Uganda Blog 2-- out on the town

09-12-06
Oh my, you have to hold onto your seat when you are in Uganda. Today, I made my big trip into the city, twice over. I went by car in the morning with Charles, who helped me to take out cash and go buy a cell phone. Not that it is useful to all you out there, but my cell number here is 0774320926 . Anyways, I used all modes of transport today as I traveled by car, taxi (a minibus really) and by boda boda which is a motor cycle or a scooter. Indeed, hold on to your seat. For only 500 shillings I can make my way into town by taxi. That is about 30 cents, but it does take a good amount of time. The boda boda is much faster, but you risk breaking your neck if you somehow get into an accident. It is true that coke is all over the world. I had a real realizaition of my being here in Africa (what I call an African moment) when I was sitting in a small hole in the wall restaurant with painted clay walls drinking a coke.

Pastor Abel ( a Pentecostal interdenominational preacher) took me to one of his ministires today. I met a great guy there named John who is an assistant pastor and as we got to talking I told him about my interest and involvement in Prison ministry. He told me that he in fact had first come to religion through prison. He was told to be an interpreter for a religious group that came in and preached there. While everyone around him was giving their lives over to Christ (I think it was a Pentecostal group) he just kept on. On the third and last time this Pentecostal group came, the lady looked out at the crowd and said you have a pastor here, and she indicated John, who had only just decided to become a Christian in his head before that service. I know that we catholics have different approaches to our faith often, but this mans witness was quite awesome.
Later that day Able took me to a Catholic center named Pope Paul VI memorial, where I met a man who will be quite helpful in my research. He said that he can help me as I arrange for interviews and he will be able to get me a meeting with the cardinal. Oh happy day!