Revisited: God’s Uganda (2/2)

“You were created for more than
this. You can rise up and do the things that strengthen this community and
glorify God. Don’t just sit there and wallow in your inability, but trust that
God has given you gifts and abilities to impact the nations.”

This was not said to me
verbatim during my time in Uganda, but it was implied numerous times from
teammates and leaders alike. And as mentioned in my latest blog, you, my
readers, were also deliverers of these words.

Our ministry in Lira,
Uganda was headed up by our contacts at Victory Outreach Ministries, with
Pastors Johnson and George leading the way. These two men of God have crazy
stories to tell about how they have come so far in what God has called them. Pastor
Johnson has travelled to the States many times and is a close friend with Christian
writer, John Maxwell. Pastor George was almost assassinated by Ugandan dictator
Idi Amin’s police, when he proclaimed the Name of Jesus Christ and they left
him alone. God has handed them the keys to a huge ministry in Lira and they are
walking in a lot of faith to see the fruit of their labor. It’s an amazing
sight to see.

We were given several
different opportunities to serve throughout the month, including such things as
painting a local school, picking maze (corn) with local prisoners, visiting the
local prison to preach, singing with the worship team, and evangelizing
door-to-door. We had a blast being able to serve this ministry and also
enjoying the shade of a tree after a long days work, playing with the chickens
and roosters in the yard.

Throughout the month we
dealt with some team issues, trying to reconcile some feelings of rejection and
loneliness. We spent a good amount of time trying to work through these things
while also being involved in ministry. And to top it all off, we got word of
some team changes at the end of the month. Though we had some issues we needed
to deal with as a team, we were all a little upset at the prospect of being “taken
away” from each other. So even though we had plenty of ministry opportunities,
we weren’t as invested in them due to our thoughts and emotions trailing.

One night while Allison
Johnston, our squad leader, was with us we had a night of prayer and worship,
as Allison saw we need a little “pick-me-up.” She encouraged us to push through
these times of frustration and tiredness in order to serve the many people we
met throughout Lira who did not know Christ. She also rebuked us for not
stepping up into the things God is calling us to. This was quite the kick in
the pants I needed at the time, and the next day Allison approached me to
extend the invitation to be a team leader after the team changes that were to
occur after this month.

As uncomfortable as it
was, I had to say “Yes.” I had heard God tell me through my own heart and
through the mouths of other people (World Racers and friends and family) that
He was calling me to leadership in some form or fashion, and I knew this was
the opportunity He was giving me. I knew it would be hard, I knew I wouldn’t
feel confident about it, I knew I would have to take responsibility for six
other people. But this was what my Father called me to, so I had to do it.