Author Archives: Todd

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Day Four, April 18 (posted one day later):

What a beautiful landscape Uganda has! Our driver, Anthony, met us at lunchtime yesterday at the Sunset Hotel, where we had a nice lunch before starting the journey to Masaka. With our late start, roads only two and a half lanes wide crowded with boda-bodas, pedestrians, all manner of truck, bus, and car, and the beginning of school holiday starting, there was a very slow ride to Masaka. There is a rich dark clay soil here that is used in the production of just about every building and even roads. The clay appears to crumble under pressure though, so many buildings are in disrepair and many roads are peppered with washed out holes. Our driver was certainly kept alert for his work!

I thought we had arrived at a marketplace, but soon learned that the "market" lines all the roadway in populated areas. Tiny booths, some of sheet metal, some clay brick, and others just stick huts, crowded together like a never ending flea-market. Everyone seemed to be selling something, and only a few, like furniture craftsmen and basket weavers, actually made anything. Farming accounted for some, but not all the market, as most were peddling clothing, used items, or just mobile phone airtime cards. Surprising was the number of idle people just watching traffic ride by.

20140419-065528.jpgWe made one stop at the equator, an obvious tourist attraction and photo opportunity. It isn't every day one crosses the equator! There was a restaurant built right on the line, and they kept the line painted with a stripe through their dining room. Very amusing! We used a public toilet and as I left it I heard a little girl ask me something but I couldn't understand her. I asked her to repeat herself three times and finally concluded she was asking me if I wanted to buy ice cream, so I said, "No, thank you" and walked away. Later it occurred to me, as I wondered why she would giggle so at my response, she was probably asking me if the bathroom was clean, prompting me to tip her. I missed that one!

Huge termite mounds dotted the red clay landscape. Matooke (plaintain) farms lined the unpopulated areas except those near the swamps, which were cluttered with fish peddlers so desperate to sell their tilapia that they stepped into traffic holding their catch as it twitched and flapped in their hands demonstrating its freshness. The swamps themselves were covered in a reed I had never seen before, but which Anthony told me was papyrus.

We ended up meeting Kelsey Linduff, her precious family and friends just as the sun set over the rolling green hills, and were welcomed into her home and hearth while Anthony caught up with Alex, Kelsey's security guard, whom he knew from their home village of Jinja. Kelsey's precious daughters greeted us with hand-drawn pictures addressed to "Mr. Todd" and "Mrs. Cindy." The children were precious and made us feel right at home. We shared stories with Kelsey's other guests and a wonderful meal prepared by Amanda, Kelsey's roommate. Before it got too late, Cindy reminded me we were not family and should get going, and we were led to the Zebra Hotel only a few kilometers away.

The hotel room was spacious and well equipped, but charged by the minute for web access, so I didn't write last night. We retired early and got up for breakfast this morning, baked matooke in a tangy pepper sauce that was wonderful. We met Kelsey at her home and her daughters pointed out the two monkeys swinging in the trees. As fascinated as I was with that, their eyes got even bigger when they reported that recently they had even been visited by a squirrel. Imagine being bored with monkeys and excited by a squirrel! I can't.

20140419-065623.jpgWe rode to the Okoa Refuge and spent a lot of the morning playing with the babies and toddlers. Cindy was in her element, as she found one of the recent additions, Lydia, who clung to Cindy like she belonged with her, and nestled quietly in her arms. I, on the other hand, played jungle gym to the rowdier boys, and was christened with slobber, snot, and all while I enjoyed the giggles of strangers who suddenly weren't so strange, and loved my little brothers and sisters like family for a good while. Around 11:00 and into the early afternoon we were serenaded by the primary schoolers. After listening to an educational Good Friday Bible story by Providence School graduate Audrey, the kids demonstrated a traditional Ugandan dance and took turns introducing themselves in song. It was wonderful, and I was glad to be in their audience. Afterward, Liv, Tyler, Kelsey and the other guests, Cassie and Katie, along with Amanda and the Workman's youngest, Judah, went for a walk to see the new clinic structure and the community center, both newly constructed for the benefit of the locals. It was wonderful to see the potential of those buildings and hear the vision of what is to come through the descriptions by Tyler and Liv. Vocational training, youth entertainment and involvement projects, and health training clinics and services, all in the name of making friends, for only in making friends can one make disciples.

This evening we will tour one of Okoa's rural facilities and see the new piggery. Tyler is excited about the prospect of helping families in the community, as well as Okoa grow more self-supporting through this project. Afterwards, we will dine with the Workmans and retire to the hotel. Anthony tells me we need to make an early start for Fort Portal tomorrow if we are to get there before sundown.

The view from the Zebra Hotel is beautiful! Also, I could get used to this food. It is quite tasty, yet mostly plant-based and unprocessed. If only more Americans ate this way!

Later:
While we were touring the new piggery, an amazing sight even for this transplanted mid-westerner, Liv got a call that a two-month old child had been found abandoned, and was now at the police station, waiting to be picked up. The ministry is so well respected they are the first choice call for such situations. The age estimate was probably off because the child we picked up was two weeks old, three tops, not two months. It breaks the heart to think of someone leaving a child like that at a hospital food distribution center, but warmed it to know that my new friends were there to raise this boy if need be, and care for him in the meantime if not. Inspirational!

