Thank you Neil Diamond for describing the next 31 hours of my life so perfectly. . .
Nothing wild or exciting to update. Just trying to make the most out of the last few days here in Uganda. Most of the time has been spent hanging out with friends from Makerere and meeting with different folks to talk about potential long term projects.
I'm certainly going to miss this place. Here are a few things that I am going to miss.
- Having everyone yell mzungu (white person) as I walk down the street
- Riding on Boda Bodas. Bodas are dirtbike taxis that bring you to your destination
- Everything is cheap. It feels the entire country is Dollar General.
- Mango juice
- People. Some of the greatest human beings that I've ever met are in this country.
Here are a few things that I'm not going to miss.
- Having everyone yell mzungu (white person) as I walk down the street
- Dogs barking all night (definitely bringing a sniper rifle next time)
- Meat that lasts longer than a piece of Doublemint gum
Leaving is certainly bittersweet. I certainly think that I will come back sometime, but I am ready to get back to the US of A.
Once again, my time is short. I wish this was a more in-depth post. Perhaps a few wraps up posts are in order for the return.
Thanks for staying with me on this journey. See you in America.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
First of all I need to start with an apology. Maybe I'm not apologizing to too many people, but my intention was to update this blog once or twice a week. That mark hasn't been hit yet, so I apologize.
There is no way to narrate the past week's events in any way that would make sense so this will just be a post of short, random highlights.
---
A week ago I was the first mzungu (white person) on the U LAY BACK radio show that reached three fourths of Uganda. It was absolutely hilarious. I'm not sure what we talked about, but we had a good time doing it.
---
I hopped a bus up to Gulu, the biggest city in Northern Uganda, for a few days. A group of Grove City students had been up there for a few weeks taking a class and going to different IDP camps. They were awesome and certainly left an impact on some of the people that they came in contact with.
---
Benson Ocen, a friend who was key in the success of the last trip, and I went out to an IDP camp to do trauma counseling. What this man does is pretty intense. He leads a team of about twelve Ugandans to IDP camps where they stay for two weeks at a time. Every afternoon they spend about three hours of group trauma counseling, then one-on-one trauma counseling. They break off into different age groups to teach them simple life skills and to guide them through the beginnings of the healing process. Benson is a heck of a teacher. Glimmers of light and hope are penetrating utter darkness and despair.
---
On the way back from Gulu, my boiling point was reached. Stepping off the bus after the five hour ride, taxi drivers swarmed me and in broken English tried to get me to ride in one of their cabs. One man was in my face quoting all sorts of different prices and I refused them all. Finally, he asked me how money I had. I responded, "Loads. I'm from America."
---
The reason I rode back to Kampala was to attend the wedding of Jerome and Hannah. The service was held in an Anglican church. Liturgical dance party is really the only way to describe the service. Over five hundred people attended the reception. At least one hundred of those people spoke kinds words about Jerome and Hannah, accounting for about four of the seven hours that the reception lasted. Then another dance party erupted. Those Africans sure know how to dance. I love it. It is simple celebration.
---
Martin Ssempaand about five others went out to an old fishing village on Lake Victoria. We took an old fishing boat out to an island that Martin is trying to buy. The boat was a glorified canoe/gondola that looked like it had seen too many years on the lake already. But it served us well. In a moment of inspiration on the way to the island I tried unsuccessfully to teach the Ugandans the chorus to Mrs. McGrath.
We only left the island at sunset. We didn't have any lights on the boat. So we watched the sun set and the stars come out over Lake Victoria. Real pretty. I still don't know how they found their way back to shore an hour later, but they did.
---
Well that's about it for today. I was hoping to get into some more deep stuff that's happening because a lot is going on. Hopefully I can post a few more times before I head back to the states on Friday. Thank you so much for the comments, emails, and prayers. They mean a bunch.
There is no way to narrate the past week's events in any way that would make sense so this will just be a post of short, random highlights.
---
A week ago I was the first mzungu (white person) on the U LAY BACK radio show that reached three fourths of Uganda. It was absolutely hilarious. I'm not sure what we talked about, but we had a good time doing it.
---
I hopped a bus up to Gulu, the biggest city in Northern Uganda, for a few days. A group of Grove City students had been up there for a few weeks taking a class and going to different IDP camps. They were awesome and certainly left an impact on some of the people that they came in contact with.
---
Benson Ocen, a friend who was key in the success of the last trip, and I went out to an IDP camp to do trauma counseling. What this man does is pretty intense. He leads a team of about twelve Ugandans to IDP camps where they stay for two weeks at a time. Every afternoon they spend about three hours of group trauma counseling, then one-on-one trauma counseling. They break off into different age groups to teach them simple life skills and to guide them through the beginnings of the healing process. Benson is a heck of a teacher. Glimmers of light and hope are penetrating utter darkness and despair.
