Tangible pentecost

The 50th day after passover, the Sunday of Pentecost, in ancient times was the Festival of Weeks. Seven weeks counted, 7x7=49 days, the time of  the first harvest, of hope, of the seeds that went into the ground and that died now blossoming into palpable, tangible, tasteable fruits. Agricultural and holy, one of the main festivals that gave anchor to the annual rhythms. So . . . A non-random choice of the time for God to pour out the Spirit, to make it clear to the fragile post-ascension community of Jesus-followers in Jerusalem that the same Spirit that they saw as a dove at Jesus' Baptism was now fractionated into a sparking shower of flames, lighting a fire of presence in their community. 

Though the words "pentecost" and "spirit" conjure more of an almost magical other-worldly force, they story is actually one of incarnation. Of the deity not leaving our reality, but entering it. The Gospels begin with God incarnating flesh, and now the post-Jesus-on-earth pre-all-things-new phase of history begins with God's spirit IN PEOPLE. They are filled with an ability to communicate, and thereby pull the diverse tribes, nations, skin tones, cultures that have gathered in the major city of Jerusalem into the story the new community. 

The Spirit, one by one, enabling the most basic need of human community, expression and understanding. 

The tangible nature of pentecost today: a half dozen baptisms, growing this community. Babies and adults, speaking Lubwisi, Lukonjo, and English, the service a rainbow of tongues, doused with water and prayed into the family. God present in our little fellowship.  A half dozen team members left earlier in the week, and another half dozen will depart Tuesday. But the Spirit is still here, Jesus is still at work through the bones and skin and bodies and vulnerabilities of the church. Pentecost is not about escape to an intangible dimension, but about the very real daily interactions and needs that form our lives.     

It's been a week of needing to see tangible pentecost, for sure. If you were going to write the story of a team pulling together and collaborating to wrap up work and say meaningful goodbyes, things that you might not include in the final days: an epidemic of eye infections, one kid with some worrisome breathing, the biggest almost-finished project to bring clean water to a hard-to-reach area held up by people who want to stir questions and promote their own political credit for development, multiple meetings and angst about that, our upcoming Area retreat hotel canceling our reservation for almost a hundred rooms, struggling to respond to the disasters on other teams, one departing family's awaiting gift of a car to use in the USA being stolen, at least two couples close to all of us having the threat of relational rift, and a few medical consults on serious conditions then two deaths of family members of final-week family's workers . .  . leading to hourly changes in priorities and plans. 

But pentecost comes into the actual mess of our actual lives. With gifts of fruit, of love. We hold on to each other and to God and by prayer we persist. 

    

Annual review perks: when you get to travel to Fort Portal, hold sweet Zemirah, and have a Uganda team day of rest.

Bonus for reading to the end . . . Almost 400 years ago, the poet George Herbert wrote about today's holiday:

The stars coming down to earth, the once flowing connection now nearly shut but joy seeping through the chink . . love this imagry. Amen.

Water is Life, and other truths at the end of a glorious season

Team Bundibugyo, braced for major changes, as we come to the end of two terms for the Dickenson family (10+ years and 4 kids . . plus they each spent some years prior on our team before they met here and got married!!), one term for the Forrest family, and one for teacher Michaela Hunter. These 15 humans have been a nexus of belonging and a force for good through the chaos of Covid, crossborder rebel scares, thousands of beautiful sunsets, sorrowful betrayals for sure but outweighed by deeply inspiring colleagues working to serve this place with us, too many sermons and Bible studies and pizzas to count. All the messiness and glory of life. Our hearts are full of gratitude for all this, and grief that we are dwindling to three for the foreseeable future.

