Continued from Part I 

Fri, 13 May, Nakitokolo Visits

Finished Ezra this morning. Interesting how the book ends with the grief of Ezra and his organization of returned exiles to put away their pagan wives. It seems like such a short contribution that Ezra makes – to deliver the temple vessels to the reconstructed temple and to rally the Israelites to stick together as a community rather than spread out and intermarry. That’s it. (He may have also had a hand in recovering the records pertaining to the temple reconstruction in Cyrus’ library.) Does this mean that Christians should remain cloistered or merely that we should not marry unbelievers?

At breakfast, Sam Bongole suggested that the regional committee hire an accountant to collect records from the local committees and be the hatchet man if clients fail to pay their loans. This is something Wyatt has already been ruminating on. This year’s policy development meeting with the regional committee should prove to be a busy one with many significant developments.

Ugandans are very reserved in culture. Mealtimes are quiet with little talking. They think Americans are noisy. The cook is very mousy, keeping out of the way and quiet. Even their “Yes” answer is made with a slight raising of the eyebrow, and if it needs more force, they add a sleight grunt. Their whole greeting process is done sotto voce without looking at each other, ending in a quiet “Hmmm.” When I asked about this later, my guide explained that it shows that a visitor is coming in peace and is not being aggressive.

A little history: In 1877, Anglican missionaries came, followed by Roman Catholic missionaries from Italy and France. They focused on starting schools and hospitals. Up until the early 1800’s there were not many people living in Uganda, but at that time some Bantu peoples migrated in from South and West Africa (there are similarities between Zulu and Luganda languages). I am surprised to learn that ancient Christianity never made it up the Nile to this area.

This was my first time to see papyrus plants, pineapple plants, coffee trees, tomatillos on the vine, and a toucan bird in the wild. The locals don’t think of the different species of birds. Twice, I asked what sort of bird we were looking at, and the locals said it was just “some bird.”

On our visitations in Nakitokolo, we saw:

• Lydia - a school teacher (another single mom),

• Amos – a brick maker. I really liked him and his family,

• John – a farmer, a young single man, going blind, taking care of AIDS orphans,

• Joseph – a well-educated man who came down with AIDS, then recovered and went to farming,

• Charles – heir to a wealthy estate, battling meningitis, struggling to make a profit on chickens,

• Harriet – a teacher at the church school whose non-Christian husband (Charles’ brother) told her to have nothing to do with church or school, so she bought a cow with a TMP loan in order to sell its milk,

• Henry Ssonko – got out of the grocery business, hasn’t finished his house, and hasn’t gotten married. I’m disappointed to hear that news.

Sat, 14 May, Luweero

I slept great and didn’t get any more mosquito bites, although I did get more ant bites. My supper also stayed with me – no more diarrhea – Praise the Lord! “Ma” Beverly is telling me what to eat to go easy on my stomach – crackers and bananas – I don’t think I’ve ever eaten so little for breakfast!

This morning I worked a bit with Godfrey on developing icons for the different accounting categories. We made some good progress. Afterward, he asked me for money (this was the third time). I feel sorry for him, but he really does need to bring his needs up to the church deacons, and I really can’t give him the hundreds of dollars he needs to pay for his next semester of school.

We are now on our way through Kampala to Luweero with Pastor Bob Gad Kalyowa. Driving through a big city is a mind-boggling experience for me. There are too many people to comprehend lining the streets, each with a life story and each one loved or hated individually by God. It is too overwhelming to dwell on it in my mind.

We eventually made it to Luweero. Africans don’t start meetings until a critical mass of people, especially the leadership, are all there. So we just kind of hang out until all of a sudden the meeting starts. The seminar we did in 3.5 hours two days ago (Can it be only two days ago? I seems like a WEEK ago!) somehow took 5 hours today. The highlight of the seminar for me was teaching the song, “Yesu Hallalelah.” They didn’t relate to the Swahili, so I learned how to say, “Jesus is faithful,” in Lugandan and sang those words instead. The combination of familiar words with the pentatonic scale was electric. They loved it!

It was uncomfortably hot, and my tummy was feeling uneasy all day. We got to taste their maize paste instead of potatoes for lunch. Pastor Bob says he doesn’t like matoke! I took a heaping serving of what looked like little green peas only to find out that they were something entirely different – like unripe tomatoes – and tried my best to politely eat them all! They also had peanut sauce and the ubiquitous curry, made of gristy chunks of meat boiled with water, tomatoes, lots of salt, and a little chili power and onion. A blind man named Charles served us his mango-orange drink concentrate. On an unsettled stomach in a small, hot, stuffy dining room, I almost passed out.

