Chillin' in Gulu

So the weather here today is probably low 70s and I am sure most of the people of Gulu woke up, cursed the cold and put on a jacket.  And then they went about their day.  As you walk up the street, you can sometimes see the semi-circles in the dirt in front of a business.  This is because that owner or worker at that business, decided to sweep the dirt street. I remember visiting Atanga Girl's Secondary School and seeing the entire 10 ft. wide drive that was at least 200 yards long was clearly swept for the entire length.  I believe it was a Tuesday, so I am assuming this was a daily task for the students.

     Once I saw an entire group of students at Pope Paul VI in Anaka pulled out of class to slash.  Slashing is how they cut grass, it is nothing more than a 3 feet piece of metal bent slightly at the edge.       I could not understand the point of missing class for this task.  I as fairly certain I was right until I had a conversation with a Ugandan teacher.  He first asked me if I believed that the houses we built in America (Biloxi Service Trip) were of value to the students. "Of course, I answered."  He went on, "What about the work that does not build the house, is that of value?"  And then, I was able to see my thoughts from a new direction.  It almost felt like I was on the edge of a 4 foot circle and had been rotated 180 degrees.  It is sometimes not enough to leave America,  it is important to leave America.

      I must confess, although this makes me sound so understanding.  I often fail that mark.  This morning, I received  a phone call from a friend of a friend- a man I had yet to meet.  We agreed to meet within the hour at a local place,  An hour and a half later, I called my new friend and he said he was now just arriving at the place.  I actually looked at the front gate for 5 minutes expecting is stranger to walk in.  Eventually, I stopped 35 minutes after the phone call and 1 hour late, a smiling man arrived.  I know their culture of keeping time,  I was just chillin', nothing to do.  But I allowed myself to be in that rush, rush American culture.  I should have known by the " looks comfortable, but feels like sitting on logs" furniture that I was not in America.

    Hey, two great students are driving to Kampala as I type, attempting to get passports and visas for an extended stay in USA to go to high school.  A lot goes wrong here in simple situations, so please keep these two in your prayers today.