Final Blog Post from Feb 2012 Uganda Trip
We woke for the 3rd day with no power and if I could be completely honest, I was beginning to miss the luxury of warm water/warm showers. I felt a little spoiled since only 10-20% of the Ugandans have electricity!---and of those who have electricity, service isn’t all the time. There are daily interruptions of power for up to 12 hours. So, as spoiled as it sounds, I was a bit desirous of a hot shower and a blow dryer before making the 2 day trek home from Uganda! ---OK...enough whining!
We attended the 8 am worship service at Ggaba Community Church (our sister church) today and it was a great time of praise and worship. Pastor Peter preached on “knowing the will of God.” Isn’t that the essence of every Christian’s life!? Don’t we find ourselves asking, “Why am I on this earth?” We were created by Him for Him and learning to discern the will of God is vital.
Unfortunately, we had to leave that service before its completion in order to reach Bweya Community Church (BCC) for the 10:30 am service. The service at BCC was another special celebration as the church building was dedicated to the Lord. It was a tremendous blessing to be there and assist them with the final construction as well as be there for its dedication.
Being there, seeing the church building, listening to the people worship...it was almost more than I could take in. It was only 14 months ago that the land was paid for and Pastor Robert accepted the call to start the new church. God has moved mightily and accomplished much during this short period of time.
I was surprised at the physical size of the church the day we arrived, and I was equally surprised a week later at the service. It was amazing to see it was almost full. We had an awesome time of worship as many groups offered various cultural dances and songs, the the glory of the Lord. Earlier in the week, Jack had been invited to speak and dedicate the church. Jack did so and presented the comparison of parents dedicating their child to the Lord. Jack also gave the explanation that the church was the “people” not the “building.” He challenged the congregation to go into the village and BE the church.
Pastor Robert shared a part of his testimony. He talked about being raised by his father who was a witch doctor...so he was the son of a witch doctor, knew no English and had not gone to school. Pastor Robert’s focus for the service was that when Christ enters your life, He changes it. Pastor Robert challenged his congregation to allow Christ to make a change in their lives. Several came forward at the close of the service, accepting the Lord. What a sweet time of fellowship it was!
Directly following the service at Bweya, we had to make our way to the airport. Jack, Neel and I talked about the week and how we individually thought it had been a very good & productive week.
We all had seen and experienced God in many different ways during our time in Uganda. This had been Neel’s first mission trip and his first time to Africa. He learned much about a new culture and recognized the importance of leaving behind “western” eyes. He also learned a respect for the Ugandan people and their ways. He also learned one can share the love of Christ despite one's ability to memorize scripture! :-) All God needs is a willing heart, and Neel came with that and so much more. Neel saw and experienced God in may ways, but I’ll let him get into the details.
Jack and I were greatly encouraged with Pastor Robert and the church. They have “owned” the responsibility of the church plant from the very beginning and he’s doing a great job grafting in members of the village into the church. It’s been beautiful to see!
Pastor Robert said that initially, people in the village assumed him to be a thief because he was hanging out with the village “drunkards” and those doing drugs---those “less than desirable people”/the “outcast”...does that story sound familiar??
Jack and I are also greatly encouraged by some developments that evolved during our time in Uganda, involving the potential relationship of a particular orphanage. God is doing GREAT things! I was reminded of how God is in the business of “redemption”! This was a well-timed personal reminder.
I’d like to say a word of thanks to all who gave to the ministry of ekissa during this trip. Through your prayers and financial blessings, we were able to share the love of Christ through various tangible ways. Those were in the form of 2 months of financial support to Pastor Robert (as ekissa, in faith, has pledged to support his family and the church at $250 a month). We were also able to purchase medication for the treatment of malaria for an individual, repair 1 of the 3 wells in Bweya Village, in order to provide safe drinking water. We were able to purchase the remaining supplies needed to complete the roof of the church, as well as purchase a replacement sound board as the existing board recently quit working at Bweya Church. So, thank you for your sacrificial giving. I hope you’re able to recognize your contribution toward Kingdom building, in Uganda!
Blessings,
Sarah
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