Amazing Love!

"Blessed be your name
In the land that is plentiful
Where the streams of abundance flow
Blessed be your name

Blessed be your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed be your name"

Amazingly how we can be in both of these places at the same time. Even though life is hard and we struggle through our lives, both the daily worldly domain as well as the spiritual domain, every moment we decide to spend in the presence of God as his child, there is an abundant stream of love flowing from his throne!

Down-sizing?

I know that we are in a recession and a lot of companies are downsizing, cost cutting and adjusting their product portfolio. But perhaps this is a step too far, British Airways? ;-)

Photo taken June 11th, 2009 on the Jinja-Kampala Highway in Mabira Forest, Uganda

Human Sacrifice is on the rise

Human sacrifice is on an alarming increase. Children are abducted and killed because of the lust or want for money, success and fame.

We as parents try our best to protect our children. We do not entrust them to anybody without making sure (as well as we can) that they will not harm them.

We take precautions that we normally would not have allowed. Girls get their ears pierced before they are 9 weeks old. Boys get circumcised as babies. Why? To make them unsuitable for ritual rites and sacrifices.

But God wants us and our children to be free. HIS Son was sacrificed so that the only sacrifice we have to bring is to give Him our hearts and our will.

In the name of Jesus Christ, I bless each and everyone of our children. I call upon the power of God to save our children.

If You have lost a loved one, a child, a sibling to human sacrifice - please understand and know that children are innocent in the eyes of The Lord. So even if someone used your child or your brother or sister for a ritual, your child or sibling is safe in the arms of our Almighty God in His Heaven.

I also bless those who sacrifice children and those who pays other to do so. Why? Not to reinforce and condone child sacrifice. Far from it. But in the Holy Name of the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords I ask His blessings on them that they may see his Love and thus the error of their ways.

Saul was one of the most bitter enemies of Christians but was met by Christ on the road to Damascus. On that day his life was changed and he went from Saul the mighty persecutor of Christ's followers to Paul, maybe the biggest Apostle, changing many lives even today.

Never give up on someone and never underestimate the power and influence of The Holy Ghost!

A better world?

"We are a Nation of Thieves and Lying is the Common Language"

- I heard this quote not long ago. And it is true, sad to say. For some contries it is more true and more prevalent than others but basically it is true for any and all nations that I know of.

You might say, that your in your nation, thieving and lying is only done in small an insignificant ways. In "The Parable of the Talents" (Matt 25:14-30) it says in verses 21 and 23 "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'". So if you are stealing and lying in small things, wouldn't you be the unfaithful servant?

The only way this world can be changed into a more trustworthy place, where justice is the order of the day rather than chaos and unjustice, is if we, You and I, start with ourselves. That is, if I start to make a change in the way I am, I can change my life and make others trust me.

You might say that one cannot make a change take place in the world. But it can make a world of change in your life, in your world, if you change. And it will make a change in my world, if I make a change in my life.

So the important question is not "Who will make a change in this world, making it a better world?". Rather it is "Will I make a change in my life, my world."

Public Transport - Kampala Style! Part Three

Public Transport – Kampala Style! Part Three

This is the third part of a three part series I am writing on Public Transport in Kampala, Uganda.

In parts one and two we have covered Taxis and Bodo-Bodas. In this third and final part we will cover Cabs and Special hires.

Cabs
Generally there are two cab companies in Kampala; Yellow Cab and Blu-Cruise (or Blue Cab) (going to and from Entebbe is also the Airport Taxis). Both operate in much the same way. They have a meter that will calculate the cost of the fare. However you can arrange for a fixed fare before you set out on your journey. Usually it will pay to accept the offer that the driver comes up with, especially when there is a lot of traffic. But if You know someone with local knowledge, please ask them, what the fare ought to be. That way you will not be duped. Both companies have vehicles parked at popular places, like Garden City and Lugogo Mall and other places around town.

From my personal experience, I like Blue-Cab (Blu-Cruise) better because I have been treated in a more honest way than the Yellow Cab drivers I have met.

Special Hires
Special Hires are private persons that offer to transport you from A to B. The vehicle is privately owned, often either the drivers own personal car or one he has borrowed.
A price is arranged before the trip, just as with the fixed fare with the Cabs.

It is not only transport of persons that can be arranged. Pickup trucks and larger trucks if you need to move goods.

Special Hires are all over town. They are not regulated in any way, as they are really an individual, private initiative.

