Eight members of the Uganda global outreach team are visiting our partners at the Bududa Learning Center in Bududa, Uganda. These posts are their updates
So Beth was absolutely correct in our last blog post about how we came together in our travels as a team and as friends, but let me make sure you understand what really happened.
We were supposed to fly United to Washington Dulles on Thursday morning, have six hours to work productively during the workday at Dulles, and then fly to Brussels and directly on to Entebbe from there. The plan was to get into Entebbe on Friday, have a nice night in a hotel, and drive the eight hours to Bududa on Saturday after a good night’s rest. Maybe God wanted to test our resolve.
Due to our first flight being canceled, we scrambled to find an alternate way to make our Brussels connection, but there was nothing available to Dulles that would work. Finally, we came up with a plan to take an American flight to Baltimore late Thursday and rent a huge van to transport us and all of our luggage from Baltimore to Washington Dulles to try and make our scheduled Brussels flight. Great plan, but thwarted again. We made it to Baltimore but missed our connection to Brussels in Dulles due to a delayed takeoff from Charlotte. What now?
Our best option, negotiated adeptly by Court, was to fly from Dulles to Istanbul on Turkish Airways, then to Nairobi, then to Entebbe. We were zombies in Nairobi – I mean, it’s not pretty, but just look at me! Happily, we were able to find some creature comforts at our Nairobi airport layover in the form of showers at a ”spa” and for Mike and Alan.
Though the van ride to Bududa was long and, at times, bumpy, we were able to reunite with Barbara, Robert, and Rashid along the way. And of all times and places to sleep, Isabel was somehow able to sleep nearly the entire way. We were driven expertly by one Simon Peter, the name and the person providing a connection back to why we are doing this in the first place. While we are so grateful for this time of bonding with one another, Simon Peter’s name alone reminds us to prepare ourselves to further the Kingdom by serving as Christ would have us serve.
Once in Bududa, we were met at the school by students and staff, reuniting with Isaac, Fauwza, Dixon, and others to unload the big 50 lb suitcases. Then back in the van and off to Barbara’s house for a lovely meal of spaghetti, lentils, avocado, chapati, and pineapple, plus a “touch” of French Bordeaux all around.
At the house, we met three housemates – Sheila, whom we knew, and two friends of Barbara’s from Philly, Ron, and Jim. Very interesting folks. More on them later.
Sleep was no longer elusive, though we were serenaded all night by loud but happy music from the village nearby. I asked Barbara if we were paying extra for this.
Now it is Sunday morning. The music finally stopped, the roosters are crowing, the sun is rising over the ridge of the mountain, and we’re working our way through cold but refreshing showers and are preparing ourselves for worship at the school after breakfast.
We ARE resolved, Lord. Thank you very much. We are here to serve, and we pray for wisdom, compassion, and discernment.
– Alan Lewis and the Bududa global outreach team
#bududa2020