I’m feeling a little better now that we’re at the Anglican guest house in Luweero. The sun is setting, so it’s cooling off, and I’ve had a chance to wash my face and hands. I don’t like to be different from the Africans and demand privileges as an American, but to live at their level of poverty is downright uncomfortable, and I can’t take it for long. The heat, dirt, crowdedness, lack of any convenience (no cushions on seats, no music, no napkins with meals), the strangeness of the food, the smells of vehicle fumes and sewage and garbage in the city, the constant uncertainty in light of being at the mercy of hosts, and not understanding them when they speak Lugandan - I tell you, this is not a vacation! Thinking it over, I can imagine this is more like a vacation for a pastor to live for a few weeks without a cell phone, no sermon preparation, no counseling cases or crises with church members, no financial worries, and the utter admiration of everyone he meets in Africa. But a vacation for me means getting away from people, just being with my family, walking alone in the woods, playing my guitar, and having time to study my Bible, and being the man in charge, none of which is the case here.

Father, I long for a guitar to play, a wife to hug, a child to hold, but it’s so empty this afternoon. Is that what poverty feels like? I feel so empty away from the wealth that I have experienced from God – my wife and children and comfy chairs and music and napkins, etc. I should be content with God alone. It’s a dreadful realization to think that these blessings may be distracting me from a pure delight in God Himself. God, have mercy on me! God, help me!

15 May, Lord’s Day

I slept poorly. Various sounds and dreams kept me up. I heard the whine of mosquito wings during the night and never knew if the bug was inside or outside my mosquito net – whether to scrunch away from the netting or to flail a hand in hopes of swatting it. At one point I was becoming annoyed with the doves hooting over and over, when it struck me that the opening guitar line in Paul Simon’s “African Skies” on the Graceland album must surely be based on these dove’s songs. Doves seem to have a different call here than what I’ve heard in America. What finally woke me up was another group of birds cawing that sounded like children yelling in distress.

We finally had boiled eggs for breakfast. I think our cook at Dr. K’s guest house decided we liked pancakes, so after serving a variety of breakfasts the first week, we got pancakes all week the second week from him. I'm glad for the eggs.

I taught on the Great Commission for the Sunday School hour. Even though I chopped out more than ever, I ran way overtime. I guess I only had 40 minutes, and I had a slower interpreter. It takes 3-4 times longer to communicate with an interpreter because, in addition to doubling the time with interpretation, I try to rephrase concepts just to make sure things aren’t being lost in translation. And it’s still stop-and-go waiting for the translator every phrase. Wyatt really appreciated my teaching, though. The worship service was enjoyable. Apart from the very Anglican traditional doxology, the rest of the songs were unintelligible to me, so I just clapped and danced with no understanding. I enjoyed Wyatt’s sermon on the doxology of Eph. 3.

A TMP meeting to form a local committee followed the worship service. It went very well, and, except for the absence of any deacons, I think they have a very capable group. Joyce, the old, short lady, has a good administrative head on her shoulders.

We met a man named Robert, who told us about his son with skin cancer. He asked Wyatt to raise money to treat the boy. Wyatt told me later that he has been approached in previous years with the same need. After we got back to the guest house, I fell into conversation with a young man who had been approached by the same guy with the same need, had gotten a doctor’s estimate of the cost of treatment, had raised money in his church in South Carolina, and had sent the full sum of money to Uganda. When I asked a Ugandan pastor about that, he replied that the money had not made it to the boy because there were more immediate needs in ACTI. There are other churches that have raised money for needs in that congregation, too. Is there any way to coordinate among the American churches what we’re raising money for and to safeguard against corruption?

We visited a few businesses that afternoon, including Harriet’s little farm with “exotic” pigs that have to be kept above ground. She’s a widow who has adopted two children. We also saw Wilberforce’s staple goods store. He alarmed me – an elder in the church, a handsome man with a beautiful, well-dressed family, one of the nicest-looking stores I’ve seen, with two refrigerators (one running by electricity and one to run on butane when the power goes out), BUT he hasn’t paid off his loans in four years, and he works at his store seven days a week.

