Uganda was a whirlwind of events. I am going to try my best to recap all the happenings of month 1.
Our ministry for Uganda was door to door evangelism and preaching. This was certainly a stretch for me. If I’m honest, telling people about Jesus was not what I was looking forward to on the race. Door to door evangelism was something I hoped I would experience later in my race, not month 1. I am more of an actions person than a words person, but in the last few weeks, the Lord has given me so many words… words of encouragement, of joy, and of love. Along with door to door evangelism I also preached in church which was oddly not as nerve-wrecking as I thought it would be. I am thankful for what the Lord is teaching me and inviting me to do even though it is uncomfortable.
This month I have been thinking a lot about why I am here on the race. So this is my why… I want a more intimate relationship with the Lord, I want to find my true self, and I want to love children and let them know they are loved, important, and so valuable in this life. Everywhere we go I find a sweet baby or child to hold. During door to door evangelism I typically find kids to play with or hold. However, this month Lord convicted me about talking to their parents too… for the most part these children won’t know Jesus unless their families do….so I began fighting for their hearts through their parents.
So here are some highlights from the month:
Having a World Race birthday is pretty awesome especially when you get to go to the Equator with this crew.
Rafting the Nile River was the scariest thing I have done this month, but it was definitely worth it. Let’s be real… it was the scariest thing I have ever done in my life.
Also one of my favorite parts of the World Race so far is riding motorcycles. Bodas, as they are called here, is one of the main forms of transportation in Uganda. I mean you aren’t really living until you trust a random African man to drive you around on a motorcycle through a city you aren’t familiar with, in a foreign country (sorry Mama). But honestly I feel more alive on a boda then almost anywhere else here.
On one of our days off, my teammate Amanda and I went to do ministry with another team for the day and we went to Watoto baby home. We got to feed, play with, and love on babies that don’t have families. The Lord knew that I needed some baby time for sure and oh wow did He provide.
These four girls are beautiful and it is so evident by their joy that they love Jesus. This is our host’s daughter Winnie (20), a friend named Prossy (24), our host’s niece Sarah (19), and our host’s oldest daughter Joy (21). They cooked, cleaned, did laundry, and helped us navigate the city of Kampala. These girls brought me so much laughter and comfort in the last month whether they were having an impromtu choir concert while making dinner or playing/talking about my hair. Everyday I looked forward to a hug from one of these four. I am thankful for these sisters and how much they loved us.
One of my favorite nights in Uganda was our last week with our host when we made dinner for them. We asked our host family if they had ever had Mexican food and they hadn’t so as a team we decided to try to make Mexican as best we could. So over charcoal fires we made all the fixings for tacos. It was so much fun and so beautiful to get to serve our host they way they had been serving us all month. To say the tacos were a hit was an understatement.
Our host Pastor Viannye told his congregation and community several times to make us feel welcomed and loved so that we would forget our families and friends back home. This community in Nateete have given us a home away from home in Uganda. This community welcomed us and made us feel like we were a part of their family. I am so thankful that if I ever go back to Kampala, Uganda I have a family and friends waiting for me.
While Uganda was so good it was also so hard for me. In Uganda the Lord began to expose some of my fears, break me of those fears, and then He asked me to step into more… more of Him. The Lord is teaching me so much and changing me and it hurts, but change is good.
We’re doing the thing!
Much love, Carson
