Adventures WorldRace SethBarnes Sponsorship Giving

| by archiveworldraceblogs

  1. A YOUNG MAN’S SALVATION- Before the weekly prayer meeting service began (it may begin anywhere from 8 PM-10 PM), I was enjoying the beautiful stars and praying in front of the church. A young man walked up to me and said hello, and “I would like to be born again”! Definitely something I was not expecting! I called the Pastor outside, and he prayed for the young man (in a language I don’t understand), but he asked me to join him in prayer for him. After we prayed and talked to him, he said he came from a Muslim family and he knew he would face opposition from his family for accepting Christ. Please pray: for this young man that he may be bold in the face of opposition, and that his family would come to Christ. His name is (something that I can’t remember) Isaac.
  2. VBS FOR THE KIDS- My favourite week! When we realized that we did not have a defined ministry for the month, I looked around and realized that there are a lot of kids around that have nothing to do in their holiday from school. With the experience I have from helping with a VBS (Vacation Bible School) this summer, I decided to host a VBS for the kids. Two of my awesome team mates, Marin and Nick, were my co-conspirators in this, and we agreed at the end of the week that we were exhausted, but it was worth it. Every day was different and chaotic! And I LOVED it!! Three days out of the five, we managed to teach a Bible lesson related to salvation, taught them some songs, made snowflakes and other crafts, and played some games. The biggest lesson I learned through this was to be ok with whatever happened: its ok if nothing starts on time, its ok if the original plan is completely shattered because kids don’t show up, its ok if the church is completely ripped apart and covered in paper ‘snow’, its ok if the kids come and go throughout the day (their loss- they just don’t get the candy), and finally its ok if I am not in control and completely put together. Please pray: that the seeds that were planted this week would grow in the kids’ hearts, and produce fruit.
  3. FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT- The first week of our stay at the school there was a football (soccer) tournament being held in the area, and a couple hundred football players were staying at the school compound where we lived. So we got to watch football every day, and because we had about a 30 minute walk each way to where the tournament was held, we had lots of time to build relationships with the kids and young people we were walking with. At the end of this week, the football players went home, and we had to say bye to some friends we had made. It was such a blessing when one friend, David, came back for Christmas, and we got to hang out with him again. Please pray: for the young men we connected with, that their hearts may be turned toward their heavenly Father. 
  4. OUR FRIENDS- We were so blessed in the friends we made this month. First, is Aunt Favour, a ‘mother’ to us- she cooked excellent meals for us! And then there are her three children that we had a lot of fun with. Sherina is only 17, but she was a wonderful interpreter for us and went with us to many places to help break the language barrier. Bennie is 15, the same age as my little brother, and quickly reminded me of him, and Shama is a very energetic 10 year old. Then there is the multitude of young people that hung out with us regularly, whether we were watching a movie, playing cards, dancing, or just hanging out together. I would love to tell you about all of them, but there is just too much to tell! They were a huge blessing to us, and the reason for the tears as I left this place at the end of the month. And then… there is Jeremiah. Sometimes, you just have a favorite kid that warms your heart every time- like the time, he punched the kid sitting in my lap saying “you’re in MY spot”! Please pray: for provision for each one of these precious people. 
  5. Our little hangout on the deck- Our team got to enjoy every meal together on the deck and after we were finished eating our young friends would come and hang out with us to play cards, watch movies, or just hang out. This was often my favourite part of the day!
  6. WORSHIP SERVICES- Nothing like worshiping by dancing, singing, clapping, and fiery preaching for 3 hours! Enough said.
  7. VISIT TO PASTOR JOSHUA’S CHURCH- Every moment of every day is my favorite, but this day was even more awesome! We had the privilege of visiting another church, the church of our contact (who we met that day for the first time!) Walking in we were unsure of what we were supposed to be doing, but after listening to a passionate sermon, we finally got to meet Pastor Joshua. He told us a lot about his passion behind the ministry we are doing, and the history of the churches that he is pastoring. He released us to go back into the 2nd service, and introduce ourselves, after which my team mate, Brady gave a short sermon. Then we were sent to Sunday school, and we had to decide how to entertain 30+ kids for an hour (or two) until the service was over. So our team came together- taught the kids some songs, did a Jonah skit, played some games, and altogether we had a wonderful time! Sunday school for kids= check! Just one of the things I am passionate about!
  8. Door to Door Ministry- After the service and being served lunch at around 3 PM, we went out to do some door to door evangelism. This is something that is very scary and unusual to me (not something I do every day in Canada, but something that is very acceptable and typical in Uganda), but I got to dance and play some kind of rhythm game with some little girls- it was awesome!
  9. CHRISTMAS- I already mentioned about Christmas day in my last blog- it was just a chill day, and actually ‘green’ (unlike a ‘green’ or rather brown Christmas at home).
  10. BOXING DAY- Boxing Day is also a celebrated holiday here (which we had to introduce to our American friends). On this day, we were fed a delicious array of fresh pineapple, watermelon, papaya, and oranges. The afternoon was fun, we got to play volleyball- Mzungu (white people) Stars vs. Uganda (and we actually won this time, unlike any football we play with them)!
  11. HAPPY NEW YEAR- My team had 3 off days at the end of the month because we chose to take all our off days together. We spent 1 day catching up with Internet at a Hostel, then me and the 3 adventurous men on my team (and their adventure hats), set off to conquer Ssese Island on Lake Victoria. After a super early morning, a long day of waiting, and a long boat ride; we were super exhausted by the time we reached the Island, and I fell asleep and slept till the New Year arrived. I woke up when I heard fireworks, and took a beautiful little walk down the beach. New Year’s Day was a little more active: I enjoyed my morning coffee on the beach, explored the Island on a little hike, enjoyed a lovely fresh fish and chips lunch, went swimming in the pool, worked out on the beach, played some cards, and ended the day by dancing down the beach. All in all a pretty good day, and a Happy New Year!!