It seems that the “Christian” work ethic has seeped into the Ugandan consciousness without the Christian rest ethic. As I asked around, they seemed to have no conscience about working on the Lord’s Day. I even asked Dr. Krabbendam why he made his guesthouse staff work seven days a week so they can’t even go to church, and he said that it was the Ugandan manager’s decision and besides, he asked, “How would we eat on Sunday if they didn’t work?” I’m sure we could figure out a way! At the same time, most men seem to work long hours every day and don’t spend much time at home.

Mon, 16 May, Free Day

This is the two-week mark. We arrived back from Luweero to find Dr. Krabbendam’s guest house full of people. I am feeling increasingly bored, If I had just taken my guitar, that would have given me something to do, but after I am tired of talking there is simply nothing I can do but stand around.

We sat through Dr. K’s devotions this morning before Pastor Bob Gad picked us up to go shopping. He talked about the “Interconnectedness” of theology: the principle that there are balances in theology to be kept: grace – works, sanctification – justification, peace – war, etc. He said that in the light of the justification controversy, Dr. Bryan Chappell has confessed that he has overemphasized grace so much at Covenant Seminary that it has created a backlash of focus on works. I’ve always though that wisdom was the ability to balance extremes, although I want to be careful to avoid the artificial balance of the Hegelian dialectic, which is really nothing more than compromise.

Shopping was successful, although I spent way too much money on gifts for my family. Bob Gad found a seamstress in the city who said she could make Gomezi dresses for Paula and my girls for less than $35, and then I got a Ugandan stool, a drum, and a thumb harp for $25 total. Pastor Bob taught me to barter by countering the asking price with something less than half, and if they don’t go low enough, walk away. The girl who sold me the drum and stool was a good salesperson. She exclaimed that I was driving an extra-hard bargain and asked where I learned to barter. When I said I was from Illinois, she said I looked like a rich American. When I told her I was not rich in America, she just laughed. The guy who sold me the thumb harp didn’t know how to play it. He said that it wasn’t played in Kampala as commonly as in Jinja. The harp was originally set to two octaves of pentatonic scales (Do, Re, Mi, So, La) with the lowest notes in the middle. I reconfigured it to make the tones go like a piano from low on one side to high on the other and was able to make some musical headway. The song, “Merci Merci Jesu” uses the pentatonic scale.

I think the happiest I’ve been on this trip was this afternoon as I sat on my new stool writing up a new accounting spreadsheet with icons to represent the line items, with the afternoon sun slanting into the bedroom windows, listening to Bob Bennett’s Non Fiction album and singing along. The whole theme of that album is international development and ministry. Now I’m finished with the spreadsheet, the power has gone out, and it is dusk. Charlie Peacock is now crooning on the tape player, and the cool air mixed with the smell of our curry being boiled over the butane burner is very pleasant. It’s also nice to think that Paula might call. That would top it all off!

Tue, 17 May, Kampala Seminar

Paula didn’t call until this morning, but I enjoyed getting to talk to her again. I did not sleep very well. I’m into Nehemiah now in morning Bible readings. I read today about fear. Sanballat and Tobias were trying to incite fear in Nehemiah’s heart. They knew that if Nehemiah started acting afraid of them, it would prove that Nehemiah indeed had guilt. Instead, Nehemiah’s fear was rightly placed upon God. He knew that if he did not fear God he would be reproached among the nations. Interesting also that the 1% interest charged by the nobles was called usury by Nehemiah and condemned.

We guys moved to the top floor of Dr. Krabbendam’s guest house to make room for more students coming in Wednesday. As soon as I had my stuff up there, it was time to go off to First Pres. Church in downtown Kampala. The pastor is definitely an “otter” personality - a lot of fun to watch! He reminds me a lot of the bass player, Abraham Laboriel. He could have put on the seminar by himself, I think. I would speak a phrase, and he would go off for almost five minutes stating the principle, anticipating my conclusion, giving examples, and restating why it was so important. It is great to see a pastor with so much buy-in to TMP. This congregation seems richer and more educated. There is also a higher ratio of men to women here than in any other church I’ve seen.

