These are our personal thoughts written during the trip itself.

Mark's are journal entries to help him remember details from the trip.

Ann's are individual e-mails she sent to her friends back home to keep them updated with her progress.

December 22
December 23
December 24
December 25
December 26
December 27
December 28
December 29
December 30
December 31
January 1
January 2
January 3
January 4
January 5
January 6

Mark's Entry

December 25 - Sick

I didn’t sleep well that night and woke up sick again. I tried to make it to the service, but just couldn’t do it. The Bishop stopped by to pick us up personally and we explained that we couldn’t go after all. He recommended a doctor and we thanked him.

We went to see the British doctor who declared that I was dehydrated and I needed to drink more fruit juice. The problem was the only juice I had access to was the hotel’s passion fruit juice. It was expensive and bad, but I drank it anyway. I slept (sort of) for a few hours and finally felt better.

I called Mom and Dad at Kristie’s in their morning from the hotel phone because the internet connection was too slow for Skype. I called them again later on Skype when the connection improved slightly. The connection only offered 3kbps upload, so uploading photos took a really long time and I could only upload the jpegs.

Robert met us at 4pm and we toured the University, downtown, and I got to see Agnes from N-TV. Wow! They have a much better set-up than I expected.

Back at the hotel we had another bad dinner and went to bed.

Ann's Entry

African Throat Culture

Emin Pasha Hotel – 25 Dec 2007 – 09:30

Prior to leaving the United States, we tried to find a United Methodist congregation to attend for Christmas Eve service. After much misdirected e-mail, we are met by Abraham and David, representatives of the local bishop. They explain that their Christmas worship services are held on Christmas Day, and that the bishop himself would stop by at 9:30 to pick us up. Well now, that is a big deal! The bishop is in charge of the conference that includes all of Uganda, Sudan, Kenya, Rwanda, and Burundi.

I am interested in this event. I want to see how other people incorporate their cultures into the “standard” United Methodist faith traditions. Mark wants to see the town of Jinga, where the Nile River begins from Lake Victoria. He is ready to see some real African culture (not things influenced by the British.)

Overnight, Mark gets sick – nauseated and weak. When the bishop arrives in his BMW on Christmas Day, we must apologize because now we can’t go. I think Mark is going to vomit right there in the hotel lobby in front of him. That would be very bad.

The bishop is very understanding person. He gives us the name of a local doctor to visit. It is a facility called “The Surgery.” So now we have the hotel call a taxi to take us to this place. We are living “la vida Kampala.” We are seeing for ourselves, first hand, the daily lives of regular folks. It is a little bit scary, not knowing how “western” the medical facilities would be. Turns out that it is very much like what you have seen in movies and/or news reports. The clinic is staffed by a white doctor and African assistants, using older (but functional) equipment. Nothing hi-tech, but nothing unclean, either.

As for Mark’s illness, we feared it might be an interaction between the Malarone (daily anti-malaria drug) and his other medications. Rather, it is a combination of exhaustion and dehydration. The doctor gives him some anti-nausea pills and 2 litres of water. Total cost = 50,000 Uganda shillings (about $30 USD.)

So, I never make it to church on Christmas Day. I get a slightly different view of African culture instead. I spend the afternoon playing computer games while Mark sleeps it off.

Somewhere around 15:00, we are awakened by a phone call from the front desk. The bishop has returned to check on our progress! (I told you that Uganda is full of welcoming people.) We spend a few moments conversing with him. We could not pronounce his full name, so he tells us to use the “English” version and call him Daniel “Wonderful.” Daniel says that he is glad that we tried to connect with other United Methodists, and that today’s sermon is the first he has ever given without preparation. Evidentally, he was under the impression that at least one of us is a pastor, and that one of us would “testify” that day. Whoa! I’ve given one sermon in my entire life, and it wasn’t all that great to begin with.

I like Daniel Wonderful. I gave him my address. I hope he writes to me soon.