Choir Recording

     Andrew and I just returned from Budaka, a small town in Eastern Uganda, where we were recording a few African choirs.  The literacy branch of Wycliffe sent us to go record and take video of several rural choirs with the idea that the best one may receive a sponsorship to the United States.  While touring in the states the choir would be raising money that would go toward the translation of the Old Testament in their native language.
    We took a bus from Kampala to Budaka.  It was a four or five hour journey through mostly undeveloped area.  The bus stopped about halfway for a bathroom break, which consisted of getting off the bus going into the bushes on the left if you are a woman, or the bushes on the right if you are a man.  We eventually made it to Budaka, met a man named James who was coordinating the whole thing and grabbed some food.  Later that night the entire towns power went off and did not come back on until we were leaving a couple days later.
     With or without power we were there to listen to some choirs so thats what we did.  We listened to a total of five and there was one that particularly stood out.  This choir sung and danced with such an enthusiasm and love for the Lord that we could tell they weren't just performing to perform.  In fact, once we had finished recording they continued to sing and dance for another half hour or so, all the while more towns people would gather to listen and even dance as well.  Then a pretty big thunderstorm rolled in so we all went into a school building where they proceeded to play and sing for another hour.  Hopefully this choir will get the opportunity to perform outside of Budaka and raise money for translation.
      It was crazy how much the people welcomed us and thanked us for coming.  They were very appreciative of what we were doing and seemed almost honored that we would come to their town.  After recording, they served us food and thanked us again.  These were pastors and leaders in the community who were making us food and washing our hands, which was a good reminder of how we are called to serve others.

Sudan Part 2

We lost Ben. Jon’s buying food but ben never made it to the grocery store. I get him on the phone to find out that he has been dropped off, not far off, but in the wrong part of town. So he gets things straitened out and is on his way... meanwhile we try to get the rest of what we need to get on our way. Foods bought: noodles, sardines, snickers, breakfast bars, and water. We are all there packing our bags on some benches in the middle of the mall. Stuff is just getting thrown in so that we can hit the road, considering we are in a race with the sun and currently we are losing. The bota drivers take us up to the top of town from there we can start hitch hiking. Thumbs go up and let the games begin. We start walking into the sunset as the sun makes its last appearance and ducks behind the distant hills. I have found that in africa the sun stays in the sky as long as it can then it drops faster than a beat from a hillbilly band. We throw down a prayer to God that goes something like. “keep us alive, amen.” and keep moving just walking in two packs of two. This was in hopes that the driver would see the first and stop for the second. We land our first ride with a nice woman who takes us just a few kilometers but that's enough to get us out of town which is always better for getting rides. She was a nice middle aged woman listening to her sermon and telling us white boys to be careful. Who knew Africa gets more dangerous at night. We did. She dumps us off and we start hitching again. Its fully dark by now all you can see is headlights and shadows of people around you. That and 4 white figures with packs waving at every car that isn’t a matato (public transport). We land a flatbed truck with four other mudugavus (black natives) in the back who look at us as if we are all crazy as the thought of electricity on Noah’s ark. They smiled and so did we, few miles down the road we stop at a gas station for some petrol. Waiting in the back, Jon jumps down and asks a big rig which way they are heading. He saying he is going all the way to Gulu which was our goal for that night. We are all pumped! all we gatta do is ride it out. I look down at my hands and find that the pole in the back of the last truck apparently needed to be greased to death and now so was I. But we all pack into the cab of the truck. There are two in the back of the cab, Jon and Jer, Ben and i are up front. The driver hadn’t said a word but the other guy was more than thrilled to be talking to us and was just going on and on about who knows what. The truck is moving at 30 km per hour. downhill. We find out that they are going to reach Gulu by the next morning. So we start discussing the thought of getting another ride. Finally Timothy, the passenger, pipes up and says there is a police stop ahead and we needed to hide, all in behind the curtains. So we quickly all pack in 4 guys and 4 packs - no room. The truck stops and we can hear the police asking if there is anyone in the back. The men lie and say no. I glance over at Jer who is stretching the curtain so that it covers at least half of him from being in sight. But we made it past with no trouble. A few minutes later we spread back out. Getting smuggled past a police stop, check. The driver asks Timothy something, but he is distracted looking for a black bag. Ben is sitting next to him. We look everywhere, jon in the back finds a few black ones next to him but they arn’t the right one. Ben pipes up “is it this one?” and pulls one out from under his feet. “Yes that is thank you.” “Whats in it?” We open the bag an inside is the trucker's loaf of bread or midnight meal with a size 12 shoe imprint diagonally,  making sure that it smashed the maximum number of slices. Ben goes. “oops, sorry thought it was a pillow.” but there are no hard feelings just laughs, so far. Finally the driver is heard. And the long waited question comes. “Do you guys have any money?” “Nope” the driver was getting heated. He obviously wasn’t as friendly and was wanting a little compensation.  We ask to be dropped off because we are feeling some tension and besides we want to find a ride that might be a little faster than 5 km/hour uphill and 10 down. Timothy argues with the other man for a second and we then ask if the driver understands english. “Yes, he knows everything you are saying”-Timothy. Nice we were being ignored by a 30 year old african. So that's it. We demand to be dropped off, even against Timothy’s will, he didn’t want us to get hurt and said he would feel responsible. The truck drives off and its dark everywhere.