We had our local TMP committee meeting after the seminar. Patrick Bukenya is the elder for this committee, and the other members are Deacon Richard Kalibbala (a very professional-looking young man), Deacon Frank Tebayite (a tall, quiet, middle-aged man), Christopher (Treasurer), and Seboza Edward. Pastor Ed Kasaija, however, was the one who gave the report. He said that the project is running smoothly, that defaulters responded well to Wyatt writing letters to them in the wake of rumors that TMP money was a gift not to be paid back. He commended two exemplary beneficiaries: Mama Duluka and Frank Tebayite. Some others have not done well and have left the church. Accounting was not done well, just going by word-of-mouth. Two beneficiaries have died with outstanding balances. They want to start a separate bank account for TMP instead of sharing the church account, which is a wise idea. Member meetings have fallen by the wayside. Rating TMP in this church, they gave it a B (good) rating. Ed suggested that people have defaulted because TMP was a new and different idea, because some people did not get adequate training, and because some thought that the loans were gifts for becoming Presbyterians. People who get loans from a bank - with strict rules and enforcement - will pay those loans back, but if the TMP is perceived as “easy” they won’t pay back as well.

Pastor Ed said that hearing the TMP policies from four white people really reinforces what the local committee has tried to uphold all along and that this was the best TMP seminar ever. When I questioned him about the possibility of pulling all the local committee members together for a single extended seminar and training them to present seminars themselves, he said that people will listen more closely to an American than to a Ugandan teacher. The American has more status, so he will be more respected as a teacher. This grates against my sense of indigenous staff being better!

Pastor Ed also said that he could make use of one of us full-time in Uganda. He also recommended that TMP could become an NGO (equivalent to an American Non Profit Org.) and be evangelistic in nature and expand into the community. But would TP work if it left the church and became and NGO? I don’t think so.

Wed, 18 May, Kampala Visits

It was an unexpected pleasure to hear from Paula on the phone again! I slept great last night. Unfortunately, the water heater does not work, nor is the water pressure sufficient to run a shower in our new quarters upstairs, and the lighting is poor: one set of fluorescent strips hung high in the rafters to light four rooms. The next wave of students came in this morning, so it was organized chaos, further exacerbated by an argument between two of the American pastors, which started when one of them suggested that the War Between the States in America could be compared with the civil wars in Uganda. The other fellow argued that the tribal issues made the Ugandan situation much more complex and volatile than the American situation between North and South. Missiological studies I’ve read show that the biggest problem missionaries face is getting along with other missionaries!

In my reading in Nehemiah, it is interesting to note that he set up the military security of the city before reinstating worship. I see parallels between the reconstruction of Jerusalem and the nation-building in Uganda we are involved in. There had to first be political stability and an end to warfare before anything else. Now we are bringing the Word of God back into people's lives just as Ezra did. (There are so many places in the Bible where business and economics are taught.) Then the people respond in obedience as they understand principles of stewardship, honoring contracts, tithing, generosity, and savings. In Nehemiah’s day, the first step of practical obedience was to hold the feast of booths. Development is overwhelming and discouraging, so there is a need to show that obedience to God brings joy and that the joy of the Lord gives us strength to persevere through the many challenges where nation-building seems hopeless. Does TMP need to do more to encourage this celebratory aspect of obedience to God? We buy a feast for the church for lunch wherever we put on a seminar, so that’s a good start! Dear Lord, be my joy and my strength!

Today we visit the businesses at First Presbyterian Church, Kampala. Patrick Bukenya drove me and Beverly to see:

• Frank Tebayete – brick making business wholesaling three kinds of bricks to building supply stores. Frank wants to get a new press driven by a gasoline engine to replace the hand-operated press he has now. We also saw him later painting the church building at Nakumba.

• Joanna Kalyowa (Bob Gad’s wife) – tailoring business has been interrupted by a difficult birth. She seemed very tired, but was the first person we visited who served food to us!

• James Myende - He was on the staff of the Bible League, but the office was shut down and he has been unemployed for a year, leaving his wife, Proscovia, to support the family as a seamstress. She got a loan for that business, but hasn’t been able to pay anything back because they have six teenagers they are trying to send through school. At his age, it’s hard for James to find a new line of employment. His predicament is a result of Americans paying salaries to nationals without a good plan in place.

• Fred and Rose Sempa – Innovative farming with fruit trees, chickens, exotic pigs, catfish, and tilapia ponds, mushrooms, etc. They served us fresh boiled eggs and tea made with only hot milk and tea leaves. Beautiful farm and sweet children. I felt homesick when he called his son “Beni!” Like many American farmers, he also has a 9-5 job in town, where he is an auto mechanic.

