A Day “Going Up Country”

A Word from Curt:

I thought you might enjoy making a journey with me.

At daylight I left the shores of Lake Victoria (Uganda) headed to northern Uganda.

Cosmopolitan Ugandans (in Kampala and Entebbe) call the land past the Nile “Up Country.”

They view it like the the Pharisees viewed Galilee.

Backwoods. Bush.  The Sticks. Country Bumpkins.  We view it as Real Africa.

Tonight I’m in Gulu, home of the Acholi People.  Tomorrow I drive on to Adjumani (Uganda) and the South Sudan refugee camps.

Here are shots from a rich full day of driving.

Key Prayer Need:  We beg you to pray for the borehole (water well) drilling this week.  Pray that these projects will result in born again refugees who find a reason to hope in Jesus.

Following Him.

Following Jesus.

That’s what it’s all about.

Rather, He is what it’s always all about.

“It’s all about following Him. Everything else is just geography.”

African Road Flares:  green limbs placed along roadway to signify a disabled vehicle. This is the reason we do not drive after dark.

When we first moved to Uganda, I placed  “ride a bus cross country” on my bucket list.  I quickly withdrew it.  The buses that speed up and down the roads are a menace to riders (many tragic accidents) pedestrians and other vehicles.  I gladly take to the ditch when meeting one.

There are dozens of bus lines.  “GaaGa” is a good name that describes the reaction of carsick riders.

Hawkers know where the buses will stop as well as construction zones.  They flock to the vehicles when they stop.  My favourite hawker item is meat on a stick.  Six skewers of grilled beef, goat, or chicken.

Charcoal is a large part of the economy of rural Uganda.  It’s amazing to watch the process of making it.

Animal rights people wouldn’t appreciate the dizzyingly way the hawkers swing the chickens to grab your attention.

A disclaimer:  In the year we’ve driven up country, we’ve seen tremendous improvements on the road connecting the capitals of Kampala and Juba. Each trip there are less patches like this.

They are building a hydroelectric dam above Karuma Falls.  It’s uncertain as to the effect it’ll have on the whitewater area.

 
A word on the baboons of Uganda:  Beware!  They are sneaky, aggressive, and quickly view humans (and their vehicles) as sources of food and handouts. They’ll jump through an open car window quicker than you can say “Curious George.”   Ask the Dry Creek guys (Ken Farmer, Charlie B. and Ethan B.) about a Game Park baboon that ambushed us.

Teak is a prized heavy dark wood.

The main crops of Uganda are cassava, plantains (a cooking banana) maize (field corn), beans, sugar cane, and ground nuts. Tobacco and cotton are cash crops.

Anyone who knows me from Dry Creek Camp knows my favourite colours: green, brown, and red earth.  Africa is so rich in each of these.

Two months ago Northern Uganda was brown and burnt.

The coming of the Spring rains changes everything.

Pray for us:

Tomorrow we arrive in Adjumani District and begin the process of drilling wells (boreholes) in the most needy refugee camps.

Pray for wisdom, protection, clarity, prayer opportunities, Gospel sharing, and humility.

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Today’s Question:  Which photo of the day speaks to you most?