I've had a change of schedule on the vaccinations - three more today. That's five down and four more to go. Thankfully, no adverse reactions so far.

I had an interesting conversation with the doctor who gave me the jabs. He asked me where I was going and why, so I told him I was visiting missionary friends in Uganda. He said that he saw quite a few missionaries at the clinic and asked if I was a Christian believer (or something similar). He then told me that he had been brought up in a Muslim household but encouraged to be open-minded. By the time he was 16 he had read the Bible, the Quran and the Torah and was struck by how they shared similar stories. He asked me if I knew that Muslims were expecting Jesus to come again. He said that the Quran told of the coming of a Messiah who is Isa (Jesus).

I have to confess that this was something which I was only vaguely aware of and wasn't able to take the conversation much further before the injections were done, other than to say that Christians were expecting the return of Jesus, too. Let's hope for more opportunity next week when I go back. Must read up on the Quran.

There are more developments regarding the trip itself. I had an email this morning from a missionary nurse, who works in HIV/AIDS education and treatment in Kampala and on the Ssese Islands in Lake Victoria (see picture below). She's invited me to join her on a visit to the islands. She flies home to Scotland tomorrow for an operation, but hopes to be back in Uganda in time for the conference. I hope to talk to her while she is home about visiting the islands. Sounds like a great opportunity to see her work 'up close and personal', but a bit daunting. Once more, prayers for wisdom would be appreciated.

Over the next few days/weeks, I'll try and introduce you to the people and places I'll be visiting. To get you started here's a map of Africa and a closer-up one of Uganda.