One final reunion with the Sudanese friends

Yesterday we had a wonderful reunion with the friends from Sudan: Susan, Ezbon, Stephen, Sarah and others. We hopped in a rented minibus and drove East to the jungle areas of central Uganda. We found out that there are about 10,000 or so Sudanese living here in the swamps and forest near the Nile. They are refugees from the 1950's all the way up to the present day. Unfortunately the United Nations and others haven't visited these communities or offered schooling or other assistance. We were informed at one point that we were the first Western visitors they had ever had.


We were visiting the area because a delegation had come to Susan asking for some encouragement, guidance, support and prayer. We were there to observe with Susan and the others. There is a community of about 250 orphans and about 1000 widows living there. We had a really warm welcome from the Sudanese community, and gave some speeches, ate some mashed bananas called "Matoke", tough chicken, French bread, and Cassava. Susan is such an inspirational woman. Everywhere she goes she organizes the women into associations with leaders and instructs them on various spiritual and life issues. "Raise chickens and sell them in Kampala," "Take care of the orphans among you - don't just favor your own children," "Meet together for fellowship and prayer," "Get a balanced nutritious diet with lots of greens." Basic information but the women in the community gather around her and put her words into action.

The community there has a large list of needs: Schooling for kids (many of the young girls are uneducated and go into the town to work as prostitutes), Bibles and reading glasses, pigs to start pig farms, blankets and on the list goes. The community hasn't been idle though, and we saw some coffee plants (pictured above) that they are using for a cash crop. The friends there were also growing vanilla - I had never seen a vanilla vine before.

So now its winding down here. We will go over to Susan's home tomorrow, and then to church with them on Sunday here in Kampala. The weather is hot here, I'm sweating as I type. And the mangos and passion fruits and bananas are delicious. We are all in the strange world of transition now thinking of Christmas suddenly, talking about Wal-Marts, family, friends, snow and so on. But we are excited to tell all of you more about the journey. We have lots of video, about 2500 digital pictures, and thousands of stories. Thanks again for reading. And please pray for the new friends in central Uganda - the Sudanese refugee community there. And please pray for us as we are about to fly back. We love you all, see you soon!

- Dan