Lake Nabugabo: Ryan

What's up! It's RC on tha track! It's a beautiful morning here in Uganda, and we are getting ready  to head over and worship with the Lugandan congregation! Buuuuuut before that lets look at a recap from yesterday. Can anyone guess who the star attraction was? Yep you guessed it, Jesus! At least 20 students names were written in the book of life and all of heaven was rejoicing! Praise him!  God also allowed us to baptize 63 students in lake Nabugabu! It is only because of His grace and His glory that were are able to come here and do these things! How great it is that the creator of the universe and all things in it allows us to be apart of His perfect plan! 

A few days at Jireh: Ciara

Ciaras Note Prewarning: THis is long! IT covers two days so that I can catch y'all up on what God is doing here in Masaka. I know we are a few days behind on the blog, so I will briefly go over Wednesday and then talk more about the AMAZING things God did yesterday (Thursday).  On Wednesday, I was set to talk about the end of Ephesians chapter 3 (Paul's prayer to the Ephesians) and the beginning of Chapter 4. Mitchell was going to finish up chapter 4 when I was done.   If I were to write and say that I was so excited to speak that morning, I would be lying. I woke up with a horrifically sore throat and a terrible attitude. I had NO desire to speak, and felt on the verge of tears all morning. This was totally Satan. I felt like I had nothing good to say, and that my time speaking was a waste of time. As I was walking up to our classroom I just surrendered. "Lord, I am not in the mood, I have no words to say, so you are going to have to take the lead on this one. I am SO unworthy of being your mouthpiece, but use me as you will." And boy did he take over! The Holy Spirit was so evident in that room and praise God for His sovereignty! The talk was so powerful and  I give Him the glory for the truth He poured out.  Mitchell was also SO powerful and I am going to get him to tell you about that later to tonight when we get back to the hotel :) At the end of the day, I told all of the children that I had been fasting and praying for them every monday for 6 months. They all began to cheer and shout "Amena". I was filled up with tears, and it made any "hangry" (hungry-angry) fast day that I might have had, completely worth it.  I then told them about the vision the Lord gave me, of us baptizing them, and that He confirmed that vision by giving Dom a similar one. I felt that this might be way too complicated to actually do. Organize 80 students, plus us, and lunches and transportation to a lake 45 minutes away, but before I left Fort Worth, God once again showed me that this was His desire. So I told the students and they screamed with excitement. I could not help but be overcome by tears as I looked at all their faces, knowing how much it meant to them that their "muzungu" brothers and sisters loved them so much and wanted to be with them during this special moment. So we told them to fast and pray about their decision, and that on Saturday, we would head out to the lake!  Now moving on to yesterday. Where do I begin?? We all decided to fast as a team yesterday, since the children at Jireh fast every Wednesday and Friday (so convicting). We covered out morning and prayer and soon began our day. Dominique spoke on Ephesians 5 part 1. She did AMAZING. Her testimony was so powerful and it was clear that her words were not her own. We then spent time in our small groups, we have been calling them families. In my family, my girls really opened up. Come to find out, 8 of my 9 girls wanted to be baptized, including sweet Fatumah.  Fatumah came to Jireh last year. Pastor Benjamin found her begging on the streets of kampala (the capital city). She was born with no limbs and had been living life with her aunt who abused her and used her disability to make money. However; she was rescued and now lives up at Jireh. She has a small wheel chair that she can move herself, but the children at Jireh are ALWAYS helping her, and care for her very much. When Fatumah asked to be baptized, her biggest fear was that her physical situation would not allow her to be properly baptized. When Ritah asked me,"yes but how will you baptize Fatumah?" I answered, just like I will baptize the rest of you". I looked at Fatumah and she had the biggest smile on her face. I had no words.  