Uganda Week 2

Our team loaded up in our van, “Wonderful Jesus”, and headed to a village called Ishongororo.

After settling in for a little while, we headed to our first gospel campaign. As soon as we got out of the van, people ran over and met us with hugs and warm, welcoming smiles. I was also met a little later by kids eating grasshoppers they had caught in the field and offering me some to do the same.

The campaign was being held in a soccer field with a stage built with wood planks, some chairs, a canopy tent, a speaker system, a few microphones, and a keyboard. I think this gives a good picture of the simplicity of sharing the gospel. It does not require a big fancy building or advanced technology, just willing hearts.  The evening started with worship. We danced and danced and danced. Ugandans seem to have an endless amount of energy when it comes to dancing, I, on the other hand, was exhausted but had so much fun worshiping with them. After worship, our team performed a skit. During one part of the skit, we all stand facing the back of the stage and from the stage, there was the most beautiful view of the mountains and also one of the most perfect sunsets I have ever seen. It was just a reminder to me that God was right there with us. The skit was followed by preaching and an altar call with a time of prayer for the sick.

The rest of our week we would speak at a school and conference during the day and then at the campaign in the evening/night.

One of my favorite moments from school ministry this week was at a small skills school/college. We got to lead them in worship and at the end of each song they would ask for another. So we just kept going and we were all jumping around, dancing, and just praising Jesus with everything in us. Another highlight was when we were invited to walk in a parade and speak at a graduation. When we got there what we thought was going to be a group of high school graduates was actually a group of kids graduating from nursery school. While they were all adorable in their little caps and gowns, my team member who expected to be speaking to a group of teenagers had to make a few adjustments to his message. It was definitely a fun and unique experience though, and we even got to cut the cake.

As for the conference, our team prayed and asked God what he had for us to teach these people, and we all felt that God was putting it on our hearts to teach on humility and kingdom culture. Every day God showed up and spoke so clearly through each team member at the conference. Every message brought such a good reminder that we serve the king of an upside-down kingdom where the first are last and the last are first.

The second night of the campaign it began to rain in the middle of worship, and by rain I mean it was absolutely pouring. At first, most people went under the tent, but slowly more and more people came back out and we all danced and worshiped in the rain together. By the end of worship, most of us were barefoot, and all of us were soaked and covered in mud.

One night after a campaign, we all found ourselves feeling so spiritually heavy. This was something many of us had been feeling individually throughout the week, but none of us could seem to discern why. We decided we had to intercede for this village and the people living here. Whether the heaviness was due to a witch doctor or something else, we did not know but we knew these people needed freedom and a breakthrough in the atmosphere that could only come through Jesus. So we had a worship night at our accommodations and poured our hearts out for this village in prayer. It was so powerful getting to see the combined passion of our team from around the world and the team from Uganda.

For the final days of the campaign, we set up a projector and played the Jesus film. Thank you to those who donated towards our team being able to bring this equipment! Since many people in the village have rarely, if ever, seen a movie and especially not in their language, it drew a large crowd. I enjoyed watching it and trying to figure out what was happening since I could not understand what was being said.

    

As the week went on, God continued moving powerfully at the campaign. Every day more and more people were being healed. At the start of the week, there were big groups of people coming forward to receive prayer for sickness, and by the endless than ten people come forward. There were also many set free from demons that had been tormenting them. We also had the privilege to welcome so many new brothers and sisters in Christ into the family.

Our final day in Ishongororo. For church, we went to the church where we had been holding the conference all week. After teaching on humility all week, we were able to put our words into practice through foot washing. We washed each person’s feet and prayed for them. We also invited those whose feet had already been washed to join us if they wanted. Seeing the growth of all those in the church throughout the week was powerful. Then we had our final night of the campaign, when we were able to finish the Jesus film.

After last week, where I was met with a complete love for Uganda, this week I was met with so much spiritual attack. So many doubts flooded my mind, and I so often found myself confused and questioning God’s plan for me, but even in my wrestling, God was teaching me just to trust and walk with Him step by step. This week was the first time I had so strongly experienced the effect of a spiritual atmosphere and been confronted with the realness of demonic powers that had seemed so distant when learning about them in Australia. However, despite the heaviness, doubt, fear, and darkness, God was still at work in this village and in me. Even with the weight, we were all feeling, God was still bringing freedom and healing.