Day One

WOW!!!  Did it ever feel nice to get some sleep last night.  I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow (well, had to put on the mosquito repellent, pull the mosquito net down, get back out because I forgot to turn off the light, got back in bed, got out because I forgot to do something that I still can’t remember what it was, got back into bed, got out to turn the fan on and one last time got into bed.  The last thing I remember was the fan going off, getting REALLY hot and hearing Lloyd running around making noise about something.  Too late, I was asleep…

We started off the day with a wonderful breakfast with Harriet & Jobra, then driving from Harriet’s house to the ARM Headquarters office in Ggaba.  For me it brought back a flood of memories as I started seeing familiar sights and then arriving at the office.  We were blessed to be able to join the morning devotion time and heard a very good message about strategic planning by Moses’ mother (we hadn’t ever thought of putting the two together either, but when Grace said it, it made a lot of sense).  I was able to see a couple of friends – Francis who I met last year (personal note:  Mom, the first thing he asked after greeting me was to ask how you were – he still remembers the time you talked with him on Skype) and also Apollo.  It was so great to see him after the time he spent with us in Colorado – he is a very special man and a good friend.

We continued the morning with a trip over to Bethany Village.  We didn’t catch the boat down at the ARM boat landing, but rather got to walk through the fishing village which is Ggaba.  You might think of Newport or Depot Bay as a fishing village in Oregon, but this wasn’t anything like that.  It was a very poor area and the path through was a reminder that we were not in the USA any more.  There were so many people and today was Market Day, so it was extra busy. 

We finally arrived at the shore of the lake and found the boat that was to take us to Bethany Village.  It was in among about a half dozen boats tied together.  We had to walk across some rocks and across the bows of a couple other boats.  Those who were on the Canby Christian team who went last year will remember the great boat ride across Lake Victoria to the village.  This time, the water craft was a bit less – comforting.  It was about half the size, the motor kept cutting out and the driver spent as much time bailing water as he did driving the boat.  Lloyd wasn’t too sure that this was the safest boat to travel across the second largest lake in the world in and then made the observation that we were carrying our laptops, passports, money, etc – and if the boat tipped over, all would be lost.  Along the way we saw the fishing village in the picture to the right and all of the men out fishing in boats even smaller than ours (and THEY were standing up in theirs too).  Well, thanks to God and a semi-sturdy boat, we made it.

Our time there this time wasn’t as much of a tour as it was last year, but instead we were looking specifically at how to get computers working better, power for the compound and get internet connectivity to the village.  We took a lot of pictures of the existing generator and solar power supply for the clinic, looked at some of the water purification systems and talked with the staff.  One thing that we did see along the way was a group of young students helping cut down grass in the field by using machetes.  We commented that you’d probably never see a bunch of grade schoolers in the US working in the field at school using machetes…

While we were talking to the CDP (Child Development Program) staff, we spotted a couple of boys outside writing letters to their sponsors.  I asked one who his sponsor is and he proudly told me their names with a big smile on his face.  The children love to get these letters and then to write back to you.  One of the projects we are looking at is a way to use technology to speed up the letter turnaround processing time by using scanning and e-mail.  As it is now, letters take a long time to get from children to their sponsors and back again.  If we can work this out, it can be a very quick time to send & receive letters – a day instead of 3 months.

Back in the boat for the return trip – uneventful.  Well, there was the tight rope walk across narrow aboard getting from the dock to dry land, but we remained dry.

The afternoon was spent with Abbe visiting some of the largest internet service access providers in Uganda.  I will spare you the details – if you’re interested please feel free to contact me and I will be happy to tell you what we learned.  By the end of the day, we were really feeling the effects of shortage of sleep, jet lag, strange food and an extreme paranoia about mosquitos (the malaria carrying kind).

One thing we did learn from Abbe is that our work here is the first time anybody has ever done a mission trip to work with ARM with a professional services mission (in this case technology) rather than a church mission trip to work with the children.  While I do not want take away from the importance of the good work churches do with the children, I am happy to learn that we are breaking new ground here!

We are blessed to stay at the home of Pastor Peter Kasiviru and enjoyed supper with his niece Evelyn and two of his children Isaac and Joy.

Now it’s time for sleep.  Tomorrow is a national holiday in Uganda, but we still have a lot of work planned for us.  Next Monday we will be heading back to the village of Kacungwa and I am super excited about that.  We have been made to feel most welcomed and loved.  I remember why I love the people of Uganda – they are so gracious, loving and kind!  I am so happy to be here, but do miss you Debbie – I love you and will see you soon!

Just thought I should add these pictures it was very cute.  This young boy was hauling water and while walking up the road came face-to-face with the truck we were riding in.  He stopped in the middle of the street, not quite sure what to do, but then heard his mom calling and turned around and made his way out of the road.  Even riding in a vehicle in Uganda is an experience that must be experienced to believed, but that’s for another day!

Mukama Akuwe Omikusa,

Dave