Another Trek and a Day of Firsts

Saturday, September 4

The day dawned bright and sunny.  A rare, clear blue sky.  It looked like it was going to get hot, and it did.  We wanted to go for a long walk again so we started out early.  We were on the road around nine.  Once again we headed toward the mountain but this time by a different route.  We walked for two hours and got higher than we did last week but still a long way from the top.  If we are going to reach the top we will have to use some other means of transportation besides our feet.  They just can’t do it!  We will see if time and energies permit.  

Sunday, September 5

The best way to describe our Sunday is to call it a day of firsts.

It began with our first ride in what is called a taxi here.  What it is seven passenger van with extra seat crammed into it so that it is licensed to carry 14 passengers and the driver.  That wouldn’t be all that bad but then they proceed to keep on putting more people in until they say its full.  On our way out in the morning I was blessed to have the front seat to myself most of the way and on the way home Susan and I shared that seat the whole distance.  We were also blessed that on Sundays there are less chickens being transported so we did not have to share with any animals.  All in all it wasn’t as bad as we had imagined.

The second first was worshiping in a Pentecostal Assemblies of Uganda Church.  Last Sunday we had gone Presbyterian.  This was the home church of one of my students.  Much of what was said and sung we didn’t understand even when it was in English.  We have determined that Ugandans have very good hearing because many people speak very softly.  The firsts didn’t end by worshipping with them.  I also preached there.  I began with an object lesson for which there were no words in their language.  That reminds me of another first that I better tell you about.  I had to work with a translator.  Most of the people know English but services are still always done in English and one of the local languages.  A young lady was translating for me at that point.  When I said “object lesson”  she just looked at me with a very blank look indicating she didn’t have a clue what to do with that one.  Anyway, the lesson was using pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, another puzzled look.  They don’t know what those are either.  I told them that each piece is part of a bigger picture.  We each, as part of the body of Christ, are like those puzzle pieces.  We all need one another to make the picture complete.  Several weeks ago I did this in Tillsonburg distributing some of the pieces of the same puzzle there.  We are all part of the same picture that Jesus is putting together.  I keep the edge pieces separate to illustrate that Jesus will one day complete the picture. I had Susan and W help by distributing pieces to everyone there.  That brings a first for Susan.  It was the first time that a small Ugandan boy ran away from her screaming in terror.  He didn’t know a kind muzungo to see one.  

That brings us to the sermon itself.  Like I said, I was working with a translator.  That means short sentences.  One bonus the sermon only needs to be half as long because it takes twice as long to deliver.  It is a real art working with a translator.  The young lady did a marvelous job, but I wore her out.  She got lost on how to best translate some of the things I said so my student, Bishop M. took over (Did I tell you I was teaching a Bishop? How cool is that!)

After service we went to the Bishop’s home for lunch.  Two more firsts.  One, lunch at the home of a Bishop.  Two, lunch in the home of any Ugandan.  It was very nice.  It made Susan feel very strange though because the Bishop’s wife did not join us so she got to eat with five Pastors, an Elder and a Bishop.  All males.  But she got introduced in church as a Pastor anyway.  Wait till next week, they want her to preach. LOL, Well speak to the women anyway.

As a thank you gift to the Bishop and his family for hosting us we presented them with very Canadian frisbees (bright red, white maple leaf and Canada written on them)  The children immediately began to have a great deal of fun with them.

Shortly after lunch we traveled back to Mbale.  We had been in Siranko, about 40 minutes out (twenty minutes on Canadian roads and Canadian speeds, maybe less).

We had a chance for a quick nap and then we walked to a muzungo (white) fellowship group for a very pleasant evening.