“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.”
John 15:12

I have used this verse in every talk I have given to the churches in Uganda.  For love is the greatest weapon we have against the darkness and spiritual forces that attack all of us every day.  No matter if you’re in the bush of Africa or downtown Los Angeles, love conquers all. 

Yesterday we completed our tour of Eastern Uganda by visiting the church in Ndolwa that was started about three years ago.  The church is alive and well and welcomed us with music, fellowship, and open arms.  Only three kilometers away from the church in Bulangira, the two sister churches support each other and the pastors often work together.  I learned today that in their language they do not have a similar word to pastor but rather use the word Shepherd – so Pastor Robert to us is actually Shepherd Robert in his language.  After the service the women stayed in the church to worship with the ladies of our mission team and receive hygiene kits while the men gathered outside under the mango tree.  Miles shared a Bible study with the men under the mango tree – a classic African experience.  We left rice, beans, and outreach items with Pastor Godfrey to continue to bless those in need and drove back to Jinja exhausted after three very full days.  Everything you do in Africa just seems to take so much more effort, so much more time, and so much more emotion.  The return on your investment is wonderful and worth the effort but I have to admit I need a rest after two weeks of non-stop activity.

Before the majority of the team leaves today we had one more church service to attend to and our last morning devotion.  As it was my turn for devotion, I choose 1^st John 3:16-18.

“We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.  But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?  Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.”

This is not an easy verse to live up to but I wanted the team to know that we were examples of this passage and the love of Jesus for the past two weeks.  We partnered with the local churches and added credibility to their ministry.  We used our resources to give food to those in need.  We prayed with those who were sick.  We shared the gospel, prayed with those who desired to accept Jesus as their Savior, baptized them in their faith, prayed to cast out demons, and prayed for physical healings.  We laughed, sang, danced, and befriended those we came into contact with.  We tried our best to be the love of Christ.

This year was my fifth time to Uganda and probably the 7^th GGI Mission Team to come to Uganda.  For whatever reason, this trip was the most fruitful of all in terms of people coming to Jesus during our ministry outreach.  I have never experienced or seen so many people ask us to pray with them to accept Jesus.  Multiple times one of us would gift someone or a family with food and prayer and they would tell us they wanted to accept Jesus as their Savior.  As soon as we finished praying with them another person would come and say they too wanted to become a Christian.  We seldom get to have the joy of reaping the harvest as most of our time is spent planting the seeds of salvation and encouraging members of the church.  This trip was awesome in terms of being present when so many people dedicated their lives to Christ.

After our devotion, our team split up to visit two different churches for Sunday services.  Half the team went to one church where Pastor Ken preached and Miles, myself, and Pastor Robert went to the small church in Buloba to encourage them as they attempt to reach others in their village.  Last week, we had participated in the three day village crusade in Buloba and had seen people come to Christ.  Our team blessed families and widows with food, prayers, and bed bug exterminations and had people give their life to Christ.  We were privileged to baptize many of those same people last weekend in the Nile River.  Today, we were happy to see some of those same people come to church.  Pastor Robert introduced me to the small Buloba church as the Son of Encouragement – I like that and I prayed that I’d live up to the billing as I encouraged my brothers and sisters in Christ.

My encouragement centered on loving others.  I used the metaphor of a corn stalk and that as a church they were only two feet tall but if they loved others the church would grow tall and produce many ears of corn.  Of course, I explained that they weren’t really going to produce corn but rather the fruit of the spirit which is love, happiness, joy, and the result would be more people coming to church and believing in Jesus.  As we now have seven churches in Uganda, I drew a comparison to the book of Revelation where Jesus addressed seven Christian churches with words of encouragement and admonishment.   I challenged Buloba to think for 30 seconds what Jesus would say to them today if He were present.  After a period of silence, I spoke of the love of Jesus and that those whom He loves He also disciplines - Revelation 3:19.  So what would Buloba’s discipline be?  Simply to love one another.  Why – “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12.  You see, love is the greatest weapon we have to defeat Satan but we must actually demonstrate it for it to work.  Actions not words make a difference.

After talking about how to love one another using 1^st Peter 4:8-11 as the example text I summarized the results by returning to John 15:8 where Jesus explains what the results will be if we abide in Him and love others.  “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.”  Love glorifies God – don’t do it to so how good you are but that God first loved you.  Love bears much fruit – we can’t really bear fruit on our own but only by living in Christ will our love truly multiply and bear fruit.  Love proves we are His disciples.  I told Buloba that Jesus is giving them a challenge now – to prove they are His disciples by loving others.

To finish, the entire congregation stood up and raised their arms in the air and repeated loudly the following.

“I will love myself because God created my in His image.”

“I will love my parents.”

“I will love my children.”

“I will love the people in church.”

“I will love the people in Buloba.”

“I will love those who do not come to church.”

“I will love those who hate me.”

“I will love anyone that God brings into my life.”
“I will love God and Jesus with all my heart, all my soul, and all my mind.”

“Amen.”

All of this, in English and translated to Lugandan – preaching takes twice as long J

The majority of the team has left for Entebbe Airport and only Miles and I remain at Pastor Robert’s house for two more days until we too depart.  I came to Uganda to accomplish many things but one thing I definitely desired; to re-energize myself.  To be covered in the Holy Spirit, to have it fill me to the brim and restore my energy and love for God, to wash away my worries of this world and focus on the matters of eternity.  You see, I needed God to fill me with His love just as much as I desired to be used by Him to share His love with others.  I came to Uganda, spiritually drained and worn out by the worries of work, paying the bills, and living life at 100 miles per hour in our typical American fashion.  Amazingly, God has given me everything and more as I served others in His name.  While the memories I have of the all the “good” we’ve done here and the people who accepted Jesus as their Savior will forever make me feel good about what I’ve done, I am most thankful for Jesus coming to me personally and restoring my faith, my energy, my commitment, and my love for Him during these two weeks.  This is what a mission trip often does.  Not only do we bless others but in return we are blessed ourselves.

If you’re still reading this blog, thank you and may God bless you.  It’s often hard to explain the experiences via words on an internet page but I pray that I will be able to talk to you personally when I return or even better you may someday come to Uganda yourself to bless and to be blessed.

I'll post photos next in a separate blog.

Blessings, John 

Independence Day for Muslims

In my distress I called upon the Lord and cried to my God for help; He heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry for help before him came into his ears.
Psalm 18:6

My morning devotional was Mark chapter 6 and I marveled at the inability of Jesus to perform miracles in Nazareth. Pastor Robert shared with me that ministry was so much more fruitful in the bush, but in Jinja and Kampala he was often met with arrogance and pride. I prayed for a fruitful day for our group.

