Uganda Team Has Arrived Safely in Jinja!

Philadelphia – Doha – Entebbe – Jinja

It doesn’t matter what the weather will be today.

That was a fleeting thought before I went to bed last night – because we’ll be in an airplane (several airplanes, actually) for the better part of the next 24 hours, it really doesn’t matter what the weather will be up to.  It feels odd to look at a day through that particular lens. And, because of the time change (plus 9 hours) during our flight today, the concept of “today” won’t really matter for a while.  The disorientation will probably be a good thing as we log thousands of miles and cross three continents.  Now that we've arrived, the disorientation is real as we sit at dinner, exhausted but glad to be here.

As I wrote most of this post late last night, we were somewhere over the North Atlantic, cruising along with a mostly-full plane of a diverse group of people.  Sean sat across the aisle from me, Laurel was directly in front of us, Beth was toward the divider wall, and Janis somehow managed to finagle a seat for herself in business class.  The thing you might notice about our aircraft is how clean and up-to-date everything is.  The new car/plane smell is gone, but it sure looks and feels newer than most of the planes I’ve ever been in.  Most planes I’ve taken feel like the Millenium Falcon from Star Wars – well-worn and somewhat patched together.  Not the case with this plane.

Beth, Sean, and I had an interesting discussion before we boarded the plane in Philadelphia.  Each of us took a few moments to call our families back home.  Sean got to hear from his boys, Beth talked with her sleepy teenage daughter, and I heard my little boy say “Hi daddy!” for the first time over the phone.  Sidebar: It’s a little mind-boggling to envision him communicating in complete sentences.  For the next 10 days, each of us will be taking a break from our usual roles as parents.  Our time away will be a bit like the spiritual discipline of fasting.

In my experience, fasting is a great way to be focused on a particular situation or season by abstaining from food.  When I’ve practiced fasting, I’ve tried to be committed to taking a particular course of action when I feel hunger or think about the fact that I haven’t eaten anything: I pray.  I pray for people who are really, truly hungry around the world.  I pray for more hunger in my heart for the Lord.  I pray for people who are starved for Christ and earnestly seeking him.  What I’m praying about is important, but it’s the reflex of prayer that makes fasting unique.  I think about something, and I pray – boom, just like that.

Beth, Sean and I talked about fasting from our families.  When we think about our families during this trip, right in that moment, we’ll pray for them.  Or pray for each other’s families.  Or for the big family we’ll be meeting at the Amani Baby Cottage.  Or for our church family back home.  That’s the hope – a reflex of prayer. 

I had hoped to be able to update the blog from the air, but unfortunately we’re not equipped with wi-fi on this flight.  Maybe the next one.  Keep checking the blog regularly for updates.

Even from a distance, I hope you’ll join us in this reflex of prayer – and thanks in-advance for the praying for our team while we’re away.  We made it safely to our home away from home, and we're here by the grace of God.

Shalom,

Travis