We were sitting in our favourite café one day when a local woman came in and started chatting. She was commenting on the “muzungu” tourists that come to the hotels in Kisoro to stop over before going gorilla trekking
“It drives me mad that people come and pay $500 to see gorillas but they don’t want to bother to come and see me!” she said, “Why is that no one wants to see what I do, the way I live; I am a human being. Aren’t I more important than gorillas?” she was really perplexed.
She had a point. Why don't people want to visit her, or other local people? Is it because they would feel they are intruding, that it wouldn’t be polite? (Ugandans love visitors especially white people who some think confer a blessing by their touch.)
Or is it because animals are undemanding?. We can “ooh” and” ah” at them in their natural habitat without feeling guilt at their life styles in comparison to ours.
Or is it because we want to boast about our great, expensive, holidays and the marvels we have seen?
Or is it because humans can be seen any time; they’re no longer “special”?
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think it’s bad to want to see exotic wildlife and endangered species. We went on safaris in Tanzania and God’s creatures are marvellous to behold, but are we sometimes in danger of forgetting God's most important creation, the ones He loves most of all; our fellow men?
Here people are very amused at the way we Europeans treat our pets, they find it comical that we should allow them in our homes and give them their own special food, and hilarious that they even have their own beds. They would probably shake their heads in pity and disdain if they knew the amount of money we pay on vet fees and 'treats'.
Maybe next time you buy a treat for your pet you could put the same amount of money into a box to help support people in need too. Next time you pat your dog or stroke your cat you could say a prayer for a struggling family in Africa. All God’s creatures are wonderful, let us just make sure we are giving them all the right priority.
What have we been doing?
In the past month Irene has received confirmation of an order from shops in the USA for clothes to be made by the tailoring students. If the trial is successful it will mean an income to assist students with their school fees, which though modest by our standards require sacrificial giving by their poor parents.
Our son, David, and his wife, Sarah, have returned to England after 3 months volunteer work at the Potters Village Home for Vulnerable Babies. Although their help was very much appreciated they did find some of the experiences and culture difficult to adjust to.
The details of the Church Treasurers' manual on Book-keeping that Malcolm has prepared, and details of the training programme are being finalised. With time running out before our return to England it may be that the training will not be completed this year.
Prayer requests
Please thank God for:
- the safe return of our son, David, and his wife to England
- Hannah, the daughter of the CMS Mission partner, Jenny Green, as she seems to have settled in well to her new school in Nairobi
Please pray:
- that Irene manages to establish the tailoring student’s workshop before leaving for our break; they have many orders to fulfil for the USA.
- that we do not get too exhausted on the trip home on October 27th (A night time 5 hour stopover in a very uninspiring airport is included!)
- that we keep safe on the roads during our many miles of travelling to see family and friends
- for Malcolm as he winds up his work for the break
- for wisdom as we meet with the CMS Regional Manager for Africa in December to discuss what we might do in future
