Border Crossings

I knew we were approaching the Ugandan border when I began to see a long line of stopped trucks. As a private car we simply bypassed all of these semis, reaching the border after another mile or so. There we filled out exit papers for Kenya before actually crossing a bridge with one guard to fill out entry papers for Uganda. Apparently truckers wait for at least two days to get through. All of the trucks were on the Kenyan side heading inland to Uganda, Sudan, Rwanda, DRC, etc., many of them relief aid for humanitarian and natural disasters. The process of crossing took us about 2 hours; amusing once and yet entirely frustrating when I think of all the goods being delayed for paperwork… and the security they’re trying to provide, I suppose.

Inside the Ugandan Immigration Office, a sign read something like, “Attention all customers, we have recently upgraded to a computerized system. Please forgive the delay this may cause.” I couldn’t help but chuckle at the irony of that statement.

I must brag: I have yet to meet a Kenyan with faster typing skills than my own (roughly 65 or so words a minute). And I must admit: I’ve been incredibly advantaged to grow up around computers. The vast majority of Kenyans won’t ever touch a computer unless they go to a high school or college that provides a lab. Cyber cafés are everywhere but only the few who can afford them use them. Even then their exposure is quite limited, and the discomfort from lack of continual contact readily shows. Yet because they speak English and literacy rates are fairly good, a vast world of information and opportunity lies at their fingertips: they just need the keys to unlock it.

This is why I’m going to launch the Fingertip Dream Initiative in March of this year. [Ahem, I just read the State of the Union and couldn’t resist.] Actually, I’m formulating a plan to teach computing classes at a local cyber café. It is my humble hope that I will reach people of all ages in whatever computing skills they’d like to learn. I’m still working out the details, like how to make the classes available to everyone (both time- and cost-wise) and how I can fit this into my schedule of traveling and report writing. Still, I feel this is one way I can give back to the community at large and I’ve been yearning to “volunteer” my time (on top of my volunteer internship, I realize).

I’ve also been flirting with the idea of getting involved with the local youth, and yet I know from my past experience it’s better to be all-in or all-out when it comes to youth ministry: consistency pays. So as I’m praying through these thoughts/dreams/ideas of mine, I hope they are in line with what God desires for my time here. While there isn’t one right path that is closest to God, there are certainly treacherous roads I’d like to avoid. And in the process, I hope to cross borders and boundaries I’d never dream of doing without the courage I have in Christ.