As we left family time, we all gathered to listen to Robert speak. To say that this time was powerful would be an understatement. He covered the last part of 5, and spoke on the importance of biblical manhood. He told the boys the importance of being respectful to women, a concept they have most likely never heard in this culture. You see, in Uganda, like most places of the world, society is extremely patriarchal. Women have little, if any rights, and are seen as simply vessels for reproduction. (Nothing makes me more frustrated!) Robert continued to talk about how, in marriage, men are to love and respect their wives. They are called to make them Holy, and in doing so, the women will be submissive to the decisions of the husband. He stressed that men cannot expect women to follow their decisions, if the women are being mistreated and feel unimportant. Thank God for the wisdom  that he spoke through our brother!  After this, we broke up into two groups, guys and girls. We spent time with them talking about purity, how to develop character, etc. I won't get into details, but I will tell you that, it was amazing to see our team bounce answers off of one another. One of us might remember the jist of a verse and another would know the reference. The spirit was moving, and there was clear unity in the body.  We spent about an hour in our groups. While we were encouraging the girls to be strong women in Christ and to desire good jobs and educations, the boys were dealing alot with more "sex" based questions... go figure haha  But when this time had ended we came together as a body one more time. It was here that I began to speak to the students about the importance and meaning of baptism. I told them this is a duty as Christians, but not something I wanted them to feel forced or obligated to do. I wanted them to take it seriously. Once I had covered it and given them some verses to read after we left, I began to be a little bit more serious.  I told them that this week had been Amazing. That we had gone over some serious questions and topics with them, and that I wanted them to feel comfortable coming to us with anything that may remain a bit confusing. I then said, " I also know that there are some of you in this room that do not know Christ. You may think that the things in your past are too dirty for Jesus. You may think that God could never love you or save you. But that is wrong. There is nothing that can ever separate you from the love of Jesus Christ. If you are willing. If you are ready to accept a life in accordance with God's promises, you can do that." I then asked them to close their eyes and picture Christ on the cross. I told them, "As he was hanging there, he was not thinking of humans in general, but individually. He was thinking of William, Kokoza, Fatumah, Florence, Irene, Happy... all of you! He knew the hurt and pain in your life, and took that ALL upon himself so that you would never have to live without Him. " "But he did not remain on this cross. He rose again and ascended into heaven, fulfilling the prophesies of the Bible, and He left us with a gift, the Holy Spirit. It is this Spirit, that when you put your trust in Christ will live with you for the rest of your days, until you leave to spend eternity in heaven. However, I do not want you to think that once you believe in jesus life gets easy. In fact, sometimes it gets harder. You see, satan does not want you to live in Christ. He will often tempt you and try to drag you away from Jesus. But, even when we face trials, God is with us. The power that parted the Red Sea is the same power that dwells within us. We can be hurt, we can be sad, but we can NEVER be removed from the love and blood of Jesus." They shouted "Amena!"  With our eyes closed I then lead them in a prayer, confessing their sin, acknowledging Jesus Christ as Lord, and admitting that even when the troubles of life pursue, they will still press on towards the goal. We also talked about the Glorious day on which we will be reunited with our Savior. I told them that, in Heaven, there are no orphans. There is no pain or abuse. There are no tears, no hunger, no thirst. You should have heard there cheers! WE closed with how much we loved them, and together said, "Amena"  So powerful.  Based on the video Riley  took, over 20 students came to Christ yesterday. Praise God!  Heaven is rejoicing!!  So this morning we are about to leave to go to the lake. To join with these brothers and Sisters in baptism. What a mighty God we serve.  I am SO humbled to be considered worthy to be a mouthpiece for the King. I am blown away by the willingness of this team to serve the Lord, and empty themselves out to be His vessels.  Please be praying that the Lord would grant us protection today as again we fast, and that the Holy Spirit would be present in the lives of these children  Tumutende! (Praise Him!) 

