After our first ministry at James place closed down for the Christmas season we had to find somewhere to stay. Now this is the blood pumping part of “ask the Lord” months. We knew a few days ahead of time about the fact that we would need to leave and that we wanted to stay in that area as we had built some good relationships that we knew we would be able to continue.
We spent our free evenings at the local coffee shop scrolling through every page of airbnb and all the other possible ways we could think of finding a place to stay. We prayed and prayed that if we were really meant to stay in this area that the Lord would provide. We finally found a place near by that would seem to fit all of us. As I sent a message to the Airbnb host I also sent up a prayer that the Lord would provide for us. We were quickly running out of time and sleeping in tents in the African heat was not something we were wanting to give into easily.
I soon got a reply from the host and she said she had just been booked the day before for the rest of the month. That was strange.. Someone booked her house for an entire month.. what a weird coincidence. An hour or so later another team from our squad showed up to the same coffee shop. They had a local Ugandan women with them and introduced us to her. This was their host for the month. I quickly put the name and face together with the Name and picture on the Airbnb page I had just been messaging. How crazy was it that another team was instead staying with her.
After some conversation with their host, Ann, she gave us the contact information of a friend she had near by that might be able to house us. We contacted her and had set up to meet with her the next morning. Little did we know the Lord was opening up an incredible door for us. We got home and started praying. We had to be out in less then 24 hours..
The more we looked into the location we realized it was a 4 min walk from where we were currently staying.. very convenient. As my teammate Sarah and I went to check out the place we were greeted at the gate by a security guard and the sweetest southern American lady. She welcomed us in with hugs and walked us above one of the buildings they had on the compound. She kept apologizing for how small it was and how dirty it may be. As we opened the door we walked into a small living area and kitchen, complete with fridge stove, sink, and counter space. Then She showed us around into three bedrooms, including 12 beds, and a full bathroom (with warm water). As she continued to apologize I just walked over and gave her a big hug reassuring her that she was a complete answer to our prayers. What a blessing this place was to us. We had space, were near town, and felt so at home.
We walked down the next morning and moved in. Wow.. God is good.
The more I was able to talk to Beverly, the women who ran the compound, I began to see nothing but Christ in all she said and did. She had been a missionary here in Uganda longer then I have been alive. Her and her husband, who had recently passed, had helped, loved, and invested in so many of the people who now helped run the compound, church, and outreach programs they did.
With her direction we were able to do prison ministry, help with Christmas preparations, work in the Sunday school classes, and serve dinner to 20 locals who didn’t have anywhere to go on Christmas night.
This was one of my favorite places so far on the race. The sweet souls and overwhelming love we were able to meet and love on was nothing but filling for us all.
While staying at Bridge Calvery Church we were also able to help out in a few different areas. We spent a day with the Soul Hope organization. Here we traveled to outer villages and helped remove jiggers from the feet of locals. These are little tick like insects that borrow into your feet and create a larva that lays eggs and spreads very quickly. (The females are the ones that borrow into the foot and attach themselves to a blood vessel to feed their young). Sometimes cases can get so bad that people are unable to walk.
Another ministry we worked with was the Amani Baby Cottage. This was a home for children who had been abandon or who’s parents were currently in a time that they could not provide the proper care for them. It was so sweet to run, play, swing, and help teach the children as they giggled, chased, and sang!
