In case your wondering, I did not see Mt. Kilimanjaro as I went to the airport today. That means I am 0 for 4 in trips, and 0 for 10 in actual times I might have seen it. I wasn't too disappointed, though, because it was hazy in Arusha this morning and I figured it would be worse by the airport and it was. My driver, Mr. Mwanga, wants me to see it as much as I do. I think he was more disappointed than I was.
My first flight went from Kilimanjaro to Nairobi and my second flight from Nairobi to Entebbe. Each flight was approximately 45 minutes long. Nairobi airport has a huge new terminal that just opened and looks like an airport in the West. If you remember, a number of years ago there was a terrorist attack that destroyed a significant portion of the terminal. When I went through Nairobi last July it was still under construction. Someone told me that it opened a few months ago. In any case, it is quite an upgrade.
On the flight to Entebbe, I sat next to a very interesting man. His name is Paul Bukenya and he works for a Christian NGO based in Chicago called Opportunity International. This organization works in microfinance and his job is in IT. He is also active in his church and is involved with a group of Christians who have formed a program to develop Christian leaders. There are about 30 people per class, and they go to class every Saturday and Sunday for six months. They do pay a tuition that pays for the rent for the building they have leased and for overhead. He shared with me some of the texts that they use and I was impressed. He said that they have about 300 graduates.
He has a wife, son, and two other children they are caring for live in Kampala. When I told him how amazed I was at how clean Kampala was after they appointed a very high level kind of "Clean Up Czar," he actually told me the story behind it. The woman who was appointed in this position was a tax lawyer who had just retired. She loves cooking and baking and that is what she planned on doing. I don't remember the exact details, but I think someone asked her if she had been asked or was interested in the position and she said she was retired and she wasn't interested. Shortly after that when she was praying, God told her that she was going to get that position. (She was known by high government officials, but wasn't seeking the position as I said.) She was amazed by that and said, I haven't even been asked. A couple of days later, she got a call out of the blue from the president of Uganda asking her if she would accept it.
She is a committed Christian and Paul's mentor knows her. She was giving her testimony and has had not only death threats against her but there have been several attempted assassinations. She now has a body guard that accompanies her. Paul himself told me how amazed he was at what she has accomplished. He didn't think it would ever happen. The corruption is rampant and for years and years those in charge of cleaning up the city just pocketed the money.She has quite a testimony and a lot of courage. It is truly amazing how much cleaner it is not only Kampala but even in Gulu.
My first flight went from Kilimanjaro to Nairobi and my second flight from Nairobi to Entebbe. Each flight was approximately 45 minutes long. Nairobi airport has a huge new terminal that just opened and looks like an airport in the West. If you remember, a number of years ago there was a terrorist attack that destroyed a significant portion of the terminal. When I went through Nairobi last July it was still under construction. Someone told me that it opened a few months ago. In any case, it is quite an upgrade.
On the flight to Entebbe, I sat next to a very interesting man. His name is Paul Bukenya and he works for a Christian NGO based in Chicago called Opportunity International. This organization works in microfinance and his job is in IT. He is also active in his church and is involved with a group of Christians who have formed a program to develop Christian leaders. There are about 30 people per class, and they go to class every Saturday and Sunday for six months. They do pay a tuition that pays for the rent for the building they have leased and for overhead. He shared with me some of the texts that they use and I was impressed. He said that they have about 300 graduates.
He has a wife, son, and two other children they are caring for live in Kampala. When I told him how amazed I was at how clean Kampala was after they appointed a very high level kind of "Clean Up Czar," he actually told me the story behind it. The woman who was appointed in this position was a tax lawyer who had just retired. She loves cooking and baking and that is what she planned on doing. I don't remember the exact details, but I think someone asked her if she had been asked or was interested in the position and she said she was retired and she wasn't interested. Shortly after that when she was praying, God told her that she was going to get that position. (She was known by high government officials, but wasn't seeking the position as I said.) She was amazed by that and said, I haven't even been asked. A couple of days later, she got a call out of the blue from the president of Uganda asking her if she would accept it.
She is a committed Christian and Paul's mentor knows her. She was giving her testimony and has had not only death threats against her but there have been several attempted assassinations. She now has a body guard that accompanies her. Paul himself told me how amazed he was at what she has accomplished. He didn't think it would ever happen. The corruption is rampant and for years and years those in charge of cleaning up the city just pocketed the money.She has quite a testimony and a lot of courage. It is truly amazing how much cleaner it is not only Kampala but even in Gulu.
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