Pastor Kevin Odor and I had the great privilege of traveling to Kampala, Uganda on March 16 and taking part in teachings and preachings to students of Makarere University and Makarere Community Church (MCC). It was an amazing week – "beyond incredible" – and was transformational on so many levels. We went to be a blessing and ended up being the ones blessed.
Day One (March 16) was spent in the air – 19 1/2 hours, to be exact! Fortunately, it was broken up into three segments (LV to Minneapolis, Minneapolis to Amsterdam, and Amsterdam to Entebbe, Uganda). The second leg was especially tough, in that two long-legged pastors really couldn't get comfortable enough to sleep in seats better suited for short-legged ballerinas on a flight that was completely full. However, the in-seat entertainment system was our mental salvation and, along with two surprisingly good meals, made the nine hours go by fairly quickly. Kevin's movie highlight was "The Changling" with Angelina Jolie, which he gave a thumbs up, and mine was "Slumdog Millionaire," which I had been wanting to see and enjoyed immensely. I think it deserved the Best Picture Oscar (though I only saw two of the five nominated films). The third leg was SO much better, since the flight was only about a third full and, once the plane took off, we each had our own row and proceeded to sleep for about four hours. The extra rest really was nice in preparation for a busy few days ahead.
Day Two (March 17) was really just a continuation of Day One. Since Uganda is 10 hours ahead of Las Vegas, the combined air/layover time meant that we would actually land at around 9 p.m. the next day (March 17). Where did the day go? I was reminded of a trip our family took last summer to Europe (we took in London, Paris, Rome and Florence). The time change was definitely a shock to the system that first day. We were picked up at the airport by three of Pastor Martin's "lieutenants" (KO's word), two of whom we would get to know much better throughout the week – James and Jerome. The drive from Entebbe to Kampala took about 75 minutes, and I didn't see much since it was night. I do remember the drive being extremely bumpy – my first introduction to the practically non-existant transportation infrastructure of the area surrounding Kampala. I mean, cars could get LOST in their potholes! Kevin and I arrived at Adonai, a modern-looking guesthouse that would be our living quarters, around 11 and were greeted by the manager, Tom, who along with three others would make our stay most pleasant.
Day Three (March 18) was an incredible day. I didn't sleep much the night before (a combination of excitement and anxiousness), but the adrenaline more than made up for it. Our room (the "Shalom" room) was great: single beds that, although small (remember the short-legged ballerina comment?), were comfortable; a large wooden closet plenty big to hold our clothes and shoes; and a fairly good sized bathroom complete with shower and hand-held nozzle. The beds had mosquito nets that draped over four tall posts at each corner of the bed. We were VERY thankful for the nets, since it was the beginning of the rainy season and mosquitoes came out in force at night. I was on anti-Malaria meds and so didn't worry about getting sick; I was a little concerned about Kevin because he wasn't taking anything and we both got chewed up pretty good during the week. We had a great breakfast (every breakfast was great: usually eggs, toast, bananas, passion fruit juice and coffee, and the bananas were the best I've EVER tasted) with Pastor Martin, who told us he had arranged for a big dinner gathering that night of college ministry leaders from different universities that would serve as a pre-Summit promotional event. It would be held on campus at Makarere, in a big lecture room, with a buffet-style dinner held in an adjacent courtyard – but the trick would be how to pay for it! Fortunately, we had brought contingency funds, so the dinner was covered. It was an amazing evening involving preaching (Kevin), impromptu worship by a very Spirit-filled young lady, and fellowship between leaders who in some cases were meeting for the first time. Several local pastors were there as a show of unity, and the dinner meeting definitely served its purpose. EVERYONE was motivated to promote and attend the Summit! Earlier in the day, I got to see the White House (MCC's ministry center), and we spent quite a bit of time there so I could capture it on video. The reason? Our Christian Businessmen's Network from Las Vegas has committed to funding a "temporary" ministry center on another site (the Palace, which I'll describe later), and when that happens the White House will be razed and eventually a new, five+ story building will go up in its place. The new White House will include space for the church, which has had to rent space at the university to hold services. It's all very exciting, and I wanted to show the CBN guys back home what it looks like now – offices, counseling rooms, radio station, prayer room and open air prayer center – and what it will become.
