When I was in high school, the number of people living in my family's house was usually around 10 or 11. That number included my parents, my dad's parents, my siblings and I, and a couple college students. Breakfast typically resembled a logistics meeting over cold cereal. Ever the organizer, my mother invested in a dry-erase calendar in order to help coordinate the various comings and goings of the household members. "Check the calendar!" became my mother's mantra and answer to many schedule-related questions. With all the recent traveling and upcoming traveling plans of the missionary community, I think we could benefit from a similar organizer. That, and maybe I would be able to keep track of what time of year it is.
Yesterday, at Angela's instigation, many of the MAs and MKs (Missionary Associates and Missionary Kids) made and decorated Christmas cookies. Then, Rachel made guacamole from some avacodos that grow on the compound, I made tortillas from scratch, and that was dinner. Who knew that avacodo season overlaps with Advent? To some of my friends and fellow guac lovers, that may seem only right and fitting. All this to say, my sense of seasons is quite discombobulated. Even here, the weather still cannot decide whether to be wet or dry season. However, I am happy to announce that there is hope for properly orienting my internal calendar. But before I elucidate my upcoming travel plans, let me share at least a little about the comings and goings from November.
Last month, the Orthodox Presbyterian Uganda Mission, consisting of the Nakaale and Mbale stations, held their annual spiritual retreat. While they have at times held their "stratigic withdrawal" in locations that did not require much withdrawing (i.e. right here in Karamoja), this year the retreat was in Mukono. According to Google Maps, Mukono is about 260 km from Nakaale and should take five hours by car to get there. At least on one of those scores, Google Maps is lying. For the most part, whenever anyone from the mission here travels further downcountry than Mbale, they allow two days to get there. If the road to Mbale is good, the drive can take as little as two hours. Have you ever reflected on what an important word is "if"? The missionaries tell of stories when the drive took eight+ hours, and of other times when travelers to/from the mission had to spend the night in their vehicles by the side of the road, debating which, of open windows and mosquitoes or closed windows and suffocating heat, is the lesser evil. Providentially, however, our trip from Nakaale to the tarmac was reletively smooth. There were only two especially muddy places that required the passengers to disembark while Jesse navigated through mud pits and/or offroaded around obstacles.
The crew I was traveling with stopped in Mbale for lunch (I had the first and only milkshake I've had since leaving the states!) before continuing on to Jinja, where we spent the night at a Baptist-run ministry. The next day we drove the rest of the way to Mukono. Our destination, Vision for Africa Hotel, is another NGO Christian ministry that includes a hotel, a school, carpentry, pottery, and beautician vocational training, various scholarships programs for students, and possibly more. When I wandered over to the pottery shop looking curious (or maybe clueless), one of the workers kindly gave me a fascinating tour starting with the processing of the clay they use to the firing and different coloring techniques of their art.
The retreat officially started Tuesday afternoon and concluded Friday morning. During those days, the missionaries enjoyed times of singing and teaching, fellowship, an extraordinary number of card games (particularly Euchre), a swimming pool, and even a cafe. On a couple instances, I was able to put my camp hat back on and organize funtivities: an afternoon soccer game and an evening game of fishbowl. One of the highlights of the retreat for me was getting to know Sarah, an MA on the Mbale station who arrived there within a week of my coming to Karamoja. It was encouraging to compare notes about our different experiences and to learn more about the work in Mbale.
On our way back to Nakaale after the retreat, I and some of my colleagues stayed an extra night in Mbale so that we could take a day trip to Sipi Falls. From my limited experience of hiking in Uganda, I would say that there are at least three ways in which it differs from my hiking experiences in the states. First, I don't think the concept of a switchback has been introduced yet in this country. Secondly, one does not go hiking without a guide, nor often without the addition of a handful of local kids, some of whom are trying to make some money and some of whom are just along for kicks and giggles. Thirdly, hiking paths often run through what I would consider someone's yard and/or someone's field of maize, coffee farm, or banana grove. I am not sure what the property laws of Uganda are, but I'd hazard a guess they are different from the States' laws.
When we returned to Nakaale, I again resumed my reletively normal routine. However, there has been quite a bit of traveling over the past few weeks. The most noteable journey is that of the good doctor and his family, who are returning to the states permanently after seven years of service here. Please pray for Dr. Knox and his family as they transistion, for the work of the clinic and the clinic staff as they continue the ministry without a doctor, and that God would provide a doctor (or even two) quickly. Another major change on the mission is that Tricarico family is also returning to the states in less than a week. While we are grateful to God that He has already provided another pastor to come serve here with his family in February, we will all miss the Tricaricos greatly. Please pray for the Tricaricos, those who are still here, and those preparing to come.
Speaking of traveling, I am also returning to the states for a few weeks. I leave from Nakaale this coming Friday, and fly out of Uganda on Monday, Dec 14. Please pray for smooth and safe travel; in particular, I have a short layover in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and would be thrilled to not miss my flight. The main reason for my trip is that my sister is getting married on January 2. Other perks include being able to spend Christmas with my family and meeting my month-old niece...and hopefully recalibrating my internal calendar so that when I return January 6th, I'll be able to finally internalize that it isn't still August.
