A visa scare, horrific accident and finding love.

Another week has gone by in Uganda, and so another blog post is due.

I managed to get a 3 month extension on my visa .. but it came at a large cost. Me and Robert (Uganda HopeBuilders director) went to the Jinja immigration office together, where Robert had some contacts. Everything seemed like it would be fine and after Roberts friends rang the immigration office, they said that I would be able to get at least a 3 month extension with no problem.
So we went down to immigration and saw the woman attending at the desk. A problem begun when she informed us that my visa was expired, this of course shocked us all because I had not been here for 3 months yet, and when I came into the country I paid the standard $50 US for the 3 month visa. After trying to explain it has not been three months yet, the woman told us that I only had a 2 month visa.
When I had arrived in Entebbe I had approached immigration with my $50 US and asked for the 3 month visa. The man simply asked my intentions in Uganda, which I told him that I was planning to go to Kampala to apply for the NGO visa. Nothing more was said and he simply said no problem and handed me back my visa. I didn't think anything of it, but he had not written in the expiry date on the visa ... so I just assumed I had a 3 month visa. What I never realised is that he had scribbled, in barely readable writing, VP 2M ... which apparently stood for Visa Pass 2 Months.
So I had been staying in Uganda illegally for 10 days.
This was very serious, as there is a very large fine that comes with this, as well as the risk of deportation. I have even heard stories of the same thing happening to people who thought they were given a 2 month visa .. with the consequence of not being allowed back into Uganda.
You could say that me and Robert were a bit worried.
So after running around to the bank to get money out, Robert gave my passport, with $350 US inside of it, to the woman at the desk and asked her to please go to her boss to pay the fine and get an extension ... no questions asked kind of thing.
After waiting and stressing in the car for 10 minutes, the women came back with my passport and a new 3 month visa inside it ... we gave her what Robert referred to as "a tip", for her good service and we where on our way.
To say I have been having lots of issues and stress over this visa stuff would be correct. But it seems things had to get a little worse before they got better.
What is interesting is that last week when I went to Kampala they got very angry at me and refused to give me the visa extension, or to give me the working visa ... If they had accepted they would of looked at my visa which was expired (and I was unaware of). Being in Kampala by myself with no Ugandan to vouch for me, and considering the foul mood of the immigration officers I dealt with there, things could of gotten very bad if they had seen the expired visa .. perhaps including being told to leave.
I had been so disappointed that day, not being able to get the visa extension ... but perhaps what I saw as something very bad, God was using as something good!
I really thank God that it all went ok, because it could of been a lot worse.

On a tragic note there was a terrible accident just outside where the YSU office is this morning. I had just come early to the office on my bike to find farook sitting on the seat in the front yard looking a bit stunned.
He then started to tell me about the horrific accident he had just witnessed. Farook had been digging in his garden (just near the office) that morning when he heard a large crash and people starting to yell and scream, so he ran to the site of the crash to see what had happened.
Apparently a taxi van had a head on collision with a truck. The taxi vans here are usually crammed full with about 20 people.

 

The taxi van got completely obliterated, flying through the air and then crashing into a ditch. Farook then explained the horror of what he went through.
Instantly five people had been killed, and everyone else was rather near death, or missing limbs. Farook explained how he had to help carry the dead mutilated bodies out of the car and try and help save the dying people. One young boy was completely missing his head, which Farook and some other men tried to look for but could not find. Another man lay dying while his torso had been ripped from his body, Farook said it was something that human eyes are just not meant to see.
Farook also explained that straight away after the crash many people ran into the van, amidst the blood and bodies, and started stealing money and mobile phones from the dead, and dying, people. This was later reported on the news, which has made it very hard to identify people, as their faces had become beyond identifiable. Meanwhile Farook and some other men, who were all disgusted at these acts of theft, were trying to save lives and comfort the people dying. Farook explained that he had pulled an old man out of the van who was missing his arm and screaming, while Farook tried to comfort him and stop the bleeding.
Talk about bringing out the worst and the best sides of humanity.
I had a good chance to sit with Farook and hear him talk it out and tell how he was feeling, as well as pray with him. He was feeling pretty down as you could imagine. I saw the place where the crash was, and there was large amounts of blood stains on the road.
About an hour later it started pouring down with rain, some of the heaviest rain we have had in a while. In some sense, it almost felt like God was washing away the stains of a horrific accident.
It really makes you think about life, as well as having a number of deaths happen else where around the community this week. It makes you revaluate what you do, and makes you think about how you are living ... are we really making the most of our time here .. and our we ready to meet our maker?

Life does go on here in Africa, amidst the pain and the suffering, there is also hope. People who have barely anything are able to smile and live with Joy, because they cling to hope ... the hope and promise that God has given them ... to be around so much death and life can change what you view as important.

After writing about some of the hard realities of life here, I would like to leave you with a piece of good news.
After being a single man for a long time, and growing in my faith walk, I have found myself in a relationship with a lovely woman here in Uganda (I write 'found myself' as if I didn't play any part in keeping an eye open for it haha).
Her name is Agnes, and she is a local woman who I have been friends with for over a year or so now, and have been talking with everyday for about 7 months, developing our friendship. She is a lot of fun and also a community development worker, with a passion for social work, especially amongst young girls.
The best thing about her is that she loves God and has a real heart for missions and ministry.
I don't take a relationship like this lightly ... I am not the casual dating kind of guy, so you can say we are both taking this seriously and pursuing something lasting.
Otherwise we are very happy, we are great friends, love working together in helping youth, and very much in love.
So amidst the troubles and sadness, there is always happiness and joy ... I guess that is life.

So let me leave you with a picture of our lovely faces!