I am quickly approaching my second full week here in Bunamwaya, Uganda, working for Cornerstone Church. Our days have begun to find their patterns, and it goes a little somethin’ like this:
6:45 am– alarm goes off, quickly silenced as I roll over.
7:00 am – jog a ‘loop’ around the neighborhood before the sun gets too intense. It is not atypical to be chased by children running with objects like machetes or large yellow buckets, yelling, “Mozoongoo, mozoongoo!” during this time. No casualties to report thus far.
9:00 am – breakfast! (Typically including but not limited to: hot tea, the world’s BEST pineapple, bananas, eggs, toast, mandazis (doughnuts), pancakes, or French toast)
10:00 am – ministry. This could be any of the following:
Community Outreach: walking door-to-door, meeting individuals and hearing their stories. We encourage believers, share the gospel with new faces, invite people to church, and offer up prayer to those who’d like it. It’s challenging, rewarding, humbling, interesting, mind-blowing, heart-breaking, awkward, inspiring, humorous, and exhausting all at the same time. No day is the same and you meet people of all different religious and non-religious backgrounds.
One of the days my team got a chance to talk to a gr
oup of construction workers. They were trying to come off all B.A. at first but warmed up to us quickly. Brian, the guy smack dab in the middle, it looking so smug because he just found a new friend and personal savior in Jesus Christ. Praise the Lord! He has even started giving Cornerstone Church a whirl, too. This is just one example of the people we get to encounter during these times.
Church Chores: One project we had last week was helping our friends Dennis, Ronnie, and Joan clean the church. We scrubbed up and rinsed off all the plastic chairs, (we think 400ish? Too afraid to count…) and squeegeed off the floor, leaving the place a-sparklin’…for now anyways.
Hospital Visits: Attempted two different campuses….never got past security. (We have to write a letter pleading our case in order to potentially grant future right-of-passage) It turned into quite the adventure day, however. Check out Val’s blog for details.
Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen: You betcha. When there is down time we bug Sister Kate and Joan in the kitchen, were we make efforts 
to assist them in their work. They’re so resourceful and creative in their cooking strategies you’d be AMAZED. Whether it’s rolling chapatti, cutting sugar cane, making box-cake, or simply hanging out with them while they do their thAng, it’s a whole lot of fun in there.
Sunday Services: Sunday mornings we have been speaking and/or singing during the services, (funny thing…they haven’t asked us to sing again after our first attempt….lol) and helping out in childrens church. This last Sunday we even road tripped to another Cornerstone Church in a nearby village called Lugoma. It’s fun to meet different people and experience first-hand the various ways churches operate.
Calling all Singles: There is a singles group from the church that meets every so often. We got a chance to sit down with them last Sunday to discuss different opinions on dating, and what men and women expect from each other in relationships. This was…..quite entertaining to say the least. No further comment.
2:00 pm– Lunch! (Typically including but not limited to: rice, beans, chapatti, veggies, fried chicken or beef stew dish, sweet potatoes, matoke (plantains cooked in various fashions), cucumber salad, and fruit)
3:00 pm – R &R. This time is never wasted : ]
5:00 pm – Church service. For all of January, Cornerstone church members are fasting through breakfast and lunch, and attending church services every evening. It is a sometimes a challenge for me to follow the sermon through the translation and the ‘enthusiastic volume’, but it is encouraging to see people so on fire for God. I give them props that they can fill the church seven days a week, when I have to coax myself into Sunday mornings back in the states.
8:00 pm– Dinner! (Typically including but not limited to: lunch menu items, plus tea)
And that’s all she wrote, folks! Hit the REPEAT button to get a sneak peak at tomorrow’s schedule 😉
***COMMUNICATION TIPS***
Monday’s are our off days and the best/only chance of catching me online. Most likely between the hours of 2am – 11am CST.