Friday, the fourth of July started off just as every other day has begun here in Uganda; we determined the night before that with the full schedule ahead it would be imperative that we get on the road no later than 9:00 AM. So we exited the fenced parking of the Keymba Sande Garden Hotel promptly at 9:45 and spent the next 45 minutes in what ultimately turned out to be a wild goose chase looking for ice to cool down our bottled water. At 10:30 AM it was determined that there was not a block of ice to be found in all of Kamuli so we ventured out into the bush to find the tiny village of Bulangira. Pastor Robert apologized as we left the paved road and said we were about to cross some of the worst roads he had ever been on in his life and he had also neglected to have the spare tire repaired after the flat was replaced the day before. His statement was no exaggeration as we averaged 12 miles per hour over the next hour and a half to cover only 30 kilometers. We arrived at the True Worship Center of Bulangira to the singing or a group of teenage girls, there were easily 300 people waiting and cheering our arrival and they sang;

For the visitors here at Bulangira;
We have a very good day to have a look at you;
Let us singy to you;
Let us dancey for you;
We have a very good day to have a look at you.

The church was a brick building 25’X50’ and there were 150 people neatly packed inside and another 150 or more stood at the doors and windows peering in. The Pastor, Steven, was introduced and with his opening remark he said, “I must be in America because I have never seen so many white people in all my life” Everyone agreed that there had not been a time when there were as many as seven white people in this town all at once. 

The conditions inside the church were hot, very humid and a little stuffy but the congregation was positive and the singing and dancing continued in an orderly manner despite the overcrowded conditions. Our sound man and musician Philip never ceases to amaze me; he is self taught and yet he can play any tune on the keyboard by ear after listening to the singer sing the first verse. I preached for about 40 minutes from a message titled “The Judgment Seat of Christ” and the message was well received. Many were thumbing through their bibles and fervently taking notes. John gave a similar message to earlier ones as he informed the congregation of the work at GGI and then he devoted the rest of his time to encouraging the community to love one another and continue in service of their own neighbors.

By the time the services ended we made a plan to divide our group and head out into the community and deliver some blessings to needy families but we needed to move away from the throng at the church and start transferring the food staples into large zip lock bags. That is where the plan changed. The first place we stopped was a compound of a dozen and a half little huts which Pastor Steven informed us belonged to Muslims. When we first arrived, the woman we intended to speak to was not at home and what followed appeared to be some loud angry words from one very vocal Muslim woman. So we moved on deeper into the Muslim area and met another Muslim woman named Sumaya. We told her we were here to share the love of Jesus and wanted to bless her with a few food items and her response was, “you are welcome, we love you” we prayed with her and from that point on there was no more tension. Abdoluah her neighbor (the loud angry woman) even softened her tone and came an knelt next to John and prayed with him. Meanwhile Pastor Robert was speaking to a middle aged Muslim man named Jackson and telling him that it was no coincidence that he was home from working at that hour and these Christians from America were right outside his house He told him this was a very special day and explained the gospel to him and that he should consider it. The next thing you know John was praying with him to receive Christ. Pastor admonished him to remove the charms he was wearing purchased from the witch doctor and he did. Jackson prayed to receive Christ out loud in front of all his Muslim neighbors and his courage emboldened Ruth and Gertrude, both Muslims; to do likewise and pray with us there.

As we had intended this just to be our first stop, it turned out to be our only stop. Pastor Steven was going from hut to hut taking names and planning follow-up discipleship for the new members of his church. We prayed with Margaret and Miriam who received Christ with her newborn son strapped to her back.  And in the very center of the compound we happened upon an elderly gentleman named Anthony who told us that he had been a Christian for 18 years and it then became apparent how this group of Muslims was so open to the gospel. Anthony’s face had the glow of the joy of the lord and we were able to encourage and bless him. As we were moving on to the next hut Anthony’s wife Edith arrived home and requested prayers for her migraine headaches. We prayed with Edith and expected that our time was gone and we should be moving on.

As we moved back toward the vans we found the lady we first intended see was now home so we were able to bless her with a few items of food and as I stood up, Jennifer took me by the arm and asked me to lead her to Christ. So after counseling and explaining, we prayed with her there and she asked Jesus to save her and give her new life. John had been called back to the far end of the housing area to pray with others who were in need and if we were not all so exhausted for the long day I believe we would still be there with the Pastors ministering to all those folks. The Lord is true when he says the fields are white unto harvest therefore pray the Lord of the harvest send more workers.

We climbed back into the vans and bounced our way back over 30 kilometers of the worst roads in Uganda just marveling at God and the work he allowed us to participate in at Bulangira.

Blessings, Miles

Photos: Church members at Bulangira, Ahnika getting hugs from Muslim women after giving them blessing gifts of rice, beans, flour, sugar, and soap, John praying with Jackson to accept Jesus as his Savior

Tumatende, Tumatende, Tumatende nga bukkede Tumatende, nga muntundu Tumatende, Tumatende, Tumatende, nga buungeda!

Praise Him, Praise Him, Praise Him, in the morning, Praise Him, in the noon time Praise Him, Praise Him, Praise Him when the sun goes down!

We met for devotions at the Nile Eden Guest House and Eli led us in a deep discussion about the removal of God from American school curriculum in contrast to the open acknowledgment of God in all the schools of Uganda. Our text was from John 3:19, Light has come into the world but men love darkness because their deeds are evil.

Now we had intended to be on the road by 9:00 AM in order to reach the all believers conference at the True Worship Center Kafundikire as early as possible. But in Africa, when you are late, everyone just waits for you. It was nearly 11:00 AM before our little bush taxi caravan pulled out of the gate from Pastor Robert’s residence. You see there was much work to do, we had food to pack (15 bags of rice, beans, flour, sugar and soap). Then there were the hygiene kits for the women’s conferences and all the items needed for the children’s ministry. We had a sound system and keyboard and generator. Juwali stuffed things in every possible nook and cranny on that van until it was over stuffed and listing to one side. Our little troop consists of Pastor Robert and Sarah, Pastor Mike, Pastor Peter and Pastor Cedric from Kenya; our keyboard player Philip, singers Abby and Joy, Juwali our driver and the seven Mazungus.   The three hour drive to the tiny pole church in Kafundikire took a harrowing three hours and I couldn’t help but be concern of the odd sound of un-lubricated bearings coming from the undercarriage.

