Uganda Mission Team 2011: Ron Gunter, Orphan's Heart VP; Julie Boyd, First Baptist at the Mall, Lakeland; Shannon Lyles, Bonnie Weekes, Pat McGinnis, Ken DeMoliner First Baptist Ocala; Amber Dufrene, Westgate Church with special Guest Todd Griffin, Christ United Methodist, Fairview Heights, Illinois. Took off from Orlando & St Louis to Atlanta to Amsterdam to Kijali, Rwanda to final destination Entebbe, Uganda. After over 24 hours of travel we arrived safely and drove to Kampala to spend the night in a hotel. Then a morning at the market to buy supplies and we headed off on a 5 hour drive to Kamonkoli.
The sites we passed were amazing. People everywhere going about their daily lives in the various villages. The traffic in the worst city of the USA cannot compare…buses honking, 3 people on bicycles, motorcycles with 2 people, pedestrians, people “hawking” their goods, trucks with dead chickens on the roof…you name it, we saw it! All of this even before we arrived at our destination. After resting and having a special night of dinner and worship (lead by Peace), and playing with the children at Katherine’s home we had to sort through the donations and VBS supplies. As we sorted through the suitcases we were in awe of the generosity of all of the team members who did not physically come on the trip but have made our efforts a success already, and we thank you all.
Day 2 Kamonkoli: “Vacation Bible School”, three words that conjure fear in the hearts of even the most committed Christians. However, try doing it in a foreign country like Uganda, Africa. You know it’s going to be rough when you have over 100 show up in your first craft session, over 100 show up in your first Bible Story Lesson and almost 160 for recreation . No amount of pre-planning could have prepared us for this adventure. In our minds we had the Bible Stories planned, the crafts were set aside with great detail. Songs were practiced and all the Fun and Games were ready to be played by all. We had the hatch of an SUV full of beach balls, balloons, soccer balls, and loads of fun. How could it not be successful, right? Little did we know that in less than 2 hours almost 500 children would show up hungry for God’s word, attention, fun and Grace.
We take a lot for granted in the USA. We assume that all children know how to use scissors, glue sticks, and cotton balls. We assume they understand all basic Bible stories and know all games like "Duck Duck Goose"; however, that is not the case here. Crafts resulted in more than just the sheep being glittered. Once the kids discovered the glitter many were covered from head to toe. Recreation run by 2 people was overwhelming but rewarding nonetheless. Bible study sessions taught Isaiah 43:1 that “The Father called you by name and you are Mine” first, and then John 14:2 that “In my Father’s house there are many rooms” which focused on the promise of Heaven and the story of salvation was presented. Despite the torrential rainstorm that cancelled the second craft and recreation session God was present.
In music we intended to enlighten them, when in actuality they taught us about their deep love of Jesus through their music, songs and dancing. It was a powerfully moving time listening and watching the simple praises of 500 children. With 3 groups we also had a praise and worship Conga line out of the church and back inside. After word spreads of candy, fun, glitter, games, worship, silly songs, and Bible study we anticipate even more children tomorrow after church. Please continue to pray for the team and the lives that will be impacted.
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