The Source . . . and the Destination

On Sunday morning, we got up early enough to attend the 8:00 a.m. worship service at Watoto Church, and then headed to Jinja for the day.  While Jinja is the seventh most populace city in Uganda, it is the second largest commercial area.  Its attraction, however, is neither its population nor its commerce, but rather its role as the source of the longest river in the world.

We journeyed the two hours due west of Kampala in a mini-bus arranged by one of our Oklahoma friends (Steve) who is visiting Uganda for two weeks.  We were joined by our twin family (the Gregstons) and a visiting missionary from Cambodia.  What the mini-bus lacked in air conditioning, it made up for in airflow through the open windows as we traveled around 50 mph for much of the way.  Our decision to go on Sunday was a good one, as the traffic on Ugandan roads on Sunday is about ¼ as heavy as on the other six days of the week – most Ugandans walk to church and then spend most of the day at home or in local markets.

When we arrived in Jinja, we puttered out on a small boat to an island where we were able to stand within feet of where Lake Victoria (fourth biggest lake in the world) releases a torrent of water from its northern tip, forming the River Nile.  From this source, the water makes the 4100-mile journey through ten countries – Uganda, Burundi, DRC, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, and finally Egypt as it empties into the Mediterranean Sea.  This journey north – one of the few major rivers in the world that runs north – takes three months.

On the River Nile

Gash Family at the Source of the Nile

Gazing north from the source toward Egypt brought to mind all of the historical references in the Bible to the Nile.  In particular, we thought of Moses being placed in a basket in the Nile and set adrift.  The fact that Moses survived long enough to be fished out of the river by Pharaoh’s daughter suggests that (i) the Nile moves more slowly in Egypt than in Uganda, (ii) the basket in which Moses rode was akin to a rain barrel, or (iii) that God’s hand of protection supernaturally delivered Moses to his ultimate destination.  I’m going with (iii).

Today’s adventure also reminded us not only of the Source of what we hope to accomplish in Africa, but it also reminded us of our long-term Destination.  It is not often that the Source and the Destination are one in the same.