A Life-changing Journey to Uganda

This past August a Kairos Mission team from the European region of the Sword of the Spirit spent two weeks serving in Uganda. The team was made up of 10 young people, ages 18-26. they came from Glasgow, Dublin, Belfast, London and Germany. The team worked alongside local Ugandans, one week with the African Children's Mission and one week with the missions team of Kiwoko Hospital, Luwerro District.

Our main aims were to practically serve alongside local Christians, to get to know different Ugandan mission organisations and support their mission work, to provide opportunities for team members to grow in discipleship, leadership, service, teamwork and spiritual life, and to learn about poverty, mission and development. The trip was successful and richly rewarding for everyone involved. The following reflections from the team members highlight the impact the trip had on our team.
 
At the end of the Trip we asked each team member to sum up what they believe God had been doing in them and through them during this trip. The following were the ten words:

change, courage, new beginnings, vision, mission, pressed, timing, tempering, move, reference point. 

Here are a few highlights from the two weeks...

Week one: The ten of us ventured out into the bush through the rocky roads of Kampala to the Ekitangaala ranch where we would stay the first week working with the African Children's Mission. Building mud houses is something that everyone has to try at least once in their life, but building a mud house for a family who were living in the most extreme poverty, with no food, water or shelter is something that completely changed my life. To think that this family of 5 would now have a roof over their heads to keep them dry and safe, and seeing the excitement on the kids' faces and the happiness that this had brought to them was so rewarding and heart-warming.

Week two: we traveled to Kiowoko hospital where we would spend the remainder of our time. Travelling through the clay roads of Uganda, seeing all the people, the food, the animals, the culture and the scenery was all just so... African. We met Shadrach, a man whose passion and energy for life I envy deeply; his thirst to spread God's love to people is truly remarkable.

We visited three different primary schools in the following days. Playing, singing and teaching the kids was such an  amazing experience. The welcome that we received from the children was so genuine and sincere. My favorite experience was an afternoon we spent in the wards praying with the patients. They spoke little or no English, and most of them were seriously sick or injured. It was extremely overwhelming, but God was so present in these peoples’ lives, their hope and trust in God was so encouraging to see. To many it would seem that they have so little, but to them, they had the one and only thing they needed.

Regardless of my lack of wisdom, God used me, and in my feeble attempts to show love to others, He showed me something of his love for the poor. God showed me that it is not for me to fix the suffering of others, as he is able to do that in his own time; God only asks me to show them love.

team members with Ugandan family

He must increase, I must decrease  (John 3:30). These words were prayed out by a Lebanese brother as we gathered in London the night before we left to put God at the center of our trip to Uganda. One of the team members prayed for real vision, for our eyes to be opened. That we may see Uganda as he sees it.

And we did. We saw a country broken and fearful and divided, but full of God and his promise. The team spent themselves for God on this trip, and he worked in powerful and majestic ways. There was mud and prayer and paint and roosters and matoki and heat and a pastor called Shadrach and kids who
came up and gave their hearts to Jesus when they heard of his love. God's protection on us was tangible, and it is clear to us that our small plans were nothing compared to what God has done and is still doing in our lives and those we reach out to.

The main word I received from God during the two weeks was a challenge to “step-up” for him and a promise that he would respond. As someone who is quite reserved I find it tough to put myself out there for God but I felt him calling me to do this and that if I did he would work powerfully. On the back of this I have volunteered for several service roles in my home community this year and also lead the feedback session at a prayer meeting in Glasgow. Two things I would never have done before going to Uganda.

I had grown comfortable or maybe a bit afraid and started to narrow my view inward to just living. Being in Africa made me realise that all people everywhere belong to God and that he has power to transform both lives and cities. I'm somewhat overwhelmed by all the need there is in the world, but as I process this experience I am also rejuvenated by the knowledge that as I open my life to God's vision and power again, he will use me to impact lives and build up his kingdom.

The team prepared for the trip with a team weekend in June and two preparation days in London at the start of the trip. Every team member had a significant role in the preparation and running of the trip – from travel arrangements, finances, worship and kids programme to coordinating gifts and keeping our supporters up to date. The positive team dynamics, mutual support and good relationships were remarkable and contributed to fruitful teamwork, helpful discussions and everyone feeling comfortable to share challenges and personal learning during the trip. Most evenings, we shared as a team or separately as men and women about highlights and challenges of the day to process together what we had experienced. 

Joining our hosts’ prayer times, through our own morning prayer and meditations, intercession nights and mentoring conversations, every team member had deep encounters with God and learned a lot about God’s love for the poor, His call on our lives and the sacrifices we need to make to build God’s kingdom. It was great to see how everyone found their place on the team, contributed, took on challenges, stepped out of their comfort zones and engaged with the people we served.