These four were very spread out, requiring a lot of driving time. As far-removed as these folks are, and judging from their involvement in other churches, I think they keep membership at First Pres for the social status it brings. Patrick says that people don’t like to come to a church until they have a nice building built. Sounds just like the USA.

We arrived back at the First Pres. church building to interview a single mom who looked very tired and who had applied for a TMP loan. Then the Wed night service started, followed by an evening snack of chapatti (flatbread), meat, and chai (spiced tea).

We arrived back at Dr. K’s guest house to find him teaching in his typical meandering style to a room full of 50 college students and recent graduates. I found my friend Kevin, who had arrived with the latest batch of students, and enjoyed catching up with him - although not as much enjoyment as I had anticipated. Once again, I am disappointed when I put my hope and delight in anything but God. My heart leaped, though, when I saw that he was carrying a package for me from my family. What a joy to see the pictures of my wife and children! Interesting how strong the sense of smell is in creating associations. Paula had made a sachet with her perfume, and when I closed my eyes and smelled it, it was easy to imagine she was right there.

Thu, 19 May, Nakumba Seminar

Dr. Krabbendam generated an interesting discussion on where revival comes from. He spoke of three positions:

1. Revival comes from the future, as we hope for a future outcome only in God’s hands. This was Asahel Nettleton’s position.

2. Revival comes from the present. This was Charles Finney’s position, that it can be manufactured at any time.

3. Revival comes from the past. If we know God and his actions throughout history, revival can be ours. Dr. K advocated this position.

Nehemiah 9-10 focuses on the mercy and compassion, love and grace of God. The nobles recount the history of Israel and show God’s grace throughout. When His people committed great blasphemy, He, in great compassion, did not forsake them nor did He remove His guidance from them. How glad I am that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Thank You, God, that You still show Your compassion to me when I sin, when you have every right to withdraw all Your blessings from me.

Patrick drove us to the church in Nakumba today. It’s a very nice building in the country, built by Koreans about 20 years ago. Two elders and three young men attended our TMP seminar with 12 women. No pastor or deacons attended. The Pastor, John Mugabe, seemed aloof and wealthy. I would guess that is the result of being paid a salary by foreigners. I found out later, though, that Pastor John started a prison ministry at age 16 and has shown great faithfulness in doing that ministry for many years, so that modifies my bad impression.

I enjoyed interacting with Elder David as he interpreted for us in the seminar. During lunch break, another charming old man named Vincent, tried his best to convince me to buy a house in Nakumba and settle down there. It’s a tempting proposition, seeing as I can’t afford to buy a house in America, and the price is about one tenth as much in Uganda. (Which also adds to my suspicion that real estate is in an overvaluation bubble in the USA.)

Fri, 20 May, Nairobi

It was hard to wake up at 2:30am to catch the 5:30 flight out of Entebbe! Pastor Steven and Elder Francis were right there in Nairobi to pick us up in time, though. Steven is the pastor of Nakura Presbyterian church out toward the Rift Valley and is also moderator of the General Assembly of the AEPC. Francis is an elder of the Community Presbyterian church in Nairobi, has a degree in business and is involved in development to some degree. They took us on a grand tour of Nairobi. They are proud of their city, and for good reason. It’s immediately obvious that Kenya is a wealthier country than Uganda. The roads, cars, businesses, and houses, are all nicer than in Kampala. There are poor people, and the slum looks just like slums in Kampala, but there is more money in the country for infrastructure and creature comforts for the tourists and the wealthy. We saw the city center, the park where the original U.S. Embassy was bombed, and the parliament building (where they have their own version of Big Ben). Here are some notes from the conversation:

• 1844 – the first English missionaries came to Kenya.

• Kenya is 80% Christian now, with most of the rest Muslim.

• There are three Presbyterian denominations in Kenya: The biggest of them, the PCEA, was started by Scottish Presbyterians. The Independent Presbyterian Church (Is that an oxymoron?) was started by the Bible Presbyterian Church in the USA and split off from the AEPC. And the Africa Evangelical Presbyterian Church, in which our hosts are affiliated.

• There are 72 PCEA congregations, averaging 50 members each. There are 40 pastors in the PCEA, seven of whom have an M.Div. or a Doctoral degree. Every congregation has deacons, though.

