YOU SEE

 

Monday was a public holiday in Uganda, which means that I had a little more time to myself that normal. I was listening to a song called, “You See” by Jonathan David Helser, and it seemed good for me to write the lyrics in my journal. The whole song is about how I, or we humans, usually see things differently than the way God sees them. It compares what we see, to what God sees.

It took me back to a night when I was praying at Pastor Tim’s house (some of you know him). God told me that he was opening doors for people that night. Then I saw a vision of a door opening in front of me (God speaks to me a lot through visions). When I went through the door, I saw two levels. The upper level, where the door opened, was a wasteland. It was arid and desolate – except for a few dead trees and shrubs. But the lower level, down a flight of stairs, was a lush garden, full of life and lit up with vibrant colors. Then I understood that it was exactly the same place, the two levels merely represented two ways of looking at my surroundings. The top level is how the world sees things, the bottom level is how God sees things. God was opening this door to me and inviting me to see things the way He sees them, which usually means going lower, stepping off the high-horse of my understanding, like Jesus did when he stepped out of heaven and came to earth.

I want to see things the way God sees them. I want to see not only the potential He sees, but also the finished work He sees. Christians often say the victory over sin and death is already won because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, and rightly so, it says the same in the Bible. But how often do we see the victory when we’re in the middle of a battle? Do we see what Jesus sees, or do we see what the devil wants us to see?

The past month or so has been really challenging for me. Things at Doors Ministries are great, I’m seeing each part of the ministry growing deeper and the staff pressing more and more toward Jesus, so it’s not the ministry that is pulling me down. What I’ve realized is that the devil was showing me a lot of lies about myself, about Doors, about my future, and I was seeing those instead of the truth that Jesus is presenting to me. Sure there are some factors that have added to this: it’s felt like more of a chore to abide in Jesus, which is the place we see things like He does; and I’ve felt pretty isolated from the people who typically encourage me to see things rightly when I don’t. So yes, it’s been really hard, but the fruit I have now is a desperation to be near Jesus, to see things as he sees them, to know Him. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

I hope this song encourages you too 🙂

 

(the video itself is a little weird, mainly listen)

 

You See
Jonathan David Helser

 I see a mountain, you see a miracle.
I see a wasteland, you see a garden.
I see dry bones, you see an army.
I see impossible, you see everything.

I see a seed, you see a harvest.
I see the water, you see the wine.
I see the broken, you see your body.
I see my enemy, you see a footstool.

…

You are I AM, But I’ve been so blind all this time.
My God, touch me, I want to see the way you see.

…

I see my sins, you see your blood.
I see a baby, you see a Savior.
I see my failures, you see redemption.
I see a beggar, you see a son.

 I see my Father, you see your son.
I see my shepherd, you see your lamb.
I see my Savior, you see your joy.
I see your eyes, they’re staring back at mine.

Jars of Clay

Let me start with something I read this morning,
We can’t love God’s way without being filled with Him. If we try it on our own, we end up exhausted and burned out. I’ve done it; it doesn’t work. Only when we let His love pour into us and let is spill out from deep within us will His Kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  – Heidi Baker. Reckless Devotion.​

I have been in Uganda for six months now, well minus three weeks I was back in the States for my brother’s wedding and to visit someone special ;), and let me just say that I could have written this quote myself. I came here ready to love, ready to pour myself out for the hungry, desperate, and lost. Before long I was trying to love with God’s love without letting Him fill me each day. For a couple weeks I seemed to manage fine, but as time went on my love was not adequate and I felt “exhausted and burned out.” By the time I went to the States I already felt like I needed a break!

I’ve been back in Uganda for about two weeks now. Is it any different? Well, I think that’s why the words Heidi wrote stood out to me today, I still feel the same. The good thing is that it is in the light now, and my eyes are open to see how absolutely dependent I am on God and His Spirit. All I can do, and all I need to do, is to draw near to Him, and He will draw near to me. It is impossible for me to accomplish anything here unless I die to my “ability” and find my life in Him. I’m only a jar of clay, it’s what’s in me that matters.

Term One…

A month ago Term One of school finished for the nation of Uganda. The Ugandan school calendar is divided into three terms per year.

Here are some of my observations from my first term:

1. Children are children wherever you are in the world!

• They find joy in the smallest activities and then they share that joy with you.
• They prefer lunch and recess to being in class (the majority, anyway.)
• They want to know that you love them and that they are safe.
• They love to worship Jesus!

Joy in the little things 🙂

2. People who are given hope are given life.

• I see the students in our schools with huge smiles, determination to learn and hope for the future.
• I see staff who pour energy and vision into their work because of the hope they carry and the hope they share.
• I see students, staff, and friends (and myself) who love well because of the hope they have in the love of Jesus.

The amazing teachers at DOORS Primary School who went above the call of duty during Term One.

