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We arrived in Uganda safe and sound with all of our luggage in tow. Pastor Timothy was there waiting to take us to his home. We all piled into a van with all our bags and had our first “African” bus ride. After traveling about an hour Pastor Timothy said that the next 45 min would be quite bumpy… and he wasn’t joking. Some of us actually hit our head on the ceiling of the van! Although we were all really tired, we laughed the whole way there. We arrived at about 10:30pm and received a very warm welcome from Pastor Timothy and his wife Jennifer. Jennifer had prepared dinner for us so the first thing we did was eat. We found out soon that we were so blessed that Jennifer was such a good cook. Her authentic cooking as was of the highlights of our time with Pastor Timothy. After the long bus ride and dinner we all had our first encounter with a real “African” toilet… This consisted of small square hole on a cement floor… thank you Jesus! (in a Mark Parker accent) It took some (a lot) of getting used to, but we managed. After a long day it didn’t take long for us to fall asleep, which was great because the day ahead were packed full of stuff to do.
Our first full day of being in Uganda was full on. Pastor Timothy coordinates with a boarding school/orphanage in his village of Katosi. We began the day by breaking into groups and going into the classes getting to know the children. After going back to Pastor Timothy’s house for lunch we went back into the classes to do a bit of teaching. Later in the evening we had a youth night where we did our skit while Jessica played the drum since there wasn’t a way to play the song. Bethany and Rochelle shared their testimonies and Dortje gave a message to tie it all together. It was really a time to step out in faith as we had not officially prepared anything throughout the day. God completely met us more than halfway and everything went so well. The team all came together and worked so well with one another. All together is was an exhuasting day, but we had a great time being pushed beyond our comfort zone.
The next two days looked a lot like the first day. We were able to go to a nearby fishing village where we went got to evangelize to everyone there. There were several encouraging opportunities. There was one lady who said that she had know God at one time, but felt that she had gone away from Him. It was great to share with her that God is like a father and no matter what we do He never stops loving us and He is so happy when we come back to Him. After praying with her and telling her that if she had asked God to forgive her that she was forgiven a huge smile formed on her face. It was a great moment to see someone be able to feel the love of God again.
By the end of our time with Pastor Timothy and his family we were completely wiped out. God had blessed us with so many opportunities to share about His love. Jonathan had a chance to help lead someone to the Lord and there were a few other people who made the decision to dedicate their lives to Jesus. It was hard to leave the people, but we know that there is much more to do. We thank God for how blessed we felt while we were there and thank God for Pastor Timothy and for allowing us to come and serve.
God Bless – Team Africa