• In 2002 there was a popular democratic movement that overthrew the corrupt régime and found freedom of speech and movement. This, however, was done without the warfare which devastated Uganda.

• About 30% of the population is self-employed and an additional 20% is employed by others. Still leaves a 50% unemployment rate.

• Hindus were the first developers in East Africa. They have remained in Kenya whereas they were kicked out of Uganda by Idi Amin. Although they are few in number, they control the Kenyan economy.

• Average family size is 5 children.

• It costs about 200 schillings a day to cover a poor family’s needs. (a thousand a month is typical slum housing rent). A Kenyan Schilling (/-) is equivalent to 1.3 cents; one U.S. dollar equivalent to 76 /-

• A loan of about US$500 would be enough for a poor person to substantially increase his business.

• They are already familiar with ROSCA’s (savings circles), which have been operating in the agricultural sector for some time and are now growing in the business sector.

• There is much more of a tourist industry here, especially in the coastal cities of Lamu and Mombassa. The wildlife is out in the Rift Vally and in the mountains.

• Nairobi is higher elevation than Denver – they said it was 6,000 meters above sea level. I didn’t find myself short of breath, so I found it hard to believe we were that high up. The altitude, however, makes the climate comfortably cool for being on the equator.

Steven and Francis drove us to see several types of marketplaces around Nairobi. We went to the Kibera slum – the largest slum in Africa, with one million people. The AEPC has a church planted in that slum, but it is not self-sufficient. We also saw the Juakali (“hot sun”) suburban business district with mid-size shops set back from the road. And some high-end shops in a western-style mall.

We stopped for lunch and learned that Kenyans talk and do business over lunch, unlike Ugandans. Steven and Francis said that this was due to the fact that Kenyans work so many hours a day. They said that they usually work over 12 hours per day, and in some cases a man will get a security guard job over his sleeping hours and get paid for 24 hours a day of work!

We then stopped at a mid-grade market place, where Francis walked up and down the stalls, interviewing vendors. I felt bad interviewing these people knowing there was nothing I could do for them. Below is a chart from our survey.

As we walked out of the market, we ran into the Karen district chief, a stout, well-dressed woman with a no-nonsense attitude. Our hosts began to share with her the results of our market survey, urging her to paint the market gate an attractive color and to put a sign out on the street to draw in passers-by. Suddenly, I felt useful to those poor shop-keepers. My presence as an American with inestimable social status gave my hosts the ability to get away with any criticism they wanted to level at the district supervisor and obligated her to save face by doing some of the things they asked her to do to improve the marketplace! She was very friendly and asked us to see her at her office, where she took formal note of our host’s recommendations and quickly ordered a worker to see about making a sign. Perhaps God will use this to bless hundreds of workers in the market with the promotion they need to get more business.

As we debriefed the experience, Elder Francis recommended that the TMP consider extending loans of between 36,000 and 120,000 Kenyan Shillings (US$474 - $1,579), to be paid back in a maximum of 3 years. This is two to four times as much as we have been extending in Uganda.

We went to Elder Francis’ church to talk more – Community Presbyterian Church of Madaraka. This church was started by Sanders Campbell, and Randy Nabors pastored here for two years. The current pastor’s name is Ronald, and there are about 5 elders and 500 members (200 of which attend on an average Sunday).

As we discussed The TentMaker Project with them, neither party saw red flags, so we proceeded to chart out a plan for developing the project along the following time scale:

During the remainder of the year 2005, we would send more information, they would study up on the TMP, and we would work on raising start-up funds.

1. During the first quarter of 2006, they would form a regional committee for Kenya while we continue to raise start-up funds.

2. During the second quarter of 2006, they would host a TMP seminar in Kenya which we would send staff to teach. We would also agree on a set of policies for TMP-Kenya

3. Extend the first loans in the Third quarter of 2006.

After prayer, they took us to the airport for the evening flight back out. Francis said that he could make arrangements for us next time to do some touristy stuff. We said a friendly good-bye at 4pm, and Francis went to his office to start his day of work while Steven began the 2.5 hour bus ride back to his home and church. Wyatt and I were left marveling at God’s providence.

I’ve been battling fatigue, headache, and eye problems bordering on nausea all day. We should be back to the guesthouse by 8pm, and I’ll be ready to hit the sack! Whoops, they forgot to send a driver to pick us up, so we got back by 9pm and then had to debrief with our teammates, so it was after 10 before I got to go to bed.

