Greetings from Gulu, Uganda. My team and I have been in
northern Uganda for about a week now.
This month we have the opportunity of partnering with an incredible
ministry, Child Voice International. They are a ministry that takes in young
child mothers who have been affected in some way by the war in this part of the
country. They take in the young mothers and their children and teach them life
skills, provide counseling and expose them to the Gospel on a regular basis. It
is quite a ministry and a blessing to be apart of the redemption side of war
and hardships.
(The war I am referring
to is the fight of the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army) against the people of
Uganda. A semi- non political movement that wants power and authority. Their
strategy in gaining power and momentum has been to abduct children and force
them into joining their army ranks. They overtake children with power, force
and coercion. Forcing the children to kill, rape, and many other horrific events.
The LRA is still an active force but has
within the last couple of years left the area of Uganda. They have recently
moved onto to surrounding countries.
Even though conflict has left this area and peace has begun; the effects
of the LRA and what they did to the people here are evident and fresh in
everyone’s mind. )
The feeling of this part of the country is tough. The
atmosphere lingers with the not so far away past of injustice, pain, death and
sufferings. But God is good and faithful and He redeems. He has freed this part
of the country of war, of death and of destruction. He is rebuilding northern Uganda
through organizations like Child Voice and other non-profits in the area. He
has blessed this region with missionaries to love the people and follow the
Lord in His call for them to bring Kingdom and His love and redemption to an
area in desperate need of hope and life.
It has taken a little bit of time for me to get into the
swing of things here. The transition from Busia, Kenya to here has been tougher
than I thought. I knew coming into this
place the reality of the situation and the effects of the past would be hard to
deal with but I did not for see the severity of my emotional withdrawal. In
Busia I experienced joy, life and true contentment. Truly finding rest and contentment for the
first time since being on the field. It was amazing. The Lord used the joy that
resides in Busia and Himself to comfort and satisfy my soul. So coming into Gulu I was refreshed but not as
prepared as I thought I was for the weight of war, of death and of injustice.
But through the toughness, through the hard things of this
place and this world God is still faithful. He is actively living and present
in this place. He is bigger than war, than man, than death. I am so thankful
for that. I am in awe of the God we serve. I am blessed by the one who created
me and loves me more than I will ever know.
This evening my team and I had an amazing time of worship. We came
together with the other team with us here in Gulu and some of the interns, who
work for Child Voice. We came as one body, one heart, one soul directing our
thoughts, prayers, praises all to the God we serve. And His spirit fell down
upon us. Where there was once oppression and apathy He filled with freedom and
compassion. Where I was struggling with being overwhelmed and unmotivated, He
filled me once again with His spirit and heart.
I am excited to wake up tomorrow to get to work. To love those that He loves first. To tell
others about Him and the beauty that we find when we seek His face. What a glorious feeling, what a divine
revelation. To love like He loved first. What a blessing it is to serve an
active, living God.