We finished the day with a dinner out with the Workmans and Audrey at a restaurant called Port 9 (I think), a quiet cafe, until we got there. The kids all over the village, including our present company, Shami, Gideon, and Judah, were all excited about a termite swarm. Apparently, the kids collect them and the mommies fry them up. Our troupe spilled their bowlful before they made it to the kitchen, although the verbal agreement was already made with the restaurant to fry them up. What do you say to such an appetizing appetizer? You thank God the bowl broke!

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Day Two, April 16:
20140417-093025.jpgI have never before traveled outside North America, and Cindy has never done so except on cruises. The Boeing 777 and the 7-hour flight from Dulles to Brussels were both new experiences for me. The plane was bigger than any I've been on, nine seats across, with elbow room everywhere. Well, almost everywhere. I've never gone to the bathroom in a phone booth before. That was educational. Having a meal planned by someone else was new for me too since, as of the last four years, I've been on a very regimented plan of eating, recovering from compulsive eating and food addiction. The in-flight meal was just fine and I wondered why I had given it so much concern. God provides!

Tempis fugit (time flies), especially when you are fugit-ing toward it head-on! We got to Brussles at what should be 1am, but which they swore to us was 7am. The rising sun on the wing of the descending plane on approach proved them right. At any rate, we made it to Europe!

I tried to post this in Brussels, but could not get their wi-fi to work. There was a slight delay as we waited to board the Brussels Airlines A330. This plane was slightly smaller but no less comfortable than the one that preceded it. Cindy and I both agreed, waiting around a strange airport at what our bodies thought was the middle of the night, only to be kept awake by the sound of seven voices speaking in as many languages on the public address was not "the fun part" of this trip.

Day Three, April 17:
20140417-092722.jpgWe arrived in Entebbe last night and had absolutely no trouble at all getting our visas, a process which took about two minutes. It took us longer to figure out the money exchange. At 2,450 Uganda shillings per dollar, there is really no equivalent to think of. We figured our 20,000 shilling tip for our very patient and friendly driver, David, was appropriate, but I am not certain. He had stood for we don't know how long, holding a sign that said, "Cindy Lemmon" on it, and was the first to greet and welcome us to Uganda.

We slept soundly under our mosquito net at the Sunset Hotel, and rose at about 7am (1am Eastern) for breakfast. The compound is beautiful. There are trees and birds I have never seen before, more hibiscus than I've ever seen in one place, and lots of snails. Big ones! They greeted us at our door as we went to breakfast, were all over the outside walls, and even made you watch your step on the walkways.

We were a little uneasy about the ride in on Church Road, since we saw neither church nor parishioner, but taverns, dilapidated buildings, strange looking structures with stranger looking steel fences reinforced with razor wire. The dark red clay road, badly eroded with rain, was littered with boda-bodas, motorcycle-taxis, whose operators often appeared no more competent to drive than their drunken fares. These sights made it seem less alarming to be greeted at the massive hotel gate by a very warm smile on the face of a rifle-armed guard. I say "warm smile" but that was only after two suspicious eyes peered through the gate into the car before the battle-dressed uniformed man unwrapped the heavy chain and welcomed us in. Such a sight might have made us uncomfortable elsewhere, but we thanked God for him and blessed him in our prayers as we retired for the night.

Today at lunchtime, we expect to meet our driver for the rest of the trip, Anthony, who we hired on the advice of Marcia Baugh, one of the missionaries we will be visiting. Then it's on to Masaka and the Okoa Refuge, where we hope to spend time with Leslie and Lumpy Workman's son Tyler, his wife Liv, and fellow CrossRoad Church member Kelsey Linduff.

Thank you for keeping us in your prayers. We appreciate the support!

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packing graphicOur itinerary is paring down to a manageable level, as some of our would-be hosts have not responded to any of my email hails. We plan to spend the first day resting and acclimating to the other side of the world’s time zone. Our first stop will be the Okoa Refuge in Masaka. Then we will be staying with Carol Adams at Y.E.S. Uganda for the Easter weekend. Our plan is to go North from there to Gulu, where there are two ministries we will be visiting, both affiliates of Every Child Ministries, Nancy Cordoza and Cathy Hayes.  After our stay in Gulu, we will head Southeast to Jinja and its surrounding villages, where we hope to visit Russ and Marcia Baugh (also ECM affiliates) and Amazima Ministries. If we can fit it in, we may visit Mbale, where the Baughs have just begun building a children’s home and where CURE International has a hospital. If God will arrange it, we would very much like to meet the folks at the only UMC mission we could find in that area: Uganda Christian Solutions. On our way back South, we look forward to stopping at Noah’s Ark Children’s Ministry, a CRU affiliate run by Pietr and Pita Butendijk, in Mukono on the outskirts of Kampala, the nation’s capital. In Kampala, we plan to visit 60 Feet, the rumors of which were first to get our own feet moving toward Uganda at all. We seek God’s will, not our own, in this tour and with the direction for our lives. We are trusting that, nestled in His care, we will be safe and well.  His will be done!

We covet your prayer support. Thank you for caring. We will post pictures as we find the opportunity. Likely as not those will appear on the Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ugandatour2014, so be sure to visit and "like" that page so you get updates. Also, don't forget to subscribe to this blog if you haven't yet. Just enter your email address in the subscribe bar on our home page and follow the directions in your email.

Thanks all! Love and hugs!!

~Todd and Cindy


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