Very, very early this morning, I went along with several other guys -- Mike from the U.S. (who's living in Tanzania right now), Martin from Tanzania, and our driver, Livingstone, from Uganda -- to do our own explorations of one of God's wonders, that eluded people for centuries -- the source of the Nile River. Many, many explorers over the centuries searched for, but never found the source of the world's longest river... that is until John Hanning Speke did in 1862.Now, you must recognize that there is still some debate among the mountainous countries in East Africa, but the general consensus is that the source is at the end of an inlet of Lake Victoria, near the city of Jinja, Uganda [Jinja is about 75 kilometers (about 50 miles for those of you in the U.S.) and takes about 1 1/2 to 2 hours to get to]. When it was first discovered back in the mid 1800's, the river was a series of falls and rapids, and thus it made traversing the river to reach it's source a monumental task. Today, the river just downstream of the source has two hydroelectric dams (which produce the vast majority of Uganda's electrical power), and so the distinction between the lake and the river is a little fuzzy, at first glance... but it's there and it seems that God has his finger in it...
The really, really cool thing about the source of the Nile is just how evident the boundary between the river and Lake Victoria is... It's as if God is taking his finger and drawing the water right into the river from the lake...Here's why I say that... There is a small island at the boundary between the lake and the river that is no larger than my hotel room -- on one side of the island the water is still and generally call (the local call it "black water"); on the other side, the water is flowing just like a river. My understanding is that there are springs with a substantial amount of
flow that reach the ground surface directly at the point of the island where there is a monument (see photo), that causes serious turbulence just beyond it and creates the river... It was fascinating to stand on the end of the island and watch the water rush by... and to recognize that God is the real source!We also got the opportunity to see Tilapia fishermen... and a variety of birds, including several Marobou Storks... and my first African monkeys... I've uploaded the rest of my photos from today onto my Facebook profile so that everyone can see them... Enjoy!
Just had to show you the monkey, though!
Today, I also got my first real glimpse at the extreme poverty in East Africa... I saw some things on the way from the airport to my hotel on Tuesday night, but it was dark, so I missed a lot... the difference this morning was that we
were driving in daylight and I couldn't miss the fact that the people in this country still approach things the way we, in the U.S., did 100 years ago... Photos won't do this justice, but I'm going to include a couple anyway -- I'm sure that I'll have more early next week when I visit Tanzania...The thing that has touched my heart, though, is the people -- like the ones with the passion and desire and ingenuity that I met at the conference... they simply lack some knowledge, some resources, and some "seasoned" support... I've got to believe that there are others out there, just like the young people I met...
I've got one photo that clearly demonstrates this contradiction of realities -- "the boys with a bed on a bike"... the photo on the left is of two boys hauling a bed that I presume either they've made or a family member has, in order to deliver it to a shop to sell it or to the customer who has bought it... this bed is made of solid wood, with slats, no less -- it's got to be heavy! You might think this is a little backward, but these two boys are determined to deliver this bed... and
if a bike is the only thing to use, then a bike it will be... that's hard work, creativity and detemination!In the background of this photo, though, are a number of men digging a trench along the road... for a new pipeline from Kenya to Kampala, Uganda, a distance of over 200 kilometers! By hand, with picks and shovels... In dirt and stone... Yes, they're working hard, but there is modern equipment, even used equipment, that could do this project in a fraction of the time... my observation of this started a discussion in the car this morning (and at dinner tonight)... and here's the contradiction -- and the dilemma --our involvement in developing countries for God's glory should not simply be to create jobs doing things in the same old way, just in order to have the poor employed... As stewards of the abilities and resources that God has entrusted us with, we should help the people in these parts of the world use the ingenuity and creativity that God has blessed them with to develop plans to create wealth and pull themselves out of poverty.
It's not going to be simple... and it won't be completed in a short timeframe... but by God's grace and mercy, and with a lot of prayer, it can be done... it's going to take a lot hard work and creativity on everyone's part, and combine that with strategic planning and partnering to accomplish this important task.
If I've learned nothing else from this first week in Uganda, it's that we have a lot to learn from the people of East Africa. They are warm and inviting to people of any background, loving and generous to a fault (even outside their own family), creative and ingenius beyond imagination... Lord, I pray that hearts will be softened to the plight of the wonderful people of the developing world -- people like Timothy and Margaret and Gabriel and Ceasar and Joseph and all of the others -- and that you will push people to the edge of their comfort zone, like you've done with me. It may not be doing what I'm doing, but I ask that you help them search their hearts for how you want to use them in walking alongside someone in need.
It's all for Your Glory, Lord! Amen!
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