---
On the way back from Gulu, my boiling point was reached. Stepping off the bus after the five hour ride, taxi drivers swarmed me and in broken English tried to get me to ride in one of their cabs. One man was in my face quoting all sorts of different prices and I refused them all. Finally, he asked me how money I had. I responded, "Loads. I'm from America."
---
The reason I rode back to Kampala was to attend the wedding of Jerome and Hannah. The service was held in an Anglican church. Liturgical dance party is really the only way to describe the service. Over five hundred people attended the reception. At least one hundred of those people spoke kinds words about Jerome and Hannah, accounting for about four of the seven hours that the reception lasted. Then another dance party erupted. Those Africans sure know how to dance. I love it. It is simple celebration.
---
Martin Ssempaand about five others went out to an old fishing village on Lake Victoria. We took an old fishing boat out to an island that Martin is trying to buy. The boat was a glorified canoe/gondola that looked like it had seen too many years on the lake already. But it served us well. In a moment of inspiration on the way to the island I tried unsuccessfully to teach the Ugandans the chorus to Mrs. McGrath.
We only left the island at sunset. We didn't have any lights on the boat. So we watched the sun set and the stars come out over Lake Victoria. Real pretty. I still don't know how they found their way back to shore an hour later, but they did.
---
Well that's about it for today. I was hoping to get into some more deep stuff that's happening because a lot is going on. Hopefully I can post a few more times before I head back to the states on Friday. Thank you so much for the comments, emails, and prayers. They mean a bunch.
Friday, July 17, 2009
It's been a long time, been a long time......
The LEFC team left this morning. The past two weeks have been filled with schools, orphanages, huts, whitewater rafting, and plenty of starchy Ugandan food. To be honest, I love the food but after a few weeks the choice between rice, posho (gelatinous rice), matoke (mashed plantains), and mashed potatoes doesn’t seem like much of a choice at all. The mangos, passion fruits, jackfruit, pineapple, and guacamole certainly make up for it though.
The team leaving has left a bit of sadness over the day. Many Ugandans at
After dropping them off at the airport, the rest of my day has been spent in three activities that I haven’t done much of in the past few days; reading, sleeping, and prayer/meditation. The lack of those essentials and a busy schedule are the reasons that I haven’t posted recently.
Let’s go with one story from the past week. A few days ago the team took a whole bunch of handmade blankets to
Give me a J….. J, you want your J you got your J.
Give me a E….. E, you want your E you got your E.
Give me a S….. S, you want your S you got your S.
Give me a U….. U, you want your U you got your U.
Give me a S….. S, you want your S you got your S.
What does that spell? JESUS
Who do we love? JESUS
Who do we serve? JESUS
Who died for us? JESUS
If the song is done right, it’s pretty much a spectacle. In three years at camp, I loved watching pure joy when the students sang that song. Seeing the same joy in a bunch of little kids faces halfway across the world in
The same light casts out the same darkness, no matter the continent.
Well, I’m off to hang out with some Ugandans for the evening and it will probably last all night. Hopefully more posting will happen since the LEFC team is gone and I’ll have some more free time.
Much love,
Dave
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Of Injustice, Broken French Presses, and the Fourth of July. . .
So I arrived in Uganda yesterday morning after a long flight. Uganda has the most indescribably beautiful smell in the morning. It's like a heavy dampness mixed with earth and a hint a burning rubber. I forgot how much I missed it.
Soon I was surrounded by a bunch of people that I had forgotten how much I forgotten about. They were joyous and welcoming, yelling "Deitrich, Dietrich," and reminding me of some stories that drifted out of my memory like the time I unknowingly offended someone by calling him "Dogg." Then having to explain what an American means when he says "Dogg" and the difference between "dog" "Dogg" and "Dawg." But underlying all the joy of reuniting with old friends was a deep sadness.
All of these people are in the exact same place that I left them. If you don't know, I am staying at Makerere Community Church (MCC), which primarily targets students from Makerere University, the best university in East Africa (Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania). Many of my friends from two summers ago have graduated from the University but have been unable to move on. They just spent the last 3-6 years of their lives working towards getting a degree. Many of them are legitimately skilled and very exceptionally smart. But there are no jobs for these students in Uganda. They can't go back to their home village because they are too ashamed to go back because the entire village has pooled together for them to get an education. Also, they still have hope that they will get a job in their field and change the world. Lord may that be.
They continue to love and serve and welcome without complaint.
I was struck with the unbelievable of injustice of it all. By simple virtue of where I popped out on this planet has determined so much. Absolutely nothing is fair about it.