Generally, at least for personnal (not goods) transport it is the most expensive solution, but offers vary from a simple (and sometimes worn out), personally owned car to a company owned luxury car.

Public Transport – Kampala Style! Part Two

This is the second part of a three part series I am writing on Public Transport in Kampala, Uganda.

In part one I talked about Taxis. In this part we will cover Boda-Bodas.
Originally a Boda-Boda was a bicycle operating between borders across the often wide no-mans-land at the African border crossings. They ferried passengers and their belongings from one border post to the other; border-to-border hence boda boda.

Now a days they operate all over the city of Kampala going anywhere and everywhere in the city. The original bicycle Bodas are still here but have been joined by small motorcycles. As they can weave their way through traffic they are often the fastest way from A to B. This comes at a price though. Generally it is more expensive to go by boda. It is also more dangerous.

They also carry all sorts of goods. Anything that can fit on a boda will be carried by a boda. It is amazing what can be carried on a boda. A bicycle boda can carry up to 7 crates full of soda. Or 4 20L jerry cans full of water. Even nursery school children are taken to and from school by boda, up to 3 children on the same boda.

You can hire a boda almost everywhere in town. They have stages all over the city, where there usually are boda drivers waiting to be hired. Or you can flag one down when he is passing. And if you - as a muzungu at least - are walking towards or past a boda free for hire they will often offer their services to you.

In the third and final part tomorrow we will cover cabs and special hires.

Public Transport - Kampala Style! Part One

This is the first part of a three part series I am writing on Public Transport in Kampala, Uganda.

When you want to move around Kampala but do not have your own vehicle, you can choose between a few options.

Strictly speaking there is no real Public Transport, because it is all private initiative. Neither the government, the district or Kampala City Council operates or contracts private companies to offer public transport.

The mainstay of "Publicly Available Transport" comprises of Taxis and Boda-Bodas.

Taxis (known in Kenya as Matatus)
are usually Toyota Hiaces fitted and registered to carry 14 passengers. This is achieved by 4 rows of bench seats with 3 fixed seats at the back row and 2 fixed and one foldable seat in the 3 other rows. In addition to this there are seats in the front of the vehicle - next to the driver. But often they will try to fit 2-3 more persons in the taxi - more if there is kids. In addition to up to 18-19 passenger the taxi is operated by a crew of two, a driver and a conductor.

These taxis generally run on fixed routes across town. Where most (local) people go there will be taxis running that route. They will pickup and offload passengers at taxi stages along the route but will often stop outside of these stages, if someone wants to get on or off the taxi.

They are probably the cheapest way of getting around town but are also among the slowest as they will wait at key stages to fill the taxi with passengers. Taxis are governed and licensed by UTODA - Uganda Taxi Operators and Drivers Association. Each taxi pays a license to UTODA who again will pay a fee to Kampala City Council.

As yu can imagine it can be a tight and slow journey going by taxi and as personal hygiene is not a priority to many Ugandans it can be a rather smelly affair too.

Tomorrow in part two we will take a look at Boda-Bodas. Don't miss it! ;-)

Global Warming ?!?

Although we are currently in the dry season and probably will be for the next 2-4 weeks it acually rained yesterday(Wednesday, Januarey 21st) all over Kampala. We have had a few days in the last couple of weeks with more or less persistent drizzles but this was "real" rain.

I did not have my camera with me - only my mobile which is far from new. I took a couple of pictures but the built-in camera is not among the best on this phone (a QTEC 9100). It is only a 1.3 MPixel camera and the optics are not really top-class. So apologies for the qualities of the pictures.



So when we later went through Bwaise, this is how it looked (video recorded with the QTEK):

Going through Bwaise is not always a good idea when it rains, but we got through without any real problems.

We have had a very dry spell throughout December and the first half of January. We had to buy water to fill up our tanks, because the water supply is not always stable and we were low on all three rain water tanks as well as the tap water tank. Saturday and Sunday last weekend (January 17th-18th) were really hot so the rain came as a real surprise.

No complaints though because it cooled down the city and replenished our rain water tanks. And there was no dust going through Bwaise :-)

And to top it off; Monday evening I climbed up to the tap water tank and discovered that it was low again. We were thinking seriously about getting another water truck to fill our tanks again. But sometime during Tuesday or perhaps sometime during the night the tap water flowed again. So when I climbed to check Tuesday evening - when we returned from work - the tank was full. What a releaf.

Prosperity in Africa?