3. People want to know they are important and loved.

• I hear the hearts of staff every day with both pressing issues and desires for the future, who just want to know they are important.
• I see the longing in little girls to know that they are beautiful.
• I see the hunger in little boys to know they have what it takes to be a man.
• I hear the voices of young men who just want to know they belong and can be as close to God as they imagine.

Teacher Kato’s University Graduation

Two of our beautiful young ladies

4. I really have to be intentional!

• I have to listen and respond to Jesus to know the right way to lead.
• I have to bring everything to Jesus in order not to carry burdens unnecessarily.
• It is far better to respond than to react to any person or situation.
• It is better to spend time knowing people than to get one more thing done.

Time with Jesus!

Visiting old friends in Owino market with my dad

Term One was great in many ways! I’m thankful to be back in Uganda, both serving, and serving with the people I have come to love so much. I was pressed into situations (ex. leading Bible study) that I wasn’t expecting but were clearly orchestrated by God. I have made many new friends. I learned to rejoice and abide in Christ a little more every day.

In other ways, Term One was incredible hard! I came into a very challenging season at DOORS and was immediately stretched. I learned to be the bearer of both good and bad news. I was lifted out of one culture and placed in another, which I love, but still required a lot of transition! And I’m dying a little more to myself every day, which is fantastically freeing in Christ, but still feels like literally dying in my soul (mind, will, and emotions.)

I’m thankful for the support so many people have shown me in this season, it’s amazing how we are able to participate together and encourage each other, no matter the distance that separates. The holiday was great and now we’re in the first weeks of Term Two!

Nakalanda

Let me tell you about my friends/adopted parents, Steve and Stephanie Bredesen. They run the Nakalanda Project, which is across the lake and a boda ride from where I stay in Kampala. When they moved to Uganda five years ago they were already nearing retirement age, but knew they were coming for a long time … Stephanie has said fifteen years! After working with a ministry for one year, it was clear that was not where God had brought them to serve.  So here they were, around the world where they were sure God called them, without work. Until 12 hours later when a friend “randomly” called and asked if they would move across the lake to serve at Nakalanda.

Boda boda (motorcycle) ride

That is where I met them. Once a month they run a clinic to dig jiggers (small insects that burrow into feet) from people’s feet. The boys and girls from DOORS come almost every month to volunteer at the clinic. In fact, they know what they are doing so well, that they are the ones who teach new volunteers what to do! Last summer, my brother David and I came with the DOORS team for the clinic. As we went around the room introducing ourselves, David told them that he attended Asbury, and Stephanie freaked out! Steve studied at Asbury Seminary, so we talked about all the places around town that we both know.

Digging jiggers

When I moved here, I got it touch with them right away. They live in a really peaceful area and have given an open invite to come over. This has become one of my resting places. I come over once or twice a month to spend time away from the city for a night, eat incredible food, and to provide company for them (that’s all I’m normally allowed to contribute … and sometimes bread). Well, the first time I came over, Stephanie told me before hand that they would be moving to their newly finished house, but that I could relax. As soon as I arrived, Stephanie exclaimed, “God knew we were moving today and sent help!” Needless to say, that time I helped move!

Moving Day!

Steve and Stephanie’s Dream House

Steve and Stephanie give selflessly. They love to love. They opened their lives to God, and He sent them across the world to a place with no family, or even friends for a while. But in the midst of adversity, they have a vibrant circle of friends, and a growing number of “adopted” children who come over to “Mom and Dad’s” to relax and eat their food. My prayer for them is that their latter years will be more blessed than the former, and that they will grow in intimacy with Jesus every day.

 

Steve and Stephanie

Visit them at http://www.bredesensinuganda.com

 

Unexpected bible study

A few weeks ago I went to DOORS Primary School to observe a teachers meeting. Before the meeting started, I was told that volunteer who was scheduled to lead Bible study for the students was not coming. Since all the teachers would be in the meeting, I was asked to help the guitar instructor, Ronald, lead Bible study. It was really clear to me that God was giving me this opportunity to work with the students, so I agreed, and immediately the story of Daniel in the lions’ den came to mind!

Ronald led worship, including teaching the students to sing on key 🙂 Then I shared about Daniel, the way he continued to worship God when it was outlawed, and then continued to trust God when he was thrown into the lions’ den. We brought the lessons from this story around to be relevant for the students where they are and the situations they might face. We finished with a time of prayer in which we all prayed for the ability to remain faithful to God under trials, and then prayed for people in other countries who are facing these trials.

