It has been 20 days since I left home but has felt like an eternity. (I am currently without wifi so it might be a lot later when anyone reads this.) We are at the tail-end of our training camp and it is almost time to release the baby birds from their nest! In two days we send the squad out on their own for 8 days in Uganda. But first I wanted to recount all that God did during training camp.
Training Camp Part I- Kampala, Uganda
We stayed at a South Korean run theology college on the outskirts of Kampala. The campus was a very peaceful place to start and the squad was able to bond and make relationships with the Ugandan students.
Because of our location, this training camp was very different than the two previous training camps I have been apart of. Since we were apart of a local community we were able to teach and then activate that teaching by sending out the squad to do what they were just taught. For example, we trained on listening prayer and prayer walking and then sent them out to find someone that the Lord highlighted to talk to and pray for. It was incredible to hear their stories! The racers were able to pray for many and share the gospel while practicing what they were taught.
I am so proud of this squads’ ability to take what is taught and immediately apply it. Their spirits are so willing and eager to say ‘yes’ to whatever Jesus calls them to do. I feel so blessed to be working alongside them and starting them off on their journey this next year to share the gospel and bring the light and life of Jesus to areas of great darkness and chaos.
Rafting the Nile River and Sabbath Rest- Jinja, Uganda
After 8 days of training we took two Sabbath rest days and went to Jinja, Uganda on the Nile River. The Nile River is the largest river in the world and uniquely runs north all the way up to Egypt. For this squad we are teaching that ministry equals life and life equals ministry. We don’t have any ‘on’ or ‘off’ days. We view our whole lives as working for the Lord 24/7 in whatever moment He calls us to do something. So even on our sabbath days we aim to remain open to hear from the Lord to see opportunities to share the gospel. It was so cool to see God move in us even during those two days of rest by making connections with fellow travelers and sharing the gospel.
I was also blessed to be able to raft the Nile River! The Nile River is no joke for white water rafting. There are 8 falls, four of which are class 5. (For those who don’t know) class 5 is the highest any nonprofessional can ride in a raft. For a class 6 only professionals ride with kayaks only.
The trip down was amazing but also scary! Twice I thought I might die haha. Out of 8 falls our raft completely flipped 3 times. Everyone was out of the boat thrashing against the rage of the water. Luckily kayakers are stationed at each of the big falls to rescue the crazy foreigners who want to raft the Nile River. I was never more happy to be rescued in my life! I did have the thought that this might be then end for me, but the funny thing is whenever you are finally safe and back on the raft, no matter how horrible life just was for a few minutes, all of a sudden you throw a fist in the air and scream, ‘yeahhh that was awesome!!’ hahaha Why are we like this?? lol
Afterwards we all started to realizing how much the Nile actually really won. I had bruises all over my body and jammed one of my toes so bad it looked broken (swollen and completely purple) and my whole body was sore! Was it worth it?… yes. Would I do it again? … probably in a year or so when I forget how terrifying it was, yes.
Training Camp Part II- Kampala, Uganda
After our rest days we moved camp to a backpackers hostel to finish training camp. This part of training camp we are teaching a lot of practical information the racers will need to know to get themselves around the world- logistics, finances, travel, safety, cultural awareness, the leadership roles etc.. We are also teaching more on spiritual gifts, Holy Spirit, and then commissioning them off. In two days they will split up in four different teams and go wherever the Lord calls them to go. We are praying and expecting big things to happen and doors to open. We are praying that people will invite them into their homes to allow them to preach the gospel and pray for the sick. We expecting God’s hand to move with them wherever they go. At the end of the eight days we will gather again in Kampala to assess how things went and then move together to our next country, Rwanda.
Prayers- Please please please be praying as they practice what they preach by seeking to reach those who do not yet know Jesus as their Savior, who loves and cherishes them dearly. Pray for provision, open doors, and a hedge of protection as the venture out into lands that are heavy with witchcraft and satanic worship. Our local contact here gave a briefing on the many different things they may see in the different villages. Pray for strength, wisdom and guidance.
Love you all and thanks for being a part of my journey and praying for our safety!
Love, Steph
