Rural Kapchorwa

When we went to rural homestays this past week, I thought I would climb a lot of trees. I didn’t climb too many of those, but living in the mountainous town of Kapchorwa allowed plenty of opportunity to climb and scurry about the hilly land. I learned from my friend Lazerous (the runner I met in the dining hall), that Kapchorwa is known by runners for a college named Sebei that allows them room and board- this for the sake of the world class training opportunities which surround the college in the mountains. 

One of the main purposes for our stay in Kapchorwa, was to gain exposure to more than a couple small cities of Uganda- it would be easy to return home and say, "Uganda is this... or that, but now our statements and understanding upon return won't be so nearsighted at least:) I do say, it felt like moving from a place like Sacramento, to maybe Lodi (both CA cities)
 

The course of the week was pretty relaxing. We weren't allowed to bring much homework, so our job as students was to be a part of the family. My family's name was, Sabila (from the Kapquecha tribe). John was my dad, and Claudette was my mom. This couple had 2 sons (about 4th grade), and one daughter (about 20 years old) still at home.

There were many beautiful views near to our house, and it was especially neat to go on hikes to the river, through banana fields, along the road. One hike my dad took me on, came eventually to a very big cave that he'd apparently hid cattle in with fellow neighbors when a neighboring people raided them for livestock many years ago. On the way, we passed many smiling (and almost scared) children. We also passed goat, and cattle herders, and oxen plowing fields. It is about rainy season there now, so we saw many people preparing their fields. Another hike my neighbor friend (Andrew) took me on, went straight through people's property, and right alongside the river. We hiked for a couple miles on mildly hilly landscape, and there we also saw children- one group was fishing with cool hook poles, and my friend told me a phrase in the vernacular language to yell, so I did and I wish I could describe the surprised/funny look the children gave this mzungu (white man) who should not know their language. At the end of that hike, we watched the sunset over the long and wide valley at the end of the Kapchorwa foothills. The land we could see is where the city of Seroti is, and where the Karamajong people tend to live.
Other activities during the week included: watching the many wondering chickens and two mellow cows each morning, as our mom seriously milked them for our morning tea, and dad grabbed motoke stems for them to eat. Also, I visited the elementary school next to our home, and played frisbee and futbol with many of the students. I met a couple amazing guys who shared with me of their love for Jesus- one is a musician there in his town, and another is a farming Christian (I guess you could say a farmer man, fisher of men). It was neat, he told me, "I help people learn how to farm, and tell them they won't have true and full (harvest) until they commit life unto their Creator and Lord- Jesus Christ. Besides these two guys, I met a muslim man after watching a goat slaughtering. The scene was harsh- I'd never seen an animal have it's life intentionally taken in that way. Anyway, we began talking afterward and I learned that he had been a 'christian' , but then became a muslim, because many of the people he was with were muslim. Amazingly, my dad told me that his family had all converted in the same way, but he remained a Christian, and to this day he and his own children still seek the Lord.

I really enjoyed a hike that our entire group went on together on the last day, after we had reunited. Beginning at the entrance to Mt. Elgon national park, we hike down the mt.- stopping at 3 beautiful, and very large waterfalls. We also shared reflection about the different lifestyle in rural areas with one another- as a group, and we talked about gender roles, and fun questions we were asked about America, and our lifestyles at home. On Sunday, before we departed, we worshipped the Lord on top of a hill above our "lodges". We'd brought the guitar, and then looked at Psalm 121. It's amazing to think about God's hand upon beauty in so many places and people. This passage from Psalm 121 was especially neat, being in a mountainous area, and learning that in the days it was written- the hills were places typically used for idol shrines, and the Israelites would look up to the hills and say- "I lift up my eyes to the hills- from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth...."