I went down to the school yesterday to play soccer with my Sudanese friends (mainly watch them be crazy, aggressive). There is a polling place nearby and I could hear crowds demonstrating and chanting. I'm not sure how peaceful it stayed because shortly after it started, we left. The point is that when the winner is announced (Sunday at 5pm, 8am Central time in the US) there could be major rioting. Police and military presence is strong right now, but after reading about Egypt I'm not convinced that even they have the ability to keep things calm. There have been some small problems around the country already at polling places yesterday, but so far the death count is low. School has been out since Wednesday and is scheduled to resume this Wednesday pending peaceful election results.
What does all this mean for me? It means a sort of lock-down is in place. Since Wednesday my travel has been limited to my side of the hill. This means I can go hang out with my teacher friends, play at the school, and teach at the Center of Hope. We were told to stock up on food and water in case we can't leave our homes once announcements are made. So I have enough food to last a while, work to do, and movies to watch. Today I am allowed to go over to Buziga which is where my friends, the Ackers live and play volleyball and games with them and their 8 Sudanese guys. Being cooped up is no fun, so I'm really looking forward to hanging with them.
I will do my best to keep you all updated as to what's happening. Even as I type this I don't have electricity and communications are rumored to be shutting down so I will do my best. I may not be able to update for a while. Just know that if anything big does happen, I'll be safe on my compound. Please pray for peace in Uganda and all of Africa. Pray for safety and rational thinking.
Pray also for the refugees who are often persecuted during this time more so than other times. I have recently started working with the Center of Hope (centerofhopeug.org) which is run by the Ackers. I'm teaching an English course focused on reading and writing. My students are refugees from about 5 different countries. I've really enjoyed teaching so far and my plan is to be around the Center helping in whatever way I can as much as I can. The goal is to build relationships, invest in hope, and share Christ. Please join me in praying for the students (of all ages) at the Center of Hope, for the teachers, and for Refuge and Hope International. I am also leading a weekly worship service for the refugees at the Center. Many come from various religious backgrounds, but Jade and Shelah wanted to offer a time to worship the true King of Kings. So a friend and I have stepped up and are in charge of leading that every Wednesday evening. Pray for hearts to be changed and souls to be won.
In other news... I bought a baby goat! I know you're wondering why on earth I would do something like that, so I'll tell you. There are so many people, neighbors and friends, who go without food everyday. A decent sized goat is a treat and will feed someone for a long time. I bought a baby goat because I have really been wanting a pet and I think baby goats are just adorable. I'm not allowed to keep a pet because the mission doesn't want the responsibility of finding it a home once I leave. So I chose to get a goat to raise and love and then when I leave I will give it to someone in need of food. Maybe sounds a bit sick and twisted, but if I want to have a "pet" there needs to be some reasoning behind and I think my reasoning is pretty solid. Nicodemus (Nico for short) is living next door to the Ackers at my friend, Hussein's place. There is plenty of grass and leaves for him there and Hussein feeds him a bottle of milk twice a day.
My journey to get Nico is a bit entertaining and I thought I'd share it with you all. First of all you should know that when I get an idea in my head I have to see it through and see it through as soon as possible. So early Wednesday morning I arranged for Hussein, the Acker's guard to come to town with me to purchase Nico. Not only does he know his way around better, but he obviously speaks Luganda, knows many different markets to look for livestock, and can get a better price because he's Ugandan. So I went to pick him up from the Acker's and while waiting for him, discovered that Lino was awake. Knowing that Lino, being a big dude would be a good asset to bring along even though he doesn't speak Luganda, I asked him to come. Normally I am good with traveling on my own, but being election week I felt safer with him there as well as Hussein. Luckily he was off of school.
So we got into my vehicle and headed to town. At least I thought we were going to town. With Hussein directing me we ended up in an industrial area at a slaughter house and not in town at the big market. I was appalled. This was not my first time at a slaughter house and to be honest I'm a big fan of meat so it doesn't bother me that much, but I was expecting a LIVE goat! We pulled in and were greeted by the sight of many cows and goats hanging from hooks and being chopped to pieces. Not what I had in mind when I thought of goat shopping. I clarified with Hussein that I wanted a live goat and he said he knew what he was doing. So, he and Lino got out and talked to some guys and then went to see what they had to offer. About 10 minutes later Lino came back to the vehicle and started describing one of the goats that had yet to be slaughtered that day. It turns out we arrived a bit too late to save any babies, but there were older ones available. Lino led me to where the live goats were, but I was not impressed. They were too big and I wanted a baby goat to love. So the guy said he would go check again. As we waited we took a picture of our adventure thus far...
We didn't have any luck finding a baby goat, so we traveled on. Keep in mind that being election time, I needed to be home as early as possible so as to avoid any demonstrations in town. It was recommended that I be home no later than 10am. Well on our way to the huge open air market in town, Owino, we got stuck in a huge traffic jam for about an hour. One of the main roads was closed and many people were out and about preparing for the election. It was stand still and wall to wall traffic. A traffic jam in Kampala means fighting with animals, people, vehicles, bikes, and motorcycles. If you stop paying attention for a second you end up in some sort of a wreck. Finally traffic started moving a bit and Hussein was able to direct me to Owino market (I would normally just take a boda and not have to worry about driving). Once in front of Owino, chaos ensued. A thief came running out of the market, followed quickly by pursuers. In situations when crowds and mobs begin to gather the best thing to do is leave. However I was stuck in a vehicle, in a traffic jam with no way out. As the mob began to shout and beat the man I began to panic a bit. I didn't want to be around when the man was killed and it was way unsafe for me to be anywhere near an angry mob. Things heighten very quickly here. Next to me, Lino started to get very anxious and began telling me that we had to get out of there right away. He knew they were going to kill the guy, and he knew that I needed to be out of there. Having a couple of big, strong African guys begin to panic only increased my own anxiety, as things like that don't always phase them because they've seen worse. Lino kept his eyes on the crowd, I keep mine on the road and maneuvered my way out of there. About 50 yards from the mob were police, not paying attention, just directing traffic. It was incredibly scary and I'm so glad I wasn't by myself. Once behind Owino the streets were still packed, my adrenaline was still pumping, and it was hard to concentrate on anything good after seeing the man being beaten. Hussein got out of the vehicle to ask around about goats. Lino and I waited while angry shop owners shooed my vehicle from stopping in front of their shops. Once again, I was so thankful to have Lino with me and that I wasn't sitting alone waiting for Hussein to come back to the vehicle. Finally he returned and said that there wasn't anyone willing to sell a baby goat. He suggested that we go home and get up earlier the next day to go back to the slaughter house. Lino spoke up and mentioned trying another market close to where we live where he and the guys had bought a goat to slaughter for a celebration last year. So despite being a bit traumatized I agreed to going to another market. Luckily Ggaba market is out of downtown, away from traffic, close to home, and much quieter. We got to the market and Hussein once again left the vehicle in search of someone willing to sell a baby goat. We went all around and most said they weren't selling. Finally there was one more place we hadn't tried. I pulled over, Hussein and Lino both got out, talked to the lady, and then called me over. She had agreed to sell one to me for $55. I asked Hussein to tell her that I would not pay that much and that I didn't want the (mzungu) white person price. We got her down to $30, and I got my goat!
Here's Lino untying him...
And here I am, exhausted, 3.5 hours later, holding Nicodemus
Riding with Lino on the way to his new home...
Finally, here are a couple videos of Nico at his new home
1 comment:
We will be praying for your safety during this election time. I can't get over that story of you getting the goat, nor can I get over that you have a goat. Love you friend.
Post a Comment