Easter in Uganda

One of the things we have been wanting to do since before this trip began is go to Sudan. I remember Eric telling me he wanted to go when I was last here, and I told him I would go with him but I didn't think that would actually happen. Having a desire to go someplace is one thing- having a plan to get there is another.
We've been praying for God's guidance regarding this trip for the past two months, but it's been hard to find. It seems like a lot of the doors we think God had opened for us just ended up closing in our face. We thought we could drive there with the truck and see lots of Uganda along the way, but we didn't have the proper documents. Then we found that we could get the documents in time, so we could drive. Then the truck broke down. So we thought we could fly. It would save us a total of six days travel time (there and back) (as well as avoid possible dangers) so we looked into that. Flying from Nairobi was too expensive, so we thought we'd fly out from Kampala, the capital of Uganda. But all the outgoing flights were booked up till the seventeenth, which was later than we wanted to go. So here is our plan as of now: Tomorrow morning we will take a bus to Kampala (ten hours) and spend Easter weekend there. Eric usually takes his teams on a safari at the end of each trip, but Bryan and I aren't very interested in that. Instead, we will use the money that would have been spent on that to take some time in Uganda to see some sights, eat some food, check out a huge cathedral, and see a really cool tribal dance show that has international recognition and does tours around the world. It's called Ndere Troupe, and I can't wait to see it. I'm looking froward to hanging out for a few days in a new place with free time for some relaxation. Come Tuesday (tentative) we will continue our bus trip to a city in northern Uganda, close to the border, where we will stay the night. We've been told the border into Sudan can be hard to pass...sometimes the guys there won't let you in for no good reason or hassle you, or ask you for some money on the side. The other problem could be that there is some violence in the area, so the buses won't pass. If either of these things happen, then we can go back to Kampala and we'll have the late flight as a backup plan, but our hope is on the bus. If that works out, then we will begin our third and final leg of the trip, and arrive in Yei, Sudan early that afternoon.
Now the question is, "What are we going to to there?" The original plan was to spend a lot of time moving about and showing the Jesus film, but all of that equipment was left in Samburu along with the truck (generator, amplifier, speakers, screen...). It's hard to say just what we'll be doing there, but the couple that runs the orphanage there always has teams come out to help them, so I know we'll be able to find things to do to keep busy. We'll make some friends, survey the area, and do our best to help in any way we can. If we can get some translators then we'll do some evangelism and things of that nature, but in general, the whole trip feels like an open book. A book that has been thrust upon us, not one we flippantly picked off the shelf for leisure reading.
The compound at Yei (orphanage, school, church, clinic...) actually has wireless, high-speed internet. As I've said before, their organization, Harvesters, has grown huge in the short time they have been over there. They have a massive support base, and it was actually a non-Christian organization that pain to have the dish set up there for internet. So once we are there I should be able to get online now and then.
Until then, I wish you all a happy Easter, and to those of you in Minooka, I so wish I could be there to celebrate the completion of the new building with you.
Peace out!


Prayer Requests:
+ Safety as we travel through and stay in areas with rebel activity, known to be violent.
+ No hassle as we travel over borders that have been known to give people a hard time.
+ That we may be effectively used for whatever awaits us in Sudan, and that our time there will be well spent.
+ Good health as I have the early stages of a cold (which Eric has almost all the time) and as malaria is more dangerous and almost certainly contactable where we will be staying in Sudan. Eric and I haven't been taking malaria pills here, but we think we may have to start.