Our mission team buses over rugged mountain roads as we go to build mud-walled huts with the Batwa Pygmies.

In the afternoon, we reach Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, a World Heritage Site in Uganda’s far southwest, bordering Rwanda and Congo. Half the world’s mountain gorillas live here, and so did the Batwa – but no longer.

As the bus pulls into a village built with church support, we hop off into a crowd of very friendly Batwa.

After a formal greeting ceremony, we march uphill to help build a mud hut for a newlywed couple. In the tropical weather, the hut will need to be re-mudded in a few years – but their view is incredible.

Now that the Batwa are raising crops and getting more protein, calcium and sunshine, young Batwa are growing much taller than their parents.

It turns out that the Batwa’s height stemmed from their diet deficiencies in the rainforest, not genetics. When we visit a school of Batwa and other children together, we can’t tell them apart by height.

***

Forty-eight hours later, we are back at the Sanyu Babies Home in Kampala, and I am playing hide-and-seek with Olivia.

As soon as I take out my camera, she giggles and scoots behind a matron, inviting more play.

Then I hear a happy commotion on the edge of the playground, and see a battered pickup truck backing in, its bed filled with large stalks of bananas. A dozen toddlers gather, chanting “bananas” or “nanas,” according to their age.

It’s a sign of how hard their pre-Sanyu lives were, that the arrival of this staple food causes so much excitement.

It’s time for us to return to the Speke Hotel and pack for two long flights home. Many of us take comfort from the fact that this trip is only our first, and not our last, to Uganda.    

FOCUS ON FAITH | MISSION TO UGANDA

I promised to address some more aspects of Uganda here on the blog:

• What gorgeous Ugandan lake “out-craters” Crater Lake in Oregon?
• Who were the Uganda Martyrs, and what did their sacrifice spark?
• What does a traditional greeting dance look like?
• When does a gazelle look like an insect?
• What’s a Batwa classroom like? 
• With all those lions in Africa, do Ugandan cattle have horns?
•  What is “matoke” and why does it seem to rhyme with “choke”?

The answers are below. (If this gets you interested in mission work or going to Uganda yourself, see farther below in this blog, the “If You Go….” information.)

What gorgeous Ugandan lake “out-craters” Crater Lake in Oregon?

This is Lake Bunyonyi, in the southwest corner of Uganda.

"Bunyonyi" means "the place of many little birds," and more than 200 species have been spotted here.

Our hosts at Bishop Barham University brought us on a delightful surprise visit to the lake, complete with a boat ride to an eco-tourist island in its center.

The lake formed when water filled the crater left by a massive volcano explosion long ago, just like Crater Lake in Oregon.

Lake Bunyonyi, however, is much larger, being roughly 16 miles long and four wide, and the lake has 29 inviting islands.

Here at 5,000 feet above sea level, birds swirl while African otters feed on the lake’s fish and crawfish, surrounded by even higher hills clad in emerald green terrace farms.  Much as I love Crater Lake, Lake Bunyonyi has it beat.

Who were the Uganda Martyrs, and what did their sacrifice spark?

In Uganda in 1886, Christianity had only recently been introduced by missionaries concentrating on converting tribal leaders.

One tribal chief who did not convert was the King of the Bugandan tribe.

Despite the king’s anti-Christian stance, 25 young men and boys who served in his court became Christians.

When he learned of this, the king threatened to have them tortured, then burned alive, if they did not renounce their faith.

They knew the king’s threat was not idle, and that he employed a man full time to perform such tortures and executions.

Nevertheless, these young martyrs of Uganda walked to their deaths singing hymns and praying for their enemies. Their courage and faith inspired others, including their principal torturer, and sparked an intense drive to spread Christianity nationwide.

According to the CIA World Factbook, Uganda is 84 percent Christian, compared with 76 percent in the U.S. In memory of these martyrs, Uganda celebrates a national holiday every June 3.

What does a traditional greeting dance look like?

Very energetic! We found out for ourselves when we visited a nearby primary school run by the church.

The students put grass skirts and other traditional items over their school uniforms, then leapt and clapped to drums for a full five minutes, never tiring. 

When does a gazelle look like an insect?

When you’ve lived in a rainforest all your life, as the Batwa pygmies (pronounced “pidg-a-mees” in Uganda) did until they were moved out in 1992.

Unused to long-distance views, the Batwa were initially puzzled to find that objects farther away appeared smaller. So, when one Batwa man saw a gazelle about one hundred yards distant, he asked, “What kind of insect is that?”  

What’s a Batwa classroom like?

Neat, orderly and well-behaved.

Despite the floors of bare concrete or dirt, and the concrete walls, the students want to get an education, and their parents are very focused on supporting this.

Devoted teachers work hard, overcoming as best they can minimal resources. Even basic supplies, such as paper and chalk, are scarce.

