The Nile

I love Jinja. I really do. This place is sweet, clean, has flowers (you rarely see flowers in Kampala or Matugga), 

and has the beautiful Nile River flowing through. I love walking and exercising here, because there is always beauty and just when I feel too hot to continue running, there is a HUGE tree with abundant shade to cover me for the quick moment , a moment I cherish.

The Nile. It’s wide, flows quickly, is surrounded by tropical trees and flowers, and stands out next to the red dirt and bright green grass that lays on its boarders. The Nile also is a killer. Biharzia (the parasite I became host to on my last trip here) is common knowledge here and keeps most people out of the water. Crocodiles swim in these waters. Killers under the surface.  These crocs have killed 100,000’s of people. Some on accident, some more purposeful. (I watched “The New King of Scotland” last night. Powerful.  Idi Amin, president in the 1970’s named “the butcher of Uganda”, literally threw 100,000’s of innocent people in the Nile to cover up his mass massacres. Why no evidence? Eaten by crocs.)  Mamba’s: one of the most deadly snakes (I had my freek out encounter with the green Mamba last time I was in its water). All of these killers live in the water. Amazing to think, Moses was placed in a basket to float down an extremely quick currant river. A baby, placed in a basket (like one of the local baskets made here), into water filled with killers: parasites, crocs and snakes. How much more does that make you think Moses’ mom was CRAZY…and yet took the risk due to her belief that her son had a BIG life planned.  Sometimes I feel like Moses in that basket…floating down the river of life. But now every time I run by the Nile, it somehow strengthens my faith. (and is still REALLY tempting to want to get in the water..esp. because it’s SO hot right now) I always love being by water (esp. water I can get in…not possible here). It relaxes me. Makes me contemplative. And now, it encourages and empowers me.

So Jinja, good for the heart, good for the soul. Not to mention, it’s been great to be with Kate. She teaches during the day, and I’ve had some down time and Christmas shopping time J but then, we sit, play the guitar, sing, talk about life, laugh, watched a movie, went to bible study…it’s just been good. A different pace with no expectation. My Cornerstone friends arrive today. I’m not actually sure what my juggling of people and schedules will look like, but it’ll be nice to have 2 world collide in this spot that I love to be in. Not to mention, we’ll be staying in a hotel that overlooks…what? THE NILE.

Lord, speak to me clearly and continue to refresh, renew and rejuvenate my faith and may these final days be pleasing to you!

Funny...I went for a walk this morning beside the Nile and as I walking the dirt path beside the reeds and banana plantations, heard a child crying. I went through the reeds to see what was the matter. There was a little boy, about the age of 5, crying. I started to talk to him to see if I could help. As I was talking, the father came up from the shore of the Nile. I told him I had come to see if the child was ok. He laughed. The kid must have gotten in trouble and was crying. The father told the boy to go back down to his mother. The childs name? Moses! I about laughed out loud as I had written this before I ran. God, you have humor. A crying boy named Moses in the reeds by the Nile... of course. Here's Moses: