Drama

So when I first heard we would be speaking at high schools I thought no problem come in 15 min talk and back to class they go. But then when we arrive and all their classes were over and the head master says ok they are all yours. To tell you the truth I got a little bit of that deer in the head light look. But our team reacted great. We put together a great skit that involved the African students in less then two hours. And it went great.
We also had to speak, now that was not just one person speaks and we were done. We had to have two testimonies shard and one message given. And again the team did a great, everyone one gave their testimonies and we had a few of us give the message. In American schools there is no way we could do a evangelistic assembly in a high school. But here we can and we saw lives charge and people come to know the fullness of our Lord. And we meet Godly teachers and head masters that are there to help these students and where excited to see these new followers of God grow and lead others. And I cant wait to come back and see them and see how much they have grown in him.

Students of God

Going door to door to talk about God is not a easy thing. I don’t care how many times you have done it or where you are. Its always hard. But when you are working with the students at KIU it gets a little easier. Theses collage students are like no other students I have been around. They love the lord and are not afraid to show it or tell others about it. I was concerned about my heart being broken for the people of Uganda, but after being here and seeing the heart that these students have I was not so concerned, because the Lord has already broken the hearts of these workers that are already here.

Preaching Last Sunday

Preaching on Sundays should only be done by trained professionals, but for some reason the people of United Faith Church in Kampala Uganda thought it would be a good idea that I preach. These people are smart people so I don’t know why they would make such a big mistake :). So as I stood in the back of the 5th story lecher hall at KIU and kept on seeing more and more people come in to hear from the Word, I became more and more nervous. If anyone ever doubted that the Lord is working here on Earth I can tell them that it is true. That is the only way I was able to get up there in front of those people and make any kind of sense of what the Lord had told me to say. I spoke out of 2 Timothy 1:8-12, my desire was to help anchor the students in their walk with the Lord. I pray that I was able to offer some kind of a encouragement to the students here at UFC. I know that any encouragement I was able to give had nothing to do with me but everything to do with the one I serve.

-Mark

Ancient ultrasound...

On Thursday and Friday of this last week, I had the amazing opportunity to volunteer some time at Wentz Medical Center doing ultrasounds! (This is Lena in case that didn’t give it away…) I have been excited about the possibility of this opportunity for a long time, so the fact that it actually happened is still incredible to me! Wentz is a pretty remarkable place too. It was started 5 years ago (to the day last Friday!) by Africa Renewal Ministries. It’s a small clinic, but they do so much for the community. Like I told you all in the first post we made, they have decreased the number of malaria patients that the clinic sees from 80% to 30% since they opened. But even more impressive than that is the attitude of everyone around the clinic. We started both mornings out with worship and prayer, and everyone who works there just radiates the love of the Lord.
I really wish I could put a picture of the ultrasound machine/room at Wentz and at home on here so you could all see the shocking difference between them. But let me just tell you, this machine is ancient. It was a little bit hard for me to figure it out at first since I didn’t have anyone there who had ever used it before, but luckily, ancient also means simple. Phew!
The majority of the exams I did were obstetrics, but there were some interesting ones: one lady didn’t know she was pregnant, but was feeling strange movements. She was 6 ½ months along with a healthy baby boy. There were a few other exams that I did as well, but there was one in particular that really impressed me.
One woman came in because she had noticed a lump in her breast, and she had a history of uterine fibroids and was wondering if they were causing her not to conceive. I scanned both areas to the best of my ability, (and the best of the ultrasound machine’s as well) and I was able to give her some follow-up advice while we waited for the doctor to be free. Several times while we talked she told me how much she loved the way I talked. She said she had been so worried about these things, and nearly felt like she wouldn’t be able to keep living. She said I gave her hope that even if it did turn out that she had cancer or would never be able to conceive she could keep living her life because God is in control. After just a few minutes of talking, Dr. Andrew came out and invited us into his office. It was completely unreal to sit with a doctor and a patient and talk about Matthew 6:25-34; if the Lord takes care of the birds and the lilies how much more would he take care of this woman. She left with relief and hope for tomorrow. I was so blessed by this experience. God is so good!

