Okay, so it’s 3pm in the land that most of my stuff is. It is 11pm where my body resides and my
heart is currently caught up in what God is doing. And since I have been trying to sleep for the past hour and
it is not working I thought I would give up and get up and spend some time
pondering aloud about what is going on here. Less of a report of daily events and more of rambling
thoughts about the goodness of God.
So here goes.
Sunday the Buloba church was proudly displaying their new
speakers and amp set up (thanks Brian) but the generator wasn’t sufficient to
power it continually so it cut off- protect mode. So we bought them a new generator. Got to deliver it today. They were so excited they took it out and started it
up. With nothing to hook it up
to. Then they wanted to hook up
the set up but the gas ran out… they will work on it tomorrow and be ready on
Friday when we all say goodbye.
And what is great is the Jesus Film guy- Jonathan picked out this
particular generator so it could power the sound system as well as lights for
the church building when the lights get up. Buloba Community Church is on the move up! And they can use the system to show films
in town or to do what they call crusades down in town to preach. Such simple stuff that has been
previously unattainable. And they
give glory to God for the gifts because they know that HE is answering prayers!
I cannot explain to you how proud I am of this team. I wish I could express to you their
excitement today about being able to share Christ during Door to door
today. They were sharing all the
way from Buloba home about what went on and the stories they had. Unfortunately I sit in the front of the
van and could only hear about a third of what they were saying. I am going to give them homework to
turn in stories I can post next week. : )
And I am so proud of them as they hauled water from the
protected well…the run off well.
They all hauled it up the ¾ mile trip with little complaint. (Especially Lauren who had Pastor Isaac
helping her…and she thought she could be tricky! : ) I know that Jordan just took off up the hill with the can on
his head and didn’t look back.
Morgan had a few more issues with the leaking can all over her. But little UPS Moses walked all the way
with her. About a third of the way up the trek Morgan stopped, grabbed her wet tshirt and said "I am SO sorry you have to do this every day." He didn’t understand so we had to
explain that she was proud of him being able to haul water every day and sorry
that she he had to do it. It was such a picture to me of the understanding we gain and the way we find fellowship with these people. The blessing that we have to step briefly into their lives and experience a little of what they go through. And it was a picture to me of Morgan's heart for the Ugandan people. I saw it repeatedly in each team member at many points in time.
I
learned a new phrase- You can do it!
But I have since forgotten…I didn’t write it down! These people are servants. And they love the kids. Playing with them all the time, reading
with them, drawing on the chalkboard to practice words, learning new things
from them. I have been blessed to
see them in action.
And it has been great to have time this trip to just sit and
talk with people. I went with
Patrick downtown (away from main street) to a woman’s home that we visited last
summer but she wasn’t there= she is in the hospital due to a mental issue. While over there we asked if I could
have the car tag off her car. They
said yes, for a price. So that was a fun detour. After I got back to the church I got to spend some time with
Sister Anna- she is the cook for the church/school/sponsor program and Alice-
the aunt of Merci. They asked a
lot of questions about home and if I knew how to do certain things or how
things worked back home. They
laughed a lot when I told them I did indeed know how to “dig.” Because they think most Americans
don’t. I told them there are
probably quite a few who don’t but girls down South raised in the country like
myself do! And to spend more time
with Pastor Eva and Isaac and to get to know Brother Godfrey (the lead worker
for the child sponsorship who was himself once a sponsored child with
Compassion). A-mazing.
And I haven’t shared about Joseph down the street- the day
we went door to door across the swamp we were requested to stop and pray for a
lady in a home. Her grandson also
needed prayer. He looked to be
about 3 and was deaf and lame in both arms and feet- it looked like he was born
mentally and physically handicapped at birth. He could barely crawl and just sat and drooled. But he had this funny sort of smile on
his face. As I prayed I asked the
Father “what do I pray? What is
YOUR will? Will you set him free
or will you teach his family to love him as he IS?” We all prayed and Pastor Eva said that they should bring him
to prayer services at the church.
Have I mentioned they have prayer service every other Friday night from
9 till about 4am? They are SERIOUS
about reaching their community!
To see and hear people almost daily coming to know Christ is
just overwhelming to my heart. To
hear Amanda say with a smirk today “I got four.” Then for her to continue by saying “Four out of five people I visited today prayed to
receive Christ.” Wow. I told her it was easy focheesy for her
now so she better get on it when she gets home! : ) It is so
sweet to hear that people are trusting their lives to Christ and His saving
power!
And this morning little Resty- one of my sponsor kids (whom
I realized Sunday has been at Buloba since my FIRST visit) brought me a gift- a
handwoven mat by her grandmother.
She was so proud to present it to me. And as the morning went on she was laying around on a bench
outside and right before lunch they found me to tell me she had a fever and was
laying down in Simon’s house. She
was just so still and pitiful. And
the ONE day I did not bring the first aid kit! (you past teams will understand how severe that is that I
FORGOT the first aid kit….my right hand!)
But I found some Tylenol in my bag and gave her a half of one- I figured
it wouldn’t do too much liver damage.
In an hour and half or so she was getting back to her spunky self. I think all the walking the past 2 days
with us shoved her over the edge.
The kids would walk with us until their legs fall off I think!
And as I travel through Uganda I pray and ask the Lord what
HIS plan for me in all this is… I love coming here and my heart breaks to leave
and when I am not here. But I feel
so out of sorts when I am here…a white person trying to help. Bringing in her Jesus to “fix”
people. But then in Buloba I walk
with Eva and hear her heart for the people to know Him. And I hear Pastor Isaac talk about
God’s word to people and it delights my heart. And I look down the road and see how things are ending for
me in one way and I wonder where they are leading. I desire to know so soon, but God continues to say “Be
Available. Give it to me. Just say ‘Yes’ to the
possibilities.” And I have to
simply say yes. When it pains my
heart to say I cannot. I know HE
can. When it hurts to say I must
finish things I love I know that there are other things coming that will be
perfect in HIS time. Does this
mean I am moving to Uganda? I
don’t know. I just know I have to
say that right now I am not saying No to the idea if it is His plan.
I know my heart will hurt Friday because I know that I will
not be coming in the fall with the team.
I will miss my friends. I
will miss my kids. I will miss
this place my heart loves- because I see Jesus in the people here. I have seen what His power through His
people can do. Both those in the
states and the ones here. The
prayers and gifts of those in the states have enabled his people to do the work
here. And it has been amazing,
life changing work. And it will
continue.
To God be the honor and praise. And I am thankful to Him beyond words because I have been a
small part of it. I have been able
to be witness to it. And I cannot
wait to return to see what God has done in a year. And to see my friends and family here in Uganda. It is overwhelming to think of the God
sized possibilities and those who will be part of the kingdom because of Buloba
Community Church trusting in his Saving power and Truth. I don’t know how to spell it but
the word is “neanziza nnyo” I am
grateful.
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