Going to Uganda has changed my perspective in God, in my faith, and the world. It challenged my faith in a place where there weren't the common necessities readily available, which caused me to realize how thankful I should be. I also experienced the beauty of God's love from the people in Uganda, and that encourages me to be the same, to show God's love to others.
I got a lot out of my mission trip to Uganda. I heard stories of people with incredible faith and stories that made me more grateful for everything I have and all the opportunities I have. Witnessing the extreme poverty and how people live in Uganda was a very eye opening experience and it showed me how God works and provides. Even though there is extreme poverty in Uganda, God finds a way to provide food and water to the people there and finds a way to shelter them and to me that's amazing and one of the big things that stuck out to me in Uganda.
Families, mentors, youthleaders and pastors please RSVP for Saturday's celebration. Name and count to [email protected]. We will order food tomorrow.
Good morning from Uganda!
We have been busy, please forgive our lack of posting! We spent the past 2 days painting at the church in the Katanga slums that we have been working with the past week. Pastor Emma was overjoyed to have a fresh coat of paint on the walls, as it brings new life to the building! We were also able to paint the classrooms for the school that meets in the church. Bright yellow, bright blue, and bright purple really enlivened the rooms for when the students return next week. We were also thrilled to see the joy on Pastor Emma's face when he received the Bibles we brought for him. He is so grateful! On Sunday we were able to worship at church with our new friends. Though the service was long, we especially enjoyed the worship and the kids dance group that performed. Afterwards, we took our friend Leticia to lunch and enjoyed getting to know her better. We then headed to Pastor Emma's house, where he and his wife Annette graciously hosted us. We were able to see what traditional cooking looks like (and how loooooong it takes to make a meal for 10 people), as well as view a traditional Ugandan home. Pastor Emma's children Kato, Kizza, and Joshua were great fun to play with. We were also blessed to hear testimonies from Pastor Emma and Annette about how the church was built, and how God has been speaking into their lives lately. Those who are pastor's kids in our group were able to encourage Emma and Annette regarding how to raise their small children in the future, based on their experience. Today we are heading out of town to do some sight seeing at a game park further north in the country. We are excited to see a new landscape, hopefully see some big animals, and spend some last time together as a team in country! Everyone is having fun and in good health, we will talk to you soon! Parents, youthleaders, mentors and pastors please RSVP for Saturday's return Celebration. The celebration begins at 11:30 and will conclude by 2:00. A lite lunch will be provided.
RSVP to [email protected] with your name and number attending. We've had a very busy past 2 days. On Friday, we started the day with a devotional that we shared with our fellow Come Lets Dance housemates. We then headed out to the Thread of Life project for a brief orientation followed by some general landscaping and property cleaning. We were able to meet several of the women who work there (as well as their children) and were impressed by all the beautiful sewing and craft products being made there.
After lunch at our favorite local restaurant, we headed to the Katanga slums to meet our friend Pastor Emma. He shared with us his heart for the people of Katanga and why he gave up a more lucrative career to serve the poorest of the poor. Though school was not in session we were able to see how the church building doubles as a crowded school during the week. We spent the remainder of the afternoon playing with the children of the slums-- the language of soccer (football) is universal!! We headed to the farm for a Friday night overnight-- eating delicious food straight from the gardens, viewing a beautiful starry night sky, waking up to a Lion King-esque sunrise (so they claimed). Farm Manager Emma opened up his home to us and served us several delicious meals, including a fireside pork roast. As we sat around the fire we were able to share stories and riddles, and hear more about Emma's life. We are so thankful for he and his wife's hospitality and desire to teach Uganda the benefits of Farming God's Way. We spent Saturday getting our hands dirty (like, really dirty) helping out at the farm. We may have been only pulling weeds, but we learned about why that is important to the health of the crops, the long term health of the soil, and therefore the long term health of the country. Our backs are sore and our hands are scratched, but we are satisfied knowing that we contributed to breaking the spiritual and physical yoke of poverty. We learned how the principles of Farming Gods Way can also be key in our relationship with God, and how the FGW tools are used to spread God's message. Tonight we are resting and preparing for a day of church and fellowship tomorrow. Please continue to pray for us! We have arrived safe and sound! We were able to rest for 3-4 hours before beginning our day. We started with a welcome brunch with the staff of Come Lets Dance, and are now heading out to begin our day with orientation and a school visit. We are enjoying the sunshine and warm breezes. Everyone healthy and safe (and taking regular malaria pills!), we thank you for your prayers!
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Q17 uganda TeamName, State
Cheyenne, CT Aki, MA Victoria, MA Ian, MA Paul, MA Daniel, MA Faculty: Josh, Beth, Morgan, Taylor Archives |