Arrivals

UCBC campus

Six of us arrived safely in Beni on Monday, October 18, 2010: Cullen Rodgers-Gates (Director of North American Operatons for CI, Howard Brown (CI-USA board member), Douglas Slaughter (friend of Howard’s, Paul Robinson (President of the CI-USA board), and David Santoso (HNGR intern who has a 6-month placement at UCBC). Cullen, Howard, Douglas, and  joined up at Schipol, Amsterdam Saturday night/Sunday morning; Paul and David met the 4 of us in Entebbe Sunday night. ...

Bethany Guest Hous

We enjoyed a restful night at the Bethany Guest House Sunday, then a leisurely breakfast before heading to the airport for our MAF flights to Bunia (DR Congo border) and then on to Beni.

Doug, Cullen, Howard, and I took a little walk Monday morning down by Lake Victoria. A few highlights: Birds and flowers. Moses, a local resident, introducing us to a vervet.

Moses and a vervet

Our plane ride from Entebbe to Bunia, DRC (where we go through customs and immigration) was smooth and uneventful. Our 12-seater plane was an MAF flight. It was the first time I've been on a flight where the pilot prayed and thanked God for the day and asked His blessing on our flight. 

Treetops

The officials at Bunia handled our paperwork with grace and speed, and we were not charged entrance fees into the country nor at Beni—a welcome surprise. Of course, having Paul with us at Bunia, then David Kasali at Beni might have had something to do with it. But even the presence of a local citizen or someone possessing the cultural currency and language is no guarantee of easy passage.

From Bunia, we had another MAF flight--this time on a 6-seater--and another prayer. Our pilot on this flight graced us with a low altitude, so we had an amazing view of the forest, villages, and even militia camps along the way (pictures later). As we came into Beni, we flew over the UCBC campus. What a thrill to see the building expansions.

We landed in Beni around 3pm. David Kasali met us and ushered us through customs/immigration here in Beni. We drove (new car, paved road) directly to the UCBC campus and joined the General Assembly (board meeting). Meetings lasted the rest of the afternoon. Then drive (on the paved road and in the new car--car with headlights!) to the Kasali household--a place of grace and hospitality, where laughter abounds and fellowship reigns.