Wow. Today has been a-mazing. I am not sure what to even type. This morning we slept in and then headed to Buloba. The team went door to door while I spent some time with Pastor Eva planning and talking. The microfinance is on it’s way and she is going to be working on some new items to Buloba for the ladies to begin working on. Many mats are being made for us to bring back (think fiber rug) and some baskets will be available for display. Most team members have bought the ones the ladies have brought so far. Pastor Eva said she wants to go ahead and get the well put in soon so they don’t have to pay to get water brought up to the work site for all the concrete and bricks they are making. So she is going to work on getting a contractor for it. I gave her a contact today in Kampala to try. She is very excited about what is going on.
After lunch we walked down through the swamp to where the voodoo shrine is. We felt like pied pipers with all the children walking with us so we walked to the other side, past the shrine up the hill a little then turned around. We did not want the children to know we were simply looking to see what the neighborhood over there looks like.
After that the team went to work on moving more dirt. I explained another reason for no bob cats- the church pays local workers. If there was a bob cat, the workers would not be needed. Just call us bob or cat…. While the team headed back to the work site the muslim lady from next door to the church (Zaria- Mufasaru’s mother…. I mistakenly called him Mustafamir in previous blogs) came over to meet Josh. During door to door this morning they saw her up by the garden she works on. She asked for a Bible! Josh told her that they would give her one when she got home so she would not have to worry about it while working. So as we came up from our walk through the swamp she was waiting. I asked if we could go to her home to video her and she said yes.
When we got to her home she shared that she wanted to become a christian!!! I am crying just typing this. This woman would barely come out of her house a year ago when Lisa and I came. Her children and grandchildren would only come over to the bus to get empty water bottles at the end of the October team’s trip. Now they are helping us move dirt, singing in VBS and she is giving her life to Christ!!! She said she saw our happiness and when Josh and Tony brought her 2 jerry cans of water she knew she wanted to be a Christian. And she came to church yesterday and heard Josh’s sermon and knew that is what she wanted. So Josh sat and prayed with her and she invited Jesus to come in her life. She told me as we were leaving "I am so Happy that I don’t know how to explain it." I told her that angels were rejoicing with her and we were too. That we were all brothers and sisters in Christ. We then walked over to the worksite to share the news. She got to talk to ask Hiram why he looked like her but was from America. A little lesson on that was fun. Her family is so giving and it is going to be such a joy to see her grow with her family in Christ! I have the story on video and will work on something so you can see at least part of it at some point.
A-Mazing to see how we sow, water, and eventually see God sprout up things in people’s lives. The teams often feel that we do a lot of talking and praying and not a lot happens. But it is! We see it as we see the influence of the Muslim community and the voodoo things as well. One of the groups went by a voodoo home and explained the looks of the people that gave evil angry stares as they passed. WE pray for Buloba Community Church as they stand at what we feel like is a precarious place. They are going to explode in growth we feel as they get the building done and continue meeting with people and influencing them. But they are up against real forces in their community. Things we cannot understand as Americans. But we can understand as Christians. So please join us in praying against the evil that is in their community.
another neat story was about a man named Frank. Frank was visited by a team and requested a Bible. Mike gave him one and told him to read John then start in Genesis after that. As they walked off they looked back and saw him standing out front of his home reading his Bible. His head was buried in it the entire time- until they were so far away they couldn’t see him anymore. They are hungry for HIS WORD! The treasure Gods word. We are blessed to spend some money to buy Bibles to give out and leave for the church to give away later. A-mazing.
Pastor Peter from Gaba church came out and did a little dirt moving. He is very impressed in what is going on. And he got to meet our new Christian sister right before he left. Good stuff.
Umm I am sure there are several things I am forgetting!!!! There is so much and I left my cheat sheet at home (I am typing at the internet right now instead of at home then uploading tomorrow).
Tomorrow is our tourist day- we are going to Jinja to ride a boat on the nile, then see the falls and a lunch that is Marvelous at a most beautiful spot. Then we have to pack tomorrow night…crazy that our time is almost done. I want to stay…If I could have some of you come visit really soon I would stay! It has been wonderful, amazing, heartbreaking, glorious.
I will post tomorrow night about our tourist day and then probably not again till we get home. Unless it works out I can update in the Amsterdam airport. Keep praying for all the team to stay well. Things start geting crazy in the last 2 days here for some reason healthwise. You are amazing-family, friends, prayer warriors, and random blog readers. i appreciate your partnership in the gospel with us!
Leave a Reply