Today marks the seventeenth day of my World Race and, wow, what an incredible ride it has been already.
We are currently in Uganda and for the last two weeks we’ve been training and preparing for the work we will be doing over the course of the race. We’ve expanded our definition of what it means to worship in all aspects of our lives, learned about living a life of ministry vs. a life of compartmentalized boxes, and stepping into the freedom that God has given us by breaking down the emotional and spiritual walls in our lives.
We’ve also practiced listening to God and following where he leads us. The way my team will operate is we will not enter a country with any pre-assigned ministry contacts. So, what we’ll do is pray beforehand about where God wants us to serve in that country. God may lead us to an organization or he may lead us to the streets to introduce us to a person or a man of peace and He will make connections for us from there.
If I’m being honest, this is something that I think many of my teammates, myself included, were/are feeling a little hesitant about. My fear in that is feeling like I’m hearing nothing, or like I am not being led anywhere. Well, Jesus calmed those fears by showing up in a coffeeshop.
A few days ago our squad got the chance to take a couple days for some sabbath rest to break up our training camp. During that time, one of my squad mates and I decided to go to a coffeeshop in town to get some real coffee for the first time in over a week, spend time responding to emails, etc. We weren’t necessarily looking for any ministry opportunities while there, but Jesus had other plans for our time spent there. After we had been at the coffeeshop for about twenty minutes, a man approached our table. His name was Aaron and he worked as a chef at the coffeeshop. He came to ask how our coffee was and greet us as we were new and he told us he always enjoys greeting the customers and receiving feedback on the service. We continued talking with Aaron and told him we were in Uganda to serve and do mission work. Then, he told us that he too loves Jesus and that he attends a church near the coffeeshop. We kept talking and eventually asked if he’s ever experienced a turning point in his faith. From there, he proceeded to share the rest of his testimony with us. He told us about how he has worked several jobs in his life and has never truly been satisfied. He would pray for God to bring him something better, yet he would remain faithful and strive to serve God in whatever job he had at the time because he knew that was where God needed him to be. That was part of the reason why he loved greeting the customers in the coffeeshop. We were amazed by Aaron’s testimony and the way God connected us to him. God had presented us with a man of peace.
Aaron went back to his work and we continued on with our things. About twenty minutes later, we happened to run into our squad coaches at the coffeeshop having lunch with two Ugandan men whom a friend from home had connected them to. The men started sharing about their involvement and connections to organizations in Uganda that would be great places for us to serve while in the country.
After making a connection with Aaron, then running into our coaches and learning about the connections their friends had, we thought, ‘Wow, this is incredible. God is really showing up here.’ and we went back to what we were doing.
Around 30 more minutes later, still at the coffeeshop, an American woman asked us if we knew where to find coconut oil. Then, she noticed my water bottle said Young Life on it and asked if I worked for the organization. I told her no and she said she knew people who worked for Young Life in Uganda. She was with three other American women so we asked them what they were doing in Uganda. They said they worked for an organization called Bless a Child and the purpose was to disciple and sponsor kids and try to prepare them to go to college or vocational schooling. We proceeded to tell them about the World Race and how we will have to be looking for ministry contacts and places where we can serve. They said they would love more volunteers and gave us their contact information for future use.
Just like that, God had provided us with three potential ministry contacts when we weren’t even looking. God used this experience at the coffeeshop to give us peace about the work he has called us to do for the next eleven months, and to calm any fears or worries we had about Him not providing or showing up. I just picture God chuckling at our hesitancies. We doubted, so he made it abundantly clear that He is, indeed, near and will provide if we are willing to follow.
A group of Ugandan men playing fútbol
Camping next to the Nile River
The Java House coffeeshop
Thanks for reading! I’m still in need of about $4,417 to meet my final fundraising goal, and I’m currently $800 away from my next deadline of $13,000 by Feb. 28th. Please pray and consider giving a special tax-deductible gift to my World Race.
Love,
Jessi