The little church was packed with people and the joyful music could be heard from a great distance away. It was 16’X30’ and constructed from poles that were barely 2”in diameter with a papaya mat roof and tarps for walls. There must have been more than a hundred people seated close and facing forward. The roof was so low that I bumped my head as we stepped inside. I was introduced to Pastor Wylcliffe an elder gentleman wearing a worn suit coat who happens to be the father of Pastor Herbert from neighboring Nawaikoke. The Mayor of the village was introduced and he assured us there were no security risks and we were safe in his town which gave me pause, why did he need to say that. The format was very familiar, there was singing and worship and introductions. The children stepped out with Martha and the kids for Sunday school and then I preached a message concerning spiritual warfare. John gave a motivational spirit led talk uniquely tailored for this congregation and then we moved under a large banyan tree for lunch. I was impressed with John’s speech about Pastor Robert. He oversees pastors throughout Uganda including his own seven affiliated churches and he does not even own a car. He rents a house and he never complains; John went on to say that the ministry of GGI is completely donor funded and every dollar given goes directly into the ministry, there are no high paid salaries and administrative costs. This is one of the main reasons I got involved with GGI, it is a true ministry and people’s lives are being impacted.

It was our intention to go into the community and share gifts of blessing with five needy families and then make the 45 mile drive to Kamuli where we had reservations at the Keymba Sande Garden Hotel for the night, dinner was to be served at 6:00 PM. But the Rural Africa roads were not kind. We were in a very rural area, way off the paved roads and some of the little homes we visited were at least a quarter mile walk away from the vehicles. We trudged our way down the narrow overgrown paths with the thought in mind that we would take an hour or so and then get on our way. God had other plans; The first place we visited was to speak to a widow Ruth in her late 70’s, quite a character and she mimicked our English not knowing what she was saying, she about talked our ears off about what an honor it was for her to entertain visitors in her modest little one room mud where she lived with her infant granddaughter. We asked her if she was a Christian and she confessed that she had backslidden so we knelt with her there in the dirt and she renewed her relationship with Christ. We introduced her to Pastor Wycliffe and he made arrangements to follow up and look in on her. Time was of the essence because we did not want to be caught in the rural dirt roads of Uganda after dark (they are dangerous enough in the day light. We drove for what seemed a very long time down the narrow path’s to a little compound with three small buildings and a very old lady seated before hut. Her mane was Ephrance and she looked to be at least 80. I asked her if she was a Christian and if anyone had ever explained the gospel to her. We took our time and Pastor Peter painstakingly helped her understand every nuance. At the same time Pastor Herbert was praying with a nine year old little boy asking salvation and Pastor Robert was ministering to a small family just a few feet away under a tree. I prayed with Ephrance and she asked God to save her and forgive her of her sins. Then she pointed to an old man seated 20’ away, Jonathan looked older than her and he needed prayer for healing. As we spoke with him he indicated that he too wanted to be saved just like Ephrance so we took the time and explained all again. Pastor Peter had stepped it into high gear and no sooner had I finished congratulating Jonathan and he informed me that this young lady was also Ephrance, their daughter and she wanted to receive Christ as well. Again we patiently and lovingly explained the gospel to her and then prayed with her also. It was a glorious day in heaven as the angels rejoiced at this whole family coming to salvation. Pastor Wycliffe would have his work cut out for him.

By now we were all saying there would be no way to make Kamuli in time for supper but maybe we could get there before dark. Our next stop was extremely far off the beaten path and Pastor Wycliffe directed us to another tiny hut where a pretty Muslim girl sat in the dirt with her four sons all under the age of 4. We presented our gifts and Pastor Robert asked her some very probing questions about her faith, He told her all these Americans had come half way around the world and God had directed them to her out of all the people in the area. She confessed that she wanted to receive Christ but John cautioned her, reminding that she would be ostracized by her family and life may become very difficult. He pointed out the charm that she had around the waist of the smallest child and told her she would have to forsake that kind of spiritual help. She insisted that she was sincere so we began the process again and she asked Christ to forgive her and save her.

Meanwhile Pastor Peter had primed the pump so to speak and John began consulting with three young mothers who wanted to know more and I spoke to five teenage girls. Naomi, Joyce, Joanne, Irene and Helen also wanted salvation so With Pastor Mike Translating we went through the gospel again and they asked God to add their names to the book of life. John spent some valuable time with the young mothers explaining the gospel and exposing the spirit behind their traditional beliefs about spirits and charms obtained from witchcraft. They said they were not ready so Pastor Wycliffe will have his work cut out. Never the less the kingdom of God has grown amidst the grasslands and the ubiquitous red dust of the African planes.

Blessings to you!

Miles

Photo: Pastor Herbert Fred speaking to Kafundikire church.

Monday June 30th

Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline: therefore be zealous and repent. (Revelation 3:19)

Monday I arose at 5:00 AM and was greeted by Cedric, A Kenyan Pastor who is staying here with Robert and Sarah as he studies at the University in Jinja, Robert and he met in class and have been good friends ever since. He was up early to catch a bush taxi home, a 120 mile trip that he said would take him 6 to 8 hours. We said our goodbyes and he slipped out into the darkness. As I sat at the dining room table Charles came in with my shoes, he had already cleaned them and they looked as good as new. There was hot coffee on the table and I fired up the lap top to send of a few messages. Pastor Al and Julie sent me a verse for the day; Psalm 17:15 - As for me I shall behold your face in righteousness. I will be satisfied with your likeness when I awake!

Later in the morning we gathered at the Nile Eden Guest House for breakfast and devotions. Martha lead with 1 Peter 4:8-11 “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” I felt it to be appropriate regarding the work we are doing here in Africa but it caused to ponder if this brief step out of my comfort zone qualified me to be a good steward. After all the teachers here work in un air-conditioned classrooms from 7 in the morning to 5 in the evening for about $100 a month. They are molding the minds of the next generation of their nation and doing it with an average class consisting of 65 students. These children are well mannered, polite and well behaved. They obey their teachers the first time they are called upon and they take it upon themselves to clean their own school. No janitor is needed. The teachers get no credit that I can see and all the attention is directed at the wonderful Americans who have come to help. I wish I could give each one of them a fraction of what a teacher at home makes.

On the agenda for Monday it said free day, shopping in Jinja. But I had 27 children who had given me a wish list so there would be no free day for me. I was soon to learn just how Robert’s wife Sarah earned her title Momma Sarah. She and I got out of the taxi and headed for the bank and soon emerged with a grocery sack filled with bundles of bills. First we tried to get a ride on a boda boda (motorcycle taxi) but there were none to be found. I strode along beside her clutching the black bag to my chest. It contained what the average person would consider several years worth of wages. She looked up at me and said, “give me that bag, you’re are going to get us in trouble” she dropped it in her shopping sack and continued on as though it were nothing.  

