Reflections on Kenya/Uganda: Travel as Incarnation

My husband and I arrived home yesterday afternoon, after a nineteen-day adventure in equatorial East Africa. In many places we had no electricity, so we had no Internet access, and uploading pictures to Facebook was a problem as well. I decided to catch up now with some reflection that is an inevitable and necessary part of world travel. Though the topic may not always relate to the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), most certainly the Word was brought to life for me, and in turn I hope for you. But I can say parenthetically that the Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) is alive and well, and we saw signs to many village churches, especially in the central highlands of Kenya.

So here’s my first thought: There is a very real way in which travel is an incarnation. When Jesus left his heavenly throne and royal prerogatives behind in order to enter human history (Philippians 2), he traveled into time and space and made his appearance. His ministry was a peripatetic tour of a relatively small region, where he not only announced but also demonstrated the Kingdom of God. Our travel to Kenya and Uganda had significant incarnational ministry components to it. We did not go as saviors or solvers. We went as tourists who happened to have friends and projects in these two countries. While in the “neighborhood,” we visited them. But oh so much more happened.

To set the context: we were met at the Nairobi airport by our tour agent Felix Koskei (Travel Connections, Nairobi), who organized our itinerary according to our rather unusual specifications. Andrew was our companion, driver, and guide for the entire seventeen days in-country. He shared our passion for birds, had incredible eyesight and insight, and shared his knowledge of economics, politics, nature, and history as we drove all those many miles through southwestern Kenya and southern Uganda.

Here’s where we went (click on the map to zoom):

1–2 August, Nairobi hotel, local sites
3–5 August, Maasai Mara National Park game lodge
6–7 August, at the home of friends ministering in Tenwek
8–9 August, Kakamega, Rondo Retreat in the Kakamega Rain Forest, ministry visits
10–12 August, Kampala, Uganda, with day-long excursion to a village ministry in Masaka district
13 August, Lake Nakuru National Park, Kenya for bird-watching and rhinos
14–15 August, Samburu National Reserve, game lodge
16 August, Nanyuki, Kenya, in a wildlife conservancy lodge
17–18 August, forty hours transit home via car, plane, and train.

I would say that the schedule was grueling at times, with some long days driving to accommodate the Uganda phase. We were always up early either to see game or to beat the traffic out of cities, and we tumbled into bed by 9 or 9:30 each night. My exercise routine went out the window. We ate local food, which included all the necessary elements to keep my tummy happy but otherwise did not vary much, and we drank bottled water exclusively. Even in the cities, Kenya’s water is now universally defiled. On this score, we managed fine until we just plain forgot in Samburu and had ice in our drinks. Eating was punished severely for the next two days. Otherwise, we enjoyed fine health, a bug-free environment (the dry season helped), and really nice weather. (They were complaining it was cold, but for us mid-80’s was just fine!)

We thoroughly entered this world. We got our feet dirty and immersed ourselves in village life. We enjoyed amazing conversations with Kenyans and Ugandans on a full range of topics, so when we flew by communities on our long-haul road trips, we could recognize the life these people lead and appreciate either their progress or their challenges. To them, our visits were heaven-sent, because they have disciplined themselves to look for God’s work in their lives. All expressed to us their gratitude that we came representing Christ and the wider church to them. It was a ministry of presence, which is the essence of Incarnation.

Tomorrow:  Travel as Withdrawal