Day 3 at Jireh: Courtney

Last night while debriefing on stories of the day and making a game plan for the days to come, we talked about how this trip is shaping into more than we could have hoped for. We came to find out that in general Americans tend to be success driven, wanting to see visible progress on these kinds of trips. I can absolutely be categorized as such a person. It is almost as if somewhere along the way a wall having a coat of paint or a building being completed (all of which are necessary and good things!) somehow take precedence over a child's heart and if we are attending to the aches they hold inside that can't be seen. Praise God that he put this specific purpose of our trip on Ciara's heart. Yes, we are answering questions as Melissa previously wrote and hopefully bringing a bit of healing and joy. . The truth is though, they are doing everybit of the same for us. We are being stretched and challenged. These questions are becoming a bit more complicated as the kids are opening up to us more and more and a level of trust is built.  We all see why it is important to be close at heart with God's word so that we have a solid basis to build our answers on.  Usually when America comes to antoher country and brings its ethnocentrism (anthropology jargon Ciara would appreciate, thank you TCU education :) we can quickly mess things up with our forceful cultural superiority. However, taking a typical Texas christian summer camp setting into Jireh with our smallgroups/familes, coucilor type roles, song time, and playing games and sports is just what is needed here. Attention and fun has seemed to do the trick to bring these 14 + age students from the outskirts of the school grounds to closely huddled around us to learn cords on a guitar (Riley) or pray tightly shoulder to shoulder.  Now I would like to spend some time describing to you what Jireh is like. I know if I were a reader I would like to know details to get the full picture. Plus, it is hard to understand the magnitude of what is going on here without knowing the beauty that we are surrounded by. This beauty can be both seen and felt. Frist with the tangible- I am sure this next part will be quite "flowery", but it is sort of hard to not be if I want to give an acurate description. Jireh has been built on top of a hill with a view over the countryside of Masaka that has "God made all of this and said it was good" written all over it. There is a building for primary school (3 years old up to 12 I believe) and secondary school (13-20), a small nurses quarters, small dormatories where the students sleep, the guest house where we eat lunch and keep our supplies, and a new teacher's building that is still under construction, but will soon house 11 teachers that Jireh is in desperate need of.  It is true that these buildings are in a condition you could find no where in the States, but we have forgotten their lack of perfection according to the eye because we find so much joy from the peeople who occupy them. I have to mention also that the climate of Uganda is best put as what Texans dream about escaping to on those hot summer days when we are melting. A cool 70 degrees almost always and if it is slightly warmer you can always count on a cool breeze. Hard to complain. Jireh is a safe place. It seems so much of this coutnry is full of evil like abuse and neglect, but Jireh is a safe haven. Those in charge here are people who love the Lord above all and have created a firm foundation for the way things operate here. They have so little, yet they manage everything strategically and wisely. As a former business student I admire it very much. Thank you gracious God for the gift of technology so that we can share our experiences with those we love half way around the world. Matthew 18:4- (verse on the shirts we made)  "Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." PS- the pinapple and avocado alone are worth making the trip here :) Love, Courtney 

Day One of Jireh Conference: Melissa

Yesterday was our first day doing the  youth conference at jireh. Our schedule each day is to sing a few songs, have a speaker, break into small groups, lunch, speaker again, followed by small groups and end with free time. Ryan opened us up as the first speaker and did an amazing job telling his testimony and how we can only know peace when we understand grace, how we are called to be holy because He is holy, how God will never leave us or forsake us, and many more powerful truths. Then it came time for the first small group and none of us knew what to expect. We knew that every student at Jireh has been abused or abandoned in some shape or form, and I personally did not think any of them would want to talk much or ask questions. Seven  girls were put in my group, Maggie, Fig Maggie, Gloria, Sarah, Meble, Yvonne, and Enid. It was pretty clear that they have never done anything like this, being put in a group for the sole purpose of talking about our lives and what we are learning. Surprisingly, it did not take long for them to start opening up and asking all kinds of questions, ranging from, how do we be holy? to, are there bananas in america? Needless to say, it was a wonderful start to small group sessions! Then it was time for the second speaker..my turn.. even thinking about it now makes me nervous because public speaking is definitely not at the top of my 'favorite things to do' list, but after getting up there and saying a little prayer for confidence and clarity, I was able to get through the message I had prepared, adding a little of this and taking out a little of that, with no problems! (Although I had to try extra hard to not cry when talking about heaven and how everything will be made right.) Small group after that went so well and it was such a sweet thing hearing what my girls learned from me and I am just so humbled to think that I am so unworthy but the Lord chose me to teach these precious girls about his love so they can understand the gospel. Needless to say, it was an awesome first day and I know that by the end of the week we will all know these students so well and I am so  very excited to see what Jesus does in their hearts while we are here. 

First day in Uganda: Harrison... an adventure to say the least!

I was praying that God would use me in great ways on this trip and help give me confidence, but I didn't think he'd use me so quickly. When we were at Mountain of The Lord church, I took some time to pray this prayer again and literally right when I said, "amen", man tapped me on the shoulder and asked for my name and then said, "Come with me." Not thinking, as I tend todo, I just got up and left with him. We flagged down a bodaboda (african style motorcycle taxi) and 3 of us (me, this guy, and the driver) rode off drove for 15mins. The guy couldn't speak English so I had no idea what was doing or where I was headed. Finally, we arrived at a small church. We went inside and they asked me to talk. I had no idea what was going on so I just gave my testimony. I thought I was done talking so I sat down. Little did I know I was far from done..the pastor then invited "the special visitor" to deliver the sermon. What sermon? I had no idea what was going on. I got back up and opened my bible to Ephesians 6. The only problem was that, because i was so nervous, I couldn't hold my bible still enough to read, so I just closed it, completly relying on God. I'm not really sure what I said but all I know is I opened my mouth and God spoke through me. This was an awesome experience and showed that God does answer prayers (sometimes faster than  we expect) and it also showed me how important it is to trust in Him and have faith in Him.

First day in Uganda: Riley... It's long but good!!

