Uganda Trip #13 | Post 1
I am currently typing in the second row of a four row Toyota van as we are driving from Entebbe, where we landed late last night to Gulu, 6-8 hours north near the South Sudanese border. After arriving in Entebbe, we went to a guest house, slept for three hours and met for breakfast at six, having planned for a 6:30 departure. We hit the road at 6:50, wanting to hit it before the traffic (Fridays are notoriously bad) gets nasty.
We are heading down the home stretch of our ministry in Uganda. For those who may be new to what we have been up to since …. Our little network of churches have sponsored twenty four trips to Uganda, also referred to as the pearl of Africa. In September we will complete, God willing, a third cycle of nine units on how to understand and communicate Scripture for church leaders. Each trip we bring three instructors from the St. Croix Valley to train local pastors, who are training others-we call this process discipleship. I will write more about our work in subsequent posts.
This trip we are not taking Delta. Instead of MSP to Amsterdam to Entebbe, we are flying the friendly skies from MSP to Chicago to Brussels to Entebbe. The main reason is that it is significantly cheaper taking United through Chicago. There are at least two additional upsides that I am encountering with this change. #1 I can see the happy faces of Chicago Bears’ fans, whose team is undefeated in 2025-having recently beaten a certain team from northeastern WI. #2 Although the layover was scheduled for less than an hour, I was able to secure one of my favorite Chicago staples-a Vienna hot dog with all the fixings. The short layover did make me a bit nervous, because if our bags did not make this transfer successfully, it could be quite a while before we see our bags. With forecast highs ranging from 98-104, things could get a little…ripe. Thankfully everything arrived in Entebbe.
One of the fun things about these trips is some of the people we meet on the planes. On the first leg we discovered that six fellow cheeseheads were making their way to Uganda as well. They were from Amery, Clear Lake and…. I think all of them were making their first trip to Entebbe. They brought enough gear with them to start their own country. We helped them navigate moving their gear from the baggage claim. We also met a couple and their daughter from Washington. He is a MAF (Missionary Aviation Fellowship) pilot located in Ghana. We have benefitted from MAF pilots in the past as they have flown us from Gulu to Entebbe at the end of a week of teaching.
I also met and had a one hour conversation with a delightful young woman from Kigali, Rwanda (which she pronounced Rhonda). She had been back “home” for her cousin’s wedding. She moved to MA when she was in 7th grade, and she shared the joys and challenges (mostly challenges) of her early years in the states. She is now a US citizen, living in New York. Her boyfriend is from Brooklyn (the Brooklyn!), WI! I never heard of such a place. We googled and discovered the town in Dane County which means not far from Madison. It was fun to hear her views of America as an immigrant who made the radical move to the country we now share.
In my arrival last night, I couldn’t fall asleep right away-sleep is always a strange dance on these trips. I stayed up and watched part of President Carter’s funeral before sleeping. I was particularly intrigued by the Scriptures read in the service. I really enjoyed the eulogy that President Gerald Ford wrote for President Carter before he passed. His son read it. Presidents Ford and Carter opposed each other in the 1976 election (first time I voted). Ford mentioned Carter’s ability to find holes in this platform which Carter went on to win.
Ford wrote that the two of them were on a trip to Egypt together representing the country after their presidencies. The long flight to Egypt was a bit tense, but halfway on their way back they entered a friendship that lasted the rest of their lives and included a commitment to eulogize each other upon their deaths. It was fun to hear Ford’s son read of their relationship and their fondness for one another. An opponent does not have to be an enemy.
I will write some of my activities almost every day while I am here before returning home on Saturday the 18th. Peace to you all!