Katherine, driven by a heart for the orphan children of Uganda and equipped with a selfless devotion, was led to leave all and dedicate her life to the people of this eastern African country. Katherine has developed and built, by God’s blessing and the support of hundreds of donors and volunteers, a significant footprint in the middle of eastern Uganda.
We who live in the western world think we have an understanding of the African continent, but such a claim would be premature. While it can be said that we have seen dozens of television programs about African wildlife, its geography, and even some fascinating documentaries about tribal groups like the Swahili or Pygmies, nothing can quite prepare you for the overwhelming beauty of this place and at the same time, its immense need!
East Africa has an incredible beauty that must be experienced to be properly appreciated, but its teeming population also presents many immense challenges. It doesn’t take very long to be overwhelmed by the many needs such as the devastating issue of AIDS (one in five tests positive), the constant threat of malaria, typhus-due to contaminated water, or just growing enough food for the population. Yet with all this said, you will be hard pressed to find a place with more joy and smiles, and a multitude of children. From the youngest to the oldest, Ugandans celebrate life in the midst of great challenge!
With each visit to Africa, I am impacted by the all around intensity of this awesome continent and its deep spiritual need. Our team’s mission is to lead in a five-day evangelistic crusade to the people of this region. We are working and praying to see a moving of God’s spirit upon the village of Komonkoli and its nearby environs. Katherine’s heart is not only to provide help to the orphans of this village, but also to reach this community with the gospel of Jesus Christ. The establishing of a local church was high on her priority list many years ago, and that church continues to this day as a beacon of God’s love, reaching out in practical ways to thousands with the salvation found in Jesus Christ.
Meeting the spiritual needs of this area is no small matter given the existing social and health conditions, but now the area is facing a growing Muslim influence as well. Pastor Charles Mugala ably leads the local congregation and has a constant vision to see this community and each inhabitant transformed by the power of God’s love through faith in Jesus Christ. I had the joy of learning first hand Pastor Charles’ heart-felt passion for his community while traveling with him the five-hour car ride from Kampala, Uganda’s capital city, to Komonkoli, near the border with Kenya. Besides the regular worship services of the church, ministries include a local school (kindergarten and first grade), AWANA, a youth ministry, a new health clinic and the orphanage.
Upon our arrival last night, we had a few minutes to settle into our rooms, getting used to the spartan but more than comfortable accommodations, take a quick shower before heading off to Katherine’s home to enjoy a dinner of tabuti bread and beef stew. Katherne’s home not only serves as the headquarters for her ministry, but it also serves as home to over fourteen orphans of various ages. Before dinner the children and teenagers led us in a few worship songs and then a devotion by Harriet, who had just finished her schooling for the year. We then gave thanks and enjoyed the more than filling meal.
After dinner we returned to the guest house where, as a group, we went over some of the basic information for our mission and safety issues including the proper use of mosquito netting to sleep under, the use of insect repellant and to watching for snakes at night. We finished with a time of sharing what God was doing in our individual lives as well as how we thought he was going to use us on this mission trip. We closed with prayer with great anticipation for the day to come and the many blessings to follow!
photo: Katherine showing part of our team the new property
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