Five years ago, after closing my photography studio, I chose to start learning to make short documentary films. I had the vision / idea to make a film telling the story of Coffee and Christian Mission. How the sales from coffee can help fund healthcare, education and Christian mission all the way from the farm to the cup.
I did some searching and found a mission organisation in Mbale, Uganda that sold coffee for the reasons I was looking into. It sounded like a fantastic opportunity to go and make a film about their operation. Alas, the funds were not there and I decided to leave it for a future date.
Roll on two years and one of my closest friends came to me with a proposition. He had met a Ugandan Pastor called Martin who ran a Christian Mission in Mbale and wanted to invite us both to make a film and photograph their coffee growing initiative. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that Martin's wife actually worked for the Mission I had originally approached years prior to this.
So Graham and I arrived in Entebbe full of anticipation and excitement for the trip ahead. We had never been on African soil before and we intended to treasure every moment.
It was a different world to the one we were used to and every sight, sound and smell were different to the life we have in the UK.
Oh no.......
Prior to our visit the rains had been so bad this season that there were floods and very bad conditions on the muddy road leading up to the mountain based village of Kikobero.
We were told that it was highly unlikely that we would be able to travel there because of the dangerous muddy roads leading up to the village.
This was deeply concerning as we had travelled so many thousands of miles to be here.
Hope of God's Promise....
When attending the drying station down in Mbale we witnessed a rainbow appear from one end of Mt Elgon to the other. I held up my camera and monopod and declared that we are meant to go and we have hope that we will go.
With renewed hope we discovered the following day that the ground had dried up enough for us to go up to Kikobero Village to film and photograph the coffee plantation.
The journey up to the village was beset with incredibly muddy and slippery roads. Moses, the Driver said "I hope you like dancing...." "Why's that", we asked "Because this is known as the dancing road, because it is so bumpy and slippery it makes you dance"
That amusing moment was a really profound experience that helped me realise that life has it's ups and downs, sometimes we trudge through the mud of difficult situations where we think things may never change. We may have bumps in the road of pain, tragedy and sadness but the best thing to do...is to dance, to be grateful for every day we have been given. God only gives us one day at a time and we can choose to feel sick and be grumpy or we can DANCE.
So we are on a journey with coffee, community and care. We are looking to help global mission and christian evangelism to help people not just survive but to thrive. We came back determined to help the farming communities by bringing their coffee to the UK.
I will continue to share moments of the journey this dancing road brings and hope you enjoy your own dancing road.
Steve
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