Sat, 21 May, Free Day

Oh I feel so good after a good night’s sleep – especially after feeling so crummy from exhaustion yesterday. As I finished Nehemiah today, I was struck with the parallels between Nehemiah and us: Nehemiah had an administrative job in Susa, Persia, but he made occasional trips to Jerusalem to develop the country of Israel. He was especially good at troubleshooting, in his case, shoring up security, planning construction, organizing people, and calling them down for pagan intermarriage, failure to tithe, desecration of a holy place, and working on the Sabbath. We are doing a similar thing, planning for economic growth in East Africa, organizing people to form TMP committees, keeping records, and calling people to conform to policy like record-keeping, paying off loans in proper timeframes, not allowing defaulters on committees, etc.

Our meeting in Kajanzi didn’t pan out, so I spent the morning preparing a sermon on Matt. 22… It was a pleasant , cool day. I also started packing, but it took much more time than I expected. We spent the afternoon as a team writing evaluations for each local committee.

22 May, Lord’s Day

Worship at First Pres. reminded me a bit of New City Fellowship in Chattanooga. I felt like my sermon really came together well. Many people seemed to give sincere appreciation for it. For the first time, some kids warmed up to me, too! I gave them some mints, took them up in my arms and flipped them around, and they came and sat with me when I sat down. After church, I got to shake hands with Kefa Sempangi before he took off for London. Another elder, who drove the nicest-looking land cruiser I had seen yet, told me about his association of microfinance organizations in Uganda. I got the impression that he looked down on TMP. A Pentecostal pastor buttonholed me next, asking for monthly support – in the most spiritual terms, of course. At lunch, we observed the “Five Loaves” program at work. Beverly commented that every church we went to served lunch, and she didn’t see any difference between this and what any other church did. Do churches normally serve lunch to their congregation or did they just do it because we were in town or because we were paying for meals related to The TentMaker Project? Deut 14 specifies that the tithe can be for a church fellowship meal, so I guess it’s not an inappropriate use of tithe money, but just how much foreign funds are propping this church up? They had a “wing-ding” sound system, electronic drum set, and PowerPoint projector and a laptop PC - Certainly all from Western friends.

We drove out to Pastor Ed’s farm house (He also has a house in town) to have our policy meeting with the Regional Committee. This guy is wealthy: Separate bedrooms for each of his 6 kids (the youngest is 17), scads of cows and hogs, and the nicest house I’ve seen yet in Uganda (with a big courtyard). Pastor Robert pulled me aside as Pastor Ed toured us around his premises and asked me why I had so many kids. I don’t think that he had ever heard a Westerner answer the way I did with a Biblical basis, but he didn’t argue, rather, he reflected that when he got married he would have about as many children as I do.

Officers present were Chairman Ed Kasaijah, Secretary James Yiga, and Treasurer Patrick Bukenya. The Regional committee meeting started with Wyatt suggesting changes in the TMP policy document. Here are some notes I took on the discussion:

• I questioned whether TMP should handle pass-through funds which are not related to the micro-loans. The only question on their minds was who pays the transfer fees for the wires ($36 on the USA side and 26k= on the Uganda side). I think many of them benefit personally from these extra pass-through gifts.

• Maximum amount of loans for pastors

• Frequency of reporting from the committees (3x/yr?),

• Aptitude for record-keeping,

• Accountability in appraising worthiness of applications,

• Response to defaulters (collect surety or reorganize note, then institute church discipline or use diaconal funds to pay loan),

• Surety (although they recognize that the Bible teaches against it, they feel that co-signers are necessary),

• Moses shared about the savings program at Mutungo. They must have 50% of the amount of the TMP loan asked for in their own savings, so the loan provides two-thirds of the capital for the next venture and one-third comes from their own savings.

• Debate on the amount of the loan servicing charge – this could result in the revocation of the provision of the loan fee coming off the top of the loan.

• Wyatt recommended that the regional committee work out a standardized loan repayment contract, but they asked us to do that and also to give them standardized accounting books, receipt templates, and application forms.

• Certificates of commendation were discussed for successful payers-back.

• Hiring a field secretary – biggest question is how much to salary him and how to raise that money.

• Regarding training, a compromise was reached whereby they recommended that we train trainers from the local committees, then put on seminars together with them for a couple of years until they can do it on their own.

• Tithing: Should TMP keep track? No, just reinforce the teaching of the church.

