Tuesday, July 20, 2010

still alive and living life to the fullest

Last night I slept in the bush.

We were heading to Karamoja in the far northeast to visit a village that Peace and Reconciliation Ministries has been working with, and we ended up having even more of an adventure than originally planned. The Karamoja tribe has a well-earned reputation all over Uganda because of their ruthless cattle raiding. The region is reeeally far away from other towns because people don't like to live too close to people who kill them and steal their cows. The village we were visiting is involved in training in agricultural development in an effort to encourage these people to move away from a lifestyle predicated on cattle raiding. It's considered a no-go region by many, but you're pretty much alright as long as you're not traveling with cattle (we weren't).

Because the area is so remote, the roads are not really roads at all. Last night, right around sunset and at least 45 minutes after passing any form of human civilization, our car got stuck in the mud that made up these "roads." After getting out several times and pushing it through some tough spots, it finally became inextricably lodged for the night. We made several calls to see if we could get some help (including a call to the representative of the president of Uganda in the region and the local military commander), but the local military had no vehicle and the roads wouldn't allow us to be reached by motorcycle. So we stayed... in the bush... all night.



In the morning, Dickson walked several miles to some military barracks he knew were somewhere up the road. So 15 hours and 8 able-bodied soldiers later, we were moving!



What could have been a really terrifying and dangerous situation was characterized by peace and a reminder that God is good.

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the Shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.'
You will not fear the terror of night not the arrow that flies by day.
If you make the Most High your dwelling- even the Lord, who is my refuge- then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.
For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
'Because he loves me,' says the Lord, 'I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
He will call upon me and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation."

Psalm 91

1 comment:

Unknown said...

You are so brave! Wish I could have g-chatted with you longer today. The big smile on my face in the middle of that meeting was giving me away like a professor in a white seersucker. xo