Days 10-16: Into the jam

27.9.09: DAY SIXTEEN
Hello again. Unfortunately a good selection of the things which I was grateful hadn’t happened last week, have happened this week. I’m filling tissues as I type and squeezing green oranges from outside my window into hot water. I had a couple days home alone Thursday/Friday which were also tough in parts. Lonely, and aware of how little I have done for the folks here in contrast with how they have looked after me at great (unadmitted) cost to themselves.
Still, I’m okay. There have been some good times of meeting Jesus and going on adventures, as well. Also I noticed a school sign down the road, proudly bearing the official school motto, ‘No Pain, No Gain.’ Fair enough, but probably not the place I’d send my kids...

21.9.09: DAY TEN (In the back of the Landrover, on the farm, Kiboga)
I just turned down the chance to go back out for a walk with the cows. Sure, my shorts, shoes, socks are still soaking wet, from the downpour that caught us on our last trip. But I wonder about myself; am I wussing out? I feel quite uncomfortable being out here; not physically, but being worried about thirst and needing the loo and all the rest of it; how I’d deal with all that stuff and being a pain to everyone else; not being in control of the situation.

I was talking to Brian about it, and he said: ‘what’s all this about being in control? You’re born again, aren’t you?’

Do I have a problem about control? Always got to be on top of circumstances, or else paralysed with fear? God’s been showing me I’m not in control of my work, and to not let that stop me doing it; to enter into and stick with work I’m not in control of. Which is kind of important – how else can you ever achieve great things?

Of course, Africans are pretty okay with not being in control. They don’t worry too much about forward planning – Emmanuel waited until we were totally stuck in the swamp before he decided to jump out and engage the four wheel drive. But maybe forward planning is a bit of a killer. Maybe if I had taken an umbrella and my mac out on that little walk I wouldn’t have got wet. But I wouldn’t have got to run through the scrub after the shepherd, bounding between tussocks to keep out of the thickening mud, as my glasses fogged and my shirt stuck to my shoulders, knowing there was no way I’d get back to the huts before I was completely soaked. Wonderful. Being exposed to life is so much more fun than controlling it.

24.9.09: DAY FOURTEEN
Last night I took another adventure step – taking the taxi home from Namuwongo at night – changing at the massive jam of the main taxi park: which I’d never been to. It was fantastic. I absolutely love the feel of a big city centre in the evening – thousands of people all trying to get home, rammed together and shaken about; driving over traffic islands; shouting destinations; music blaring from all sides; neon lights everywhere; friendly advice; different languages and dress; mess; street sellers; horns blaring; not knowing where you’re going or how things are done, whether to get off when the taxi you’re on splutters out every few seconds and has to be started again, slipping back down the hill each time… Sitting there, I thought again about white water rafting down Bujagali falls and bungee jumping into the Nile. I could do that. It would be brilliant. I wonder how much they charge?

So I’m encouraged something’s coming loose in me. Africa’s making a man of me again. I pray so. I pray it lasts. I pray for more of the same.

27.9.09: DAY SIXTEEN
Turned up Friday for the all night prayer meeting - mainly as a way to see people – but no power in Namuwongo so it was off. Actually a real gift: got to spend the evening with Jacob, Joel and Emma(nuel) at their epic bachelor pad (Eric, Isaac, Ezekiel and possibly a couple of others also stay there, in what is probably a three bedroom house). Proper christian bachelor pads may be the best thing ever. Can’t wait to get into another one.

We had some interesting chat about Bible stuff, and I held forth on a few topics. Then I got my mind blown off by hearing the guys talk about the things God is doing in Uganda. The CU at Makerere University, for example, has 15,000 members, carrying out a thousand mission trips a term, helping 250,000 people a year be saved by Jesus! That’s almost unbelievable. I’ve seen all the desperately uncool ‘God is good’ slogans on roadside shops and Matatus (public taxis; a driver, conductor and 14 passengers in a Toyota Hiace), but had no idea what was behind it. All the ways of doing mission are so offensive to my western sensibility (even calling public evangelistic events, ‘crusades’), but they are having wonderful results for the country. I might have just stumbled into the middle of a revival.

