Saturday in Kampala

Saturday was full to say the least. The day began with wonderful conversation over breakfast. The archbishop of Jerusalem was staying at the guest house (since he had given the address at commencement) so we shared thoughts over fresh pineapple (wow is it good!), papaya, melon, homemade bread and some hard boiled eggs – not too Shabby a way to start the morning! He is a deep man of faith, concerned and strongly focused on the unity of the church -- - as well as faithfulness to the truth of the gospel. He reminded us how pivotal the role of Africa had been in the development of Christianity – with Alexandria being a prime intellectual center of faith, Athenasius contending for the faith against Arian heresy an Augustine of Hippo shaping Christian thought (among other things). He shares the conviction that the center of gravity is shifting back to Africa for Christianity and that God is doing a new thing (or perhaps better put, doing a new thing AGAIN!) Since he will be hosting GAFCON, I found it particularly interesting.

He also encouraged us in the importance of sharing the gospel by acts of mercy for the poor and those in need. As we left for Kampala we prayed together and prayed a blessing for us. What a treat - We added it to our list of "God sightings!"

Then it was on to meet Alison, Archbishop Henri Orombi’s Assistant. She filled us in on the church of Uganda, about the American church’s relationship to it and the history of the relationship and about all things Ugandan – from greetings to the use of pit latrines (well, THAT lesson was for the ladies). She also helped us negotiate the “jams” (traffic jams – traffic in Kampala is a lesson in faith, hope and love), change money for a good price (folks barter on the rate of exchange), visit the local market, and pick up some items at a local store. About eight at night we treated her and our driver to a wonderful Indian dinner (her choice) at one of the more posh restaurants in town where we dined on all sorts of great food on the top floor of a restaurant that overlooked the city -- for under $10 each! Unfortunately, one of our group was beginning to experience some traveler’s stomach so she missed out on the great dinner. After stopping by the pharmacy for the fix we headed back to Mukundo – and most of us where in bed by 1am. A long, wonderful day.

One of the real blessings of the trip was Alison’s tour of Namberende Hill – the center of the Ugandan Church. The place is full of history including the grave sites of missionaries who left their homes to live and die in Uganda. Their commitment to spread the gospel, in a time when there was literally no return was sobering. To think of several who walked miles through forest and bush to get to this landlocked country so that they could bring medical services (the first hospital was started here), education and Christ’s love was a powerful inspiration. The tour included a trip to St. Paul's Cathedral where we would worship on Sunday. We met the Dean of the Cathedral who insisted that I introduce the team to the several thousand worshipers who would be there on Sunday (more on this later)

Of all Saturday’s activities - the trip to the market was the most difficult and thought provoking. During our devotional time after dinner, we compared notes on how it felt to be admist such poverty (almost indescribable in it’s sad depth) There is nothing that compares in the US. In the midst of such a world Just what is the call of Jesus to us? There were many thoughts but I think that one thing we all saw is that we will never read Jesus’ words and his concern for the poor, quite the same way. There was also the stark reality of just how blessed we are. Paul’s statement that “To whom much is given, much will be required” kept ringing in my ears.

Fr. Jim