Just a quick thought: how do we turn the African economy/society round so that it is more balanced? There is a very small group of people who have everything they need - or rather- they have plentyfold of what they need - and yet it seems that most of them try to gather even more.

Then there is the vast majority who have almost nothing. Here in Uganda nature is so fertile that everybody can get something to eat everyday. It may not be enough not to feel hungry and you might have to struggle to get it but it is generally there. But apart from that some really have nothing.

Parents cannot afford sending their children to school. Even though the public primary schools are free the children are needed as a workforce. And that is if the children have parents. Many children have lost one or both of their parents to Malaria, HIV/AIDS, TB and war. So the oldest child(ren) may need to work in order to get food for his/her siblings.

There is virtually no middle class here. Either you have bundles of money or you don't. If I remember correctly from my social studies/economics classes at school it is said that it is the middle class that powers the economy. The rich may spend lots of money numerically, but it tends to fizzle out of the local/national economy and end up as imports. The poor has almost no money to spend. In Europe, Asia and North America the it is the middle class that Dollar for Dollar, Pound for Pound, Yen for Yen create the most of the gross national product.

So what should Uganda do when it has no middle class? How can the so-called 1st world do to enable African societies to pull themselves out of poverty? We cannot keep pouring in money - as far as I can observe that only increases the difference between the "Have"'s and "have not"'s as the money never seem to filter through to the roots except for a tiny trickle.

The focus now are usually on empowerment projects and democracy projects. While those are right and needed and will become part of the solution, the 1st world can start and support these kinds of projects in their millions but in themselves these projects cannot solve the problems. Africa herself has to rise from her ashes, on her own willpower and determination. But how do we - Africans and Europeans, Asians and Americans (as in North/South A) - help her get a foothold and a vision that is lasting and motivating in order for every proud African to be proud of him/herself and his country and continent?

In God's Hands

I have been living in Kampala, Uganda with my wife and two of our children for almost 6 months. This is my first time living abroad and it has certainly been an interesting experience for me.

Most expatriots living here are working for either a European or American company or they are working for UN organisations or 1st world aid organisations. That is, they are well paid and well taken care of. They usually live in the nicer parts of town with big houses or apartments on large, lucious, green compunds with plenty of staff.

Some expatriot groups are more liked and reverred but in general they are looked upon as being wealthy. The 'white man' - the 'Muzungu' (or 'Mzungu') are generally better liked than the Asians and Arabs. This seems to be rooted in history. Idi Amin ousted the Asians during his time as president because he thought they were a 'disease' (reference needed).

But we as an expatriot family differ in most ways from other expatriots. First off the church we work for, employ their international reinforcements on a local contract. That is, we are in the same payscale as our local colleagues. As we as international reinforcements have responsibilities in our home country we are also paid an international service allowance to cover those expenses. But again this is far less than most other expats are paid.

As we have limited funds and we did not get an official vehicle we had to rely on family and friends, who really have been there for us. And then on public transport. And as we live outside the city we get to see more than just the nice parts of the city.

Although we have yet to venture into the slums, we pass through just next to them, everyday we go to work. We see some of the hardships people here go through just to get a little food on the table. Life in Uganda is hard for most people.

Unlike Europe or North America, there is hardly no middle class. You are either rich (the stinkin' filthy kind of rich) or you are poor. And in some places here the contrast is on display as huge houses on the hills overlook the slums. A lot of people literally lives in tinned shacks. An oven especially here in the dry season, the hottest time of year.

My wife and I came here to serve the Ugandan people. That is why we live with the hardships and the limited income although we have been very close to giving up more than a few times. But the top two reasons that we are still here is 1) the grace of God, our Lord and 2) we are needed here and God wants us to be here.

We can honestly say that although we are far from rich in the financial sense, God takes care of us so we have what we need. Not necessarily what we want or even what we sometimes think we need. But we are blessed and rich in in every sense that counts. Our families and friends loves us and blesses us with their thoughts and prayer. We love each other. We have a place to live, actually practical a mansion in comparison to those living close to us. We have food to put on the table and clothes to put on our bodies.

So whenever we are at our whit's end, when we question our own and each others commitments. Even when we ask ourselves; How can God allow this? What have we done wrong? When we sit down allowing our tempers to cool and our thoughts to settle we have to confess: Jesus IS Lord and he does not leave us. He leads us every step of the way.

We are still trying to find the way that he leads us. And we feel we must do more. So we are looking for the right place to be - that is where He wants us to be. And then we look for ways to get there. And for ways to not stray off His path and yet when we stray - how to come back.