It’s been a long month. It began with Derbycon, which was as always, amazing. I’m so thankful for the encouragement and the reception from all of you, my friends and supporters. You guys really keep me going, and I’m so thankful for each and every one of you that gave of your time and resources to encourage and push us. Thank you. Normally I have time to rest after Derby (which I need) but in this case, I didn’t have much time for relaxation. I flew back to Uganda and less than a week later, I flew out again to speak at the ISM conference in San Diego, at the Marina Sheraton. What a great conference, in a beautiful location. I was stunned by the hotel, the conference and the romance and beauty of the location. In a word: “wow”.
The conference was terrific, but it had a dark side. As many of you know, Pwnie Express was kind enough to donate a Pwn Pad, which I demo during my talks to help promote them and provide the audience with various tools to help secure their own stuff. I pitched the pad, really talking it up as I usually do, and set it on the podium. After my talk, I stepped off the stage, and spent quite a bit of time answering questions, and someone stole the pad right off the podium. To say I’m disappointed is an understatement. I expect theft here in Uganda, but I romanticize things from my past, and never imagined that this kind of blatant theft was possible in the US. I’ll never be able to afford a replacement.
The day after I returned from the whirlwind San Diego trip (30 hours on the ground, 72 hours of travel) I stayed in an bed and breakfast in Entebbe, because I returned late at night and avoid driving at night because it is so dangerous. I avoid hotels, because bed and breakfasts have a warmer feel and I get lots of ideas about what to do and what not to do in our own BnB. This time, I stayed at 2Friends in Entebbe and fell into bed around 11:30pm.
What I found in the morning stunned me. This was the view, off the shores of Lake Victoria in Entebbe:
I’ve always had an affinity for the water. Maybe it’s the pirate blood, but I’ve always felt drawn to it and calmed by it. In fact, some of the best times of my life were spent in and around the water. But the water in the San Diego marina is reserved for the rich with lavish boats, high-dollar real estate and million dollar homes. This little slice of paradise is right here in Uganda. It’s a reminder that we are blessed, living near the water in Jinja, one of the most beautiful places on the planet. The environment alone is enough to encourage us through even the most difficult situations. It’s amazing how your environment can affect you if you let it.
That morning, Trevor and Makenna landed in Entebbe for a short weekend break and we drove back to Jinja together. We had a great weekend, and really enjoyed being with them. They added life and laughter to our home and as always, that was bittersweet because three days after they landed they were on their way back to school.
While the kids were here, a sad story developed with one of our few remaining close friends in Uganda. The result was that our friend lost everything (and I mean everything) she knew in Uganda, and what looked to be a life in Uganda simply vanished, drastically and suddenly. And after five years and many ministry projects, she was forced to leave it all behind and go to the US, now a foreign land for an unforeseeable amount of time.. maybe forever. And as this unfolded, our lives were put on hold as we tried to help in any way we could. We could offer food and a place to stay, and support, but as her time drew to a close, Jen felt the weight of her return trip and realized that the trip back to the US, alone, would be sad, and emotionally impossible to bear. So Jen offered to fly back with her, and stay with her for a few days as she resettled with her family. So today, Jen is flying to the US for a short trip, using money from the San Diego gig (fortuitous timing), and I’m here doing my best to do all that Jen does and keep all “my stuff” afloat at the same time.
Needless to say, I haven’t gotten much done this month, as confrences, travel, and family trumped “HFC business” and by the looks of it I’ll likely get little done this week. It’s amazing how much Jen does, and I don’t fully realize it until she’s gone. That’s such a valuable lesson and I’ll likely ponder it a lot more if and when I get some quiet time.