Soon I was surrounded by a bunch of people that I had forgotten how much I forgotten about. They were joyous and welcoming, yelling "Deitrich, Dietrich," and reminding me of some stories that drifted out of my memory like the time I unknowingly offended someone by calling him "Dogg." Then having to explain what an American means when he says "Dogg" and the difference between "dog" "Dogg" and "Dawg." But underlying all the joy of reuniting with old friends was a deep sadness.
All of these people are in the exact same place that I left them. If you don't know, I am staying at Makerere Community Church (MCC), which primarily targets students from Makerere University, the best university in East Africa (Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania). Many of my friends from two summers ago have graduated from the University but have been unable to move on. They just spent the last 3-6 years of their lives working towards getting a degree. Many of them are legitimately skilled and very exceptionally smart. But there are no jobs for these students in Uganda. They can't go back to their home village because they are too ashamed to go back because the entire village has pooled together for them to get an education. Also, they still have hope that they will get a job in their field and change the world. Lord may that be.
They continue to love and serve and welcome without complaint.
I was struck with the unbelievable of injustice of it all. By simple virtue of where I popped out on this planet has determined so much. Absolutely nothing is fair about it.
Then I opened my bag and realized that my brand new French press was broken and I moped about it for about ten minutes. Unbelievable selfishness.
Coupled with the typical feelings of bleeding heart guilt was a strange feeling of thankfulness. I am a citizen of a country that is built upon the ideals that every person is equal and everybody should have a shot. Now I understand that America is a pretty messed up place, but it is wonderful. (It’s the 4th of July, indulge me.) America is a place where we have the ability to vote and have it count, where we can shout or blog about anything and no one knocks down your door, where we don’t have to live in constant fear a rebel army or dehydration or AIDS, and where we everyone can get an education for free. I am thankful at least 300 million or so people in the world get a shot like this.
Lord, may we use what we have been given to give.
This is not charity. It's justice.
Well I’m off to try and find something to burn or explode on this Fourth of July evening. There are no real fireworks displays Uganda obviously so I’ll have to settle for waiting for twenty minutes to watch my favorite fireworks display of all time.
Peace love and the Man above,
Dave
P.S. We'll be living at an orphanage for the next few days so I won't be around the internet. Pray pray that we would be light to these people or that we would receive the light from them.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Why I Go
In moments I’ll be off for Uganda. Time and eloquence are not on my side, but I need to write this. Hopefully it will make a little sense.
In one sense, I am going to Uganda because it is a good thing to do. It’s a good and decent thing to lead a trip of high schoolers to Africa to see, taste and experience. I’m excited to see how experiencing the Lord, the church, and life in an entirely different way impacts these students. I can’t imagine it not being a paradigm shaking experience.
On the other hand, this is a mission trip. It’s easy just to hug kids and leave. But we are going to spread the kingdom of God in a dark, dark place. If I look at myself honestly, the question I am asking is this: Will it prevail?
I want to experience what John Piper is talking about. (Watch out for some awkward hand gestures in this clip.)
On a cerebral level, I’ve been taught that this is true. But it is an entirely different thing to experience and live like that is true.
I want to see Truth defeat Lies in a real way. My favorite author, Leif Enger, of my favorite book, Peace Like a River, talks about miracles, reality of Truth in a world of lies.
‘Let me say something about that word: miracle. For too long it’s been used to characterize things or events that, though pleasant, are entirely normal. Peeping chicks at Easter time, spring generally, a clear sunrise after an overcast week – a miracle, people say, as if they’ve been educated from greeting cards. I’m sorry, but nope. Such things are worth our notice every day of the week, but to call them miracles evaporates the strength of the word.’
‘Real miracles bother people, like strange sudden pains unknown in medical literature. It’s true: They rebut every rule all we good citizens take comfort in. Lazarus obeying orders and climbing up out of the grave – now there’s a miracle, and you can bet it upset a lot of folks who were standing around at the time. When a person dies, the earth is generally unwilling to cough him back up. A miracle contradicts the will of the earth.’
‘My sister, Swede, who often sees to the nub, offered this: People fear miracles because they fear being changed – though ignoring them will change you also. Swede said another thing, too, and it rang in me like a bell: No miracle happens without a witness. Someone to declare, Here’s what I saw. Here’s how it went. Make of it what you will.’
In conclusion, what I’m looking for in this trip is this: To experience that raging love of God is greater than the most reckless evil. And Uganda is where I have seen the face of evil.
Or as the Boss more eloquently puts it, ‘I want to know if love is wild. I want to know if love is real.’
It’s high noon and more is at stake than what we can see, feel, or understand. It’s Jesus vs. Satan. The Word of God vs. the will of the Earth. Truth vs. Nothingness.
Am I exaggerating? Maybe. But maybe not.