When we reached the shoe dealer she told me Monday is good for shoe shopping because they open their bags on Monday. There were literally hundreds of pairs of used shoes laid out on the sidewalk and we needed 27 pairs before you knew it she had enlisted the help of six young men working there and she was giving orders and checking her list. The sizes are nothing like what I am used to, ranging from 20 to 50. She said give me 6 boys size 34, no not that one I don’t like it, give me something better. You are going to have to put new laces on this one! It took half an hour and we were all covered in sweat in the humidity of the African summer. At first she started out pinching the shopping sack between her knees but I took it and knelt there watching Momma Sarah buying shoes for her kids. There are almost 1000 kids at Fountain of Hope and she knows them all by name and shoe size. She knows much much more about each one also because you see Sarah truly is a good steward of God’s manifold grace. She has a bright infectious smile and you can’t help but love her. I know God is preparing a mansion for Sarah in heaven and I only hope I will be able to spend many days in that cheerful house. Before our shoe shopping was all over the shoe lady and her assistants were all thanking her and posing for pictures and her Mazungu friend. Juwali loaded the huge bag of shoes into our taxi and we were off to another shop for mattresses and blankets.

We were running all day from one shop in Jinja to another until eventually the sack of bills had decreased in size enough to where I could fit the bills into my five pockets. It felt kind of weird though with those huge bulges so I kept my hands in my pockets so it didn't appear like I had money. This situation caused a considerable amount of sweat to begin running down my legs. By late afternoon Juwali’s van looked like the Clampets old truck from the Beverly Hillbillies. We had stuff hanging out the windows, mattresses tied on the top and back, too many people inside, we were quite a sight as we made our way back to Robert and Sarah’s house. This whole stay has been rush rush rush. I hardly had time to change my clothes and throw a few things in a bag because we had to make the 10 mile drive back to Bukeeka and the Fountain of Hope School before class was dismissed for the day because Monday night was our home stay. We were to walk home with a student and spend the night with them in their humble homes. 

I had requested the same family I was with three years ago and Momma Florence was ecstatic to hear the news. I met young George at school, he is 16 and in High School now and we walked the half mile to his house together. It took me a good 15 minutes to acclimate my hearing to his accent. Ugandan English is thick with an African flavor and a touch of British attitude and if you are not paying attention you won’t be able to make out the words. Three years ago when I stayed with them there were seven children in the house. Three boys and four girls. I was sad to hear the Aidah, George’s older sister was living in Kampala and two of the orphans had gone to live with family and beautiful Brenda was now living in the boarding house at school so she would not be there either. So it was just Sharon and Wilberforce still at home. As we walked, George asked me all about my family and he remembered each by name, How is Sean? He reminded me that I had promised him a picture of Sean 3 years earlier. I will have to go into Jinja and get one printed because after 3 years I had forgotten. George had not forgotten and he wanted to know all about Christy and Tiffany and their families. Honestly I had only spent one evening with this boy but he seemed to remember everything I ever told him.

As we rounded the corner and the house was nearly in sight George said I think I hear Aidah. Sure enough Momma had called her and she made the three hour ride in a bush taxi just to see me. She and her Momma came running so quickly and grabbed hold of me hugging me with such enthusiasm it almost knocked me over. I don’t think anyone has ever been so happy to see me. George and I walked the three acre property and he explained all his work there to grow the food for the family. He is a hard working boy and they have prospered because of his labor. Momma pulled out all the stops for dinner, we had chicken, rice, mutoke (cooked bananas) casaba, potatoes and broth. Everything was so good and we sat in the living room of the tiny house and ate by the light of the lantern. After dinner George told me all his dreams of becoming an electrical engineer, I believe he will make it happen, his teachers say he is one of the smartest boys in his grade and the hardest worker. I felt like family as I sat with him talking electrical theory and education. Later the topic changed to theology and I realized what a great pastor Robert is. Georges knowledge of the Bible would put most American adults to shame. He had heard me preach on Sunday and he wanted to discuss the topic. I wanted to stay up late and just talk with him but you know farm boys have to get to bed early. So we sang a hymn, Aidah had me give a short bible lesson to Sharon and Wilberforce and we prayed and went to bed. Aidah told me not to worry about the rats this time we have a cat and the rats are very few. I was awakened about 2 in the morning with something on my bed by my feet but it was only the cat. 

Tuesday July 1st

You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever. Psalm 16:11

Tuesday morning I was up before the sun, I heard George get up and get dressed so I followed him outside. He went about his early morning chores while I sat on a small stool, back to the wall watching the sun rise over the jungle. The red African dust that clings to everything also makes the sunrise spectacular as it appears as though the sky is on fire. I had to use the bathroom as would be expected and I held the tiny flashlight between my teeth as I stepped inside, It shown down through the hole in the floor and I was amazed to see the hole benieth was some 20” deep. I marveled that this was probably dug by hand by George and Wilberforce with a ladder and a bucket and a rope one bit at a time.

The children scurried around performing their chores before school and I sat and watched the people go by. The path to the main road is about 40’ in front of their house and each person that came that way, stopped, knelt in the middle of the road and greeted me. At one point three young boys carrying large bundles of fire wood on their head’s stopped and did the same. They treated me like I was some sort of celebrity just because my skin is white. It seems that Momma Florence had notified many of the neighbors that she was having a guest and they wanted to come by and see for themselves. There was a loud speaker blaring off in the distance and Aidah said it was telling of a man that had died in the night. They chased the goats which bolted out from the kitchen where they were kept at night and we said our final goodbyes. They spoke about me coming back again next year as if it were a given that I would be doing this every year from now on. George and I headed down the path to the school, I had to be back there by 7:30 because there was a very busy day ahead.

Nawaikoke is 60 miles east of Jinja and it is a three hour drive over some of the most crowded and worst roads I have ever traveled. We gathered ath the school and then headed out with our traveling evangelism corps. In one van was Pastor Robert and his seven Mazungus, in Juwali’s van was the sound system, generator, beans, rice soap flour and sugar for gifting and three Pastors, Momma Sarah and her singers, Also Philip and his keyboard. When we arrived at the tiny church in Nawaikoki there were maybe 20 adults and 40 children inside. The music was already going and we joined right in. This small bush pole church had a tin roof and side boards all on land provided through the ministries of GGI. We preached for four hours and it was a very unique experience. I recall bringing a message on rewards in heaven drenched in sweat distracted from time to time by loud children singing outside, mosquitos and two young mothers in the front row nursing babies. John kept teasing me about diverting my eyes each time they would change sides. I kept my chin up and raised my notes to read them. There was one large lady, taller than me who had a rather imposing scoul on her face the whole time I preached. She approached me afterwards and suddenly gave me a big bear hug almost lifting me off the ground; now smiling and singing my praises in her native Lugandan tongue. They had two choirs that had worked hard to prepare for this day and the singing was delightful. After this all believers meeting we had lunch outside the church prepared by the women of the church.

