Jinja Part Two

Kara and I were able to spend today in a village outside of Jinja with Sara Barton. It was interesting to be there as Sara reconnected with old and dear friends. She taught in their new church building. She was truly in her element, speaking lusoga fluently. John and Sara (along with several other couples) came to Jinja (Southern Uganda) in the early 90's to plant churches all over the region. It's incredible to see the fruit of their work some twenty years later: internet cafe, library, Busoga Bible School (training center for ministers and lay leaders), craft store, etc. But the real measure of their work is in the eyes of the people who have been welcomed into a new kind of family; a community built around the stories of Jesus. We've met person after person who talk about "John and Sara Barton, Greg and Jill Taylor, Brent and Heather Abney, Mark and Marnie Moore, Darrin and Becca Smith" as if they were talking about "Paul, Peter, Lydia, Phoebe, James, and John."

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During lunch, I had a conversation with Alice, a local Ugandan who works with H.I.V. and A.I.D.S. patients. She told me that "Because of the generosity of the United States and other countries, Uganda is one of the few countries in Africa where H.I.V. has been in decline." That was particularly helpful for me to hear as it seems U.S. relations have suffered greatly internationally over the last six years.