Hopefully this made a little sense to those of you who read this far. Next time I check in, I’ll be on the dark continent.
peace love and the Man above,
dave
“I am still confident of this: I will live to see the goodness of the Lord in the Land of the Living.” – Psalm 27
In one sense, I am going to Uganda because it is a good thing to do. It’s a good and decent thing to lead a trip of high schoolers to Africa to see, taste and experience. I’m excited to see how experiencing the Lord, the church, and life in an entirely different way impacts these students. I can’t imagine it not being a paradigm shaking experience.
On the other hand, this is a mission trip. It’s easy just to hug kids and leave. But we are going to spread the kingdom of God in a dark, dark place. If I look at myself honestly, the question I am asking is this: Will it prevail?
I want to experience what John Piper is talking about. (Watch out for some awkward hand gestures in this clip.)
On a cerebral level, I’ve been taught that this is true. But it is an entirely different thing to experience and live like that is true.
I want to see Truth defeat Lies in a real way. My favorite author, Leif Enger, of my favorite book, Peace Like a River, talks about miracles, reality of Truth in a world of lies.
‘Let me say something about that word: miracle. For too long it’s been used to characterize things or events that, though pleasant, are entirely normal. Peeping chicks at Easter time, spring generally, a clear sunrise after an overcast week – a miracle, people say, as if they’ve been educated from greeting cards. I’m sorry, but nope. Such things are worth our notice every day of the week, but to call them miracles evaporates the strength of the word.’
‘Real miracles bother people, like strange sudden pains unknown in medical literature. It’s true: They rebut every rule all we good citizens take comfort in. Lazarus obeying orders and climbing up out of the grave – now there’s a miracle, and you can bet it upset a lot of folks who were standing around at the time. When a person dies, the earth is generally unwilling to cough him back up. A miracle contradicts the will of the earth.’
‘My sister, Swede, who often sees to the nub, offered this: People fear miracles because they fear being changed – though ignoring them will change you also. Swede said another thing, too, and it rang in me like a bell: No miracle happens without a witness. Someone to declare, Here’s what I saw. Here’s how it went. Make of it what you will.’
In conclusion, what I’m looking for in this trip is this: To experience that raging love of God is greater than the most reckless evil. And Uganda is where I have seen the face of evil.
Or as the Boss more eloquently puts it, ‘I want to know if love is wild. I want to know if love is real.’
It’s high noon and more is at stake than what we can see, feel, or understand. It’s Jesus vs. Satan. The Word of God vs. the will of the Earth. Truth vs. Nothingness.
Am I exaggerating? Maybe. But maybe not.
Hopefully this made a little sense to those of you who read this far. Next time I check in, I’ll be on the dark continent.
peace love and the Man above,
dave
“I am still confident of this: I will live to see the goodness of the Lord in the Land of the Living.” – Psalm 27
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
First Post
Hello Faithful Reader(s),
Tomorrow I leave for Uganda for the month of July. This blog is about that. This blog isn't about chronicling exactly what I do every day in Uganda. (I usually find that type of thing pretty boring and don't read them myself.) Instead, I'd like to tell stories and share experiences and thoughts as authentically as possible. Hopefully you'll enjoy it.
Here are the vital statistics for this trip:
Dates: July 1 - 31. (The first half I'll be in Kampala and the second half I'll probably be in Gulu.)
Purpose: For the first two weeks I'm co-leading a trip of all-star high schoolers from my church (Lancaster Evangelical Free Church) to Kampala. We'll be giving presentations to public high schools about AIDS, preaching the gospel, visiting orphanages, and a potential construction project. The second two weeks, I'll head to Gulu to visit some Grovers from Project Okello and look into the possibility of a long term project.
Well that's all for tonight. Perhaps a longer post is in order before I leave.
peace love and the Man above,
dave
p.s. Things like this are why I am going to miss the U.S.
Tomorrow I leave for Uganda for the month of July. This blog is about that. This blog isn't about chronicling exactly what I do every day in Uganda. (I usually find that type of thing pretty boring and don't read them myself.) Instead, I'd like to tell stories and share experiences and thoughts as authentically as possible. Hopefully you'll enjoy it.
Here are the vital statistics for this trip:
Dates: July 1 - 31. (The first half I'll be in Kampala and the second half I'll probably be in Gulu.)
Purpose: For the first two weeks I'm co-leading a trip of all-star high schoolers from my church (Lancaster Evangelical Free Church) to Kampala. We'll be giving presentations to public high schools about AIDS, preaching the gospel, visiting orphanages, and a potential construction project. The second two weeks, I'll head to Gulu to visit some Grovers from Project Okello and look into the possibility of a long term project.
Well that's all for tonight. Perhaps a longer post is in order before I leave.
peace love and the Man above,
dave
p.s. Things like this are why I am going to miss the U.S.
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