So today is March 6th, and this post marks the beginning of our adventure. My mind is still reeling from the fact that, what was a dream a few months ago, is now becoming a reality. Despite countless road-blocks, God's Sovereignty has been revealed, and we now have 11 students ready to be vessels for Christ, this summer, in the country of Uganda.
I am humbled to write that this trip is, in no way, being orchestrated by my personal objectives. The Lord has completely taken the reigns and is working out the details in a way that only He can. Now I'm not going to lie, the "unknown" nature of the trip often stirs up some anxiety; however, I cannot help but be overwhelmed with excitement when I think of what our God might have in store for us.
As of now, we are planning on traveling to Masaka, Uganda, for two weeks in June. Our objective is to set up a youth conference for the older students at the children's center that my family's non-profit has been supporting over the years, and to also venture into nearby villages, with the intention of spreading the gospel and encouraging our Ugandan brothers and sisters.
My first trip to Uganda was in the summer of 2007. I soon returned to the children's center and the Kalungi clinic in the summers of 2009, and 2011. It was during my trip in 2009 that Pastor Benjamin (The Ugandan PAstor who started Jireh) told me he dreamed of a day that I would come to Uganda with students to preach the gospel. At the time, I liked the idea, but by no means expanded upon it. Then, last year in 2011, Benjamin continued to echo his desire. Consequently, on July 4th of 2011, Melissa Florey and I found ourselves on a three hour van ride to a remote village. We were, "The sisters from America" who were expected, unbeknownst to us, to preach to the villagers not one, but two times...EACH. Now, I was somewhat ready to speak once, but certainly not prepared, nor willing, to preach a 15 minute message twice! Poor Melissa, on the other hand, was not even ready to stand up in front of the group, let alone speak... so needless to say, we were pathetic in the face of this task.
However, it was in this moment of fear that Mel and I began to pray and seek the Holy Spirit. We realized there was no chance that our limited knowledge of scripture and lack of preparation could present the gospel to these people in an effective way. So after 10 minutes of prayer and frantically flipping through our bibles, looking for verses, we found ourselves standing before about 30 villagers. The church was constructed out of 4 wooden posts and scraps of sheet metal for a roof. We were standing on a dirt floor, and with the exception of a few plastic chairs, many people sat on mats on the ground. After Mel and I awkwardly sang a few ac cappella worship songs for our new friends, we found ourselves"preaching."
There we were, 2 college-age white girls from the United States, sharing the love of Christ through a some-what well-equipped translator. All the odds were against us, in terms of properly communicating the gospel, but as we made the bumpy trip back to hotel Maria Flo, we realized that the words we spoke were not at ALL what we had anticipated. The Holy Spirit had completely hijacked our "plan" and left us as simply vessels for His intentions.
It was in this moment that we realized how foolish we were to expect our plans to bring about revival in this village. We were humbled in recognizing that God was not asking us to get creative, write an awesome speech, and perform some perfectly harmonized worship songs. Rather, He stripped us of ALL our comforts. He emptied us out of our intentions and filled us up with His plan.
It was then that my view of being a Christian completely changed. Let's be real. I'm a sinner! I'm flawed, selfish, and by no means capable of being a conduit of God's Love. However; in His grace, He has seen me fit to fulfill the Great Commission and simply desires me to be His vessel.
This is where the idea for this trip was created. God has called 11 College-Age Christians to travel to Africa and simply be his vessels. There is no construction project, there is no clinic, there is simply an opportunity for us to be the love of Christ to the orphaned, sick, and hopeless.
The older children at Jireh Children's Center are obviously appreciative of newly painted buildings, solar-powered latrines, playgrounds, new shoes, etc. But I feel as though the Lord has placed a different plan before us this summer. What these children often lack is a tangible expression of Love. Many of these children are orphaned, homeless, and have seen things in their short-lives that many in this country cannot even dream of. They find themselves living at a children's center that is rooted in the gospel, and yet I cannot help but feel that they need to be reminded of how loved, precious, and valuable they are.
So that is our goal. We pray to be vessels to Masaka Uganda. We want to be the love and light of Jesus Christ. To bring encouragement, hope, and mainly the gospel to people and places that have either lost sight of it's magnificence, or have never been exposed to its Grace.
So please join us in praying for cheap flights, funds, and direction. But mainly, please pray for the Ugandan people. MAy the Lord prepare the hearts of the children and adults that we will be encountering and may God's name be Praised in ALL the Nations.
Matthew 28: 16-20
