My month in Uganda was spent with a ministry called Lightforce. We were there in July.
This was by far one of my favorite ministries to be a part of. Not because of any personal preferences. Not because I loved building fences and constructing roads and shoveling dirt for 8 hours a day. But because Lightforce does the gospel in a way that the community can’t help but see it’s tangible effects.
Light Force is located within Lira District, Uganda.
Because of the civil unrest and rebel groups that devestated most of northern Uganda, people were left with few resources, no help or motivation.
Light Force looks to empower the community and culture through education, health and work ethic.
We split up into groups. Some of the team worked alongside teachers in the school. Others went out into the community to help locals with personal projects and I stayed right where I belong for the month. Digging in the dirt. I spent my time with the locally employed well diggers and the agriculture students who tended the land of the ministry to 1. Learn the ropes of creative and innovative agriculture and 2. To keep Lightforce as a self-sustainable ministry.
In rural Uganda, Lightforce has seen a lack in passion and fervour for life. Their goal is to empower the local people to discover who they are as individuals and encourage them to get passionate about something, or as one individual put it, “do something besides plant maize and watch it grow for a lifetime”
This requires an understanding of work ethic which the people of the area greatly lack but for understandable reasons. Their people, land and culture was devastated by rebel groups and they were left helpless to recover.
Lightforce pushes for a tough work ethic. Coming in for a month and completing projects with the local employees and people, is part of how Lightforce is showing the people of the area that it is possible to dream up an idea and put passion to pavement and watch those dreams become reality, by their own hands.
Like I said, this wasn’t my favorite ministry because I love pick-axing at rock and clay. But what pick-axing clay and rock teaches a person, becomes rooted in their process of discovering God and Life.
