Here we go again I’m in my 4th month on the race and we’re packing up and getting on a long bus ride for Uganda, we’re talking two days of bus rides. We will leave on January 3rd and I heard we will cross the Nile River on our way there. Yeah!
Here’s the scoop for this month. Uganda has been at peace for the last two years and Gulu is a central location for IDP camps (Internally Displaced People). The organization Invisible Children is based out of Gulu and their last documentary was on one of the IDP camps in Gulu. Watch it it’s great.
Currently the situation there is that they are trying to shut down the IDP camps and move people back to their villages by this April. That is about all the information we have at this point and we’ll receive more on arrival from the local pastors.
Perspective on safety is an interesting thing in Africa. When I think about safety for the places in Africa two years of peace is great compared to Eldoret which has just recently come out of extreme violence (Mom, don’t worry about this statement I’m very safe). We have been told that spiritually, Gulu is one of the hardest places we will encounter all year. We have heard that it is covered in a spirit of deep anger. I believe this month my team and I will need the consistency of your prayers.
I have to be honest I am weary, this moving every three weeks thing is getting hard. I’m looking foward to finding the groove of traveling. I am realizing the intensity and responsibility that we are faced with in back to back situations from street kids to IDP camps. I think its amazing that God would allow me to enter into situations that are too big for me but not for Him. Please pray for endurance and a joy that is unexplainable.
Oh, a fun little side note. We are staying in this hotel where there is only hot water after 7pm. Today I noticed there was no hot water so I mentioned it to my friend and she said she would go check to see if they had started the fire to heat the water. I thought she was kidding me. But, no, they have a pipe that leads to all the rooms and they light a fire under the pipe outside in the field to heat the water each day. So, really, if I wanted hot water before 7pm I just need to go start my own little bonfire. I cracked up, and thought, “Of course, I’m in Africa.”
Also my team and I have been sick all week and we had to travel on one of those days. I ended up passed out on a huge bag of cabbages, bananas and a huge crate of eggs on a very bumpy ride. I found myself laughing at that after I felt better. So I’m thankful I’m feeling better, it really isn’t fun being sick here.
Thank you for your prayers and a happy New Year to you all!
Love you,
Cara
