Village People

Raindrops hit our windshield just a few kilometers from the village of Kagango where we spent Friday and Saturday. God had blessed us with mostly sunny skies during our stay...

The 5 hour drive on Friday took us through small towns which resembled the poor areas of Kampala... past bicyclists transporting huge plastic bags of styrofoam cups, bundles of charcoal wrapped in leaves, wooden crates of wood and oil - we even saw a goat nestled on a bed of thatch on the back 'shelf'... beside swamp land overgrown with papyrus (the plant resembles poodle tails)... The road side was interspersed with small stick-framed lean-tos with haphazardly attached walls of bamboo or 1x6 boards covered by a rusty tin or thatch roof. Such a contrast between the rich, unspoiled vistas of green, rolling hills and the poverty of the people.

The last hour to the village kept everyone awake as we rumbled over the pothole filled dirt road. We arrived in Kaganga to cheers and smiling faces. Inquisitive children sought hands to touch and shake. We felt like celebrities greeting our adoring fans!

We were a little late, so lunch was ready - but before we ate, Pastor James directed us outside to meet our supper, a young bull we lovingly dubbed Bubba. The people of Kaganga are 'cattle people' and were very proud to offer us such a fine specimen for our dining pleasure. As we ate a lunch of vegetables, greens and fruit in one of the concrete school classroooms, we watched (or tried not to watch) through the open, glassless windows as Bubba was slaughtered to the beat of drums...

Children, women and even men peered through every opening to catch a gliimpse of us.

A formal program had been planned to welcome us - the village offered songs and dancing accompanied by congo drums. The graduating students were introduced and honored - they still face a final battery of tests over all they've learned which sounds much like our ACT or SAT tests. the tradition in Uganda seems to be to have the visitors participate equally in services so Carl spoke a short message and introduced the team and Hannah sang. In the service following supper, Jerry gave the message and Reola her testimony.

After our night in tents, we again were the center of attention. Our team split into 4 groups to lead activities for the children, youth, women and men. All reported positive experiences with well-behaved children and youth and eager-to-learn women and men.

I'm running out of time before running out of things to say, but I need to prepare for church since we each have a part. God is blessing us!