May 3: Homeward Bound

Work for this team is completed. At least for this trip.  Emotional, challenging, spiritual, and exhausting.  So why?  Why do it?

Simply... because we can not afford in this world not to reach out to others in the name of Jesus.    For our team it means encouraging people in rural parts of Uganda.  Helping with medical clinics, at schools and churches.  The work continues in the States by sponsoring children, raising funds for church projects and building schools, as well as, the projects we pour into within our own communities.

Here is one example of the difference that is being made...

This is Sarah.  She was in a desperate situation when this team first met her. Pastor Edward encouraged her to come to His Mercy School.  She studied hard and is now graduating high school with the highest test scores in her region and plans to enter Nursing school beginning in July.  I am humbled that God would allow me to even be part of her life.  Simply, by partnering with a man who had a dream to build a school to help children in his community. His church and ours in the States working together to help a part of the world where so many do not finish past primary level - let alone go to college.   I got to congratulate Sarah and tell her how proud I am of her. This moves my heart. Sarah told me as we left, "God is good."
Yes, He is. Amen!
It isn't just about school.  It is about helping children become who God is calling them to be.  To encourage them to meet their potential in the God who created them.
There are so many more stories. 
The team is homeward bound and will return to NWA by Monday evening.  We would appreciate your continued prayers for safe travels and the processing stage of our journey.  Where we ask God, "Why is our world unequal?" and "How would you have us share Your great love?"

June 1: A Day of Life in Uganda

We started out breakfast with our last team devotional, a great discussion about reflecting God’s glory in our lives. We asked the question, "How does that look?" Thought provoking team discussion...until the monkeys showed up. Seems a band of monkeys were lurking fairly close to us ... and our food. We were a tad on edge protecting our breakfast.  We won.  No food stolen!

We headed to Buwenda, a village on the other side of Jinja from Mayuge. His Mercy church is
located here, as well as, the matooke farm we were visiting. One of the projects Central UMC has helped support is this farm which is used to raise money for His Mercy Church and School.  The farm also provides food for the school and teaches farming techniques to people; plus, provides saplings for locals to start their own gardens.  Matooke is a root vegetable similar to a potato.

Patrick, a church elder, runs the operation while the farm is worked and managed by many of the church members. Patrick and his wife are amazing people.  Patrick's smile lights up every heart that encounters him.  He and his wife also take in orphans from the village.  We took a tour of the farm, which has expanded since last year. We were given hoes to join the Ugandans already at work. A little day labor for the Lord! The sight of our team working side by side with the locals was powerful.  The Ugandans explained the various plants and showed us how to to do things. Lots of laughs and smiles.

After working the land the church provided us with lunch. They served us roasted matooke with a peanut gravy, dodo (cooked greens mixed with g-nut s (ground nut or peanut sauce) and yummy French beans (green beans cooked with carrots and onions). The food was good. The fellowship was wonderful!

The children of the church put on a worship program of singing and dancing.  Many of the children were sponsored children.  Susan was able to see two of her sponsored children. One of those children, Alice, pulled Susan to the front and thanked her “mama”for her support and love. What a moment to see both these young ladies affirming Susan. Then Susan got to share how she became a sponsor to the girls.  She then affirmed them back by sharing how proud she was of them and how she loves them so much. Tears were flowing all around! Powerful indeed!

I must take a moment to talk about child sponsorship. My family has been child sponsors for many years. Currently we partner with Help One Now. They administer the program to sponsor children cared for by Pastor Edward at the church and school. For a small monthly fee you can make a huge impact in the life of a child by providing school fees, clothes, food, medicine, etc. It is truly an example of God multiplying the loaves and fishes to see what this small amount can provide. My family and I are big supporters of child sponsorship. I encourage you to pray about it. Ask God to provide wisdom and vision. Take the step of faith. If you are interested please visit www.helponenow.com and select sponsorship. When you pick the country of Uganda, all the kids available are cared for by Pastor Edward. You many never visit Uganda, but you can still be the hands and feet of Christ to a child through sponsorship. I appreciate you considering it.
Dr Moses hosted the team for dinner at his home. He and his wife are wonderful hosts.  We got to sing and fellowship together. He is such an incredible partner with us in Gulu and Jinja. Great way to end the day.

Tomorrow is a fun day. The team will go to Itanda Falls (the “bad place”on the Nile. This is a class 6 rapid and something to see and hear.) We will visit the source of the Nile River and take a boat ride to the spring. Then we will stroll around town to enjoy our last day in Uganda together with Edward and The Great Eight.

We are almost done. The team and our hosts have been amazing. Thank you for your continued prayers and support. There are lots of stories and details to be shared by the team when we return. Get ready to hear some of the incredible things God is doing. Please also allow your team member time to decompress when they return. It can be emotional re-entering the land of overabundance after coming face to face with a different way of life. You will also want to give them an opportunity to shower. Yes, the red dirt of Uganda will wash away eventually! When they are ready, the stories will it be something to hear.

Good night my friends. Since tomorrow is a fun day we will probably not write a blog.

Chris

Prayer Requests:
1) Continued rest and safety
2) For us to bless those we encounter even though we are on our fun day.
3) For each member of The Great Eight as they begin to process getting back into American life. As they ask the hard questions, "What has this trip taught me?" and  "How is God asking me to respond in my day to day life?"
4) Praise for tummy troubles going better.