One month down.
I have officially lived in Uganda for one month now and have such a heart for this country and the people here!
I can’t believe it, I really can’t believe it. I have been in Uganda for one month already. I am loving it—surprise, surprise! I feel so loved and welcomed at the Show Mercy compound. The Ugandan staff that work here have become like brothers and sisters to me. The people in the village seem like neighbors that I simply wave at in passing. Power outages and cold showers are regular occurrences. My red-stained toes and hand-washed clothes are part of my everyday life. I’m in such a weird mindset as I write this blog because as normal as things are to me, I am fully aware of how different things are in America; it’s just so hard to put those differences into words.
I’ll start by sharing a few of the highlights since I’ve been here. A few days ago when we were driving back to the compound from our village outreach I saw a group of children running after the van which is a relatively normal occurrence, but this time it was different. As I looked out the window one of the little girls shouted, “Vicki-toria!” and waved with such a huge smile on her face. It melted my heart knowing that after four short weeks, a girl who I had probably only met once or twice, was so touched by our friendship that she was running after our van shouting my name. It was such a precious moment that I cling to and think of often.
One random Sunday a few of us decided to go on a hike to a tree at the top of the valley about 45 minutes from our compound. We had such a good time hiking through the jungle, over the wetlands, getting a little muddy and spending time getting to know the Ugandans who work for Show Mercy. After about 30 minutes of climbing the tree, messing around and just having a good time we saw a man walking up carrying a machete and a white sheet. Afterwards, I realized that this tree is a tree that many use to practice witchcraft. The man approached us with anger in his eyes and many of us were intimidated by his presence. Thank God that one of the Ugandan staff knew this man from soccer league and was able to talk to him and calm the situation a bit. Long story short, we helped the man pick up his property and were ready to leave when he asked Ronald if the mzungos could pray for him. What a divine appointment! A man who practices witchcraft and is surrounded by darkness asks people of the Light to pray over him. We prayed freedom and deliverance over him and thanked God for such a divine appointment. He thanked us for our prayers, shook our hands and waved goodbye as we left. It was such a divine appointment and reminded me that even on my days off the Lord is ready to move and work in the lives of His people.
The third and most recent moment that keeps me smiling is the day that eleven women at Sentema Prison got saved. On Thursday (February 20th) three of us sat with the women at Sentema Prison and shared the friendship of Jesus; we shared about how trustworthy he is, how he loves us, how he never leaves us, etc. We discussed friends in our lives and then told them that they could have Jesus as their friend too if they wanted and we invited them into eternity with us. The three of us were under the impression that many of the women were already saved but that day eleven of the women (which is basically all of the women) stood up to receive Jesus that day. Tears filled my eyes as the women experienced Jesus for the first time and felt the Holy Spirit that day. Not only did eleven women get saved, but they also got to see the healing power of Jesus work immediately after they received Him. A woman in the group tried standing to receive Jesus but because of pain in her ankle she couldn’t stand with the rest of us. She still received Jesus and then the women prayed over after they all accepted Jesus as their Savior. When the three of us walked out of there that day the woman who couldn’t stand was standing up dancing and shouting while singing “Webale Yesu” just thirty minutes after praying healing over her.
There are so many things that are such a blessing to me here but if we’re being honest there are some challenges too. Trying to understand and comprehend the differences of cultures here has been really difficult for me. Realizing that as Americans we have things in such an abundance; I mean I knew that before I left but it’s much worse than any of us think. I talk to the Ugandans about American culture and they look at me like, “Are you serious?” Being here for a month has really allowed me to see that I have put my trust in “things.” Never in my life have I been in a state of need, I have always had what I needed and if I didn’t have I drove somewhere to get it. It’s just different here, you know?
Another thing that I have really struggled with is teaching in the schools here. The school system in Uganda is very, very different than in America; I’m not saying that the American way is the right way, I’m just saying it’s different. Almost every time I go teach in the schools I witness children getting hit, slapped or “caned.” (Hit with a sugar cane.) It’s super hard seeing that, especially because to my standards the children aren’t misbehaving. With a degree in social work discipline like that always makes me cringe. Even in general, the way that children are disciplined and punished here is much different than our Westernized way. Maybe it’s the social worker in me and I’m just super sensitive to those things, but I have definitely struggled with that in the last few weeks.
Regardless of the things I enjoy, the things I struggle with or how much I miss home the Lord is always faithful. He is faithful to work in the hearts of the people here. He is faithful to give me strength on the days I just want to sleep in and skip outreach. He is faithful to provide supplies and crafts to use on outreaches. He is faithful in the way that He gives us divine appointments and chances to pray over the sick. He is faithful because He takes care of His children. He is faithful because He never leaves us, He never forsakes us and He will never stop loving us.
Every day I remind myself that I am an ambassador for the embassy of Heaven and this earth is not my home, it is my assignment. The Lord has each of us here for a specific and divine reason: to further His kingdom. As interns our motto the last few weeks has been “… on earth as it is in heaven.” There is no sickness in heaven. There is no poverty in heaven. There is no pain in heaven. And as ambassadors of heaven, we are called to bring the kingdom of heaven to earth.
Watch out world, here heaven comes!
