David's first letter from Uganda
The pilot stood in the aisle way, bent over because of the low roof, and
welcomed us on board. "The journey to Arua will be one hour, please
fasten your seat belts and I hope you have a good journey." Something was
said about refreshments but I didn't catch what as the co-pilot had just
started the engine beside me and the pilot's words were lost in the
general din. This is Eagle Airways but this particular eagle should have
been lifting its pension many years ago. It's a twin prop that seats
about 18 and according to one of the other passengers who is able to read
the passenger signs to the rest of us, it is originally from
Czechoslovakia. It is one of those very real experiences, the kind of
experience where there is no comfort barrier between you and the experience -
like having a tooth pulled must have been before they invented
anaesthetic. Anyway, in no time we are taxiing from the stand and with a
few shakes and rattles we're off up the runway with lots of noise but
little acceleration and I'm just wondering when it speeds up for lift off
when lo and behold we start to rise in what feels more like an experience
of levitation than aircraft propulsion.
Not long into the flight I meet the stewardess, a cool little number in red and white. It's the gestures the passenger in front is making to those at the rear that first attracts my attention. When I look round there is the stewardess being dragged up the aisle way with each passenger in an aisle seats (and all the passengers are male) grasping and grabbing at the little thing in red and white. I am horrified. What will I do? What should I do? After all I'm a Baptist Pastor! This is undignified, it's unacceptable!
I should point out at this stage that the stewardess is a red and white cool box and the refreshments are self service. Passengers dig in for a bottle of Coke or Fanta and a little foil container - the kind you get your rice in from the Chinese carryout. Inside each is a piece cake sealed in plastic and passengers dig in and help themselves. I decline. I'm more concerned that there's enough gas in the fuel tanks than filling myself up with unnecessary commodities.
But I'm not knocking Eagle Airways. Quite the opposite. The flight is
noisy but excellent, the views are staggering the take-off and landing
superb and we leave and arrive bang on time. Which is more than can be
said of British Airways’ efforts to get me to Entebbe in the first place.
Just 24 hours before I was at Gate 61 in Gatwick and unable to enter the
gate waiting area - despite having been told to proceed there - because
there was only one member of staff and the gate cannot be opened unless
there are two present. So we sit around on the floor and wait for someone
else to arrive so that we may be allowed to sit on the seats that are
about six feet away from us. Once we're allowed in and are seated the
boarding call comes - except it's not a boarding call, it's an apology.
The flight is going to be delayed for at least an hour as we do not have a
captain for the flight. I kid you not, we now have two security staff, a
767 ready for takeoff, but no pilot.
Two hours later we are ready for take off and Betty, the lovely Ugandan lady beside me who is going home for the first time in fifteen years to visit her family, decides it's time to brace herself for the inevitable. She's not buying all this no pilot stuff. She's convinced the plane is knackered and they've been carrying out repairs but don't want us to know because people like her will only get off again.
No, give me Eagle Airways any day. OK, if Eagle offered me a free flight back to the UK I'd decline. I couldn't possibly be home in time for my 50th birthday - which is many years away, I assure you. But they get my vote for friendliness, efficiency and raw experience value. It just goes to prove that you can, like British Airways, have all the technology and resources in the world but if you don't have the people you're grounded.
Given that we are in the process of considering the Development Team
Report it seemed an appropriate lesson on which to reflect on the flight
up to Arua. I'm excited about the possibilities for Windsor in the future
but I don't want to lose sight of the fact that our greatest resource
remains our people and our greatest weakness is in bringing other people
to Christ. We can have all the latest technology, all the space in the
world - and still be grounded, going nowhere in style. We can have
friends and contacts galore who might be interested in hearing the gospel
but if we don't have the right people resources deployed in the right way
no one's going to hear anything.
It is quite likely that there are many other churches, with much less and
older resources, who are more effective at bringing people into the
kingdom than Windsor. So as we discuss let's ensure that high in our
priorities is this vital need to work, serve and co-operate together for
the glory of God and so that others in our community might hear the good
news of the gospel.
Dorothea and Alice send their greetings - they're great hosts. Even the cats here are quite nice I have to say. Next Wednesday we hope to travel to Mundu Land for a few days which should be interesting. I'll keep you posted.
I pray you have a good day together in Windsor,
To next letter.
To letters from Uganda.