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. 

One Week...

It's honestly hard to even comprehend the fact that in One Week the 11 of us will begin our journey to Uganda.

So much prayer and preparation have gone into this trip, that as our time dwindles down, I cannot help but feel slightly anxious and overwhelmed. And yet; at the same time, completely overjoyed and elated at the thought of our Father using us!

It's just unreal how obvious it is that God has orchestrated this. Hearts have been changed, funds have been raised, and spirits stirred; all highlighting a mid-summer commitment of 11 young people to fulfill the Great Commission. Throughout this process I am continually humbled by God's sovereignty and provision. From our garage sale and t-shirt profits, to generous donors, the pieces are all falling into place.

It is so evident that this is His trip, in line with His plan, to fulfill His mission.

We are vessels, mere servants, simply seeking to glorify our Lord and respond to His clear calling. Thus, as we pack our bags with supplies for Jireh, and buy lots of last-minute trail mix and military grade Deet, each one of us is completely aware that those packs wouldn't even be zipped if it wasn't for the clear purpose our God has placed before us.

Each one of us has prepared a portion of Ephesians to speak on (6 chapters for the 6 days we will be speaking to the older students at Jireh) and my heart is so full when I think about how God is going to use each person and their individual story to bring these words of Paul to life.

1 Corinthians 12:4-31 is a beautiful passage that talks about the importance of individual gifts and I feel like these verses are appropriate for our team. We have been so randomly assembled. Each of us with different backgrounds and testimonies, and yet our Lord sees us uniquely fit for His Divine purpose. In keeping in line with this scripture, it will be important for everyone of us to keep in mind what it is that the Lord wants to use us for while in Uganda. The older teens we will be working with are in need of serious love, and who better to bring that love than impassioned followers of Jesus Christ?

I think it can be easy for us to look at this situation and think, great, what does my testimony of being raised in an upper-middle class white family have in common with their lives as orphans in an impoverished country? How can they honestly see me as "relating"? And true, there are alot of things we may not have in common with these brothers and sisters, but the reality of the situation is that regardless of our life-circumstances, we have one MAJOR thing in common: we are all sinners. Entirely deserving of eternal punishment, and yet a mighty, loving, God decided to take on flesh and humble himself to the lowest possible standing. Jesus Christ lived a life we could have never lived, and died a death we completely deserved. All this suffering in order to bring a rag-tag group of sinful human beings into an eternal, debt-free, relationship with Him forever.

It is this, the beauty of the gospel that compels us to love these children. It is the beauty of the gospel that takes all of our blatant differences and reveals the important commonalities. And it is the beauty of the gospel, that allows this ragamuffin group of 11 people to travel almost 40 hours to a Ugandan village, in order to make sure our brothers and sisters there are experiencing the transforming power of this unparalleled truth.

One week. SO ready!

And So It Begins...

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