In His great Love,
-V
I have officially lived in Uganda for one month now and have such a heart for this country and the people here!
I can’t believe it, I really can’t believe it. I have been in Uganda for one month already. I am loving it—surprise, surprise! I feel so loved and welcomed at the Show Mercy compound. The Ugandan staff that work here have become like brothers and sisters to me. The people in the village seem like neighbors that I simply wave at in passing. Power outages and cold showers are regular occurrences. My red-stained toes and hand-washed clothes are part of my everyday life. I’m in such a weird mindset as I write this blog because as normal as things are to me, I am fully aware of how different things are in America; it’s just so hard to put those differences into words.
I’ll start by sharing a few of the highlights since I’ve been here. A few days ago when we were driving back to the compound from our village outreach I saw a group of children running after the van which is a relatively normal occurrence, but this time it was different. As I looked out the window one of the little girls shouted, “Vicki-toria!” and waved with such a huge smile on her face. It melted my heart knowing that after four short weeks, a girl who I had probably only met once or twice, was so touched by our friendship that she was running after our van shouting my name. It was such a precious moment that I cling to and think of often.
One random Sunday a few of us decided to go on a hike to a tree at the top of the valley about 45 minutes from our compound. We had such a good time hiking through the jungle, over the wetlands, getting a little muddy and spending time getting to know the Ugandans who work for Show Mercy. After about 30 minutes of climbing the tree, messing around and just having a good time we saw a man walking up carrying a machete and a white sheet. Afterwards, I realized that this tree is a tree that many use to practice witchcraft. The man approached us with anger in his eyes and many of us were intimidated by his presence. Thank God that one of the Ugandan staff knew this man from soccer league and was able to talk to him and calm the situation a bit. Long story short, we helped the man pick up his property and were ready to leave when he asked Ronald if the mzungos could pray for him. What a divine appointment! A man who practices witchcraft and is surrounded by darkness asks people of the Light to pray over him. We prayed freedom and deliverance over him and thanked God for such a divine appointment. He thanked us for our prayers, shook our hands and waved goodbye as we left. It was such a divine appointment and reminded me that even on my days off the Lord is ready to move and work in the lives of His people.
The third and most recent moment that keeps me smiling is the day that eleven women at Sentema Prison got saved. On Thursday (February 20th) three of us sat with the women at Sentema Prison and shared the friendship of Jesus; we shared about how trustworthy he is, how he loves us, how he never leaves us, etc. We discussed friends in our lives and then told them that they could have Jesus as their friend too if they wanted and we invited them into eternity with us. The three of us were under the impression that many of the women were already saved but that day eleven of the women (which is basically all of the women) stood up to receive Jesus that day. Tears filled my eyes as the women experienced Jesus for the first time and felt the Holy Spirit that day. Not only did eleven women get saved, but they also got to see the healing power of Jesus work immediately after they received Him. A woman in the group tried standing to receive Jesus but because of pain in her ankle she couldn’t stand with the rest of us. She still received Jesus and then the women prayed over after they all accepted Jesus as their Savior. When the three of us walked out of there that day the woman who couldn’t stand was standing up dancing and shouting while singing “Webale Yesu” just thirty minutes after praying healing over her.
There are so many things that are such a blessing to me here but if we’re being honest there are some challenges too. Trying to understand and comprehend the differences of cultures here has been really difficult for me. Realizing that as Americans we have things in such an abundance; I mean I knew that before I left but it’s much worse than any of us think. I talk to the Ugandans about American culture and they look at me like, “Are you serious?” Being here for a month has really allowed me to see that I have put my trust in “things.” Never in my life have I been in a state of need, I have always had what I needed and if I didn’t have I drove somewhere to get it. It’s just different here, you know?
Another thing that I have really struggled with is teaching in the schools here. The school system in Uganda is very, very different than in America; I’m not saying that the American way is the right way, I’m just saying it’s different. Almost every time I go teach in the schools I witness children getting hit, slapped or “caned.” (Hit with a sugar cane.) It’s super hard seeing that, especially because to my standards the children aren’t misbehaving. With a degree in social work discipline like that always makes me cringe. Even in general, the way that children are disciplined and punished here is much different than our Westernized way. Maybe it’s the social worker in me and I’m just super sensitive to those things, but I have definitely struggled with that in the last few weeks.
Regardless of the things I enjoy, the things I struggle with or how much I miss home the Lord is always faithful. He is faithful to work in the hearts of the people here. He is faithful to give me strength on the days I just want to sleep in and skip outreach. He is faithful to provide supplies and crafts to use on outreaches. He is faithful in the way that He gives us divine appointments and chances to pray over the sick. He is faithful because He takes care of His children. He is faithful because He never leaves us, He never forsakes us and He will never stop loving us.
Every day I remind myself that I am an ambassador for the embassy of Heaven and this earth is not my home, it is my assignment. The Lord has each of us here for a specific and divine reason: to further His kingdom. As interns our motto the last few weeks has been “… on earth as it is in heaven.” There is no sickness in heaven. There is no poverty in heaven. There is no pain in heaven. And as ambassadors of heaven, we are called to bring the kingdom of heaven to earth.
Watch out world, here heaven comes!
In His great Love,
-V