Farewell, Uganda!

(Written on Thursday, June 10)

Last Friday (the 4th), we had a cleaning day around the house. Some of the team went outside to clean the yard, as well as around the neighborhood. For those of us inside, I found that soap and water are used to clean everything, including wood. Haha. Peter, a pastor who was on the team last year, stopped by the house to visit me for a while. Through a variety of situations last summer, Peter really touched my heart. We have stayed in touch, and it was a blessing to see him again. Peter is a strong man of the Lord and is incredibly in tune with the Spirit. There is never a meaningless word or story that comes from his mouth. I am more than encouraged by Peter and his selfless faith. When the Lord tells him to “go,” he does so obediently, with open eyes and an open heart. Child sacrifice is a major issue in Uganda, as well as in Kenya and Tanzania, two surrounding countries. God told Peter to start a prayer campaign to raise awareness of this devastating crime and statistics in these countries. Child sacrifice, even though most aren’t aware, remains a problem across the world.

Through a crazy series of events, Peter has organized an entire campaign, including interviews of government officials on the topic, interviews of those who have personally been involved in child sacrificing, filming a video to raise awareness, and being able to publicly speak about the issue in numerous countries. There is a large conference in the UK in July and August, and each week, 10,000 people attend. Peter and his team has been given the opportunity to speak, and they will be inviting each person to pray intently for an end of this crime. Although this campaign is NOT about raising money, many with willing hearts are donating large amounts of money to increase the effectiveness of this campaign, as well as helping injured children to receive immediate attention and care, counseling, and any other needs that must be met to overcome this prevalent issue. And already, children whose private parts have been severed and others who were nearly dead have received the medical attention and surgeries they needed to survive. This campaign started off with one person, Peter, and has grown into a public outcry against child sacrifice all over East Africa and the UK. If you would be praying for Peter to persevere (it’s been very tiring for him), I would appreciate it.

Also, I would like to ask you to pray for Peter’s health. He was driving home one night and saw a man, injured and nearly dead, on the side of the road. Sadly, many would probably pass this man and act is if they never noticed him. Peter stopped and helped this man into his car and on the way to the hospital, the man passed away. In the process of carrying the man, Peter’s finger was cut. The man’s blood touched his blood. As soon as he could, Peter found out if the man was HIV positive or negative. He was positive. For the last month, Peter has been going to different doctors and has been on medication that physically drains him in hopes that it will prevent his body from acquiring the disease. At the beginning of this whole ordeal, he was tested and the results came back negative. He will be tested again after medical treatment in about another month, so I ask that you would pray that with the help of this medicine, his body would be able to block the disease.

On Saturday, my team and I all went to Jinja, Uganda to see the source of the Nile. It was beautiful there and we had a lot of fun. I’m pretty much obsessed with the Nile.

On Monday, the team spent the day at Kids In Need. It’s a non-profit organization that takes in children off the streets who have either been abandoned by their parents, displaced by the war in the north, and other various reasons. Here, they receive their basic needs, food, water, and shelter, at no cost. They each have a bed to sleep in, but the mattresses are torn and in awful condition. They have one pair of clothes; those on his/her back. This project holds a very special place in my heart. It’s where I found Bruce, the young man I sponsor. These children are beautiful and joyful. At the beginning of the day, my team split up into groups, and I worked in the kitchen. We provided food for a good, healthy meal, and we cooked lunch for all the children at Kids in Need. We sang and danced and played for hours, even while working hard. : ) After lunch, we did our program, which consisted of more singing and dancing, games, and a Bible lesson. After the lesson, we broke up into smaller groups and prayed for each child specifically.

When we were done, we all went outside. A girl on our team donated money to this organization and was able to buy more food than they could imagine, new, sturdy sandals for each child, jerry cans, and lots and lots of clothes. As a team, we handed over all of these donations. Each child and each staff member was touched. With all the new clothes, each child received one new pair. This may not seem like a big deal, but for them, it’s a major blessing since they each only have 1 pair of clothes, the ones he/she is wearing. Nothing could compare to the smiles, the joy, the beauty of this hour.

Later that day, I went to Bruce’s school to see him one last time. I met with the headmaster and discussed Bruce’s academic performance. He showed me his classroom, his friends, and his dorm. He explained how much he studies as well as the extracurricular activities he’s involved in. I think going there and seeing him in this environment made sponsorship so much more real to me. Before I left, we talked about his faith and I learned he is still walking closely with the Lord, reading His Word, and growing into a man of the Lord. Saying “goodbye” for a second time was almost harder than the first. I can’t believe the improvement I’ve seen in this young man. He is doing VERY well in school, his English has majorly improved in the past year, and his character reflects the Lord in all he does. It was an amazing, moving day.

For the next few days, I spent some good, quality time with the Lord. Almost the entire team went to Rakai Village, 4 hours away. About once a month, the team goes on a village such as this one, Luwero, or Gulu and all participate in a building project. This time, they will be building a house, doing door-to-door evangelism, and working with some children in this particular village. Because the team was gone, I was able to spend a lot of time in prayer and prepare myself mentally, physically, and spiritually for the adventure ahead. I had the opportunity to see almost all the Ugandans on my team from last year. I am so thankful I was able to come to Uganda for two weeks and catch up with everyone. Tomorrow, I leave for Swaziland. It seems so surreal. I am filled with almost every emotion imaginable but mostly, excitement. If you could be praying, I would love prayer for safety, peace, and boldness. Tomorrow, my world will be forever changed.

In Christ Alone,
Jan