We loaded our little troop into the vans and headed out to outreach, that is present our gifts to a few needy families in the community handpicked by Pastor Herbert.  We prayed with Eunis, a shy lady with eight children. We met with Scovia and Esther who were Christians but did not have a church so we introduced them to Pastor Herbert and now they are part of the fellowship at Nawaikoki.

Then we met Robert,  Pastor Robert told him this is a special day because Robert is not the name given to am in the village who kills snakes (your guess is as good as mine) And these Mazungu had come all the way from America to give him gifts and tell him about Jesus. We explained to him the Gospel and he said what is to prevent me from being baptized right now. I said I would do it even if I had to make the three hour drive home soaking wet. So we knelt in the dirt with him there and he prayed to receive Jesus and then we baptized Robert where he lived amidst the rice patties and swamps outside Nawaikoki. We spoke to many other people and shared the Gospel with them and somehow our hearts were very light and we made our journey home after dark.

Dinner was ready when we arrived because Monica and Silivia had been working hard, we ate and fellowshipped and then we all retired exhausted after a long day praising God for all He had done.

I want to share a couple colloquisims that have struck me as humorous; Abbey was looking for me yesterday and when he finally caught up with me he said, “you are lost to my eyes, I have been going here and there.” Pastor Earnest is a thin man, slight of build and he is always urging me to eat more, he said in Africa we make a mountain, referring to the way they pile the food on the plate. When we were called to lunch he said to me, “come Miles, sit down over here, we are moving mountains” So much more happened yesterday there just isn't enough time to write it all down.

Wednesday July 2nd

Conduct yourself in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.

I was awakened at a quarter to five by the most awful screeching coming from the kitchen. Abbey had let himself in the back door and forgot to close it behind him so about thirty seconds later the chickens decided to come on in. He was in the process of running them out when all the noise started. Momma Sarah would not take well to chickens in her kitchen.

There were so many things on the agenda for Wednesday that the day was doomed from the very beginning. We all decided that it would be best if we headed out for the Fountain of Hope School if we were going to accomplish everything we wanted to do. By a quarter after ten we still didn’t have everyone in the van. Out devotional took a half hour longer than usual because Ahnika and Hannah had been confronted by a group of Muslims at the local well the night before when they made their home stay and they wanted to talk about it. Ahnika chose Exodus 20:3 You shall have no other gods before me. And her young mind's grasp of the truth of God was in stark contrast to that of Chiseka Emanuel, the witch doctor we would spend our afternoon with.

Our first stop was at the Favor Community School run by Wycliffe, a former associate or Pastor Robert and the best man at Bosco’s wedding. We toured the school and visited each class room as John and Robert renewed old friendships. Of special note was the things that occurred when we visited the fifth grade class. There were 41 students crowded into what appeared to me to be a large stall in a barn. Pastor Robert addressed the class and said, “where is the girl who gave her life to Christ the last time I visited you?” The kids told him she no longer went to school there but was now enrolled at Fountain of Hope. Pastor said, “that is good but it will not do, how many of you are born again?” Six or seven hands went up. Then he said, “that number is too small, who wants to give their life to Christ today?” Three hands went up and I watched as he explained the gospel to the whole class and then he lead Aisha, Joanne and Jovia in a prayer to receive Christ right there in front of the whole class. It was truly a privilege to see him work with the children and it became apparent to me why God chose this man to start a school and bring Christianity to the community through the children. 

Here was the local Bishop over seven churches and nearly 20 Pastors taking much time to speak to fifth graders about their exams, their families and make himself approachable and accessible to them. They joked with him, talked soccer and held on to his hand like he was family. In the next stall, one of the teachers had a 6 month old baby and Robert just fell in love with him. He picked him up and kissed his fat little cheeks over and over. He told the mother that if he could he would take this one home.

The next few hours were sent at Fountain of Hope school with the kids. We had shoes to hand out and sponsor photos to take. It was very time consuming to read each sponsor letter to each child that received one. We gathered all the students together in the center of the yard and John climbed up on the roof and got a group picture. We had three overlapping meetings at 2:00 PM which didn’t occur until a half hour later and then we walked up the road to speak to the witch doctor.

We sat under the same tree in Emmanuel’s front yard that we sat under three years ago when we spoke to him. The meeting started with a good fifteen to twenty minutes of flattery where he praised us for the work we have been doing and all about how wonderful the school is. He was especially happy that GGI had sponsored his son Elisha’s education. When we finally got to ask some questions the conversation shifted to politics and culture. I would have liked to have been able to see into the spiritual realm and see what was truly going on. He artfully dodged our pointed questions, deflecting the intentions and changing the subjects all the while proclaiming we all serve the same God. The most we were able to get out of him was that he does not sin. When I tried to explore that topic more deeply the comfort level deteriorated so I gave him my testimony with the gospel and we parted ways agreeing to disagree. Emmanuel invites spirits to posses him and they speak to him in dreams, he considers himself a doctor because when he is possessed he can tell people what they must do to appease the spirits and end their troubles.

We planned an evening out to show our appreciation to all the people here that have been contributing to the work in the work behind the scenes. There is an American Restaurant in down town Jinja and we all (17 of us) piled into Juwali’s van and headed to, “The Keep”. The service was terrible, food over priced and greasy but we really just enjoyed each other’s company. It was two and a half hours before everyone was served. John Monica and I actually had time to walk the four blocks to her apartment and meet her son Dalton. He recently completed his degree at the University and got a job in communications. He makes the equivalent of $140 a month. If he can hang in there for five years, he can make up to $200 a month. His supervisor has been there ten years and makes top wages, $320 a month. He is a bright intelligent young man of 24 and he works in networking, he lives with his mom in a one room apartment that is wall to wall with four beds and nothing else where he and mom and two sisters live. You wouldn’t know it though because he is so positive about everything.

As we walked back to the restaurant I paused  for a moment to reflect on where I was. It was 10:00 PM and I was walking down an unlit street in the city if Jinja, Uganda. People were passing in the darkness in all directions and a loud speaker from the Mosque was blaring Islamic prayers into the night air. We passed by a bar lit up in blue and people were spilling out into the street. We dodged taxis and motorcycles as we crossed the main drag and I was thinking of home.  

