From Cindy May 31

Thursday May 31^th- from Cindy Pennington

Today I traveled from Jinja west back to Kampala (the capital) about a 2 ½ hour ride by SUV.  Our driver is Shalvin; of the Water Missions Uganda staff.  It turns out he is an Anglican and very interesting.  About an hour into our trip, Shalvin said, “See those people walking?  They are walking from Kenya to Namugongo (just outside Kampala) for the Martyr’s Celebration on Sunday”.  Seeing people walking alongside the highway is not something to point out in Uganda, but walking from Kenya?  Sure enough, we passed groups of 10 to 20 people for the next 45 minutes.   Some were holding Kenyan flags; some were holding crosses (like our crucifers).  They all had packs on their backs (not fancy back backs but plastic bags or pieces of fabric stuffed); pilgrims walking to the celebration.  It was truly humbling.   I can’t imagine what Sunday will be like.  I know that God will be glorified!! 

Fifteen kilometers (about 9 ½ miles) east of Kampala city lie the Namugongo Martyrs Shrine where both Anglican and Catholic martyrs were burnt alive on the orders of Kabaka Mwanga II in June 1886. The list of forty five known martyrs includes only those who could be formally accounted for, many more murders went unreported and without a record. On 3rd June of every year Christians from all over the world flock to Namugongo to pay their respects and renew their faith by paying pilgrimage to the martyrs.