Cities and Villages

By Olivia Beaverson

Initially on drives it was hard to process much of what I was seeing. I already have a hard time staying awake in cars as it is but then add in the heat without AC and the heaviness of the sights and it became even more challenging to stay awake. We were told from the beginning though to stay awake and pay attention during these drives so I did and I was surprised by how much I started to see.

A lot of what I started noticing were sights related to the stories of people I had met. For example I noticed the scaffolding in teh cities made from branches. At first it would seem so frail to me but then I started noticing how many permanent structures were made with these branches and even learned that the type of wood is a very sturdy hardwood.

So as I looked past what seemed bad at first I was able to start noticing other things about the scaffolding. Things like how far apart the slats were and how narrow they were. Like how the workers had no harnesses and no protective gear. This pattern of observations and judgments heeled often I noticed.

I noticed I would see something, make an initial judgment, if it was good or bad based on what I was used to, then I would see past that judgment and make some further observations.

I think that some of the most impactful moments driven were when Mr. Garner gave commentary on what we were seeing. As we drove past our campus in Kabonge towards rural Nakasongola, we looked at the high rise apartments being built which is a recent transition to house more and more people trying to move closer to cities. We looked at the more rural areas and their farmland or lack of farm land. Mr Garner discussed land rights and agricultural laws, pointing out injustices and noted how a government’s job is to take care of its people.

he also talked about how other modern word for “kingdom” is government and how we are praying for God’s governance/government to be brought about on earth as it is in heaven. Part of that is seeing and caring for those who are harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd (Luke 9), in other words, anyone who doesn’t have any governance, those who are not taken care of by their government.

Through commentary accompanied by biblical teachings, I began to see the people and their environments they were in and noticed how they were harassed like sheep without a shepherd. I also began to notice the people more in the cities. At night in Kampala, the traffic was crazy and there were intersections without traffic control, no sidewalks, and masses of people walking home from who knows how far away. I saw again at night a young mother walking home with a baby no more than three months old strapped to her back while she carried two night stands on her head and a wooden crate on the other hand. I saw young men walking on teh narrow slats of the scaffolding I mentioned earlier. But I also saw the strength of these people and God’s power through them.