 Our African road trip starts tomorrow so I may be out of internet range for a couple days. Thursday we preach in Kafundikife, Friday Bulangira and Saturday at Ndolwa. My final opportunity to preach will be on Sunday when we return to Buloba.

Good news about Pastor Peter, we got him in to see a very nice doctor and the man said he does not believe the tumor on his head is cancer but it will have to be removed and a biopsy done. Peter wants to make our evangelistic road trip so he will have the procedure done next week after I leave but we will be paying for the procedure. Please be in prayer for Pastor Peter and his health.

Blessings, Miles

Photos: Sarah buying shoes, the Fountain of Hope School student body, and Mzungus (white people) surrounded by students.

Wedding Bliss and Baptisms

Saturday morning started with a trip back to Buloba to visit Hawa for her bug killing day.  By the time we arrived all of her things had been removed from her home and the fumigation had taken place.  People in the village had described Hawa as stubborn and we soon had to deal with it.  When a fire was built with the intent of burning some of the worst infected items such as clothing, mattress, etc that might still carry eggs or the bugs themselves she told us no.  In her culture, the only time people burn their belongings is when they die – Hawa didn’t feel comfortable with that.  Pastor Robert had to bring in the village chairman to talk some sense into Hawa and let her know that we would be replacing items for her with new clean things.  She didn’t have much of an option and agreed as the fire was started.  With her things in the daylight now, we took a closer look at her wooden bed frame.  Disgusting is a nice word to describe it.  Mold and tons of bugs and bug eggs.  We told her grandson that he’d have to scrap it all off and be sure not to inhale anything.  Meanwhile, Hawa sat at a distance with her clothes and other belongings around her on the ground.  Unfortunately, while all the bugs on her furniture and in her house were now dead, the bugs on Hawa herself and in her clothes were still alive.  We broke the news to her that she’d have to take her clothes off put on new ones and we were going to burn them.  She reluctantly complied and when she stood up fresh blood was found on her mat from fresh bug bites living off of her. Oh my goodness.  We prayed with her, told her how to take care of herself and clean her body frequently.  By the end of our visit she was more open to our involvement as we presented her new bed sheets, new blanket, and a new mosquito net.  We also gave the Buloba Pastor money to buy her clothes and follow-up with her.  Stubborn or not, she’s now a sister in Christ and that’s what matters.

Leaving Hawa’s village we headed back to clean up, put on nice clothes and head to a special wedding.  Special because it is the wedding of our Uganda ministry Treasurer, Uganda Board Member, and an important part of our Fountain of Hope Ministries – Bosco Tabula.  I’ve known Bosco for eight years and was so excited to be able to attend his wedding.  When you’re wondering who keeps track of the money we send to Uganda it’s Bosco – he’s the business man of our ministry.  He’s also actively involved in the church ministry and heads up the youth program at the Bukeeka church.  In Uganda culture, the couples have an introduction ceremony that is actually more important and bigger than the wedding when the couples officially introduce each other to their parents.  The introduction ceremony had already happened but we were able to attend the church wedding and reception.  I soon found out that weddings are a big deal in Uganda and especially for the brides.  Bride and Groom magazine just celebrated its 10^th anniversary in Uganda and I flipped through its pages while watching Pastor Robert get his wedding haircut.  Amazingly, I read that a cheap wedding in Uganda is $3,000 and the midrange was about $8,000 with high end being anything you want.  Remember this is a country where many people make $100 to $300 a month.  Bosco’s wedding, and most Uganda weddings, follow a traditional American wedding agenda with the bride in a white gown, men in tuxedo’s, exchanging of vows, Pastor talk, rings, flower girls, maid of honor, best man, videographer, photographer, etc.  The reception is where the African style started to kick in.  Approximately 300 people sat outside in the church grounds while music played and dinner was catered for everyone.  The bridal party arrived and danced their way to their special seats.  Family members gave speeches of which the most comically comments concerned advice to the bride and groom such as “this is not the time to abstain” and “Joy (wife) is a beautiful flower, Bosco now is the time to pollinate the flower so we can have more small flowers!”  The crowd would yell African style in support.  Speeches were given and then came the time to cut the cake.  Wow, this was definitely not an American cake cutting as they put sparklers in the cake and shot off fireworks spraying the cake and those around it!  Overall, the music was awesome, everyone just danced wherever they were and the evening was wonderful.  Until, one of our team members realized that someone had stole her bag, camera, and money.  Once it became dark it was hard to control who came in and someone from outside the party must have snuck in and stolen the foreigner’s bag.  Lessons learned while in Africa.

Today, Sunday, we traveled to Bukeeka to enjoy church in the original and first church that started the entire ministry.  I remember being here 8 years ago when the church met outside under a reed thatched roof behind the rented school building.  Back then about ten people came to the service and Sara Sityo, Pastor’s wife, was our choir.  How things change in eight years.  Because of the love the congregation has shown to the village, the impact of the school, and the love of everyone involved in GGI from sponsors to mission teams, the village of Bukeeka has become alive to Jesus.  As we parked at the new church building – they no longer have to worship in the school – I was blown away by the scene I walked into.  500+ people filled the large new building praising God loud as ever.  500+ people I couldn’t believe it.  I was also happy to see many Fountain of Hope students in attendance.  Our team member Miles gave a great Bible Study sermon while Martha, Ahnika, Hannah, and Eli took all the children under 10 years of age outside and did a children’s Bible Study.  An hour later we joined together and held the church service.  I gave a short talk encouraging them to love one another and continue to reach out to others in love while Pastor Ken gave the official sermon on Abraham and how God continues to work to perfect us in our faith.

After a fulfilling lunch across the street at Fountain of Hope School we all went down to the Nile River for a baptism ceremony.  Similar to previous years, over a hundred people came.  Three stations of two people each were stationed out in the river and people gave their name to the Pastor and where then escorted to a baptism station in the river.  After confessing Jesus as Savior they were dunked under water and then led back ashore.  About six people had to be carried back to shore when the spiritual experience suddenly became a physical one due to demon possession.  The first was carried out of the water screaming and jerking and taken to the pastors who were praying with each person.  Each of the six could not stand on their own and often fell shaking, or stiff, or totally limp on to the ground.  I joined the Pastors in praying in the name of Jesus and commanding the spirits to leave the person and praying the blood of Jesus over their bodies.  One woman started to convulse when I prayed the blood of Jesus over her and continued for 30 seconds until finally settling down.  Another seemed to be okay until I asked her to confess Jesus name and as soon as she did she complained of chest pain and that something was in her chest.  We prayed more and Pastor told her to come back to the church on Wednesday when we could meet with her one-on-one.  For most, the baptism was a final climax of their decision to follow Christ and afterwards we gave out new Bibles to everyone.

