Preparing for Uganda... It is now less than a week until I start my mission in Lira, Uganda. I am frantically trying to tie up loose ends here at home, mainly taxes. Today I received my passport with the Ugandan visa neatly printed and dated inside of it, my airline ticket, and information about my teammates that I will be meeting enroute. It is finally starting to feel real.
I frequently feel like I live in two different worlds. My normal life here in Washington state is as a wife, nurse, church member, friend, daughter, sister, etc. It seems very cyclic and routine. My life of short term medical missions, is one of living for 2-5 weeks at a time in third world countries as a foreigner, team member, and nurse. It is a simpler life with a different pace. It feels more alive, productive, and significant.
I am looking forward to joining with the Ugandan members of Northwest Medical Teams that I worked with last year. What a terrific bunch of people! They are such hard working and friendly people, it is truly a pleasure to serve alongside of them in the IDP camps (internally displaced people). It breaks my heart that the northern Ugandan people continue to be terrorized by the Lord's Resistance Army, and that about 2 million people continue to live in the camps seeking refuge and safety. This has now been going on for 20 years and the Ugandan president and government do nothing to help the situation.
I will continue to tell you more about the situation in the coming 4 weeks as time and internet availability allow. I understand that the power has been off more than on, so we'll see!