03
This morning we woke up in Doha at 4:30 to get ready for the long day ahead. Doha in the morning was gorgeous, and most of us were not tired due to the time change. We headed to Hammad International Airport for our flight to Entebbe, Uganda. After the 6 hour flight south, we finally landed at our final destination. Getting through customs went smoothly, and before we knew it we were being greeted and embraced by many Ugandans most of us had never met before. After everything somewhat settled down, Richmond Wandera, the CEO of the Pastor Discipleship Network, spoke to us about how thrilled and thankful he was that we were all there. He stated that Baylor is considered family in Uganda, and that each and every one of us was merely visiting our second home. It was a powerful message to hear on the very first day before we had even done anything, and the excitement that emanated from the Ugandans was contagious. We got on our bus and drove through the city to our hotel to drop off our things. The hotel was very small and quaint, but had everything we needed, which included mosquito nets over each of our beds. We got back onto the bus to go and meet more of the PDN staff and see the beach. Once on the beach, we were led by Arthur Kiwala, one of our friend’s who works with the PDN.
We met several of the PDN staff and were offered traditional Ugandan necklaces as a welcome gift. The joy of these people was just as radiant as it was when we stepped off of the plane.
We then left for dinner at Faze Three, a restaurant overlooking Lake Victoria. There was a smorgasbord of cuisines, ranging from fish and chips to whole tilapias, hamburgers and Indian beef with nan, and other dishes.
After dinner, we went back to the hotel to listen to Arthur’s testimony. Arthur’s testimony included the singing of songs that were most meaningful to his salvation and the story of how the murder of his father and other relatives eventually brought him to the truth of Christ as our only salvation. The joy Arthur shows even after losing so much of his family was both very inspirational and also very humbling, as we let the smallest of things rob us of our joy, when we should be always rejoicing in our Lord and everything He has given us.
May 17, 2016