Once we met our contacts in Uganda, we quickly discovered that this would be the month of traveling. They had been working for two months setting up a tour for us of towns on the edge of Lake Albert (bordering Uganda and the Congo) to visit homes and lead crusades (which meant preaching A LOT).
So here’s the rundown of our month in Uganda.
Days 211-214 [Ajengera]
– A four hour drive from Masindi Town, this was one of the most remote places we went throughout the month. We slept in a mud house with no electricity and our days were long, with evening crusades lasting until 11pm or midnight. At this point, my teammate Emily was sick, so she and Bek stayed with a missionary in Masindi until the next stop on the tour.
Days 214-216 [Wanseko]
– Home of the late night crusade and prayer sessions until 2:30am. But it was in this town where we saw the spot where Lake Albert meets the Nile and also visited some of the fishermen and even helped pull in a few nets. Before we left this church they also did a traditional dance for us, complete with the guys wearing bells around their ankles and the girls dancing in hula-like skirts. Emily and Bek met up with us here.
Days 216-221 [Kisansya]
– Our longest stay on the trip, we were blessed to stay in a home for five nights. We visited homes during the days, led a seminar for the people of the church, prayed for many people who were sick and preached every night. Most nights, two of us talked. During these evening crusades we also danced with the children. This was probably the most enjoyable part of the month. We also took a day trip to Kabolwa and it was there that our squad leaders Austin and Krissy met us. They would stay with us throughout the rest of the month.
Days 221-223 [Bugoigo]
– A crazy town right on the edge of Lake Albert. We visited homes but it wasn’t safe to do evening crusades. Unfortunately, we were only here one night before Emily got sick again. She and Brook headed back to Masindi Town on Saturday morning. We preached and sang on Sunday morning, and then Christine also got sick. So in a split second decision (not uncommon on the World Race) we all decided to go back to town for our day off the next day.
Days 225-226 [Walukuba]
– Brook, Emily and Christine were all sick and so we decided that they should stay in Masindi with the missionary to get well and rest. Which left John, Jordan, Bek and I along with squad leaders Krissy and Austin to finish the tour. We headed out to Walukuba, where we were met with incredible hospitality. These people had even built a home for us to sleep in, and we only spent one night there. We spoke at a funeral, led an evening crusade and a morning church service.
Days 226-229 [Butiaba]
– Another town right on the edge of Lake Albert, Butiaba was one of the bigger villages that we visited. Each day we visited homes and led evening crusades. It was here that we danced with lots of kids and we saw many people accept Christ in this place as well.
Although it was the craziest month on the race so far, with very little rest and so much moving around, it was an experience I won’t forget. It’s not always easy to be the honored guest, which is what we were in each of these places. It honestly felt like a rock band tour, and it makes me never want to be a celebrity. But it was encouraging to see the excitement these people had. And I can only trust that God used us in the midst of our tiredness. In the midst of extreme struggles, I have to admit that God is alive and moving.