Everyone day is full of work, encouragement, fulfillment, and exhaustion. It’s great being here and letting my focus come back to the reality that we all live in a spiritual realm and that our physical worries shouldn’t be taken so seriously in light of the spiritual battle going on all around us.  I’m sure that a few months from now, I’ll be busy worrying about work, paying bills, keeping on schedule, etc but I hope I never forget that there’s a bigger agenda that I need to pay attention to – eternal life and what God is calling me to do here on earth.  For now I continue to press on giving my time and talents to Grace Giving International and the overseas ministries we support.  Come Lord Jesus.

John Kimsey

Photos: Bosco and Joy, Bukeeka Church, Miles baptizing new believers, Pastor Robert praying over demon possessed woman.

The Least of These

I have been to Africa nine times and have spent over 14 months on the continent.  I have seen poverty many times over.  To some degree I have become callous to it.  Another mud hut, another old widow, another person sleeping on a dirt floor, another person in need of medical help, another sad story to tell.  It starts to dull the senses – not because I don’t care but because it is a natural reaction to an overload of emotions.  Today though, the people I saw broke through the wall that has been built up around my heart and touched me again.  Touched me like the first time I witnessed poverty and felt the stabbing pain inside my soul – the pain that convicts you of not caring for others while living a life of luxury.  For those of you who have traveled to 3^rd world countries you know what I mean.

Today, we traveled back to Buloba where I had preached the night before.  Today though, we partnered with the local pastor, loaded up our van with beans, rice, sugar, corn flour, soap, and wash clothes, and visited the poor, widows, widowers, and those in need.  Buloba is a relatively new church in the ministry we support and this was my first time in the village even though I’ve driven by it a million times.  Buloba is a mix of lifestyles and beliefs.  They are known for having bars and drunks, have resident witch doctors, but also have a Catholic church, a 7^th Day Adventist church, and a Muslim mosque.  They are on the main road but have never developed any sort of economy besides farming to make a name for themselves.  Their residents tap into the electrical wires illegally and bury the wires underground through the village to steal electricity.  Like other villages, they send their children to the hand pump water wells after school to bring home water. 

Pastor led us through the dirt paths to mud hut to brick house to mud hut visiting people that he had identified as needing help.  Most of them didn’t attend church which made our outreach more impactful as our purpose was supposed to help the church share the love of Jesus and not just help those within the church family.  Magdalene is a widow in her 80’s although most older people have no idea how old they really are.  When we arrived she was cooking beans over a small fire and roasting an ear of corn in the embers.  Her frail body lay hidden beneath her clothes and as she looked at us I realized that her left eye was either missing or had shrunk back into her skull and no longer functioned.  Her bare feet were leather hard from years of never wearing shoes.  She sat down on the ground with us and listened to the reason why we had come to visit her today – to share the love of Jesus with her and bless her with food.  She asked to accept Christ.  Miles led her in prayer as I photographed the event.

Our next stop was another widow trying to help raise 2 young grandchildren – although we could never clarify if they were her grandchildren.  From there we visited Rose who was sick with malaria.  She said the food would feed her and her children for 10 days as long as they only ate one item a day – ie not mix beans and rice together on the same day.  Another widow, another sick person, a mother asking us to pay her children’s school fees, another widow in her 80’s, and a cancer stricken women afraid of dying.

We then came to Hawa’s house.  She was probably close to 90 or in her 90’s.  We presented her the gifts we had brought and Pastor noticed that she had a “bed bug” crawling on her.  When he attempted to flick it off of her that’s when he noticed that there were more of them.  As he talked with her, we walked inside her house and inspected her bed.  It was disgusting.  Bugs were crawling all over her bed sheets and she sleep with them.  Pastor then found out that she had not accepted Christ because no one had taught her how.  He prayed with her and she accepted Jesus into her life.  We then made the decision to go to town and pay for a fumigating company to come out the next day and start the process of killing the bugs while we purchased new sheets and blankets.  To think that as I am writing this blog, Hawa is sleeping on that bed makes me shudder.

This is what being the church is, this is outreach, this is mission work, this is loving others, this is what being a Christian is all about.  Going door to door helping people where they are and loving them.  The people told us that the Muslims in the village never help them.  This isn’t exciting, we’re not building something, and we aren’t deep into theology, we’re simply helping people.  This is why I keep working with GGI and coming to Uganda.  That night we returned to Buloba for the evening crusade of music and preaching.  Pastor Ken from Spokane preached along with Ugandan pastors and as the darkness set in the final preaching prayed and called those to the stage for salvation and over 20 people gave their lives to Christ.  Our little church is going to be busy following up with so many new people.  Glory to God.

John Kimsey

Fountain of Hope, Crusades, and Blessings

The GGI Uganda team continues to work non-stop from sun-up to sun-down!  How tired we are!  Our Wednesday morning devotional was given by Hannah Blank, a 17 year old soon to be senior from Kennewick, WA.  She spoke on Colossians 3:16 - Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. She commented that coming to Africa has reminded her that her gratitude is so much more than just going through the motions and that she is mindful that she is an ambassador here with all she does being a reflection of Christ.

After devotions we traveled to Bukeeka – original staring place for the Uganda ministries – and visited Fountain of Hope School and the new Bukeeka Church.  The GGI team women had prepared a women’s ministry outreach program of bible study along with a clothing give-away and hygiene kits.  Our high school age team members, Eli from Spokane, Hannah from Kennewick, and Ahnika from South Africa did a great job re-enacting the story of Jesus talking to the Samaritan women by the well.  The women were thankful for the gifts and enjoyed a nice lunch afterwards of rice and meat.

Our time at the school was enjoyable as always.  Looking back at the years of development, it’s amazing how the school has grown.  Today, there are five junior school buildings, two boarding buildings, one kitchen, two high school buildings, three toilets, a guard house, and a soccer field.  But the work isn’t done yet.  More buildings are needed and the toilets need to be moved as the school has now surrounded them and the smell isn’t pleasant.  The children are wonderful, receive a quality Christian education, and continue to be the highest scoring school in the district on national exams.   

