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Day 1 - Lira - Caity's cartrip musings



Cait & Lucky
We have arrived in Lira after another long day of travel. Eloise and I always joke that coming to Uganda is a “test of endurance". Starting with the 14-hour plane trip to Dubai, each moment is about getting through the present time in order to wake up and tackle the next challenge. Flight, airport, flight, drive, hotel, drive, hotel, drive… and then finally, the reason for which we have traveled for over 48 hours… people, relationships, community, projects.
I always snicker to myself when someone asks me why I am involved with Love Mercy. I wish that the answer was that I was just one of those people who was born with Africa ‘on their heart’, that I grew up firmly planted in the knowledge that one day I would end up here. Quite the opposite is true. It is hard for me to come here. It’s daunting, scary, worrisome, and all the more so now that I have a little cub of my own back home in Aus. But here I am anyway, on the other side of the world, laying on a hard mattress listening to a squeaky fan. Here’s the part where I’m gonna throw a whole load of clichés at you, but bear with me, because don’t they say that clichés are often based on truth? Nothing good comes easy. The magic doesn’t happen in your comfort zone. What would life be if we didn’t tackle our fears head first, not pretending that they don’t exist, but acknowledging them and continuing on the path anyway, emboldened by the fact that you decided to be brave? I don’t think I am a brave or adventurous person. I am lucky to have some pretty powerful support in my corner, starting with my friends and family, and of course my loving God, who calls me higher than I think I can go, not through my own strength but through His.
This trip will enable us to plan the vision for the next few years of Love Mercy. As I reflect on the past almost 5 years of our programs, I am amazed at what we have been able to achieve. From a little we have built a lot, and from hardships we have learned perseverance and endurance. None more so than the smiling faces of those we are here to spend time with, our Ugandan family and friends.    
- Caity. 

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