Uganda Blog by Sue Henderson, October 13, 2013

HOW QUICKLY TIME CAN PASS…

Today we woke up and got ready to leave Uganda. I'm not sure you can ever prepare yourself to leave such a beautiful place. I can remember wondering why I was coming this year and without a doubt God has shown his face every single day. The country just has stolen my heart. I don't know if this is because it is the first country I came to serve in or what. But I just love it here. Though the days are exhausting, I always look forward to the next. I am not a morning person (not a surprise to most of you) and yet here I am up and ready to go before the alarm even goes off. The days are packed and the hours just fly by. At the end of the day we collapse into bed but by mornings light I am ready to go. I've said this before but this year has been so different and so good. I have always loved this country and felt like I was coming home when I arrived. But now I am at home here. I no longer feel like a stranger in a strange land. The sights and sounds are no longer new. There is a comfort that is so nice.

Driving with Haji has been like being with an old friend. We have gotten beyond the new stage and he is now truly a friend. He is comfortable asking me questions and I do the same with him. We have shared our religious beliefs and how we came to love our Gods. He has thanked me for honoring his beliefs and I have thanked him for doing the same. I have expressed that I am sorry he doesn't know Jesus but I am proud that he honors his beliefs so well. We are no longer formal with each other; not that we ever were. We laugh and joke but have had serious conversations. He has shared his advice when asked and even at times unsolicited (which I have greatly appreciated), and his advice has been really good. He is a very astute man and I appreciate his willingness to share especially since he understands the culture so much better than I do. He has loved being around Jaimie and Liz and is so good with them. He is really going to miss them. They are both fighting over who is his best friend. So we went to Café Java for lunch and then stopped at the big grocery store there. Jen, we did get your spoon. Trust me we would all have afraid to get off the plane if the spoon was not in our possession. We also bought Pringles there as well!! No point wasting a good shopping trip. After leaving there Haji surprised us and blessed us by taking us to his home to meet his wife and his three granddaughters. Actually I only met two face to face. The third, a little two year old would not come out while we were there. His house is so nice and it was great to meet his wife. She is a very beautiful woman and so sweet. But then she'd have to be to put up with Haji. Needless to say, there were several Sudoku books lying around! What a shocker! The road to his house was no wider than the width of one car with DEEP craters on either side. I am not kidding, if he had taken one small misstep we'd have tumbled over. It was almost better than a roller coaster because the end result would have been very interesting. But I never had a single doubt that he would get us there in one piece even as the bottom of the car scraped along the road! I did wonder how many pieces of the vehicle we could leave behind before it would stop running!! Once there he proudly brought out albums of pictures that he has collected along the way of the various teams that have come. He really does consider us family. I'm somewhat surprised that anyone would willingly accept this crazy group as one of their own! Just proves how crazy he is as well!!

Then we went to the zoo! It is really a reserve where they bring in animals that they have rescued. I have to say it was really cool. We saw zebras and a lion and a leopard and snakes and a camel and lots of monkeys. The zoo is set with Lake Victoria as its backdrop so in addition to it being open it is really beautiful. There were rhinos and cobb and a few giraffe. They had a play area for the kids and music was playing at the restaurant, which sat right off the lake. It was not a huge zoo but well done and made for a relaxing day. The only downside was the heat. It was hot! Liz and I have now seen both the Pittsburg zoo and the Ugandan zoo. I'm thinking that maybe we should spend a day and visit the zoo in SA. And then it was off to the airport. In so many ways it seems like just yesterday we arrived. I can't believe our month is over and it will be another year (hopefully) before I can return and see the people I have come to love. Thank you all for sharing this journey with me and for being a part of our trip. I am so proud of both Jaimie and Liz for their hearts. I cannot wait to see where Liz is led. I do know that wherever she ends up she will be a blessing to all she comes in contact with. She is wise beyond her years. She will just need someone else to make fun of and to pick on during the nights. She is an amazing young woman and is so faithful. Leaving was really hard for her so I know that when she returns she will truly be following her heart. I am thankful for the friendships she formed this trip – ones that will serve her well when she comes back.