Here I go again! Barely got my feet on Burundian soil and I’m boarding another flight. Welcome to my summer.
Claude and I are en route to Uganda for the seventh annual Amahoro Gathering. This is our tribe, our family of transformational leaders living the good news of Jesus across Africa. When we come together it’s a reunion. As we fill the hotel the conversations begin even before those first hugs end. We’ve got so much to talk about, to share, to ask, to explore together in a few too-short days.
This year the Ugandan Amahoro cohorts will be hosting us in Entebbe at the edge of Lake Victoria. Its not the Jordan River, but I’m expecting some pretty catalytic conversations just the same. We’ll be exploring Politics and the Kingdom of God with our African friends leading the discussions. Our Kenyan friends will talk about tribalism, as this affects their politics with each election cycle. The local legend, Bishop Zacc, will share about confronting government corruption and unpack the Black Monday movement in Uganda. Friends from South Africa, Congo, Rwanda and others will share stories from their homeland as we look at the Biblical text alongside African contexts. It’s going to be challenging and chock full of kingdom goodness!
And I must say that a special joy for me is hosting my dear SheLoves friends who are traveling in for these conversations and connections. Idelette McVicker, Tina Francis, Leigh Kramer, Claire DeBoer, Fiona Koefoed-Jespersen, Nicole Joshua and a couple new friends I’ve yet to meet! We’ll visit some local women doing amazing kingdom-inspired work in Entebbe and Kampala. We’ll walk along Lake Victoria and the Botanical Gardens to recover from jet lag and get more acquainted with one another, we’ll start conversations over late night dinners and early morning breakfasts. Then we’ll participate in the Amahoro Gathering, offering a writing workshop for our African friends and…telling stories!
We look forward to sharing some amazing stories with you, so watch our blogs for updates but also introductions to some great African leaders with wisdom to share.
So Amahoro Africa is full of so much goodness this year – I cannot wait. (But another airport, another plane, really?)
This all just sounds so wonderful! I pray it will be a time of blessing and refreshment as much as it is challenging. I know the travel is exhausting. Can’t wait to see the blog updates!