It was a really awesome time and completely unexpected! That opened the door for me to continue leading the weekly bible study. Let’s always be open to minister to the people God puts in front of us, especially when we’re not looking for it. 🙂

 

Meet Jja Jja

Today marks three weeks since I arrived in Uganda. While there has been a lot of transition in the settling in process, one person in particular has been a huge encouragement. I call her Jja Jja (grandma), others call her Mama Candi.  
Jja Jja was there at the beginning of DOORS Ministries. When the first boys moved in, she came over and said, “You are all my grandchildren now.” As it turns out, there are countless people who either call her Jja Jja or Mama Candi. She has an incredibly generous heart. Her home has been open for years to people who need a place to go for a while, need to come to the city for school, or need someone who will love them. I have met many people whose lives have been shaped by the love she showed them. As member of DOORS, I was automatically adopted, but I am also one of those staying in her house until I find a more permanent location. Since returning, I’ve had the opportunity to sit with her over tea, share stories and talk about God’s faithfulness in our lives. When my Papa passed a couple weeks ago, it was her who gave me a hug and prayed for me and my family. She is really special!

 Dinner at Jja Jja’s 

I want to share this one story with you. The second day I was here was a Saturday. That morning I had tea with Jja Jja, and then she introduced me to her friend and “adopted sons” who had come to take her to visit one of her “daughters”. She invited me to come along. I had a really great time being included in the family, and from the start she introduced me as her son. The other two “sons” operate a home for special needs children who would otherwise be neglected or abandoned. It was encouraging to see their hearts and sacrifice to love these kids. While we were there, a young couple stopped by asking for money to help with the treatment of their child with hydrocephalous. One of the brothers had a contact for a hospital that specializes in this condition and I got to pray for the boy and the whole family. We sent them on their way recognizing that God had arranged that meeting. Of all the times for them to come by and to be let in the compound, it was the day people were there who could help them. We praise the Lord for way He brings us together as His body!

 Jja Jja, her friend, and 3 adopted sons 🙂 

Back to Africa

What do you say in your first blog post in 3 years?! Well, as I write this I’m 37,000ft (11,277m) over Egypt, so let me tell you how I got here.

At the beginning of 2012, I was talking with Jesus (I think that’s what prayer should look like), and He spoke inside my heart and told me to apply for an internship position with Engineering Ministries International in Uganda. When I stepped off a plane in Uganda few months later, I was amazed and praising God for the fulfillment of my desire to take my training as a structural engineer to the world as a tool to preach the love and gospel of Jesus Christ.
After living in Uganda for nearly a year, I was asking God if I could stay and work with the people of Doors Ministries whom I had come to love and who counted me as family. I spent many evenings and weekends at Doors building relationships with the boys who used to live on the streets with little hope, but had come to know they are incredibly special and loved…and have a really good dad named God! As I prayed, He told me that I needed to return to Kentucky. The next summer I returned to Uganda to work with Doors for 5 weeks, and again I was asking God if I could stay. And again He told me that I need to return to Kentucky, this time to get my Master’s in Civil Engineering. Last summer I was back with Doors, but I was no longer asking God whether I could stay…I was sure I would back in Kentucky. But God likes to awaken desires, especially when we least expect it. In July He told me that I would be back…not with a loud voice, but with a whisper, and He stirred up faith in me to believe. So now I’m on my way to Uganda stepping into another dream…

To be continued.

  Doors man trip to Rwenzori Mountains.

The summer construction crew.  

Attaching a backboard.  

Visiting friends.
Who does Doors work with?

Men, women, boys, and girls. We desire to love each person we see. Many of them live in the slums, or roam the streets. Many of them had no hope but now have incredible hope and joy in Jesus.

What does Doors do?

We introduce people to Jesus so He can heal and transform their hearts. We provide food and education to lots of kids and families. We provide a safe place for boys and girls who lived on the streets to know the love of a family.

What will I do?

I will work with the leadership to empower and disciple the staff and administration to walk in their callings. I will continue discipling the young men in the ministry. And I will seek the Lord with the other leaders to know the heart of God for Doors and for the people He places in front of us. And I’ll probably cook occasionally 🙂

  Cooking with Monica.
Check out the new website:

Doorsministries.org

Kilimanjaro

First Thoughts

I had an absolutely incredible experience trekking up Mt. Kilimanjaro! The journey to climb the highest point in Africa began early last fall when I learned that the ministry I’m working with, Engineering Ministries International, was creating a team to climb the mountain as a fundraiser toward an office building project. Since I love experiencing the majesty and wildness of God’s creation first hand, I was immediately drawn to the possibility of joining the team. Soon after joining the team, Jesus started to teach me about trusting Him, and joining Him on His mountain…I found that the greatest adventure came through prayer as Jesus illustrated His will for my life during the preparation for the climb! I can see the way He brought me to a huge turning point in my life!

Leaving the office

Arriving at Kilimanjaro Int’l Airport, Tanzania

Our team of 14 climbers arrived in Arusha, Tanzania a couple days before the climb officially began to gather ourselves and check gear. We had 7 climbers from the eMi East Africa office, 2 from the Colorado Springs office, and 5 others with varying affiliations to eMi. It was great to have time to meet each other and relax after running around crazy getting work done before the climb! We also had time to talk about what we felt God was doing in our lives related to the climb, and established that our first goal was bringing God glory in everything we did. We left the hotel on January 21 to begin an 8-day trek, on the Lemosho route, up Mt. Kilimanjaro (“Kili”)!

