On Sunday, we split up and went in small groups to different churches. I’d asked on Friday if I could go to Pastor Edward’s church. Last year, I had gone to a different church and his children were disappointed that they didn’t get to meet me, and this year I really wanted to meet them! So when we left at around 10, we all got on the bus, and the first stop was Bukaya Baptist Church, where I got out with Tonja, Tasha, and Josh.
When we got to the church, Pastor Robert was already in the middle of his Sunday school lesson, so we got to listen to him, and then we sang a handful of songs. After that, they took an offering, and then they announced that Sister Helen was going to come forward to bring a word.
To say that I was nervous would be an understatement. I’d been speaking in front of hundreds of kids all week, but this made my knees shake. I had prayed that God would speak through me, because on my own I had nothing to say that could help them. But I knew that God could use me to speak to them. As I had prayed about what to talk about in the days before, I had felt God pressing it on my heart to tell them about what he’s been teaching me – to be strong and courageous. I know it’s absurd. What can I teach them about being strong and courageous? Every day of their lives requires so much of them, and I live a life of comfort and privilege. But I know that God saved me from fears, and I know that He is making me strong and courageous, and if He is doing that for me, I know that He can do that for them. (I’ll share what I shared with them in another post.)
When I was done speaking, we sang several more songs, and then Tasha and Tonja both gave their testimonies, and Josh spoke. I hadn't heard Tonja and Tasha give their testimonies, and it was so amazing to hear from them! It was so great, too, to hear Josh speak since I had been with the kids all week and hadn’t gotten to hear any of our pastors speak!
At one point in the service, Pastor Robert welcomed the visitors. He asked the visitors to stand up, give greetings, and tell whether or not they were saved. The eyes of all of the Americans in the room immediately got bigger. I thought that surely he was joking.
But he wasn’t.
Several visitors stood up, gave greetings, and told where they were from, what had brought them to Bukaya that day, and whether or not they were saved – yes, one lady stood up in front of the whole church and said that she was not yet saved, and sat right back down. I love their honesty!
At another point in the service, a young man at the back of the church started singing a song that said “This is the day of Bukaya… we are going to the next level…” and then it repeated. It was clear, though, that most of the people in the church weren’t familiar with it. I loved his enthusiasm as he encouraged us ALL to sing along with him, but it was hard not to giggle as we sang the same words over and over. We asked Josh to please sing it at Journey – “This is the day of Journey church… we are going to the next level.” We’re still waiting on that one.
I wanted to share the funny parts, but I don’t want to take away from how incredible that morning was. These brothers and sisters across the world are meeting in a classroom, sitting at small, cramped desks on a mud floor, and they are rejoicing in their God. Their enthusiasm in worship is like nothing I have ever seen. When they had an offering, these people who struggle to have enough to even eat gave. They know what it means to worship, to love God, to serve Him, to lose it all and yet gain.
Pastor Godfrey was giving announcements, and he reminded them about fasting. They fast the last week of every month – 5 days straight, and then they have an all-night of prayer on Friday night. I sometimes struggle to pray for more than 10 minutes… and they pray all night.
People think that we go there to teach, but we learn. They think that we go to give, but we get so much more than we give.
This video says it better than I can -- please click here to watch it.
After church, I got to meet 5 of Pastor Edward’s children – Gershom, Aaron, and Miriam, (his youngest three children by birth) Lashidi, and Joshua. I hugged Mama Joy and tried to talk to the children, but they weren’t very interested in talking to me. Maybe next time :-)
The bus (with the rest of our team) came to pick us back up, and we all went to the Nile Resort for lunch. It was wonderful to sit and relax and just enjoy being together. I got to play with Joshua, Joseph, and Emma. Pastor Godfrey told me that since I’m good with kids, I need a good husband to give me many children. I said that sounded good as long as that means I can bring some children home from Uganda!
We have to wear closed toed shoes while we’re in the villages because of bugs, but that day I had brought a pair of flip-flops in my backpack so that I could change shoes after church and wear flip-flops at the resort. While we were waiting to go outside to eat, I sat at a bench and started changing my shoes. Sweet Joshua came over to me and said “Oh! You have flip-flops? That’s wonderful! I don’t have flip-flops!” It was like a punch in the gut. The flip-flops I was wearing were $1 at Wal-Mart. My friend in Uganda doesn’t have flip-flops… he has one pair of shoes. I see the children in the village without shoes, but this little boy is my friend. I don’t know what else to say, except that I never want to get to the point where I forget how blessed we are, and what a responsibility we have to help our brothers and sisters.
