Learning, Loving, and Leaving

This morning we returned to the doorless, windowless, dirt floored, plank-sided school room in Buloba for worship, and were greeted warmly by Pastor Fred, his older brother, Pastor Benjamin, and a packed house of around 100 believers. In fact, when one elderly lady saw us come in the door she ran up and hugged us all! Once again we were amazed at the joy in the drumming, dancing and singing of praises by people who are so poor by our standards, but so rich in spirit. In addition to some adult praise leaders, a group of seven children sang and danced a song of greeting in English and then a song in Lugandan encouraging people to have faith.

After many greetings Pastor Ken preached a great sermon on passing along the faith to our children based on David’s words to Solomon in 1^st Chronicles. Then Bosco exhorted the people in their own language. We had been told that only one of us would preach, which made me glad as a sinus infection has given me an increasingly sore throat, but the next thing I knew Bosco was introducing me as the second preacher of the morning! I borrowed a Bible from Pastor Peter, opened it up to Matthew 16, and improvised a sermon similar to the one I had delivered in Ndolwa. One of the essential skills in any kind of mission adventure is to be flexible and ready for anything!

In addition to the joy of worship, we are so often struck by the love and gratitude of Ugandans, who again and again ask us to pass on the following message to our home congregations: “Thank you for loving us.” They are so encouraged by the thought of people in America praying for them, and so hungry for more knowledge of the Scriptures. In fact, one of Pastor Benjamin’s heartfelt hopes is that they can get some Lugandan Bibles so the people in the congregation can read the Scriptures themselves.

Following worship the congregation insisted that we join them for a meal, after which they were going out to evangelize their neighbors. We sat on school benches as we enjoyed the now familiar meal of matoke, rice, beef broth, chicken broth, and cooked greens. It gave us a chance to talk to Pastor Benjamin, in particular, who shared the congregation’s ambition to somehow buy land of their own nearby, where they can continue to serve and evangelize this very needy, predominantly Muslim village. At present they feel that they have no sense of permanence and are unable to put in place many of the programs they would like to since the school is owned and operated by a private citizen, but it would take around $5,000 for them to purchase an acre and a half of land to have a permanent home.

As we were preparing to leave we gifted both pastors and their wives with packages of the food staples we had prepared and waved to the congregation as we headed to our home base in Njeru. After unloading the van we also gifted Pastor Peter with a box of staples, then hugged and blessed him, as he goes into surgery this week to remove the polyps from his vocal cords and is very nervous, having never undergone any kind of surgery before. It was a tearful farewell, with many eyes leaking, as they say in Uganda.

Tonight we are tying up loose ends and getting packed, as we have to leave at 4 AM tomorrow so that I can get checked in for my 9:30 flight to London. Ken, Martha, Becca and Charlie will stay at a guest house in Entebbe, as they need to check in for their flight to South Africa the next morning at 5:30 AM.  

We are also considering everything that we will take with us in our hearts. To be sure we will not miss the pervasive sights of mud, trash, advertising and poverty, nor the continual sounds of crying children, chainsaw engines, livestock and traffic, nor the potent smells of smoke, diesel fumes, open latrines, and body odor, nor the rattling taxi rides down poorly maintained roads. But we will deeply miss the people we have come to know here: their bright smiles and gentle laughter, their generous hospitality, enthusiastic worship, persevering faith, and loving friendship.

Thank you to all of you who have supported us in your prayers and helped us to make this trip. We look forward to bringing back a portion of the love and learning we have received, and hope to return again as soon as the Lord wills it. Please also pray about coming to Uganda yourself in the future. It is not for the faint of heart, but it will change your life to experience how the LORD is at work among His people here.

Joy in Jesus,

Kirk and the 2013 Ugandan Mission Team