        Well, to say we started our trip off with a bang would be quite the understatement. It feels as if we have been here for so long, yet it has only been two days! The Lord has been so good to this team. I cannot even fathom what is in store for these next two weeks. I am so overwhelmed with joy and enthusiasm!  Speaking of enthusiasm, yesterday we were blessed enough to experience our first African church service at Jireh. Never have I witnessed, or even imagined, so much energy and exuberance for the Lord. The body of Christ has never been more evident and obvious in one place. My heart weeps for the communities and nations of this world who are deprived of the elation and complete satisfaction these people have in Christ Jesus. What a humbling experience!          I praise God for blessing me with a spirit of flexibility. He is definitely testing my faith and trust in HIS plan for this trip. Saturday night we met to discuss the plans (haha! Africa? Plans? what am I saying?) for church sunday morning. Pastor Benjamin spoke with our team for an hour or so and explained what was going to be happening during the service. Little did we know, God had a rather different plan (surprise surprise!).         While Harrisons adventure was taking place, the rest of our team was dancing like it was 1999 and praising our Lord as if we all had just won the lottery. Boy, I cannot even begin to describe what happened in the beautiful dustbowl of a church. So much clapping and jumping and shouting and laughing and crying and praising! And plenty of sweating. Africa is one place where I can show my sweaty armpits in all their glory and be completely unashamed (haha).  I am going to back track for a second. The night before church I became ill. So much so that I would get sick and nearly vomit every time I tried to write out my testimony. I have no doubt that this was God's way of showing me why I never should have grown anxious over speaking that next day. So, to add fuel to the fire, He turned my nervous belly ache into a full blown stomach hurricane. As I alluded to earlier, I was unable to prepare my speech that night. Interestingly, I woke up a 5:30 A.M. Sunday morning (without an alarm) feeling like a new person, full of energy and excitement for church. Isn't it so crazy how God works sometimes? If anyone knows me, they know all too well that, for one, I am no morning person, and secondly, I would (typically) rather eat my own foot than give a public speech. However, sunday morning was different. The time when I would be called up to talk could not seem to come soon enough!  You see, what I realized upon reflecting back on that whole scenario was that a few key things stood out, and all carried the same theme - "me". Benjamin told us WE would have as much time to speak as WE wanted. I prepared a speech that contained all the things that I felt needed to covered. I planned for the amount of time that I felt was necessary. And I worried as the things I thought were right were stripped from me in a matter of seconds. God never forgets. He never fails. And he never disappoints. I will say it once more. He NEVER forgets. He NEVER fails. He NEVER disappoints. However. quite the contrary can be said about myself. I certainly forget. I had not just forgotten my words, but I had forgotten the gospel. I forgot that I don't need this, that and the other to say what the Lord asks of me. And most of all, I forgot that I am not in control, and all I can do is fail by putting my faith in my own plan. In doing so, I surely disappointed. Something I long to avoid at ALL cost. I had disappointed myself. I had disappointed God. But then I remembered something. I remembered that I am not saved by my successes and failures or how well I do in front of all of those people. I am saved by one thing - the blood of Jesus Christ. And I remembered that that blood was poured out for me, personally - individually. That only leads me to worship. Not because I felt relief, but because I felt the weight of my sin, and simultaneously felt the grace given to me by God. I might forget, fail, and disappoint, but that is ok. God holds no grudges, and I know in my heart that all I am is a vessel by which his word is to be poured out over this place. So, I stand humbled, in complete awe of my God and total disgust of myself. And I cannot be happier with that. My God is a god that never fails to rock my world. I cannot wait to see what He has planned for the next two weeks!

First day in Uganda: Taylor

I was overwhelmed by joy the second we walked into church. I couldn't help but think that this was a glimpse of what heaven will be like, people from all nations, praising God in different languages. Though I didn't understand their language, know their stories or where they came from, it was evident that the Jesus had changed their lives. There are no words to express the magnitude of happiness  in our brothers and sisters and that church. When I was asked if I would share my testimony I said I would think about it, but in my mind,  I thought there was no way in heck I was going to get up in front of an entire church service to talk , especially on my first day. And then I realized  this isn't my story, this is HIS story. His story of extending grace to a sinner. It was in that moment that I realized God had not only changed my life, but also he had given me a mouth to proclaim His glory and He had brought me to Uganda for a reason. He wrecked my fear of speaking in front of others and I'm so thankful that he gave me the opportunity to testify to who  He is and what He has done in my life.  It's amazing what He can do through us when we are open to Him. Please be praying that our team stays humble and willing as we go out, keeping a servants heart.