With all those lions in Africa, do Ugandan cattle have horns?

You bet they do!

But lions tend to attack by leaping on top of an animal and biting its neck, so Ugandan cattle have evolved horns much more upright than Texas longhorns.

Check out this photo, and you’ll appreciate the aptness of my 8-year-old Julie’s instant name for them: “Tallhorns”!

What is “matoke” and why does it seem to rhyme with “choke”?

Matoke (pronounced “mah-toe-kee”) is the national staple of Uganda, a starchy dish made from mashed plantains.

If you eat in Ugandan homes and villages, you will encounter great hospitality, to the fullest extent of their limited means.

You can expect to see matoke at nearly all home lunches and dinners – and its blandness will wear down even the most eager taste buds, although natives say there is a subtle taste often lost on outsiders.

To this outsider and his teammates, matoke was nothing like the crispy, well-seasoned, plantains encountered when eating Central American cuisine.

Traditional matoke recipes call for at least 36 hours preparation time, but my imaginary matoke recipe is quicker: (1) begin with a nice plate of flavorful mashed potatoes; (2) remove all flavor; and (3) add a slippery gooiness. Enjoy, maybe.  

We range from retirees to high school students, but we all share a great respect for Diane Stanton, who organized the team and has been leading missions to Uganda for 15 years.

Everywhere we travel, Ugandans know Diane.

Namugongo: We come to this celebrated martyr’s shrine and the adjacent Anglican seminary.

Here in 1886, 25 young men and boys refused to renounce Christianity, despite the King of Buganda’s threat to have them tortured, then burned alive.

They walked to their deaths singing hymns and praying for their enemies.Their courage and faith inspired others, including their chief torturer, and sparked an intense drive to spread Christianity nationwide. According to the CIA World Factbook, Uganda is 84 percent Christian, compared with 76 percent in the U.S.

Uganda celebrates a national holiday every June 3. Leading government figures attend the spiritual ceremonies on this tall, grassy hillside.

“So many people come,” Canon Henry Segawa declares, “that you can’t see a single blade of grass.”

Canon Henry leads the adjacent seminary, training priests, deacons and teachers for work throughout Uganda and several neighboring countries. The faculty and students work hard, despite minimal food and water, substandard housing and limited electricity.                   

Many students have overcome additional hardships just to get here.

One of them is Samuel Atabua, a bright and happy second-year student, whose last name indicates he grew up an orphan.

As a young man, Samuel was cycling along a highway, when a passing truck ran over him, smashing many bones. Samuel made a miraculous recovery, and simply says, “I give all glory to God.”

In addition to his seminary studies and his service at a thousand-member Anglican church, Samuel works as an expert rescue diver in Lake Victoria. This enables him to support a family of 12, including the eight children of his late brother. He modestly adds, “I’ve moved through a lot of problems, and it has made me firm.”

The seminary welcomes qualified guest lecturers, and asks two of our clergy teammates to teach the next day: Canon Rob Smith, interim rector at St. Peter’s McKinney, and Michael, our vicar at St. Paul’s Prosper.

Speaking before 80 students and faculty members, Rob gives a powerful witness, lectures on evangelism and donates copies of his book, Leading Christians to Christ: Evangelizing the Church.

Canon Rob observes, “Martyrs died here at UMS in 1886, and more recently under Idi Amin in the 1970s. The faith of the students is intensely personal, fueled by the blood of the Martyrs and the fire of the East African Revival."

We break for lunch, and our team enjoys the hospitality of Canon Henry and his family.

Afterward, Michael teaches about church planting, a fitting subject considering St. Paul’s is only 10 months old, and thriving.  

In Michael’s words, “the students want to hear everything I can say about how to start new churches and grow churches, but they teach me so much more, by the example of their passion for telling people about Jesus and by the giant sacrifices many accepted, just so they could train here.”

On international mission trips, team members are often called on to witness or speak, and most find it special and rewarding.

Generously, Michael calls me up to speak for five minutes about church planting in northern Nigeria. This brings to mind treasured memories and friends, and with the Holy Spirit’s help, the words come easily.

What could have been daunting for me is instead energizing and satisfying.    Then it’s back to the professionals: Rob and Michael throw the floor open for questions, and a great dialogue ensues.

Afterward Michael was to say, “Teaching here was a profoundly humbling experience.  In the midst of poor conditions and scant resources, the students had joy and passion on their faces, and thankfulness in their hearts. They were vivid examples of the glory of grace, and their faithfulness brought me to my knees.” 

Cathy Lancaster and I make plans to return tomorrow, to catalog and photograph the seminary’s current needs, principally major building repairs.

We are told the roof of the main hall is asbestos, and needs replacing.  Glad to find another way to help, we say goodnight to Canon Henry and head back to Kampala. 