The dedication of Christians is there as well as the fruit: Jacob let slip he used to lead the CU, and for that whole year got no more than 2 hours of sleep a night! Now I know in the UK people aren’t anything like as open to hearing the good news about Jesus, but I do wonder why we couldn’t put as much effort into mission as Ugandans clearly do. Weekly overnight prayer meetings & weeks of fasting seem to be a matter of course, where to me they sound virtually impossible. Maybe it’s because we just don’t believe it would do any good. I certainly can’t comprehend doing all that myself. But this is definitely one of the reasons I’m here – to taste some stuff that takes the lid off my walk with God. The guys have promised to expose me to some stuff that’s going on. Can’t wait. I’ve always burned to live a great story – I hope this will be another chapter greater than the one before.

Please pray for:
- My cold to go by tomorrow so I can go in and put together the drama we are supposed to be doing for the ‘crusade’ in Namuwongo every night this week.
- The crusade in general - lots of people to turn to Jesus and be welcomed into the church family.
- The drama to be quality & the team to get better through it.
- Me preaching on Friday!
- Picking up my friend Steph from the airport & her first days here – all to go smoothly.
- My friendships to keep growing.
- Capacity to do everything this week well.
- Joy!

I love and miss you all. Be great to hear from you.
Tim : )

Days 1-9:‏ Landing

I'm surprised how well the first week here has gone. No getting ill. No intense home sickness. No awkwardness with new people. No time of feeling unemployed and useless. Not even really the feeling of generally not being here yet. I wonder if a lot of you guys have been praying quite hard for me for all those things… Thank you. Here are some highlights:

11.9.09: DAY ONE. 1730 (local time)
I can hear several groups of children playing, and the clatter of crockery from the kitchen. I'm sitting in a room with bare white walls, wood frame furniture and a red, red floor. Uganda is lovely. I remembered it as we plunged out of the cloud above Entebbe and saw the lush green hills wrapping the fingers of Lake Victoria. And I'm being very well looked after. Humbling, or at least, it should be.

Uganda is also dangerous. Emmanuel, Brian and Elspeth met me off the plane with the comment, 'You've picked a great time to come. There've been riots in Kampala.'

Initially that just seemed amusing, but as we approached the city, the traffic thinned out and we became increasingly aware of two pillars of black smoke hovering ahead. Gangs of men had been gathering, blocking roads, and setting fire to tyres. According to the news, 7 people died yesterday as police and army put down rioters with tear gas and bullets. Fortunately, the current regime are actually protecting the people…

So we turned off the main road, looking for a way round. But several times, our routes were blocked by more rioters, and young men hanging around advised us to turn back. We eventually found the new house of someone from Emmanuel's church – right before another block with flaming oil barrels in the street. From Charles' safe & extremely grand (in full gaudy African style) house, we noticed several gunshots before the birds began singing again and we felt safe to continue.

Surreal.

18.9.09: DAY SEVEN.
It's raining this morning. I woke at seven to applause on tin roof. Now it's nearly nine, and apart from everything getting a little lighter, not a lot has changed. There's a reverb-y crack of thunder every so often. This is a proper rainy season. On the other hand, I keep packing my mac but I haven't used it.

I haven't actually used my sun cream either. Or my hat. I'm just not hanging about outside for long periods of time – you don't, in normal life. I've been going round in trousers and long sleeved shirts because that's comfortable, presentable, and that's what everyone else is wearing. Plus the key bit of my work is leading drama sessions, all at the end of the day, so I need to hide from the mosquitoes. One of the thousand boxes of faff I have been using is the DEET. Namuwongo, which is where I go for both the church centre and the school, is right next to a slum area (locally known as 'Soweto') built on top of a swamp, so after 7 the air is zipping. I've got a few bites, not great, but there's a balance to these things. No point coming all this way then never doing anything because I'm hiding under my mozzie net. On my last visit, I was terrified to go to the loo during the night; or even touch the net with any limb, lest they bite me through the mesh. Of course, it helps that I have been given a double bed (!); which makes the double net Esther leant me more of a divine gift than a quirk.

