Jill asked why my family left Uganda, and what are some of the hardships we might face while there with BWO.  Well...

The simple answer is we left because we felt the Lord nudging us to do so.  It was one of the most difficult decisions we've ever made --  we agonized over it for months actually before finally making the decision.  We felt the Lord was telling us it would be better for the ministry we helped to form if we left, and allowed our Ugandan friends and co-workers to take over and lead it in their way.  The ministry we were part of focused on srengthening the local church, and encouraging the planting of new ones.  We worked with an amazing team of Ugandan leaders, and we were confident in their ability to carry this out better than us, in their own culture and context.  Honestly, I've often second-guessed that decision over the past 2 1/2 years -- Maybe one day we'll have the opportuniy to live in Uganda again...

Hardships?  Hmmmm...  I appreciate you asking that question.  It's kind of a rare one.  First off, this is not a "roughing it" kind of trip.  Other than having a sometimes-annoying project director (me), it's not bad.  We will stay in clean hotels, with good food, electricity, indoor plumbing, beds, etc.  There may be a lot of people staying in a room sometimes, and there is often little or no privacy, but physically it is not uncomfortable.  On a trip to Africa there is always the chance of getting sick.  We're encountering bugs that we are not used to, and so often some people will get a stomach ailment or cold / flu like symptoms, in spite of our best efforts.  Not everyone will, and hopefully and prayerfully most will not.  Another thing that some count as a hardship is the need to be extremely flexible and the fact of not being in control of circumstances.  Things come up.  Schedules change.  You are asked to do something you didn't count on.  That kind of thing.  Sometimes the days are long, and weariness sets in.

I'd say one of the biggest things that people struggle with is simply encountering need, and wanting to DO something.  We will be doing something, but it can at times seem like so little.  And yet I do think it is significant -- if done in love, and in the Name of Jesus.  Often we aren't able to help in the way we want, or as much as we want.  I'd say the biggest hardship is seeing suffering and feeling helpless to do anything.  Does that make sense?