Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Uganda: July 7, 2014

I'm sitting in the Ugandan airport as I write. It is Monday, July 7, 9:45 p.m. God willing, I will board in less than one hour.

Let me catch you up on some things that happened this weekend. Saturday was simply amazing. I went canvasing with a group of the orphan boys. We conversed Soroti for about an hour and a half before we returned to the orphanage. By the time we finished, I was hot, sweaty, hungry, and exhausted. I began crossing the street to Kerri and Pamela's, but I stopped when I heard someone calling me. I turned around, and, sitting on the wall outside the orphanage were 3 young girls (early teens) with their heads covered (obviously Muslim). I began talking with them. They were very friendly. I asks them if they were Muslim. They said they were. I said, "Ah! I have never spoken very long with a Muslim before. Will you tell me a little about your religion?" They got very excited and began telling me about being good and living peaceable with people to get to heaven. Well, after they shared their beliefs, I shared mine using an Evangecube I brought along from the States. We talked for 30 minutes. The girls had many questions including "Is hell a real place?" The last picture of the Evangecube has an image of hell at the bottom, an image of heaven at the top, and 2 hands clasped in-between heaven and hell (one hand representing a sinner condemned to hell, one representing Jesus). Just before I reached that picture, I had given a little bit of my testimony and had told the girls that when I became a Christian, the Holy Spirit came to indwell me, and now I can communicate with my Savior as friend to friend. That prompted one of the girls to ask, "Do you believe that God can communicated to us through dreams?" I said, "Yes, I do. Why? Have you had a dream?" She nodded. "Tell me your dream," I said. She told me that she dreamed she was in a dark, deep pit and couldn't get out, and someone was trying to grab her hand, but she wouldn't take it. Needless to say, I was floored. Immediately, I showed her the least picture and pointed to the flames of gel. "This is your pit," I said. "Jesus is extending His hand to you; you simply have to reach up and take it. I believe God was speaking to you in that dream." At that point, all three of the girls' eyes seemed to open. I asked them if they were ready to trust in Christ Jesus for salvation, and they said, "Yes." I led them in the sinner's prayer. Isn't God good! Please pray for them. They could face persecution for their decision.

Kerri was sick a lll day Saturday and Sunday. She asked me Saturday night if I would teach both Sunday school and junior church the next day. It was so much fun! I had about 90 kids from 9:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. I taught them the stories "the Fiery Furnace" and "Daniel in the Lion's Den." They taught me some Teso songs! I can't wait to teach them to my class this fall. Immediately after church, I loaded up my things and headed to Entebbe with Mr. Pittman and a Ugandan named Nelson. We arrived at the Joyners' home about 9:00 p.m.

Today I had a blast catching a Ugandan taxi with Sarah Hess to observe her teach music in a government school in Entebbe. We even sang a couple of duets for the kids.

On the way back to the Joyners, we got the taxi to drop us off near Lake Victoria so that we could walk by it on the way to the house. The lake is beautiful and quite large. Maybe one day I can see Victoria Falls.

The rest of the day was fairly uneventful. I repacked my bags to get my souvenirs in my carry-on to prevent breakage. And here I am. Still waiting to board my flight, it is now 10:30.

I surely will miss all these people I have been working with. I will miss all the kids back at the orphanage. My time here in Uganda was way to short. I have seen so many needs here -- needs that I could fulfill if God allows. Please be praying for future decisions. I am torn between Cameroon and Uganda. But I will keep praying for God's guidance. He hasn't steered me wrong yet!

1 comment:

  1. You clearly had an adventure but your blog reads like you have not yet thought of the people you met as people just prospects or specimens. For example, you call the children in the orphanage orphans. Certainly this might have been accurate but they were also children. Equally, how is it ok to engage the young possibly muslim girls that you met in this way. You appear to have not considered the implications of, arguably, displacing the religion in which they had been brought up. I am happy that you have found your salvation but people are not exhibits. Finally Paraa Lodge is so very expensive. It is for the very rich tourust. How could you justify your stay there. And don't get me started on the morality of water fights... I hope that you keep aiming to do good but renembering that other people are real - as real as you.

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