a way of seeing things

The Greek scholar Herodotus called Egypt “the gift of the Nile”. Argentina was named “the land of silver” by Spanish Explorers. Thailand ‘s official title is “Muang Thai” or “the land of the free”. Ireland is “the Emerald isle”. And Uganda, my Uganda, is called the “Pearl of Africa’.


Africa. It is like a land from a faery tale. Foreign. Frightening. Fantasy-like. Unknown. Undefined. Mysterious. Intriguing. It has remained distant to many people for years on end. People shrink from it as they shrink from something terrifying and unfamiliar. Mud. Malaria. Flies. Cow Dung. Thorns. Crude huts with thatched roofs. Naked children with gleaming white teeth as strong as a tigress’s. Cannibals. Spears. Lions. Snakes. Deserts. And truly, those who believe in the thorny, cannibal infested desert wasteland have every right to be frightened, mystified, to want to keep as far away as possible. To not want to explore the unexplored.

People call Africa “the Dark continent”. Why? Because all they have seen is this darkness. They have never seen the incredible wonder and beauty of it all. They have never seen the beautiful snow-capped mountain ranges, or the colorful rainforests rich with life. They have never felt the Saharan wind in their hair or the sweet Karimojong rain on their faces. The Kalahari is not just a dry death trap unable to sustain life…it is a beautiful landmark and an incredible wonder of the natural world, home to countless content (as well as man can be content) bushmen and their families. Africa could just as well be called the land of beauty. I cannot describe to you the feeling of awe and wonder I feel as I watch a thunder storm rolling in across the savannah, or the deep red sun sinking behind the rolling foothills to the west of Mt. Kadaam, an ancient volcano that can be seen from my backyard.

Uganda is the Pearl of Africa. It is beautiful. Every speck of dust. Every fleck of mud. Every red tipped thorn and yellow striped snake is beautiful. If you look at a map of Africa, of the entire continent, and get a good sense of all the ins and outs, ups and down, gentle curves and jutting points of all the coasts, you will see that. Look at the rivers and lakes, the mountain ranges fringing the deep fertile valleys. Look at the deserts and the oases. Look at it all. On the right side of the continent—the eastern side—just about halfway down the coast, on the equator, there is a very large lake. It is this that is the beating, living heart of Africa. And from this heart flows a mighty river, reaching up towards the Mediterranean Sea, sustaining all life that dares to exist above it. Rivulets of water stretch out like fingers straining to touch the driest seas of sand, the loneliest valleys, and the most forsaken hilltops. It is just above this heart, this source of sustenance, that there is Uganda.

I have lived in Uganda for 5 ½ years now, almost 6. I have seen a lot of pain and suffering and fear in the lives of the people around me. Darkness does exist, I am not denying that. No mother should have to keep herself as unattached as possible from her child so as to feel as little pain as possible when he/she dies of hunger or sickness. No child should have to fall asleep without knowing if their father would come home alive from raiding the enemy’s cows. No human being should have to go through life without a hope of heaven and everlasting life after death. But things are being done about these things. Charity organizations such as the World Food Program and Samaritan’s Purse are seeking to find a resolution to world hunger. There are countless treatments for malaria and other diseases and illnesses. Clinics run by missionaries and do-gooders are rapidly spreading across the continent. The spread of the Gospel by missionaries, though a slow and difficult labor, is possible by the mercy of God. Nothing is impossible with God. In fact, everything is impossible WITHOUT God. The poor efforts of WFP count for nothing if they do not go about it in the right way . Every sick child shall die if God does not provide the cure. The eyes of the people will not see Christ as their savior unless God enables them to see.

God has really blessed me. He has given me the most beautiful place of Earth to call my home. The dirty faces on the hungry children should not be seen simply as characters in a faery tale to be pitied, but as real people with real minds and hearts and souls to be loved as brothers and sisters in this family of humanity. Their lives and their customs should not be viewed as a wall between our two cultures, but as an opportunity to learn more about Him and His creation. Through his mercy, God has allowed me to see the light that He has shown through the restricting title of the “Dark Continent” so as to catch a glimpse of the hidden beauty of Uganda…a glimpse of the PEARL of Africa...