Ugandan Hospitality

Today we finalized meeting preparations with our host, the Evangelical Alliance of Africa. The hotel they selected for the consultation is in the city of Entebbe on the shores of Lake Victoria, the largest lake in Africa. Their hospitality is warm and friendly.

Uganda hosts more than 200,000 refugees from Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Somalia and Sudan. The country is also coping with 850,000 internally displaced refugees who fled the violence of the Lord's Resistance Army in Northern Uganda.

Some of the refugees and internally displaced persons in Uganda are housed in refugee camps located throughout the country. But many others receive no support and try to survive in local communities.

Ugandan churches respond in a variety of ways to the overwhelming needs of the refugees in their midst. They welcome encouragement, prayer and practical support from other Christians.

Finally Arrived!

My journey to Uganda ended up being quite an adventure! Bad weather in New York forced my flight to wait on the tarmac for almost seven hours before taking off for Brussels. Of course, I then missed the connecting flight from Brussels to Entebbe. The best alternative option they could provide was to route me from Brussels to London, London to Johannesburg, and Johannesburg to Entebbe. The planned 24 hour trip therefore took more than 48 hours. My luggage has not yet followed suit. Due to a tracking error, it looks like it might be on its way to Tel Aviv!

Thankfully, I made the long trip with two women I met on the flight out of New York. One is coming to Uganda to teach English in an elementary school and the other to work in a medical clinic. It was so good to have companions on the journey.

When I finally checked into my hotel this evening, I was exhausted. But I was also very aware of the fact that my trip does not begin to compare to the months, and years, and even decades that refugees often spend trying to get to a safe place to rebuild their lives. How important it is for Christians to accompany refugees during their difficult travels along the refugee highway.

Off to Africa

In a few short hours I'll be flying to Africa. After 24 hours in transit, I'll land in Entebbe, Uganda. I am really looking forward to this opportunity to gather with Christian leaders from around the world.

In Entebbe, I'll be helping to lead meetings of the Refugee Highway Partnership Roundtable. This gathering will welcome representatives from Asia, Africa, North America, the Middle East and the Pacific. We are a very diverse group, representing many different countries and ministries. But we all share a commitment to both refugees and the Christian community.

The goal of the Roundtable is to be a catalyst that results in an increase in both the level of engagement and the effectiveness of efforts by the worldwide church to bring hope and help to refugees. The event will conclude with Refugee Sunday celebrations at both refugee camps in Gulu in Northern Uganda and at churches in Kampala, Uganda.

I hope to have internet access to I can continue to post during the trip. In the meantime, please lift the Roundtable meetings and World Refugee Sunday in prayer.