christmas break will be upon us at school, and we will be flying to Uganda to spend the holidays with Betsy, Desarae, and their friends. The last few weeks have been filled with getting everything together for that adventure. We have filled a couple of tubs with food and gifts for them. I know they will be eager to open the tubs and see what family and friends are sending to them, but even more, I look forward to that first hug and Mom and Daughter share when we arrive in Entebbe on Christmas Eve. Thank you, God, for blessing your children.
There have been family changes this year as well. Some of our children have moved around this vast nation. Betsy, of course, moved to Uganda (but only for a year – this time). Sean and his family moved from western Iowa to Morristown, Tennessee. Stacy and her family moved from Maryland to San Antonio, Texas. They also added new grandson Caleb in the process. Grandma got to spend a week with them. Ben’s girlfriend successfully defended her doctoral dissertation and has taken a position in Evansville, IN. (The highways will be much better because of the additional gas taxes he will be contributing.) And Jeremy and Kendall moved from Arkansas to the Houston, Texas area for her graduate work. God blessed Jeremy with a full-time position with the Clear Lake church primarily working with the young people. Laura and Jeremy are still around here, but Jeremy did change his teaching position, and in February, their family size will change as well when Ansley makes her debut.
It’s been a full year. It’s been a taxing year. But, behind it all, is the God who loves us and carries us through all the challenges living presents. To Him be the glory this day and each day.
School started up for us in August, and it is has been a very busy school year thus far. That’s not a bad thing. Barb’s class is a nice size this year, but it has its challenges, as each class does. She learned of a Pilgrim project in early November and put it in place in time for Thanksgiving. It was quite an adventure as the students embarked on their own crossing in their own Mayflowers with their family and friends as their co-travelers. It was an exciting time, but consumed a great deal of time in preparation (this was the first year for it) and in executing it in the classroom. It was a great breathing break when Thanksgiving came around.
I was privileged with teaching a class at the East Peoria church during this fall as well. I had approached the shepherds about teaching on Wednesday nights from time to time, and they took me up right away. Then they handed me the base material – it was to be a study of the times between the Testaments. It was also a topic that I had never taught in more than twenty-five years of full-time preaching and teaching. The opportunity had simply never come up. So, the adventure began, and what an adventure it was! It is said that the teacher of a class gets more out of it than the students, and in this case, that was certainly true. There were many hours of preparation each week for the mid-week adult class.
There was another blessing in it for me as well. In my work with the school children, I am able to introduce them to and help them use various Microsoft Office programs, including PowerPoint. This class allowed me to use some of the theory what I had been teaching my school students in a real world setting. If those in the mid-week class were candid, they may acknowledge that the accompanying PowerPoints improved over the three month teaching period. Though I am not able to use it with my Sunday sermons, I am thankful for the opportunity to have been able to use it in my teaching.
During these past few months we have also been making plans for a great adventure. In July, I surprised Barb with tickets to Uganda. In just a few short days, Christmas break will be upon us at school, and we will be flying to Uganda to spend the holidays with Betsy, Desarae, and their friends. The last few weeks have been filled with getting everything together for that adventure. We have filled a couple of tubs with food and gifts for them. I know they will be eager to open the tubs and see what family and friends are sending to them, but even more, I look forward to that first hug and Mom and Daughter share when we arrive in Entebbe on Christmas Eve. Thank you, God, for blessing your children.
There have been family changes this year as well. Some of our children have moved around this vast nation. Betsy, of course, moved to Uganda (but only for a year – this time). Sean and his family moved from western Iowa to Morristown, Tennessee. Stacy and her family moved from Maryland to San Antonio, Texas. They also added new grandson Caleb in the process. Grandma got to spend a week with them. Ben’s girlfriend successfully defended her doctoral dissertation and has taken a position in Evansville, IN. (The highways will be much better because of the additional gas taxes he will be contributing.) And Jeremy and Kendall moved from Arkansas to the Houston, Texas area for her graduate work. God blessed Jeremy with a full-time position with the Clear Lake church primarily working with the young people. Laura and Jeremy are still around here, but Jeremy did change his teaching position, and in February, their family size will change as well when Ansley makes her debut.
It’s been a full year. It’s been a taxing year. But, behind it all, is the God who loves us and carries us through all the challenges living presents. To Him be the glory this day and each day.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Birthdays and Remembering
Life and death are both marked by tracking time. In death, it is how long since one’s loved one died. In life, it’s birthdays! When a birthday has a zero tacked on the end of it, it’s a special birthday. This summer we celebrated the 70th birthday of a beloved mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Part of the celebration was pulling off a party without Grandma knowing it was happening until the very last moment!
The days before the celebration were hectic. Invitations needed to be sent; chairs and tables needed to be gathered; sitting areas arranged; cake ordered; food prepared. Perhaps the most difficult task was keeping Grandma out of the mix. You see, Grandma is a hands-on, help-you-out, do-what-needs-to-be-done kind of person. A ruse was devised to keep her occupied until the evening festivities began. Even a family dinner at an alternate site was announced to Grandma, complete with a ruse to get her to stop by the REAL party site on the way to the PRETEND site. But Grandma being Grandma was ready to go more than an hour early – there might be need of a little last minute help! Panic phone calls were sent and received while another ruse was put in place to stall her as long as possible. When time would wait no more, she was brought around to pick up food from our house to take to the party.
Cars were parked all around the neighborhood as some 45 of her family and friends had secretly arranged to surprise her for her 70th birthday. The ruse was found out when others were still walking in as she was driven up to the house. But the look on her face as she came through the door was beautiful! It was her moment with her family and friends.
The Keeping Room – a place where family and friends meet to share the joys of life as we mark off the years of our sojourning.
More pictures of the celebration can be found at at "Barb and Dave's Family Album" link above.
Life and death are both marked by tracking time. In death, it is how long since one’s loved one died. In life, it’s birthdays! When a birthday has a zero tacked on the end of it, it’s a special birthday. This summer we celebrated the 70th birthday of a beloved mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Part of the celebration was pulling off a party without Grandma knowing it was happening until the very last moment!
The days before the celebration were hectic. Invitations needed to be sent; chairs and tables needed to be gathered; sitting areas arranged; cake ordered; food prepared. Perhaps the most difficult task was keeping Grandma out of the mix. You see, Grandma is a hands-on, help-you-out, do-what-needs-to-be-done kind of person. A ruse was devised to keep her occupied until the evening festivities began. Even a family dinner at an alternate site was announced to Grandma, complete with a ruse to get her to stop by the REAL party site on the way to the PRETEND site. But Grandma being Grandma was ready to go more than an hour early – there might be need of a little last minute help! Panic phone calls were sent and received while another ruse was put in place to stall her as long as possible. When time would wait no more, she was brought around to pick up food from our house to take to the party.
Cars were parked all around the neighborhood as some 45 of her family and friends had secretly arranged to surprise her for her 70th birthday. The ruse was found out when others were still walking in as she was driven up to the house. But the look on her face as she came through the door was beautiful! It was her moment with her family and friends.The Keeping Room – a place where family and friends meet to share the joys of life as we mark off the years of our sojourning.
More pictures of the celebration can be found at at "Barb and Dave's Family Album" link above.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)