Visiting CRESS office in Arua
First hand account of the refugee situation
Friday June 30th 2017
Last night was spent in a small hotel in a rural area of Moyo. When we arrived they apologised that there was no electricity in our rooms, but we felt that compared with the plight of the refugees only a few miles away this was no more than a minor inconvenience. (Power was later restored). We were woken at 5am to the sound of a goat being slaughtered outside the window and the hotel staff preparing for the day.
At 8.45 we were picked up and driven to the diocese office where a delivery lorry had unfortunately, just knocked down the gate pillar! We were delighted to meet John and Cathie Rutter from the UK who took early retirement and are now self funded CMS missionaries teaching in the theological college. Life is tough for them a long way from home with no transport and only enough home comforts for basic survival.
As we were about to leave, Emanuel Lulu (CRESS nursing officer at the clinic) arrived to meet us. It was so good to see him and to let him know that the clinic will be up and running by mid July. We handed him medical books and eye test charts donated by CRESS supporters.
We bid our sad farewells to the staff there and then made our way to Moyo airstrip. MAF had asked us to kindly arrive 10 minutes early to clear the airstrip as it tends to attract wandering children and animals!
As I write we are flying over the spectacular Ugandan countryside stopping off at 2 places to pick up and set down passengers.
We have Fred Taban with us as he is joining us in Entebbe for a few days of rest and CRESS leadership meetings. We will be joined on Monday by Bishops Emmanuel and Joseph.
This afternoon we will land in Kajjansi and be met by Ian Wardle, a friend of a lady from Adrian’s church in Devizes and his colleague Colin. After lunch with them, it will be a taxi ride back to our hotel in Entebbe and an early night to recover from the trip. Over the next days, we’ll be adjusting to relatively normal African life back in Entebbe and reflecting on the incredibly sad situation that we have seen and experienced. We will attempt to convey some of that to you in words and pictures so do please keep following this Blog.