The view from our hotel. Mt. Meru is on the left and Kilimanjaro is on the horizon in the center

Day 1

We spent 3 hours riding in Toyota Land Cruisers (the “Workhorse of Africa”) through the country side and up the lower slopes of Kili until the roads were too rough to continue. At that point we got out and started to hike…”Pole, Pole (Slowly, Slowly),” which proved to be laughingly slow! We hiked through the Cultivation Zone, or farmland, and entered the Rainforest. When we stopped for our first break, we asked if we could pick up the pace, our guide said sure – little did we know that we were about to climb one of the steepest hills of the hike! We camped that first night in the rainforest and started to acquaint ourselves with the routine we would have for the rest of the hike…

Disclaimer: the details I’m about to share will make our trek sound rather plush… which it was, but I’ll also say that without the help of our guides and porters few of us would have finished the climb. Each morning we were awakened at 6:30am by our “waiter” who brought tea and coffee. Then at 7:00 we were given hot water for “washing” – I don’t know how much it really helped, but it felt nice! At 7:30 we had a breakfast of toast, porridge, and fruit. Then we hit the trail by 8:30ish. We always hiked for the morning, but around 12:00 we would round the corner and see a table with chairs set up and food waiting for us! When we arrived at camp sometime in the afternoon, we were given water for washing again, followed a few minutes later by tea and snack. For dinner each evening we started with soup, and had a carb rich main course. After dinner we would hang out in the dining tent where we would share about the day, have devotions, and more hot drinks. Also, for the first five evenings, I worked diligently on a pair of sheepskin mittens for the summit.

Photo by David R. Hoskinson

Day Two

We hiked through the Rainforest, and passed into the Heath Zone, which was covered with heather and other tall shrubs; then we passed in the Moorland Zone which often had similar vegetation to the Heath, just smaller – though there were some plants in the Moorland that are unique to Kilimanjaro! As I looked through the thousands of photos people took, I realized we all had a lot of energy still because we took a ton of pictures this day! We had a lot of uphill, but we’re still on the lower slopes of the mountain. The most spectacular sight came as we rounded a corner and saw the summit in full view! Camp that night was down at the beginning of a large plateau with an incredible view of the mountain! The sun was out when we arrived at camp, and many of us did laundry, but the sun went down sooner than we expected and most of our clothes froze that night!

Lunch Table. Photo by David R. Hoskinson

Sewing Mittens

Group Devotions

Day Three

I think that Day Three was one of my favorites, at least as far as the hike. We spent most of the morning hiking across the Shira Plateau straight toward the mountain. The hike itself was easy allowing for a lot of great conversation, and there’s something about that kind of scenery that I really love! About an hour into the hike we crossed a stream with a bit of a pool, so I jumped in! I think outside of summiting that was my only other “physical” goal on the climb – to swim in a mountain stream! Late morning we started hiking up the mountain which was just really beautiful…I might say that a lot in this post. When we were still about an hour from camp, we could already see it up the valley as we walked along the side of some really unique cliffs. That camp was really cool, and probably my favorite – it was at 13,500ft and reminded me of mountaineering camps in National Geographic! I remember having some really good conversations and enjoying the scenery. That was also the first time we really felt we were at the base of the mountain.

Arriving at camp. Photo by David R. Hoskinson.

Sewing Mittens

Day Four

We spent the morning hiking to 15,000ft! That was the highest all but one of us had ever been. We left the Moorland Zone pretty early, and entered the Alpine Desert Zone (think sparse with jagged rocks strewn across gravel). We had lunch at a landmark called Lava Tower, which rises about 150 feet vertically from where we ate. We stayed there for about 1 ½ hours to acclimatize and to see how we reacted to the altitude…I had a bit of a headache that stuck with me until the last day. Then we descended through the Alpine Desert and into an area of the Moorland Zone which we describe as “Mario Land!” It had a lot of low vegetation with tall strange trees that are unique to Kilimanjaro. We camped that night around 13,000ft at the base of the imposing Barranco Wall.

Lava Tower

Photo by David R. Hoskinson.

Still sewing mitts! Photo by David R. Hoskinson.

Day Five

We climbed up Barranco Wall! As a whole, it was a pretty easy climb, partly because we had to stop many times to let groups of porters pass (we gained a whole new appreciation for our porters that day!), but also, it was mainly hiking with a few places we had the scramble. At the top of the wall we stopped for a few minutes with a great view of the savannah on one side, and of the mountain on the other… we got some great group pictures using the mountain as the backdrop! We hiked down then up…then way down, and way up! I think that was the steepest trail we hiked! We camped that night at Karanga Camp (13,200ft), and if I remember right, we were in the clouds for most of the afternoon, but then had a great view of the mountain….we just had a ton of great views!

