We've been "on the move". The Webbs in Tanzania drove us the 5 hrs over bumpy, dusty, roads from Dodoma to Babati to visit with Ben & Kelli Shular and their two boys--Noah, 4 yrs and Jonah, 2 yrs. --Their main responsibilities are Country Development Director and over-seeing the work at Aldersgate School. While our time with them was brief they were very warm and welcoming. We enjoyed a special time of worship with them on Sunday and some wild game roast for Sunday dinner (Wildebeast & Grant Gazelle that Ben had hunted there)...Very Good!! A driver picked us up in the afternoon to drive us the next 2 hrs to Arusha where we spent the night in a "rustic hotel" and left the next morning from the Kilimanjaro Airport which was about another 1 1/2 hours drive (but did not get to see the mountain). The agent there seemed to feel it was her duty to give us a very hard time about checking in our baggage (very frustrating!!) and we ended up having to pay $120 in fees!! We flew from there to Niarobi where we had a lay-over and met an agent to take us to the Cote d'Ivoire Consulate to get our visa for that country for the end of our trip (another story for another time). The city was HUGE--felt like New York City...with traffic as bad... Really surprised me!! Things went amazingly smooth with the visa and we got back and checked in early for the next leg of our flight. This agent was very nice and even let us check in one more bag! Guess we checked in too early as just as we were boarding for Kisumu Art was called to check with the agent--(bad news)--it seems the extra bag we were allowed to check in got sent out with an earlier flight going in the opposite direction :( BUT...(good news)...the baggage supervisor caught the error and had it coming on a flight to Kisumu that would arrive 1/2 hr after we did! :) We finally arrived at KIST (Kima International School of Theology) about 7:30 pm and were a bit weary from the day's travels starting at 5 am. A group from the Shartel Church of God in Oklahoma City had been there for several days and we found out to our delight that SueJo Good was leading the team. She and her now deceased husband (Ken) had been missionaries there and 3 or 4 other places before they retired. We got to take pictures "AT the EQUATOR" and visit with the other missionaries here and there, between their duties, (Rod & Jan Dormer--Principal and Teachers; Ernie and Laurie Nicholas--Overseer of the Scholarship Funding, Campus Nurse and Teachers; and The Baylors--David & Bonnie and their two boys Joshua-13 yrs and Michael-7 yrs--Finances, Hospitality and Teaching). We also attended a chapel service and one of the mentoring group of students that were talking about what "excellence" means and how it is exhibited in the Christian walk. A very interesting discussion in light of the varied ages and cultural backgrounds represented there. Art was in constant meetings. I also walked the grounds and strolled through the cemetery and was struck with awe as I looked at the names--even a whole family--that gave the ultimate sacrifice--their very lives--to minister there. One of David Livingstone's children is buried there along with some other unmarked graves... I felt as if I was standing on holy ground! Oh Lord, if we can only be so faithful--no matter the cost!
From KIST Rod and Jan Dormer drove us the 6 hours to Kampala, Uganda as Jan and Rod had some consulting they were going to do with Heritage International School so it worked out perfectly for us to ride with them. When we got to the Kenya/Uganda border, it was quite the scene--"shagalabagala"!! --(My new favorite Swahili word which means chaotic, disorganized.)--But, we made it through in only a half hour with the help of a very good agent--otherwise I'm sure we would have been there for hours! Amazingly our Google map gave us very good directions to the Stevenson's (plus a few phone calls to be sure we were on course). We met 3 Canadians that had been with the Stevensons for several days--working with the Canadian child sponsorship program. They left and another group of young people from Germany arrived. I've been especially moved by the T.A.P.P. ministry the Stevensons started here 5 years ago (Tumaini Aids Prevention Program). It has just exploded! The program is aimed at women and children that are HIV positive and/or have AIDS. Most are women with 2-5 children that either their husband has died or just abandoned them and the family has rejected them--sometimes even abused them in horrible ways and then thrown them out like trash! They have nowhere to go and no means of income! So sad to hear their stories and see how/where they are living and trying to eek out a living. The TAPP program is helping the women to be trained to make a living--from bead/jewelry making to tailoring programs to candle-making, etc. Whatever each community sees as their need...plus they network with them to find medical and social service agencies to meet their needs along with Bible studies, support groups, and finding sponsors for their children to go to school, etc. WOW!! They have at least 45 locations where groups are meeting and other places crying out for help! As you can tell, I could go on and on and this is just one aspect of what's happening in Uganda. Pray! The needs are great!
