First Things

First things first--Dr. Skaggs, I have two 500 ml bottles of Stoney Tangawizi sitting in my apartment for you. They made it home intact, in my packed luggage, no less (I couldn't put them in my carry-on since I had a layover in Amsterdam--they confiscate bottles of liquid). I fully expected to open my duffel in Idaho to two bottles of exploded soda. You love me :)

Now the real first thing--thank you to all of you for praying. I can't fathom having taken the trip and survived it--both physically and emotionally--without the prayers. I could type pages and pages, but honestly I am still exhausted to do much except bang out the budget I need to do for work this week, and get myself to California this weekend to see my grandfather who went into hospice care last week. I wish I could pop back to life here like a daisy, but I get my butt kicked when I fly west, and crossing nine time zones is just goofy. Heading east--no problem. West--well, let's just say that when I got home last Monday night, I took a shower, and the next thing I knew, I woke up on my living room floor, and realized I needed to get myself into the bed. Hee, hee :)

I am sure you would all love to hear about the pastors and churches, roads and food, hippos and crocodiles. I do hope to post about all those great things in the days to come. Okay--here is a croc picture from the Nile to hold you over:

That's no telephoto on my camera--just us in a boat on the Nile, and lots of crocs. They open their mouths to warm themselves. Eeeeek! This was actually part of a float of about 40 crocs in one spot.

But I know you really want to know how it went with Tony and me. Most of you got my email about it, but in short, we were faced with both how we feel about each other (oh, love, love, love), and with reality (the demands on the time of an African pastor are beyond anything I have ever seen). We have not completely shut the door on the possibility of a life together for us, but it's terribly hard to imagine things can work in the long run. We are still highly committed to our friendship, praying for one another, and continuing to listen to the Lord for His guidance and care.

I'm okay. Okay, I'm a little depressed. But I am amazed to be loved by someone this wonderful. And I will tell you later about some of the terrific perks, large and small.

In the meantime, here's a picture upon my arrival in Entebbe, the airport about 22 km south of Kampala, right on Lake Victoria:


Here's another at departure from the airport, headed home via Nairobi, Amsterdam, Seattle, and finally, Boise. Man, that's alotta planes :)


And the mosquitoes liked me--a lot. Apparently there aren't too many folks as pasty as me who visit Northern Uganda, and the mosquitoes discovered a new flavor. I think I was the other white meat.

I missed being able to check everyone's blogs! It's been nice to catch up on all of you over the last week. Thanks again for being part of my circle--I am more grateful than you can imagine to know you all as we navigate this unpredictable life.