Kenya & Uganda

Reflections on Kenya & Uganda: Neighbors

Leave a Comment / Kenya & Uganda, People, Personal, The Missional Church, Theological Reflection / By /

As I contemplate our next, briefer, visit with a local Kenyan family, Mr. Rogers’ theme song “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” comes to mind: It’s a beautiful day in this neighborhood, A beautiful day for a neighbor. Would you be mine?  Could you be mine?… It’s a neighborly day in this beauty wood, A neighborly day for a beauty. Would you be mine?  Could you be mine?… I’ve always wanted to have a neighbor just like you. I’ve always wanted to live in a neighborhood with you. So, let’s make the most of this beautiful day. Since we’re together we […]

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Reflections on Kenya & Uganda: Getting Our Feet Dirty—Part II

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“Have you been on a farm/ranch/pasture? Have you been in close proximity of livestock?” The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Form is reinforced by a Customs Agent’s direct question. When I answer “Yes,” he writes a big red “A” on my form and points me to the agricultural inspection line at San Francisco International Airport. The agents want to see the shoes we wore in Kenya and Uganda. Inspecting the dirt in the tread, they took two pairs and gave them an antiseptic bath. Yes, we got our feet dirty in equatorial East Africa. My thoughts drift to our first

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Reflections on Kenya & Uganda: Getting Our Feet Dirty

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Over the years, one of our objectives for a vacation has been to “get our feet dirty.” This is our code phrase meaning, “Get out into the country, behind and beyond the tourist magnets, into the everyday world of our destination.” Like bird-watching, traveling through “the back door” (Rick Steves’ helpful image) enables us to sharpen our focus on a way of life different from our own. We have gained insight into the social, political, and economic realities of the places we visit by having heart to heart conversations with the locals in their natural habitat. On this trip, the

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Reflections on Kenya & Uganda: God Created the Beasts of the Field and the Birds of the Air

Leave a Comment / It All Started in the Garden, Kenya & Uganda, Personal, Theological Reflection / By /

A trip to Kenya means “safari,” an overland journey to view wildlife in its natural habitat. We had several opportunities to do this, and what a geography lesson it provided! After our brief stay in Nairobi to adjust to Africa time, we made the half-day drive to the great Maasai-Mara National Reserve. This huge park, which straddles the border with Tanzania, is home to the largest concentration of animals in all of Kenya. We were there during the great wildebeest migration, an annual event that temporarily changes the focus of the entire reserve.  An African legend describes the wildebeest, somewhat

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Reflections on Kenya & Uganda: Travel as Withdrawal

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Yesterday, I made the observation that travel is a sort of incarnation. In our case, a seventeen-day adventure in Kenya and Uganda included a ministry of presence with impoverished children at risk, new small-business owners, school teachers and pastors. Just being there brought a message: “We see you. We know you are here. There are people praying for you. We support your work for the Kingdom of God in this place. God knows what you are doing here with so little, and he will provide for you.” Over the years, we have discovered our best vacation memories revolve around encounters

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Reflections on Kenya/Uganda: Travel as Incarnation

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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)

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