 Here’s a little more on the mittens: I bought a sheepskin when I was on my project trip in Kenya last year with the intent of sewing warm mittens for the climb. Well, I put it off for too long, so I only had pieces cut out at the beginning of the climb. As I mentioned before, I worked every night on those mitts, and finally completed them at Karanga Camp!

Photo by David R. Hoskinson.

Photo by David R. Hoskinson.

Day Six

This day we had our shortest hike – to the last camp before summiting! I think we all felt like we were marching to the front lines! Barafu Camp is at 15,300ft and sits on a pretty exposed ridge – to give some perspective, the highest point in the continental U.S. is Mt. Whitney at 14,500ft! One of my clearest memories from that camp is looking out, as we talked, and realizing the clouds were several thousand feet below us! After lunch we were told to sleep as much as we could before dinner, come to dinner, and then to sleep some more, because we would wake up at 10pm and start hiking to the summit at 11pm! I slept for about an hour before leaving the tent to have a quiet time. I was actually able to call my parents and talk with them for about 10 minutes. In hindsight I think that conversation, and the prayers that were prayed during that call, were key in helping me summit. Unsure of when the connection would be lost, we prayed together, in which my dad prayed Proverbs 3:5-6 over me. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and he shall direct your paths.” Immediately after praying this verse, the connection was lost. This is one of my life-verses, that somehow I forgot momentarily – when I was reminded of it, I knew that everything would be alright, that I could trust my Father, and that He would direct my path that night!

Photo by David R. Hoskinson.

Day 6½-7 – Summit Day!

We woke up at 10pm and ate “breakfast” in enthusiastic anticipation – we all said millet porridge never tasted as good as it did then! We then did our best to choose the right layers to wear for the beginning of the climb, so we wouldn’t get cold, but also wouldn’t sweat. Then we packed our daypacks with only the necessary water, snacks, and additional layers we thought we would need. And off we went – the “Final Accent” was underway! It’s hard to describe the excitement we all had as we started out, mixed with a little anxiety, but both were regulated with “Pole, pole.” We were told when we left to not focus on the trail ahead…to mainly keep our gaze down and just focus on hiking. After the first ½ mile, the trail was almost entirely switchbacks, which meant a lot of back and forth. We knew that the hike would be 6-7 hours to the summit, and that it would become steadily more difficult, so we did our best to listen to all the advice our guides gave us. I did pretty well until we reached about 17,000ft, then I started to have a hard time getting enough oxygen and was becoming really light-headed. I was able to give my pack to one of the “summit porters” who accompanied us for that very reason, which helped a lot! Even then, the next 2,000ft became one of the most difficult things I have ever done, and was probably the worst I’ve ever felt. All I remember is trying to plod along, feeling like I might pass out with only a seconds notice. But throughout the hike I listened to worship music, and there were several Bible verses, including Proverbs 3:6-7, that I repeated over and over…in that sense it was actually a really cool and intimate time trusting and relying on the Lord! The whole team was also really intentional about encouraging one another! When we finally reached the rim of the crater, a wave of emotions overwhelmed me as I saw the culmination of things the Lord was working in me, overcame one of the most difficult things I have ever attempted, and heard the Lord minister to me through the song that was playing. I just sat down and started crying!

Sunrise at summit

At Stella Point with Jeff. Photo by David R. Hoskinson.

That point is called Stella Point, which is about 500 vertical feet from the summit, but was still a 45 minute hike. I was really glad that someone just picked me up and never asked if I thought I could make it. Off we went; still all 14 of us! That 45 minutes just as hard as the last 2,000ft, but was so rewarding! And that being said, when we reached Uhuru Peak (19,341ft!), I started crying all over again – and it really started flow when, Jeff, my supervisor at eMi, came over and gave me a hug. Surrounded by the rugged beauty of bare rock and majestic glaciers, and the stillness of the morning hours, my heart rejoiced being up there! … though my body was frozen, hurting, and oxygen deprived! As we walked back down to Stella Point, we watched as the sun rose over the African plain – it was absolutely beautiful! After taking more pictures at Stella Point, and soaking the experience in, we started the hike down. It was only then that I realized how far we hiked during the night. We could see the camp far below, and hiking/sliding down the screed (loose gravel), which was frozen solid during the ascent, still took nearly 3hrs!

After we finally reached the camp, we had about two hours to rest, eat, and pack. Then we continued hiking down to about 10,000ft – that’s a total of 4,000ft up and 9,000ft down in one day! All in all it took about 13hrs of hiking! But it was great to get to that last camp around noon and to just relax…for hours!

Photo by David R. Hoskinson.

Day Eight

We woke up to the same breakfast, but as we exited the breakfast tent, all the guides and porters were lined up to sing! They sang several traditional Swahili songs and songs of congratulations…including a bit of a dance-off. Then they came and pulled all of us in to dance with them! It was so much fun to let loose and dance – even though we were exhausted! The hike down through the Rainforest was really relaxed – all of us really satisfied with the accomplishment behind us!