At 5:00 PM we drove to the village Buloba where there was a crusade going.  Talk about loud music!  Africans love to turn up the volume and dance to music.  A wooden stage had been constructed and large sound system rented for the three evening event.  Music, preaching, more music, more preaching – you get the idea.  Tonight, our member Miles was a guest preacher along with others as hundreds of people lined the street – the crusade is basically in the center of this village.  Miles comments after the day that there is so much to do and the little that we can do seems to not amount to much but we still do what we can because it is right.  Amazingly, the simple fact that we are here brings hope to people who see us as validating the ministry. As the sunset we drove back to Pastor Robert’s house for our evening meal before falling into bed exhausted.

Thursday morning, today, started the routine all over again as we traveled to Wabiyinja – site of our second church plant – for an all church event featuring us!  Our GGI ladies again had planned a children’s outreach effort with bible stories as well as shoes and snacks for the children.  The men stayed in the dirty floor church and both Miles and Pastor Ken shared a message with the church members.  The women of Wabiyinja are amazing and most uplifting and outright fun to be around.  They yelled, cheered, sang, and gave us all hugs upon arrival.  After our time at the church we traveled throughout the village blessing widows and those in need with food, soap, wash clothes and aprons.  The living conditions again were hard on the team members.  Seeing women living in true mud huts sleeping on the floor was and is hard to accept.  Sarah, Pastor Robert’s wife, mentioned that she needs to come back with mattresses.  Amen to that.

Tonight we traveled back to Buloba for the second night of the crusade.  Again the music was loud as can be and the singers were energetic as the village people (no pun intended on the 70’s music group) gathered around the street and wooden stage.  Tonight was my night to preach and I had prepared my “African” sermon on the Power of God.  I must have done it right as many people complimented me on my energetic and African sermon – they didn’t know a mzungu (foreigner) could preach like an African!  Imagine southern tent revival with charismatic enthusiasm and you’ll get the idea.  Add to that everything I said was then enthusiastically translated as well.  Afterwards one man came up and prayed with me to accept Christ while an older man asked me to pray for his hurt foot.  Then it was back to music and dancing as we left the crusade at sundown. 

As I type this, we are watching the World Cup game Portugal versus Ghana and checking the USA versus Germany scores online – since we’re in Africa I guess they wanted to watch Ghana and not the USA.  Good news is that the USA advances onto the elimination round!  I’m exhausted again after another long but very fulfilling day of supporting a great ministry, sharing the gospel, blessing those in need, and seeing the amazing Fountain of Hope School.  Time for bed.

Blessings,

John Kimsey

Tuesday was a day of blessing, We began early packing the things we purchased yesterday in Jinja making it ready to give it away. We then traveled to Mpumudde to visit with Pastor Mike Sityo and the True Worship Center which is a very small rural church. The church is called a pole church constructed with poles stuck in the ground, dirt floor, mud walls and a thatched roof.  Following the believers meeting we traveled through the community and met Elvania. Elvania is about 80 years old and she lives in a 10’X20’ mud hut with her sister Hamilda and cousin James. We were able to bless them with food and good company and were delighted by Elvania’s spunk. She was so delighted with the gifts that she said she felt like dancing. John Kimsey invited her to the crusade in the evening and she did come and she did dance.

We also blessed Christina Nabuede, a 40-year old widow with two daughters who has been evicted from her home. She has nowhere to go and no employment but the church is supporting them and we were able to help also. Grace lives in a 10’X10’ mud hut with her three children and we blessed them as well and in addition to that I was able to pay tuition for Sandy her 12 year old son who has not been able to go to school because she cannot pay the tuition.

Jorum lives alone in a 7’X10’ mud hut and sleeps on the dirt floor. He is a farmer with no land, he works the ground growing food for his aunt. We blessed him and received his deep gratitude. Elkana Wadeo just wanted food and medicine for the jiggers in his feet. Jiggers are worms that burrow deep into the flesh and live off from the blood of the host. They have to be removed first, the residence fumigated and medicine administered. This we were able to arrange for the ministry of Pastor Mike.

There is so much poverty here that it seems as though what little we do is simply a drop in a vast sea. It is the gratitude expressed by the people because of our visit that seems to impress the people more deeply than the food stuff and other gifts. They see our visit as an answer to prayer, confirmation of His love and understanding that He truly does care for them. We have been given the seats of honor, provided the best of their food and loved beyond anything we deserve.

In this place it seems that most are afflicted with one thing or another and all are in want and many are being saved. You may ask, “How can we know if they are sincere?” This point I will grant you is valid but how can we know? We must do the evangelism work and trust God to provide the increase.  For now we are doing what the Lord has asked us to do – love one another and share the goods news of Christ.  Now it’s time to sleep before going out again tomorrow.

Miles

6/23/14

Being the least experienced world travelers on this particular endeavor, it seems odd that we would be writing one of the first entries on the blog for this mission.  Nevertheless, we will try to give the wonderful nation of Uganda justice.   

Today we had the opportunity to go into Jinja and wander through the market.  Along with general looking around and browsing through goods, we (Ahnika, Hannah, Martha, and Sarah) bought cloth to have traditional African dresses made for our friend, Bosco’s, wedding.  While we were doing the fun shopping, Robert, Ken, Eli, Miles, and John all went to go buy rice, beans, sugar, corn flour, and soap for our bush village outreach efforts. 

After shopping and a brief stop at Sarah and Robert’s house, we traversed the bumpy roads up to Fountain of Hope School. On the way, we made a stop at True Worship Church, a 3 minute walk from the school. That’s when we had our first interaction with the beautiful children of Uganda; the students had just gotten out of school and greeted us in the road. We shook lots of hands and asked ‘how are you’ multiple times, only to find the answer was always destined to be ‘I am fine! How are you?’ We then walked down to the school and were introduced to the people in leadership. We also had the opportunity to speak to one of the high school teachers, Elisha, who had many interesting stories to share with us.

From the school, we made our way down even bumpier roads (which was previously thought not possible) to Mpumudde [Em-poo-mu-day], meaning ‘resting place’. There, we were supposed to host an event in which we would play loud music to attract the locals in the village, so that we could discuss Christianity and the love of Jesus with them. Unfortunately the generator running the speakers was not cooperating, so instead, we spent time with the many children there. We sang, danced, clapped hands (turns out Eli must be really good at clapping, because they were laughing at/with him quite a bit) and even showed them the joys of photography. After we were finished at Mpumudde, we proceeded back to Robert and Sarah’s for dinner and relaxation.

Overall, we had an amazing first impression of the bush villages and what our time will be like here, and are looking forward to the next few weeks. God’s creation and his people are truly remarkable in every aspect and we thank Him for this opportunity.

Much love to you all and God bless,

Hannah and Ahni