Odds and Ends

We were assigned two drivers for our time in Uganda, Bright and Santos. In a way they are the unsung heroes. We spent a lot of time with them and they were great drivers. They had servant hearts and added greatly to our good experience. We would talk on our drives and they would ask us questions about the US and we would ask them questions about their life in Uganda. I actually have learned a lot about Uganda and what ordinary life looks like from the drivers I have had. They see it as their ministry. Bright has five children and his wife is now pregnant and the family lives in western Uganda. Bright is assigned to Kampala. He visits them on the weekend every other week. He gets on a bus at the end of Friday and he takes a five our bus ride to his home. Sunday evening he makes the trip in reverse. Santos is able to live with his family in Kampala. I think Santos has four children. Bright is the one on the left and Santos the one on the right.

Irene was our host for the trip and she did an excellent job. She along with another woman, Charlotte, replaced Rachel Tumwine who visited our church last year. This was her first time leading a tour and she was incredibly good. She was organized, prompt, helpful, and when glitches happened, she was right there straightening things out. It was fun getting to know her better. Irene is the one on the left.

Below is a picture of our team with Irene standing beneath the sign at the national headquarters.

I continue to see progress in Uganda in so many ways since I first came in 2008. Two years ago the government started a campaign overseen by a highly paid government official to beautify the country, primarily by cleaning streets and sidewalks. As far as I can tell they have been successful and Kampala is so much cleaner. I also noticed that in Kampala there were more traffic signals and that they worked. Gulu has a ways to go. The streets are in bad shape and while it definitely is cleaner, you still see a lot more trash on the road. I am greatly encouraged by what I see.