The only light is from the occasional person waking up checking their surroundings and finding that they arn’t in the texan desert or hell, just africa. We put the tent up and bed down. I whisper to Jon “should we take the rain tarp off?” We had originally left it on to protect against the thought of waking up with a cheetah or panther staring strait down at his dinner - us. But at this point it was becoming unbearable. “Im fine with it.”-Jon "Lets just take up the ends." So i get out and fold up some of the sides. We had been in the tent for about 2 hours and time was slugging along slower than the truck we had been in the day before.  The joke passed around the tent that if we left the tarp on then we would all be perfectly crock potted by morning for whatever prey did stumble across us. A slight breeze blows through the tent and we all sigh and pause for a moment, but it is still standing at 90.2 degrees.                                     --Andrew

Sudan Part 1

I wake up to sweat in my eyes and find myself lying in a pool of my own perspiration. Foggy eyes and blurred vision i glance down at my watch, wipe my eyes and read it twice. 10:21. I had been asleep for 3 minutes before i had been woken up by the intense heat surrounding me. Thoughts flood my mind as i figure out where i am. 

The last things come first to my mind. Less than 36 hours before we had left Namuwongo, the outskirts of Kampala Uganda. Our mission was to set out on a journey, hitch hike our way up the center of Uganda and smuggle our way into Sudan. The motive seamed apparent - adventure, danger, thrill. But there was a scent of something more, something hidden in the back of my mind or Gods Will. Both were extremely cloudy at the moment. The last time i remember a good sleep i was taking a nap on the bed in the guest house of Betty and Moses the two Ugandans that were letting us stay with them along with Jonathan and Jeremiah, two other guys we had caught up with and were working with for the first few weeks. I had fallen asleep after church and lunch and was just letting myself enjoy a bit of sunday relaxation. When i woke up no one was around - not Ben or Jon or anyone. The house girl Lucy had no idea either. So i called Jon. He told me they were at the internet cafe and i should come down there. I put on some shoes and head on my way. Still half asleep i got there and began to dig through some emails. I turn around to the word Sudan mixed in with some talk of alternate plans. “Hey whats the plan,” i asked. “well considering the plans of our safari tomorrow got canceled we were thinking on going on a short trip ourselves”-Jon. I could smell an adventure stirring and i was all in. “Sure man fill me in.” I got the plan that they had cooked up. It was either head southwest to a lake to chill on the shore or sneak into Sudan by bush whacking through a national park known for its game parks. Obviously smuggling and animals over lakeside any day. The plan was coming together quickly and the decision to leave asap was made unanimously. So we head back to the place to  pack. I send one last email to Alison telling our brief plan in case we don’t surface for more than a week or so and we're off. 

The clock is ticking now. Im back. It 10:25 now. Not much for sleeping. i can feel the gritty tent below my feet and sunburned back. I breathe hard but the air is so thick with humidity i find myself uncomfortable rather than refreshed by the oxygen. I look down at my watch. It reads. Altitude 2756 feet, 95.1 degrees. It's all of a sudden apparent why sleep was coming so slowly and why i was basking in my own sweat. The thoughts blurr...

My bags are packed and so are Ben’s. We convene for one last plan making we were ganna split up to get more stuff done. Ben - Go Meet Jer at Garden City where he had already left to get a haircut. Jon was going to get a beard trim while i cleared the info off of my memory card of my camera. One last video. “John, tell us was is going on,” Me. “Hey guys,  we're about to go off and hitch hike our way into Northern Uganda. We hope to see you guys in a few days if not so long.”-Jon. Not much of a goodbye but we're guys and thats usually how things roll. Hi, bye, see ya around. Too much adrenaline and masculinity to address our mothers or house pets. It was gametime. John was off getting a last beard trim, i was throwing the computer stuff together and getting ready to meet him. Our bags only had what we needed. The thin list before was now almost transparent - down to a simple sleeping bag, long sleeve, knife and camera. We put ben on a bota (african motorbike) and send him off to find Jer at Garden city(shopping center). Jon and i are off to Aweno to get some shoes for him. His were all stolen and he was down to a pair of bright colored flip flops. We're in rushing running through the crowd, going through piled of shoes bartering on the move. Locals bring us shoes from all sides, some as pointless as high heels in a soccer game, others - close, but too small. Finally we land a pair, find some soles, which who knew weren’t always included, bartered and took off. Back to the bota heading to meet the others at Garden City the time. 6:05 sun was just 1 hour and 25 minutes from setting. and i fade off to sleep again.       --Andrew

More pictures!

If you want to see some of Andrew and Ben's pictures from Africa, go to http://gallery.me.com/realityscalling

We'll try to add more soon!

Alison