I didn’t know how much our Uganda house felt like home until I left. Last month was full of friends, fried potatoes, rain, and faith. Passionate faith.
The ministry in Uganda involved some English teaching, door-to-door evangelism, preaching, and a lot of praying. While door-to-door is not my idea of the most effective ministry, many of the people we met during door-to-door left an impact.
There was Edith— She is a light in her community, and many of her neighbors know her for her faith. This woman told us her incredible story of God healing her from an HIV infection. Her home was modest and still in the process of being built, but she devoted the space to prayer. We prayed together, a beautiful blend of different languages, and the holy spirit was palpable.
And Ruth– We met her the first day of walking around the neighborhood, and we have been able to see her numerous times over the course of the month. We looked for her whenever we passed her house. Sometimes she spotted us first. Either way, hugs and greetings were exchanged every time. She was always laughing, and her joy was contagious.
I will never forget the day we walked around a neighborhood and saw four people start a relationship with Jesus. Many of the people we encountered had never heard of Jesus. To be able to tell them for the first time that God immensely loves them was an honor.
In addition to a pretty African dress, I am packing boldness to take back home with me. With little notice, we were asked to give words of encouragement or hour-long sermons. Conversations about Jesus tend to be somewhat uncomfortable, but that feeling reveals the spiritual warfare surrounding each conversation.
Seemingly small words can leave big eternal impressions. I will not be going door-to-door at home, but I do want to have the courage to not shy away from conversations about Jesus and to listen to what the holy spirit is saying.
Uganda left quite a first impression for Africa. We made it to Rwanda last night after a 12-hour bus ride. Funny how that seems like a short travel day now. African tea and bunk beds welcomed us on our first night in Rwanda. On to Month 10.