• Patrick suggested that all the pastors go in on a business together, but that got quite a mixed response.

It was a beautiful evening with the almost-full moon illuminating the courtyard, the candles flickering in the corners of the courtyard, and these eight Ugandan pastors whom I have come to respect, debating policies with wisdom and grace. This went on for six hours, and I arrived back at the guest house about 11:30pm. I didn’t realize how exhausted I was until Paula phoned at that time and I could hardly speak coherently to her.

Mon, 23 May, London

We awoke in a downpour that kept our van from being able to make it up the dirt road to the guesthouse. Rashidi came to the rescue in his 4WD, but it meant throwing our luggage on the roof rack to be rained on for the half-hour drive to the airport. The computers went down at the counter while Wyatt and I were checking in, delaying our flight, then a man was sitting in my assigned seat on the plane, leaving me to sit next to a Pentecostal woman, who has been conducting crusades in Uganda. She was so obese that she overflowed into my seat. She talked my ear off about all that God had told her and all her near-death experiences, then started snoring. I was at an utter loss to know how to interact with her. God, I know I should not give in to repulsion or patronizing, but what do I say???

Then there’s Esther. I started her book this morning. Fascinating how much detail God’s word gives of the court of the pagan king of Persia, down to the names of the eunuchs. (Why would God preserve their names?) Esther’s submissive attitude is emphasized in her obedience to Mordecai and to the eunuch in charge of her.

Upon arrival at London-Heathrow airport, I bade my teammates good-bye, picked up a box of books from a couple that my wife had arranged a meeting with, and then had coffee and a doughnut with Chaco Thomas, Jean, and Hikari of the MNN, the Mobilization team of Operation Mobilisation (basically George Verwer’s pet project). They asked for prayer for their financial support (It’s expensive to live in London and travel world-wide!), for more staff (especially an administratively-gifted person), translation of mobilization materials into other languages besides English, launching of a Mission Mobilization task force of the World Evangelical Alliance, success in mobilization (especially that 50,000 missionaries could come to Europe from the USA), and a couple more personal requests.

It was sweet to enjoy the fellowship of other mobilizers – understanding without much explanation what we’re doing and struggling with. They were such an encouragement to me. I am still blown away that they would have all taken almost half a day of their time just to meet with me.

The subway across London took just under an hour (the same subway that was bombed a month later), and after a couple of wrong turns, I found the Foreign Mission Club manor at about 8:30pm. It’s like a big, old dorm building. The rate for missionaries to stay there is half the price of other hotels, but it’s still expensive at about US$50! It seemed kinda deserted – the only people I saw were the concierge and a couple of European teenagers in the library when I went to check email.

24 May, Tuesday, Home

Slept very poorly, waking up almost every hour, heart racing, head pounding, having to trek across the second floor to the bathroom. At least it was no trouble to wake up on time. Unfortunately however, the hot shower I was looking forward to was cold water only. The trip back across London was nice, though, and I made it to the boarding gate an hour before takeoff was scheduled. Unfortunately, one of the crew members got sick and it delayed our flight almost three hours. Argh. I just want to get home!

Well, on to Esther and her character qualities: She must have made it a habit to send clothes to poor people she saw at the gate of the castle. But this time it was Mordecai. He was probably a prince who sat on a council of some sort at the king’s gate, presided over by Haman. Mordecai admonished her to seize the opportunity to use her God-given status to preserve the Jewish people from destruction as once again that old dragon, Satan, tried to devour the “woman” and the child to be born, the Messiah. Esther is a woman who studied the law, but was willing to sacrifice herself in disobedience to that law in order to save many people. She was also a woman of prayer and fasting. What an example of Godly womanhood! I want to go back through this book with my daughters!

After listening to a couple of music tapes, the plane finally took off, lunch was served, and the movies started. I decided to try Hotel Rwanda. I was blown away. It was like stepping back into Uganda, but this time with the war going on. It really made me feel like I was back in Africa. The in-flight version must have cut a fair amount of violent footage. I would love for my family to see this expurgated version. I wanted to cry at the end, and I would have if I were alone or with my family. Oh God, is there hope for Africa? Is the sound doctrine of the PCU enough?

Now, what should I say when someone asks me, “How was Uganda?” It was challenging for me to live in a non-modern country, but I was very impressed with the strength, wisdom, and industry of the Ugandan Presbyterian Church.