Being the final week before departures, we hiked Kabongo Ridge to see the rapidly-nearing-completion of Josh's water project, participated in multiple closure events at CSB that honoured Mike as chaplain, cheered on the final days of Rwenzori Mission School with Michaela, Anna, and Kacie, met with each individual, and had a really solidly tearful and encouraging team wrap up meeting sharing where God has met us and reflecting back to each person the words and stories that we have lived together. Spoiler alert: this team has worked to bring water, life, health, nutrition, truth, teaching, scripture, newborn resuscitation, business projects, environmental education, literacy, and love far and wide. But as we sit and reflect, I think we are equally grateful that to hear of stronger marriages and friendships, progress in health and holiness. That is grace in our fray, made beautiful.

But back to Monday . . . Scott and I joined Josh and Anna to hike the many miles and thousands of feet up the Rwenzori ridges where the district asked our mission to invest in a gravity flow water project that serves over a thousand people. As a water engineer, Josh has the compassion to see women carrying heavy water cans long distances and suffering from the effects of unclean sources, the expertise to calculate pressures and pipes and filtration rates and volumes, and the determination to spend years getting plans approved, funds raised, materials created, and communities on board. That intersection of skill sets is rare.

Break pressure tank with a view. Along the five branches, these ten tanks keep the pressure from bursting the pipes, it's so high and steep!

Above and below, the water-is-life couple. It's a team effort to make a multi-year project like this continue to completion. It takes 3 hours to hike up and  a couple to hike down (after nearly an hour drive to the trail), so every time Josh goes to the work site, Anna is responsible dawn to dusk for four kids and any issues around home. Oh and she is also a teacher!

Thembo Justus is Josh's right hand man, the local technician who supervises every day.

Rest stop number one. More for us than for Josh, who's gotten used to the steep climbs!

Thembo showing Scott a small break-pressure-tank on the way up.

We had a strenuous but scenic day together . . . reflecting 15 years of friendship too!

Every piece of equipment, every bag of cement, every pipe and pile of sand, has to be carried up this steep ridge.

Supervision with a smile (we were aching for days though!)

The water comes from a protected spring inlet, to four slow sand filter tanks . . . 

And then to this reservoir Josh designed, make of heavy steel plates that had to be carried piece by piece and constructed at this site.

Water is life, the clean water our engineers over the years have provided this district saves more lives than our medical care I'm sure.

The first week of May also saw the end of the first term of the year for CSB, and the last term with Mike as the "pastor" who led the spiritual life team. Once we rebounded from COVID closures he poured himself into the chapel and cell group curriculum, the staff discipleship weekly meetings, and open hours to counsel and pray. This was deeply appreciated. The staff held a sweet evening to thank him and name his impact, and he made them his signature burgers for a final lunch. 

The final Sunday of the term, with Pastor Mike

End-of-term staff meeting.

Christ school impacts nearly 300 students a year . . .and Rwenzori Mission School impacts six, but is also the one key pin that holds everything else in place. Without Miss Michaela ensuring excellent, up-to-standards class for these kids, all the other work of the team would not be possible.

Miss Michaela with all her fan club. (we got all the kids Uganda wear for the last team pizza night)

The final few weeks of school I got to read my Rwendigo Tales series of four books aloud to the 2nd/3rd graders for the last half hour of school daily. One of the highlights of my year! Thankful Michaela let me do that.

Besides us, Ann is also staying in Bundi . . here she is last week with some of the girls from her Buhanguwa (Creation) camp that melds environmental education with discipling truths.

Kacie had final-week closure with the Nyahuka health center where she has taught and worked as a nurse on maternity, and earlier a sweet time with the refugee project she dreamed up and made happen on our border for those fleeing violence in Congo.

Aliza, everyone's favourite team mate

We close with the face of the future, Aliza, loving pizza and loving Bundibugyo and loving team and family. Like Aliza, we can't see very far ahead. But we trust that the seeds that have been lavishly scattered by this group will take root in ways we can't even imagine, and bear fruit to nourish a hungry world. 

Myhres and Ann will keep the NGO World Harvest Mission Uganda supporting BundiNutrition, Christ School, Bible translation and the church, Kid's library and Buhanguwa camps, many sponsorships and relationships . . . stay tuned to see the next chapter with us!