Visiting local sponsored kids, passing out backpacks at a school, home visits, praying over people, building relationships at the local boda boda business, ministry office, and food stands, ministry bible studies, soccer games (otherwise known as futbol), and Ugandan aerobics classes are just some of the things we have done this month as we have partnered with Unified in Mission here in Rukungiri, Uganda.
Unified in Mission is a ministry started by Collin Wenrich and Amanda Johnson of California. Collin went on a passport mission trip through Adventures in Mission while in college and immediately fell in love with Uganda and felt God’s calling on his life to come back to Uganda. He asked Amanda to join him and they started Unified in Mission. Their ministry’s focus is community development with the purpose of sharing Christ. Through their ministry they are empowering Ugandans by creating self-sustaining businesses with the goal of one day handing the businesses over to be run completely by Ugandans. The vision is to have the ministry be self-sustaining and supported by their local economy and not have reliance on foreign support. They have weekly Bible studies with their employees and the people enrolled in their boda boda taxi program. They have a strong presence within Rukungiri and are shining the Light of Christ through everything they do!
Boda Boda’s are motorcycles that serve as a taxi-like service and are Ugandans main form of transportation. Boda boda drivers are also viewed lower within the society so Amanda and Collin felt it on their hearts to start a program and business that would reach this group of people. They started a business called Pureflow, which is essentially a “rent to own” like program that allows Boda drivers the option to rent to own a bike, while paying off the bike, they get free washes at Pureflow and some free maintenance on their bikes. While Boda drivers are in the Boda program they are also expected to participate in a weekly bible study at Unified in Mission’s office. The Boda program is so awesome! They are meeting these men exactly where they are and in what they are doing. They are giving them hope and radiating the love of Christ into their lives and in their identities. Since being here we have participated in the bible studies with the boda drivers, helped wash the motorcycles in a free wash promotion, and mostly spent time at Pureflow building relationships with the drivers and staff.
Unified in Mission is doing a lot more than just the Boda business and they have lots of visions of more they would like to do. They are sponsoring some kids and helping them go to school, showing and teaching Ugandans the importance of taking care of their country by placing trash cans within the city, having weekly worship nights outside their office, providing good jobs for locals and empowering their employees to make a difference in their country, and have started the process of opening a coffee shop and a training center. The vision of the coffee shop is the same as the Boda business and will hopefully one day self-support their ministry, specifically the training center. The vision for the training center is to be a place to have classes. To empower Ugandans, cultivate an artistic creative atmosphere to encourage kids to dream, to have workout classes, and to share Christ through sports.
While in Uganda, we have come alongside Amanda and the Unified staff in whatever they are doing. We are building relationships with the staff (who are soooo amazing!!!), loving on kids, and doing house visits. I believe the Lord is using us to be a light this month in Rukungiri through Unified in Mission, but at the same time I am learning so much through this ministry that I hope I can take with me into whatever ministry I am involved in within the future! Also, since Amanda is from California and in her twenties, it has been so awesome working alongside a person of familiar culture and age the month before we go home. I have learned from her how God uses all ages and anyone willing to go into ministry for His names sake, while also learning that the relationships that are made and what God does through you, makes the sacrifice from a life in missions all worth it!
Unified in mission is changing the atmosphere of a region of Uganda by empowering the locals to be the ones to make the change. Check out this ministry and what they are doing in Uganda and consider learning more about them!
Check out their website: https://unifiedinmission.org/#come-hang-out-with-us
Side note… English is Uganda’s national language so majority of the people here speak fluent English! Which is so cool and makes things a lot easier haha. Also cool because we go back to the states next month where we will be submersed back into an English-speaking country.
Uganda is so beautiful!!!!!!! 😀
The cutest Ugandan kids that came to one of the worship nights at Unified! They heard the music from the street and joined in the worship with the most joyous singing and dancing. Reminded me of Jesus when He says let the little children come to me!
We have gotten to know Jackie Chan through his bomb food that he serves in front of Pureflow!
Meet Naomi and her little girl Sasha! Naomi sells homemade chips in front of Pureflow, next to Jackie Chan’s food stand. She is a hard-worker, devoted momma, and lover of Jesus. Her grandfather came from Rwanda before the genocide to escape the war so it was cool to talk about Rwanda with her, she tells me that Rwanda is her blood and that her name means “bring lots of people to God.”
Naomi’s little girl, Sasha, she is so cute and full of so much personality!
Emily and I with some of the Unified Staff at the soccer game we played! We played against Rukungiri’s futbol association’s team, which was kind of crazy because it seemed like the whole town came to watch! Lets just say we were glad that we had a lot of Ugandans on our team! 🙂
I have so many other pictures I would like to share with you, but its hard and slow to upload :/
Prayer Requests:
-Uganda!! God’s will here. That we would reach these people for God’s purpose and glory! Pray for Unified in Mission and for Collin and Amanda as they pursue God in reaching these people!
-FOCUS!!! We have less than 20 days left on the race, which is CRAZYYYY! Pray for focus, the transition home, and for what comes next after the race!
LOVE ALL YOU PEOPLE!
Text me, call me, face time me! Shoot me an email for goodness sake! Would love to talk to you about this experience and plan a date when I return home to the states!
peace & love,
Calli
