Uganda Trip Update 11-15-10

Another great day today! It was a day filled with church services and Sunday school. The day began early at the church with some worship and beautiful African melodies. The women showed up to church with very elaborate and colorful dresses, each one so anxious to meet us. It is customary here for a woman to kneel when she wants to show you respect. The little girls do this as well. One by one they introduced themselves to us, taking the time to kneel, demonstrating their respect and gratefulness for our visit. We are so incredibly humbled by their acceptance and kindness. The men came dressed in suits and ties. Everyone attempts to wear their best to church. But the ones who filled the church the most were the children. Hundreds of them attended Sunday school this morning.

After worship we each split up. The children were in one area, the women in another and the men somewhere else. We had the opportunity of sharing further with the members of the church during Sunday school and Bible studies. There were many relationships formed today as we were able to interact in a deeper way with the Ugandan people. The men and women dove deeper into the word, and the children were overjoyed with songs and an appearance by “BC”, a ventriloquist dummy which one of our team members, Julie, so skillfully brings to life.

After Sunday school, it was time for service to begin. More worship ensued. It is very lively and happy, and it quickly becomes obvious to anyone around that praising and worshipping is not only a major part of the service, it is enjoyable and festive. “BC” made another appearance and even sang for the church. The adults laughed and were so happy. We had a member of our team, Julia, share her testimony of the strength and grace that God provides for us. And many people felt encouraged. Later Ron shared a message with the congregation. And again many lives were touched and encouraged. Even so, the people of the village have been so pleasant and hospitable to us that the example we may leave them pales in comparison with the example they leave us.

The afternoon was filled with more Bible studies, as some of the members who desired to continue diving deeper into the Word gathered once more to study. Half of our team helped with the studies, while the other helped our host family cook the dinner meal, which happened to turn out pretty deliciously! We even had a cobra snake try and sneak in and make a guest appearance during dinner! But the men were able to kill it quickly, and we enjoyed the rest of time together greatly.
If there is any one thing that can be said about this trip so far, it is that the unity we are experiencing with each other and with the people we’ve come to serve feels like a beautiful and encouraging glimpse into what eternity will be like. It’s hard to put into words everything that we are seeing and experiencing. But one thing’s for sure: we see God’s hand at work as He brings us together in order to worship Him and serve Him!