Day Four (March 19) was an incredible day (that will be a recurring theme) of teaching and training 30 of Pastor Martin's top "lea-dahs." I sleep very well the night before (I basically crashed while reviewing my material; Kevin said it was rather funny how I got everything out to study – he was also reviewing his materials – and probably lasted about 90 seconds before collapsing) and felt ready to teach. After breakfast Jerome picked us up (he was our main driver during the week) in the church's Bronco (which is a source of pride for Jerome, since it may be the only one in all of Kampala and one of the few cars with the steering wheel on the left) to take us to the Makarere University library. With him was Emma, a sweet serving brother who was ever-present and so faithful to our needs. What a great guy. KO and I taught in two separate meeting rooms (he took one group of about 15 and I took the other), and it was great. He taught his group on organic leadership and creating your Life Map, and I taught my group on the power of networking (principles in the morning and a case study in the afternoon). I began the day by sharing my testimony (Pastor Martin had asked me beforehand to do that) and then in the afternoon I shared how I met Patty before we were married. Had a lot of fun with that. We broke for lunch at 1 (I grew to love the food, which included matooke – mashed green banana served in the peel, usually served with ground nut or "G-Nut" sauce – lots of different potatoes, rice, mostly green vegetables and always beef medallions and grilled chicken), and the entire day just flew by. The students asked lots of questions and were so engaged; they really got the whole concept of networking, to the point where it became THE buzz word for the week. That night KO and I attended a dinner at a Chinese restaurant (Chinese? In Uganda? That blew me away!) with Pastor Martin, his wife Tracy, Pastor Joshua (head of the Born Again Pentecostal Church of Uganda) and Pastor Joseph (head of the Victory Christian Centers of Uganda) and his wife. The dinner, according to Martin (who planned it with KO and me earlier that day), would provide strategic planning for the big Leadership Summit in November. And he was right.
Day Five (March 20) was an incredible day and was somewhat of a mirror image of the previous day. I slept well (we didn't get home from the dinner until quite late) and felt excited about teaching a new group. KO had told me he didn't feel he had quite succeeded in helping the kids understand the Life Map the day before (I think time was a big factor, since the afternoon flew by), so he was determined to make sure his new group "got it." It was a great day of teaching; I shared my testimony/how I met my wife anew, and we had to cut our day short by about an hour because Pastor Joshua wanted us to travel to one of the surrounding villages that afternoon to introduce Kevin at one of his churches so the villagers could meet the Senior Pastor from the Las Vegas church that helped purchase goats and pigs. Canyon Ridge raised close to $30,000 last Christmas, with the funds used to purchase goats (Pastor Joshua decided to add pigs because the litters are bigger) that would give villagers who attend Pastor Joshua's churches an opportunity to make better lives for themselves. A single goat – which costs about $35 – or pig could make all the difference for an entire family in Uganda, and selling a goat or pig gives a teenage boy or girl the chance to go to secondary (high) school, which could eventually propel them out of a life of poverty. I captured Kevin speaking to the villagers (with interpreter) on video, and it was one of the most incredible (there's that word again!) moments I've ever been part of.
Day Six (March 21) was an incredible day, because it was the day of the Student Leadership Summit. I got no sleep the night before (again, I think it was a combination of excitement and anxiousness; I was nervous about how the students would respond, and would I be able to relate to them). KO was really helpful and reasurring when I told him how nervous I was ("they're here to hear YOU, because you have something for them to learn"), so I felt more confident on the drive over to Makarere. The adrenaline definitely kicked in by the time we arrived around 8:45. SIDE NOTE: Ugandans have no sense of time. We were supposed to get started at 8:30; it was closer to 10 by the time we began. It was like this all week!
This past December I ran in the Las Vegas Half-Marathon. It was an awesome experience. While running in the race I was inspired by the people who were running for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). When the race was done I decided the next time I race I will race to help raise money to stop blood cancers and Team in Training is going to help me do just that!
