Thursday, March 10, 2011

Africa

The team and congregation after a typical 5-hour church service in Arua, Uganda.
At the end of February, I had an amazing opportunity to make a last-minute pastoral visit to a team of our Discipleship Training School students in the north of Uganda. At long last, I was able to set foot on the rich red earth of Africa! The whole experience feels a bit like a very bizarre, very beautiful dream. I was only in-country for seven days, two of which I spent making the cross-country bus trip from Kampala in the south to Arua in the north. 

While I was with the team, I was able to spend time one-on-one with each of the students and their leaders, hearing their testimonies of what God had done in that time and generally helping them process their experiences. I was so amazed and blessed by what I heard, the incredible things God had revealed to them in their time in Africa, the visions and callings the felt for their futures. It was so life-giving for me to hear their hearts in that way! 

I also got to join in with the local ministry the team had been pursuing since arriving in Arua. We shared testimonies hut-to-hut in the villages, prayed over the sick and the dying in the HIV/AIDS hospice, preached at the prison, led children's programs, and served in practical ways around the YWAM base. It was inspiring to see this team so full of passion, working hard together, motivated by the love of Christ. 

My time there was so short, but it was packed full of blessings and joy. I hope it's not too long before I'm back there, walking barefoot on that rich red earth, again.