Doug Van Pelt

Going to Africa [Uganda.5]

Okay, so I was invited by Compassion International to join a team of bloggers to visit Uganda and see what they're doing (and blogging about it while it happens). Originally, it was planned to be a trip to Kenya. That name was like honey on my lips, as I know there are lions there. I've been dreaming of visiting that country and this seemed like a once-in-a-million chance to see them in the wild. As the plans moved ahead, I found out that the trip would instead be in Uganda, as one of the needs of the trip (consistent high-speed internet for the blogging part). I was slightly disappointed, but it was like being disappointed in the letdown from someone flying you to the Super Bowl and you being told that your seats might be ten rows up on the 50 yard line and they turn out to be 12 rows up on the 40 yard line. You're so stoked to be going to that game that you're almost speechless with joy. That's the simple joy part of the journey.

There's another part of the journey: and this one's called the stretching part. A friend of mine (this really cool guy named Dave Canfield, who ... if I lived in a community of 300+ people in the inner city of Chicago, would make the close living quarters and all the challenges that go with that kind of thing be much more bearable and fun) told me a long time ago that I should take a missions trip to a place like Brazil or something to write about it and share the experience and what I find with others. Travelling in general stretches you, but giong into another culture that's vastly different than yours really does the mind-expansion. Going to a place that's inside the "10-40 window" (between the 10th and 40th parallels, I believe is how this area got its name) is likely to really change your life. This area of the world is both densely populated with some of the most suffering in this world and is also proportionately made up of the highest concentration of "unreached" people in the world.

You can read about third world countries and get some minute level of appreciation to what they're dealing with in those areas, but actually going there and interacting with the people there brings it home in a rock solid way. I'm told that Bono and his wife have gone on a "short-term" missions trip about every year for several years in a row. This experience has no doubt altered his life and his perception of the world. The stuff he's said about Africa are simple and incredibly intense. The famous singer has left the "comfort" of his rock and roll peers and addressed a "church" that is widely misunderstood by those on the outside. He has appealed to our sense of duty to "love our neighbor" and he's pointed out that now -- more than ever -- nowhere in the world can really not be our neighbor. Technology has allowed us to travel and communicate in ways that have made our planet a community -- a neighborhood.

We can't ignore suffering when we see it. We can try to stay away from exposing ourselves to it, but it's kind of silly to do that. I'm not sure if we are deluded when we try to ignore suffering, thinking that it'll "protect" our emotions. We forget to realize that God has created us to have this thing called compassion. And when we become crushed by the weight of what we see, we have the invitation to come to the Lord and pour our hearts out to Him. We can even tell Him that we're angry and that "He ought to do something about this..." Somehow, He's given us a capacity deal with unimaginable things. It's not pleasant to stare stuff like suffering in the face, but it's real and we can surely trust that God will expand us in ways we can't imagine.

These are some of the expectations I have going into this trip. Things have since "sped up" in the preparations, as I dug my Passport out to make sure it's still valid, and we've filled out forms for the trip. My wife and I decided a long time ago that travelling would be okay for one or the other of us, but if one was to go on a "life changing trip," that both of us would go. I got permission to bring her along. We've since found care for our children while we're gone, and I even (finally) got the ball rolling on immunizations.

They're called "shots" and they're not fun. They're expensive, too. I can't believe all the money we spent today on those things. It didn't hurt too much, though, and the arms and shoulders are only a little bit sore. "You need to do the 'chicken dance,' the nurse told us, to keep our arms from aching too much. This allows the medicine to work its way through our bodies easier I guess. It has something to do with the "viscocity" of the liquid that's injected into our arms. That's weird.

It was easy to get a little fearful when being told of all the risks of travelling to Uganda this year. "You've heard about what's going on over there, haven't you?" I don't recall having heard much, but just to make sure, I responded back with a complete, "No, I haven't," answer, so I wouldn't miss out on some information by mistake and assumption.

I have to admit, there is a lot to worry about when going to remote places like that. I can see why mothers and grandmothers might worry and pray often about loved ones that commit to long-term missions in areas like that. It's amazing to see people give up the comfort of their familiar surroundings (and sometimes cushy jobs) to pour themselves out for others. It's really cool how Jesus made a really amazing metaphor for helping others, telling us that we were actually serving Him when we served others -- "the least of these."

Getting beyond ourselves and past our own egos and selfish desires is one of the greatest benefits from Christianity -- even if you look at it from totally a "secular" or "atheistic" viewpoint. Anything that trains people to see others as more important than themselves is truly an honorable and inspiring thing. Other religions and philosophies tap into this truth as well; but it's certainly a pretty main focal point of what Jesus taught His followers to do.

I am so honored to be invited on this trip; I'm excited for the incredible adventure; and I'm a little fearful of the risks of danger and disease. However, no matter what the risk or danger, I know that God is good and, like McManus has been hinting at in a pretty major way, I think we can trust Him. His Word kind of goes out of its way to instruct us "not to worry." If you think about it, worry is like the opposite of trust. Worry is also a weird nuerological experience that can produce physical output from internal causes. If that's true, then the peace of God can probably produce outward results as well (and they're probably good ones).

Well, this was a rant. I figured I'd go off a little bit about the shots, danger and stuff. I'll share much more about all of this (including some of the waivers I'll have to sign prior to this trip). For now, I need to get back to this deadline thing.

Posted by Doug Van Pelt at January 8, 2008 10:00 PM