The past few days - five maybe? - have passed in a total blur. Since figuring out we really were leaving the 31st; we drove through the night to return from NC to Annapolis and completed shopping, packing and goodbyes including a great prayer time at both services with our home church, Mariners. We presented our church with a handmade Ugandan prayer mat. I hope they use it well.
Now here we are in Uganda. On Monday as we prepared to leave it felt so surreal I wasn’t sure it was actually happening. I thanked God so many times throughout those last few days because it was so clear that I was supernaturally buoyed along by Him. There were spectacular emotions from despair at actually getting packed and out to overwhelming sadness at leaving family in poor health behind to real joy as we look toward our future as a family. Fortunately many good friends were there to help us out in many different ways and God gave me opportunities to revel in relationship rather than focus on the details (thanks Hargroves for a lunch that wasn’t efficient!)
The flights (overnight from Dulles to London then again overnight the next night from London to Entebbe, Uganda) went beautifully. Since they were both night flights we all slept for most of the time. It’s so easy travleling with a five and seven year old. The kids know the ropes of international travel by now and do it all easily. During our layover, we had a very fun day in London despite cold and rain. We walked to see Buckingham palace, rode the tube, had a fun lunch, etc.
Today we arrived on the most beautiful morning imaginable. We stepped out into Ugandan air as we climbed down the plane steps. It was still early morning and the sky was bright blue, the air smelled so good, the lushness was everywhere. And I don’t usually like Kampala!! I can say nothing more than simply how much like coming home it felt. What a tremendous gift from God. We were home and it felt so good.
We spent the day at a local hotel swimming pool, rejoined with the Myhres and Bartkoviches; the twins still seem to know me and Quinn was happily rejoined with his “favorite girl” Julia. We all burned terribly and are swollen up from the change in atmosphere from cool and grey to heat and sun. We’ll adapt soon enough. The Myhres flew out tonight for their meetings in Austria so we are now in the team home away from home in Kampala with the Bartkoviches. Evacuation central. It’s a nice big six bedroom house with gates and a little yard and a nice view of the city. As good as it could get, I think. We readjust ourselves now to total lack of hygiene, to malaria medicines, dry toothbrushes, bednets, oppressive night heat, the overwhelming drum of the generator coming on after city blackouts; to life in an East African city.
Please pray for Kenya where lives are being lost due to tribal fighting over the most recent election. The situation is quite serious and many Kenyans have already died in terrible ways.