Once immediately after a church camp a friend and I was discussing our future. We were both in college then and the question about the future was imminent. We had just recently sung the song "In awesome ways, you cannot see, God will make a way" in the church camp. The discussion veered towards how in the future we will be led in awesome ways which we haven't imagined so far. Well, we had just come back from a church camp. The aftereffects of a camp take time to wither away, I suppose. We were still talking about God, you see!
More than 20 years since that day, I look back and think of that statement again! I have done things that I hadn't dreamt in the wildest of dreams. Well, dreams show you things only that you know of. I'm living a life that I never even knew existed. Leave alone dreamt.
One such dream happened today!
I boarded a small flight and flew around Uganda today! Yes, you heard me right. I flew in a 12-seater flight around an African country. Refueling twice. Landing in some of the remotest airfields in the world.
A few of us boarded at a small airfield near the capital of Uganda. All of them are social workers who have dared their lives to serve the people around them. What am I even doing there?
We went to five different airfields in Uganda. Refueling twice. I met and spoke to some incredible human beings.
Just to think my job entails this! What?? Why?? How?? I still pinch myself to check on the reality of it all.
One of the airfields we landed had cows coming in between! COWS! Hundreds of them. We stopped our flight. Waited for them to cross. Started it again. In one airfield, children waited on the side of the runway, dancing to welcome one of the passengers. Different world for sure from mine. But isn't it incredible that such a world continues to exist in the same world as I exist? It is actually stupidly unbelievable that I never knew this world existed.
"Sir, my eyes are failing. I need to be operated on, can you help me with this?", the chief of black cat security in one of the airbases asked me. I had tears. Didn't know how to answer. I promised him I will see what best I can do. The chief security officer of the airport in my city will have his eyes operated on the best of facilities. The best the world can offer.
As I got into the last leg of the flight, one of my co-passenger from the US, who has worked a few weeks in South Sudan, asked, "Do you miss your son? I miss my children terribly, she said". My heart missed a beat! I took my phone and saw the picture of K. Ah, his smile!
As much as I am thankful for providence to have opened my eyes to a world beyond me, I wish 'K' can learn to look at the world beyond him.
Perhaps one day providence will show K the world in awesome ways he hadn't seen!
My flight
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