En Route

Stage One of the journey: getting out of Bundibugyo, into the Kampala
decompression chamber, the almost-but-not-quite on leave experience.
Luke personally arranged for a hike over the mountains, inviting a
young German staying in Bundibugyo named Hendrick (the only other
foreigner in our neck of the woods, he's bonded with our team a bit!),
Ashley, Sarah, Caleb, and Scott to join him in the footpath that leads
from Bundibugyo Town to Bukuuku on the Fort Portal side. It is almost
20 km, straight up and straight down, the Bakonjo are not big
believers in the switch-back concept. Before we could leave we had
been called in the middle of the night and early morning to see our
ailing neighbor, so in spite of the efforts to bring closure and tie
up loose ends we left with uncertain and heavy hearts. I drove with
Heidi, Jack and Julia, covering about three times the distance in the
winding ascent over the mountain range's northern spur, and along the
steep winding valley on the eastern side. We took our time since we
knew we'd have to wait for the hikers, and were delighted by a
crashing troop of black and white colobus monkeys jumping over the
truck through the tree tops, and a flock of hornbills rising as we
did. Meanwhile the hiking group set a near-record time of 5 hours
(what happens when you combine teenagers with cross-country
runners . . .).

Over the weekend we took care of some pre-trip necessities, including
updating Jack and Julia's yellow fever vaccines (every 10 years, but a
decade has flown by!) and visiting immigration as part of the process
of updating our work permits (every three years), replaced some ever-
puncturing tires, made bank visits. We are usually in Kampala for
only a day or two on a quick turn around, so having almost four days
and NOT heading directly back to Bundi is unusual, adding the the
decompression effect. Two highlights of being out of Bundi far
enough to pause and refocus, but not far enough to be on total
vacation: we were able to make visits to Matte in International
Hospital's Hope Ward. He proudly announced that he's up to 24
kilograms, being fed porridge and ensure through a jejunostomy tube,
and evidently absorbing his TB medicines more adequately this way. We
took him some art supplies and a math book, imagining his lonely days
in the cheerfully clean and modern (though to him sparse and sterile)
hospital.

And secondly we were able to take the Jonah family out for a day at
the spectacular pool outside of town where our own mission treated our
team as a Christmas present. Melen and baby Jonah, Masika, Biira,
Magga, Karen, and Sarah. Slowly they began to relax and smile,
splashing in the water, being coaxed into the spacious grass to kick
around a soccer ball, giggling over cards. The younger girls are now
more used to us than the older ones who are in boarding school. Melen
radiates serenity as she oversees her family, she's pretty amazing.
The impact on the older girls though is significant, they are
hesitant, not trusting life in the same way. And they don't want to
talk about Jonah, at least not to me, yet. It at least does our souls
good to extract them for a day from the muddy tumble of inner-city
housing, from the trash-laden noisy streets, and bask in sun and water
and games and togetherness.

We head to Entebbe tonight, our plane to Nairobi then Zanzibar departs
at 5 a.m. Tuesday. Prayers much appreciated once again, for filling
with the presence of God to enable us to love each other, to minister
to each other as we take our rest together.