Last 100 meters! Photo by David R. Hoskinson.

Photo by David R. Hoskinson.

Final Thoughts

I’ve had nearly a month to reflect on the experience of climbing Kilimanjaro. In fact, tomorrow is one month to the day that we began the climb! While I am still awestruck by the beauty on the mountain and the joy of the adventure, two things rise far higher in my heart. The first is that we became part of one another’s lives for over a week, eating together, sharing tents, encouraging one another as we hiked, and building up one another in our love for Jesus – that was incredible! The most significant however, was the way Jesus invited me from the very beginning to come up on “the mountain” with Him, and to give Him control in our relationship – to trust Him with my joys and fears, and to let Him take me on His adventures – where He both weeps and finds joy!

walking with the Master

I hope you are doing well! I have an incredible story to share from last week that still causes me to rejoice in the spontaneity, faithfulness, and leadership of God!

This past Sunday (Sept. 16) I went to church with several of the interns and staff to a town just outside Kampala called Gaba. On the way back Daniel and I put our Bibles and journals into David’s backpack (Daniel and David are other interns) and proceeded to pile into one of the staff’s CRV (5 seats but 8 people…do the math!). We stopped at a supermarket and headed to a local, and favorite, coffee shop, called Café Kawa. We spent about an hour at Café Kawa before heading back to our house where we realized David’s backpack was missing (and hence our Bibles and journals). We concluded that it seemed like there was more room in the car after Café Kawa, and we thought that we saw the backpack in the car after the supermarket. David and a couple others drove back to Café Kawa to look for it, but to no avail. Somehow, while the car was in the walled compound at the café, and while we were sitting outside no more than 25ft from the car, someone popped the lock and took the backpack, along with another Bible that was out. I remember being pretty fine about the whole thing…maybe it just hasn’t sunk in, I do miss “my” Bible and journal, but in the end I can just get new ones and move on – Jesus doesn’t change J! Talking with the other guys, we decided we should pray about it, mainly because anxieties were a little high. So we prayed according to Philippians 4:6-7 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, through prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus.” But after praying, I knew that we needed to include verses 4-5 as well, “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice! Let your reasonableness be known to all. The Lord is at hand;” after rejoicing in the Lord we knew it would all be fine!

Later in the afternoon the three of us decided to go into Kampala to look for a new backpack for David and pick up a few additional items. We started in Owino Market (the crazy open market I mentioned in my first update) because the prices are generally lower. After purchasing the backpack, we wandered around the market for a while, until a couple shoe salesmen stopped us to talk (they both had booths set up and I would guess are in their mid-late twenties) and try to sell us shoes. While I was trying on a couple pairs of boots, David struck up a conversation with a guy named Ramadan. Ramadan accepted the Lord about a year ago during a period of time that he was partying a lot. One morning he found himself in church (he has no idea how) and accepted Jesus there! He told us that he preaches on Sunday evenings around town, and wants to start preaching in the market soon. Before we left I knew we needed to pray for him (I wasn’t positive, but I realized if we left without praying something would be missing), so when we asked he called over about 6-7 guys from other booths to pray with us. Also, and this is important, two girls came out of nowhere to join us, their names are Florence and Irene, they are 9 and 5 years old respectively. After praying for Ramadan, a guy from another shop asked us to come pray for him. So we went to his shop and prayed for him and his business, Ramadan came along and the girls joined us too. At first this guy tried to shoo the girls away, but they joined us anyway. After praying for him, I felt the words Jesus said very strongly, “let the little children come to me!” The girls told us that their parents had passed away and they were living with their grandmother (later we found out they lived in a slum and had come to the market to scrounge for any food they could find, presumably spoiled fruit people tossed out). So we prayed for them, and I remember encouraging them with the loved Jesus has for them, that he said, “Let the little children come to me,” and that God is the best Father we could ever have and loves them very much! After we prayed for them, they asked us to come visit their grandmother – I was really hesitant to go and almost said we couldn’t make it, but Ramadan said he could pack up his booth and come with us, and I remembered Jesus saying to “give to those who ask” – so I knew we should go. Up to that point nothing seemed to out of the ordinary, but we have been praying for God to use us, and this was more than we expected!

It was a big deal for Ramadan to close up shop and accompany us, so we really appreciated his willingness, but we all knew the Lord was directing our paths. We followed the girls out of the market and through various shortcuts until we reached the area they lived. For a mental picture, Florence and Irene were each holding our hands while we walked, and Florence’s sandal had broken in the market, so she was barefoot. Most of the shortcuts were dirt paths through slum-like areas, over open storm (and maybe waste) sewers, and weaving between buildings. On the way there, it was really sad seeing some of the place people were living, and seeing how far, and through what territory these girls were walking to get to the market (it was probably ¾ mile to the market). At one point a man walked passed us that had somewhat long hair and multiple piercings, Florence quickly hid behind Daniel and said something fearfully as he had passed. It made me wonder what reputation this guy has and if there is anything Florence had seen or experienced related to him.