I've also got my own bathroom, sitting room and completely empty room in my own apartment out back; and we have actually been given great food every day (which must be seriously costing my hosts), and no sign yet of matooke. I also have a Ugandan name.

13.9.09: DAY THREE.
Today was a brilliant time. Basically I got to hang out with the 'young people' (my sort of age) from church, round someone's house for chapatis and bananas, then to the Pastor's house at Bukasa to roast a goat! Apart from loads of good chats, I got to ride on the back of the pickup, trim skewers with a panga, strip and eat sugar cane. Excellent! Definitely made a difference to connect with contemporaries for once instead of just old people ( :) ).

My name is Semaganda Semakula.

17.9.09: DAY SIX.
Woah. This stuff is getting intense. FOUR groups to train now? It didn't help that I was fasting when it all blew up, yesterday afternoon. Or that I was trying to prise my way through their Ugandan English and trains of thought. Left alone again in the chipboard office, as thunder turned to rain outside, I remembered the picture you gave me this morning. 'Jump, Tim, Jump.'

"Command me what you will, and grant what you command." St Augustine.

19.9.09: DAY EIGHT.
This one's by candlelight. Another power cut just as it gets dark. My torch lasted one shower, African style (i.e. quick). It's funny, I feel quite light today. And that after an afternoon of wandering round shops. Normally that has the opposite effect. It could be not having the pressure of work to be done; it could be the coffee I had in the western style mall (best described as a 'coffee float'. Yes); the nostalgia of seeing favourite South African products from last year in Shoprite; or seeing the countryside in the late afternoon light. It's been nice.

17.9.09: DAY SIX.
The Holy Spirit just helped me pray passionately and genuinely and powerfully for the UK. It was definitely Him. I can't pray like that.

20.9.09: DAY NINE.
After the riots last week, the church have been doing a week of daily prayer and fasting for the nation (I've managed to fast from about 3 meals total). Now the learning point is this: I'm fully aware that the UK is just as messed up as Uganda, but it has never occurred to me to just pray for it. Not just to pray about little specifics only, and think I can't pray for what's right because most people I'm praying for would agree. The Bible is full of people who repented and pleaded with the Father on behalf of their nation, and He answered them. Now I don't just have to feel bad; I have something I can do.

Much love to you all. I look forward to your news, questions, and thoughts!
Tim

Day 0: Prologue

A year has gone by. My internship in Norwich is complete. I’m writing this from Southampton. And I’m leaving the country on Thursday night. What’s going on?

The Father indicated clearly that He was letting me choose what to do after FP. I found this... well; I once spent 20 minutes in Tesco’s trying to choose a sandwich. But I’ve managed to stop being so negative, and realise how great this is: He wants me to do what I want to do. Back in March the opportunity came up to go to Uganda. I found out some more, and even met the guy I’d be staying with. But strangely, I just got increasingly nervous about the whole thing. I got to worrying I’d be friendless, uncomfortable, and redundant in an alien culture – that it would be 3 months of misery. Jesus challenged me about this: ‘Are you going to drop this just because it’s hard? And don’t you think I’m going to love you in some great ways that make it totally worthwhile?’

So I’m going. I’m still a bit nervous, of all the practical and cultural difficulties I already know to expect, and also, because I have no idea what I’m going to end up doing when I get there. “Come and work it out when you get here. You can’t really arrange anything before,” Emmanuel told me. That’s the Ugandan way. All I know if, I’ll be living in a Ugandan household in Kampala (the capital), and helping out some churches in some way (pretty similar to FP, really!) And I’ll probably be back in the UK for Christmas, returning to Norwich in the New Year. To be honest, I’m not really thinking about that stuff much at the moment! But in my head and my will I am really looking forward to whatever amazing things Jesus does with me. He is the one who gives me joy, and this seems the best way to know Him better. I’d be a fool to turn this down.