I am grateful to my husband for picking up the baton yesterday and guest-posting, as those of us on safari spent the day travelling back to Kampala, the first three hours of the journey on rough mud roads. The Murchison Falls, where we stopped briefly, were thunderously awe-insipring and seeing them is an experience I will hold with me for ever.
When we arrived in Kampala, I was given the opportunity to spend a short time at Bulrushes, Watoto's baby home. There were 80 orphan babies being cared for and I was moved by the evident love and affection the staff had for these most vulnerable of children.
From there we went on to the International Medical Centre at Watoto Church so Tim, the trainee curate co-leading our trip, could be checked out for potential malaria. We were enormously relieved when a blood test showed it to be a bacterial infection and he was able to start treatment immediately.
While we were waiting, the weekly Bible Study began. My image of a Bible Study is of a small group of people meeting in someone's front room. This was an entire ex-cinema full to overflowing wit worshipping people, delighting in God's presence. We were drawn in by the music and it was a joy to be part of. As I will not be there on Sunday, it was a special gift for me to join Watoto Central for this and was a perfect end to my trip.
I am now back at home and reunited with my family. The flight made good time but was unable to land so we spent a good while circling South East London in heavy turbulence. When we eventually did land, one set of wheels hit the ground, and then there was a gap, long enough to think, 'shouldn't something else be happening here?', before the other wheels touched the tarmac. The pilot informed us that his partner had 'wrestled with the wind' to bring us down safely.
While I tried to spend some of the flight reflecting on my time away and working through a de-briefing sheet, I was sleepy and distracted. There is so much to think through and I must ensure that I make opportunities in the coming days to take time out to process what I have seen and experienced It is great to see my husband and children and also a wrench to leave most of the team in Uganda as they have three more days before flying home on Monday.
1 comment:
I have so enjoyed every word you wrote, and it has brought back so much from my trip. It took me at least 2 months to start to get my head around it all after we got home, if not longer.... it's an on going process.
Thank you for recording it - you should have this published for anyone who'd like to read it at church because it is so well written and tells the amazing story of your trip. Elaine Wisden
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