Watching Hope Grow

Each afternoon this week, we have visited a high school to offer and celebrate the story of Christ. Our time together begins as Elena leads our voices in worship. A collection of American and East African team members present a drama, to depict God’s reckless love for humanity. We share personal testimonies and prayer. A few days ago at a Muslim all-girls’ school, I sat in the back of the room, listening and praying. As the assembly wrapped up, a student came to sit at my feet and whisper in my ear. Her name was Hope, and she used to have a relationship with Jesus. Hope’s mother is Christian, but she has not seen her mother since leaving the Congo to come to school in Uganda. She missed knowing Jesus as a best friend, she whispered. We bent our heads together and thanked God that there is nothing we can do to make him love us less. Like many stories that our team has already been a part of, Hope now has hope. While preparing for this trip, God has been teaching me about the value of hope in our world. We are suffering a global shortage of hope. For without hope, there cannot be healing, and even the deepest love cannot be felt. Praise God, we are watching him grow hope in Uganda.

-Erika

Ants in the bread...

It has been a great week of ministry here in Uganda, and I am so proud of the way our team has come together and shown willingness to be adaptable and flexible in new and different situations.

Our first full day in Kampala we went to the store to pick up bread, cereal, milk, yogurt, fruit and other supplies so that we can fix our own breakfast this week. Halfway through breakfast the following morning, Kennedy and I were in the kitchen preparing more toast. We had already realized the kitchen was easily accessible to many tiny light colored ants, so I wasn't surprised when Kennedy pointed and brushed off an ant from the piece of bread he was preparing. As I picked up the bag for closer inspection however we were shocked to find that there were many ants in the bread that the whole team was already enjoying. Evidently the little guys were small enough to sneak in through the sealed bag overnight.

Not wanting to cause unnecessary alarm over a little extra protein, Kennedy and I laughed and quietly conspired to dispose of and replace the bread with no one noticing. We returned to the table to finish our ants and toast. A few minutes later our plot was foiled as Elena discovered our tiny friends in the bread. We told the team we would plan to get rid of the ant bread and pick up new ant-free bread for the following morning. I had imagined disgust from the team (especially the girls) at the realization that we had all eaten ants for breakfast. So I was pleasantly surprised when the teams communal response was, “well, we don’t want to be wasteful, can’t we just save it for tomorrow.”

I know this is an odd story to pick out and share as I reflect on a week of ministry. But it captures our team members’ willingness to be adaptable and try new things as they have all been stretched in their own ways over the last week. I am praying for more “ants in the bread” moments that will require us to choose to be adaptable, get outside our comfort zone, and maybe even get a little dirty or gross as we serve in many different situations.

-Lance

We started ministry this week! We have spent the last two days in a slum called Nabutiti and in a couple different local high schools. It has been amazing to see God working through us and in us. In Nabutiti, we were able to lead several people to Christ and give food to some of the more needy families. It’s easy with the kids. They are immediately best friends with us “mzungus” just because of our white skin. The adults are obviously a little more difficult to talk to. Most of them speak Luganda and very little English, so even with an interpreter, the language barrier makes it difficult. We’ve had the opportunity to talk and pray with many people sharing the gospel. I’ve had some great conversations.
Today, Erika, Sheri, and I were with a few of the university students and Pastor Ronald from the church in Nabutiti as our interpreter. We talked to a Muslim woman named Miriam who was busy peeling bananas with an impressively large knife in preparation for her family’s lunch. We talked to her for a few minutes about our personal experiences of Jesus’ love, and she was very receptive and interested. We stayed and talked with her for around 10 or 15 minutes and the whole time you could see the wheels turning. By the time we left, she was still feeling that she needed more time in making this huge, life-changing decision. Even still, we walked away knowing that God is working in her heart. She graciously and sincerely thanked us for coming and talking to her, and Pastor Ronald will follow up with her in the coming days and weeks.
The last couple days of ministry have been packed full of good stories that we look forward to sharing with you all when we get home, but for now it’s definitely time for sleep. We love and miss you all!

-Lena