***

IF YOU GO

General: Uganda is on the equator, 8 times zones ahead of Dallas; passport, visa and immunizations required.

Getting there: British Airways flies to London Heathrow, then direct to Kampala.   

Climate: Usually mild tropical weather with highs in the 70s; two rainy seasons usually come in November-January and March-June. What to wear: Ugandans and most Africans dress modestly. For men, long pants and sleeved shirts; for women, sleeved blouses and skirts below the knee (pants only in the countryside). Leave the shorts, revealing tops and swimwear at home.  

Bring along: sunscreen and sunglasses, protein bars, hand sanitizer, malaria medicine, mosquito repellant, a camera and binoculars.

Currency: Ugandan Shillings, readily available in airports and cities.

Food and drink: The delicious tilapia is native to Lake Victoria, and fresh tropical fruits are tasty.  Ugandan tea and coffee are fragrant and rich. It’s prudent to abstain from salads and dairy products. Drink and brush with bottled water.

What to buy: wood carvings, finely woven baskets, native drums and artwork 

Sights: the Nile River (Albert and Victoria branches), Murchison Falls, Lake Bunyonyi, gorilla trekking and any national wildlife park – coming upon a wild elephant, giraffe or baboon isn’t like touring the zoo!

*** 

USEFUL WEBSITES  

Visa and general information: ugandaembassy.com

Immunizations:   passporthealthusa.com

Uganda Partners:  ugandapartners.org

Sanyu Babies Home: sanyubabies.com

Uganda Martyrs' Shrine: ugandamartyrsshrine.org.ug

Day 1, Kampala 

Bright eyes above a bright smile: 3-year-old Olivia giggles and throws her arms wide as she glides down the old playground slide.

Her yellow smock flaps in the breeze, reflecting the strong sunlight of Uganda.

Reaching bottom, Olivia springs into the waiting arms of my teammate, Cathy Lancaster, and they dissolve in giggles. Olivia spots a purple butterfly and points it out. 

We are volunteering at the Sanyu Babies Home, halfway up Namirembe Hill, overlooking Uganda’s capital city of Kampala. At Sanyu, which means “joy,” the Anglican Church of Uganda provides a haven for orphaned, abandoned and destitute babies, caring for 50 at a time, until new parents or distant relatives adopt them.

Sanyu is overflowing because Uganda suffers from one of the highest orphan rates in Africa. In a country where the average worker makes only $1,300 a year, living is a struggle, and dying a continual risk. At 32 million people, Uganda’s population outnumbers Texas; but when it comes to life expectancy, Ugandans are far behind – 52 years versus 78 in the U.S.  

Our team brought six large duffel bags bulging with baby clothes and shoes, donated by members of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Prosper. How good we feel to see the new clothes eagerly pulled out and put on the children!  

 “Sanyu is an amazing place,” says Diane Stanton, who’s been leading mission teams to Uganda for 15 years. It’s “full of compassion and loving care for these precious babies; it’s a privilege to help, and especially to be here and see what wonderful care is given."  

Another very active member of our mission team is the Rev. Michael Gilton, vicar of St. Paul’s. Michael plunks down in a group of Sanyu toddlers, inviting them to play. They delight in patting, pulling, snuggling and crawling all over him. Lacking families, these children crave personal contact.

Imagine the 24/7 challenge for Sanyu staffers: caring for so many children, while operating and cleaning the facility, on a tight budget. Cleaning is no small task. In one year, Sanyu uses more than 20,000 diapers and 50,000 wet-wipes.  

Sanyu staffers do much with little. The children receive good nutrition, medical care, security and affection. The children also learn English, Uganda’s official language, reflecting the country’s history as a British protectorate.

In the main building, the children take their meals, baths and naps in groups. They walk or crawl across concrete floors, because concrete is cheaper, and easier to mop daily. Most rooms have six cribs or more, each with clean bedding and mosquito netting. In Collin County, most mosquito bites merely annoy; in Uganda, every bite threatens malaria.

I enter a room with toddlers in high chairs, eating bowls of porridge. It’s a joy to watch them. Outside, I see a staffer trying to feed a drowsing girl. I can’t guess the child’s age, because her face looks so much larger than her tiny body.

The matron explains, “She was found two months ago, passed out near a city dumpster, dying from malnutrition. She’s so weak that eating makes her tired, and she sleeps almost all the time. But we give her as many meals as she can eat, and she’s getting better.”  

Knowing Uganda’s tough living conditions, our team is relieved to see the care these children get. Sanyu helps them thrive, and prepares them for smooth transitions into the family homes they deserve.

It’s hard to leave. We hug Olivia and her playmates goodbye, promising to visit when we return to Kampala.

In the meantime, we have more mission work across southern Uganda.