As we arrived at the girls’ house, we discovered that the two of them, their grandmother, a young woman (about 16?) and her baby, all live in a shack about 4 feet wide by maybe 12 feet long. It slopes off the wall of another building, has metal roofing pieced together, and cardboard walls with wood supports. Inside, there is a twin mattress at one end and dirt floor at the other; it was pretty messy but I think a lot of that is not having places to put things. It was apparent that there was no food in the house, and the girls mentioned in the market they had not eaten that day. So we sat down (all of us) inside, David and I had the girls on our laps, and talked with them for a while. The grandmother asked if we could give them anything to help them, we said we would but first we wanted to pray for them. We started by praying for the family (Ramadan translated most of the time), just thanking the Lord that He is good, that loves them very much, desires to provide for them, and praying about their situation. After praying for a while, we knew it wasn’t time to leave, so we asked if anyone needed healing for anything. The grandmother showed us her medical card and told us she had aids, so we prayed for her. Then they mentioned that Irene wakes up in the night and murmurs for “mommy” and maybe sees things – they said it was demons waking her up, and I know that’s a possibility, but I didn’t get a strong impression that is the case. They also said that the young woman’s baby is actually two years old (I would have guessed one) and hasn’t walked yet – I think it’s due to malnutrition. So we prayed for Irene and the baby! After that, we prayed one more time, just blessing them and their house. On the way out, I gave them the equivalent of $20, which is probably more than they get in a month, and about 2 pounds of gnuts (peanuts) I bought in the market – they were incredibly grateful! I don’t really like handing out money, but in that situation I knew it was the right thing to do. James 2:15-16 says, “If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?” While we went to pray for them, meeting a tangible need also demonstrates the love of Jesus and often opens people’s hearts to receive spiritual ministry.

As we left, the grandmother asked if we could take her to church on Sunday, and asked if we could take a picture with them. We said yes to both. I’m learning a lot about what it means to deny yourself… in order to love the people around me it’s usually not easy or convenient.

Walking away from the slum, the four of us just laughed/rejoiced as we thought about the events of the last few hours: we would never have come to town if the backpack wasn’t stolen; if we didn’t wander around and talk to Ramadan, we would have never prayed for him; if we didn’t pray for Ramadan, we would have never ended up in the slum praying for an entire family who just needed to be reassured that their Father is looking down on them, sees their need, and loves them more than anyone has ever loved them before! I can’t tell you how great a blessing it is to show just a small part of the enormous love of our God to someone who needs to be reassured that His love really is this big!

^“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication,
with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:4-7

Florence and Irene at Ramadan’s booth

This is a common scene on a lot of streets, but especially in the slums

David, Ramadan (far right) and I with Florence, Irene, and the others…Daniel’s taking the pictures

first update!!!

I’ve been in Uganda for two weeks now, which is crazy to think about, so much has happened since I left Kentucky a month ago. The Lord has been so faithful through the journey to get here; He has stretched me a bit and has taught me so much about Himself. I’m also fully funded which is a huge praise! Here’s a brief overview of the last month and then I’ll give some highlights. I flew out to Colorado in early August, where I spent about a week and a half with friends and family, before attending a week long orientation at the main EMI office in Colorado Springs. From orientation we (five other interns and myself) flew to Uganda, where we met up with three other interns, and have spent most of the last two weeks getting to know the culture, city (including how to get around), and the EMI office – we did start working toward the end of last week, which took a bit to get used to after having a month long break!

COLORADO

The time in Colorado was great! It was so good to catch up with friends and family that I had not seen in while, and to relax after the rush to get everything together at home before leaving. During that time, I had multiple “random” conversations (let’s call them divine appointments!) with people about the trip, or who knew people at EMI, or who had gone to Uganda themselves! Orientation in Colorado Springs was an incredible time for me personally. There were about 35 other interns heading to the seven global offices, and we all hit it off right away – after two days it felt like we had been there a week! We had several sessions a day about topics ranging from EMI’s history and vision, to culture, to our personalities and spiritual gifts. I just share one highlight from the week, though there were many! Typically I really dislike personality assessments because I feel like I’m being categorized and placed in a man-made box – and we took three (personality, strengths, and spiritual gifts). However, this time the Lord really used them to teach me about His love and plans for me. After taking the personality assessment everything seemed to match my expectation: stable and conscientious, with “peacemaker” as a description. I was thrown off though, because it said I’m similar to Moses (while Moses was steadfast and faithful to God, he asked a lot of questions first to try to understand how things would play out), so I decided to pray about it. While I was praying, the Lord said to me, “I called Moses friend, and I call you friend too. I know how I have made you, and there is nothing lacking in your personality. I made you how I want you.” That was really important for me to hear from Him, because for a long time I’ve thought something was lacking in my personality (that I need to be more outgoing for example) and that He wanted more from me, which made it hard for me to receive His love. Leading up to the trip, the most consistent things that people spoke when they’ve prayed for me were to rest in God and to be myself, and they prayed that the people of Uganda will receive “Paul Smith” – so it was fitting in that light too. God knows what He is doing!!!

