[ Uganda, Africa Mission Journal – Entry 5 ]

JINJA, UGANDA – MARCH 13, 2012 – Just time for some quick observations today. We were on the go all day, helping with the playground, visiting the kids at the village and going into the Jinja market for some supplies.

I’ve noticed a couple of things I think are worth a quick mention. First, about the place. There is really no way to describe it. I mean, how can you describe something you’ve never really see before. No photograph does it justice, but this is a remarkable, beautiful place. The water everywhere, the lush green land where anything will grow and does. But that’s not it, really. The greens are greener, the blues are bluer, the sounds are sharper, the stars explode out of the night sky. It is almost dawn of the earth natural beauty, and it is a wonder to see it.

Next, it’s the people. Everyone I’ve seen has a ready smile that is always willing to turn into a laugh. They are expectant of goodness, and thankful for help. Everyone waves as you pass by and the children run from their homes to wave as the car passes. One fellow stopped us just outside the gate of the village as we were walking over to the orphanage. They fish there every day and there is always a group of young men and children, and occasionally women, cleaning the fish or preparing the fish

“Are you going? Or are you coming back?” the man asked.

“I don’t know,” Loren said. “Depends on how long we stay with the children. We’ll probably come back, though.”

“Come back, come back,” the man said. “Then we can thank you again for everything you do for us here. God bless you.”

In our world they are people with nothing. I think, perhaps, our definition of nothing is wrong.

That’s just about all, except for one weird little thing about the place. Everywhere we go we are walking or riding with the windows open, and you can smell the place around you. And everywhere there is the smell of something burning. A fire for a light or for cooking, or the more acrid smoke of cars burning oil. But everywhere the smell of burning, like in the fall at home when folks burn their leaves. This is different though, and it is always there and it is filling the hot, thick air of the equator, not a crisp fall morning.

Okay, that’s it. I’ll try to upload some more images later. There are so many and it’s hard to choose which ones to upload and tonight I do not have time.