UGANDA

So I’m living in Kampala, which is the capital of Uganda, and is about 50 miles north of the equator. Right now we’re in the rainy season, which isn’t as bad as I expected, but means rain at some point every day and most fruits are in season (aka, the best pineapple I’ve ever had…everyday)! The temperature is in the 80s during the day and 60s at night. Kampala is really hilly, so most views are about a mile, but in some places it opens up and you can see Lake Victoria. To get around we usually ride “Mutatus” (15-passenger taxis, though we’ve had 19 in one), sometimes we catch rides with the staff, or the backup option is “Boda-Bodas” (motorcycles that are everywhere and can carry one person – or 5 people…we’ve also seen bedframes, coffins, huge boxes, a 4ft fish, etc.)! I would guess that 20% of the roads are paved and the largest I’ve seen are 4-lanes but most are 2-lanes with about 4-5 lanes of traffic! Needless to say, we’re not allowed to drive while we’re here. People here are very hospitable and kind, though somewhat reserved until you get to know them. Yesterday, while I was walking with another intern, several kids came and walked with us and started talking to us in Luganda (the local language, though everyone I’ve talked to knows English) and had a lot of fun teaching us new words and laughing when we had trouble pronouncing them correctly!

As far as EMI goes, it has been great getting to know the staff! There are 11 full-time missionary staff, about 12 local staff, and the 9 interns (of the interns 6 are from the States, 2 from Australia, and 1 from Kenya). We have office devotions/ prayer each morning with worship on Friday mornings, and every day we eat lunch together, which is prepared by our cook, Janet (who is an amazing cook!). During the first week everyone shared their testimony – it was awesome to hear how Jesus has revealed himself and called each of us to himself! He is worthy of all praise and glory, and still he reaches down to call each person to come to him!

This week work is getting into full swing! Five of the interns and most of the staff are out on their project trips and the rest of us are working on several smaller projects for the time being. You can actually be praying about my project trip. The plan is to go to Livingstone International University for a rather substantial design; however, things may get pushed back to next semester. So pray that logistics will get worked out, but if the trip doesn’t happen I have plenty to work on here. Currently, I’m working on a design for an aircraft hangar, which is similar to some of the work I was doing at my previous job!

Aside from work, I’m praying about where to go to church and where to volunteer outside of work. We are actually allotted volunteer time during the workweek to work with other ministries around Kampala. I think at this point I’ll share another highlight! There’s a group of six girls from the States that recently graduated university and are working with people in the slums of Kampala, through a ministry they founded called “Doors.” Currently they have five boys living with them and sponsor five more at boarding schools (they also have a house mom and her kids, two “uncles” – older guys to take care of the boys, and a guard at the house). They got to know the past interns and came over for a cookout the other night. On Saturday nights they have worship at their house and we went this past weekend…it was great! I felt a lot of freedom to really pour out my heart to the Lord and worship him, and I know it was the same for everyone else! I got to talk with a guy name Henry while I was there that I had actually met earlier that day while working with some kids from the slums. He used to live in the slums, but came to know the Lord through the ministry of a local church and now wants to go to Bible school to become a missionary! When working with the kids that morning it seemed a little fruitless, but after talking to Henry I realized that each of these boys has a story like that waiting to unfold, they just need the love of Jesus to be shown to them! The girls invited us to help with evening bible studies at the house (they want male influence for the boys), and to help them in the slums during our volunteer time. Please pray for sensitivity to the Lord as I seek His direction about what level to get involved with this ministry.

Thank you so much for your love, support, and prayers! God has been so faithful calling me here, and orchestrating everything surrounding this trip, including your partnership. I am so thankful for the Body of Christ and that God has not sent me here unsupported, but has called us to walk together in the ministry of his good news to the world, and specifically Uganda. All praise and glory belong to our Lord and King, Jesus! Amen.

PRAYER POINTS
– Praise the Lord for safe travels and all the great things that have happened so far!
– Sensitivity to the Holy Spirit in day-to-day interactions and longer term relationships (including church and other ministries)
– Confidence (ministering, getting out into the city, talking to people, design/drafting, etc.)
– The projects trips out right now…pray for unity, opportunity to minister to the people they encounter, and health (a few of the interns got sick)
– Logistics for the Livingstone International University project to work out
– For team unity and purpose…sometimes things seem a little shallow among the interns and I know this is a time that we can go really deep if we set ourselves apart!
– Please pray for intimacy with the Lord, especially in Bible study and prayer

In Christ Jesus our Lord,

Paul Smith

PAULinUGANDA2012@gmail.com