Quotes from team A

Team A has now just left for a 4 day village outreach near Jinja, the source of the Nile.
They have spent the last week in Kampala with Come Let's Dance and they were in the north with Child Voice from May 31 0 June 11.

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SARAH GRIMM –
It’s difficult to find words to describe this experience. Thus far, I just feel blessed to be in Uganda. I’m being exposed to immeasurable new things – what resonates most with me at this moment is the vibrancy of life here, both in the Northern War Zone and in the Southern, westernized area, despite the staggering poverty, disease, violence, and government corruption. However, these struggles have also made an impression on me. The team I’m with is really wonderful and both of our host organizations have amazed me with the way that they serve God day-in and day-out. It is truly beautiful to see God’s kingdom spreading to bring redemption and renewal to this broken land.

MARET PAETZNICK—
Where do I begin? I guess overall I would say that my view of who God is and what he’s capable of is greatly expanding. In the north I saw how he is a God of restoration. The girls at Child Voice have witnessed unspeakable violence and have had terrible things done to them, yet today they are singing, smiling, and dancing. God is restoring their lives and it’s a beautiful thing. Here in the south I’m learning that God is passionate about justice and empowering the weak and fatherless and wants us to do the same. The ways that the young people at Come Lets Dance are serving God and deeply loving the people of Kampala is so inspiring. This whole trip has made me question what I’m doing with my life. . . but that’s ok. Thankfully God knows what he’s doing.

JOYCE WONG-
I am doing well. I will tell you all everything when I return. Okay, bye! Just kidding. I am currently in Nansana with Come Let’s Dance. I have visited the Katonga slum and the largest hospital in Uganda- Mulago Hospital. God has been showing and teaching me about how my faith is relevant in suffering and injustice, so ask me all about it. My time in Gulu, northern Uganda was incredible as well because I have witnessed God’s redemptive power in the lives of the girls, but that is all I will write. Read other people’s blurbs; they are more informative. I will say though that I feel more bold and courageous in professing my faith because God has been real to me here. Americans, I am not being a nutter, God is logical and real. TIFFANY: I will not be able to check my email until I get back. Please pick up your phone. I’m cash and Debit card-less. Actually, I might not want to leave Uganda just yet hehe. Peace and cheers!

THOMAS MOORE –
The bible is God-breathed, perfect and whole. At the risk of resting on some unstable and contradicting theology, I personally think we could invite the Apostle and physician Luke to write a second book to Acts with it’s focus on the African movement towards Jesus. It’s exciting to see and be a part of early Church growth. In America, we don’t see open-air “Crusades” with convicting sermons, exorcized demons and dozens coming to call Jesus their personal Lord and Savior. Perhaps it’s because of the hardened post-modern heart, or maybe just a lack of gutsy Jesus freaks that are willing to stand on some bold statements on The Gospel. Me? —I’m praying for the ladder to make the rest of my ministry in America as exciting as the last few weeks here in Africa.

CAITLIN EGER-
I am beginning to see Jesus on Earth. I am seeing Him through the actions, emotions, and words of people. I saw Him in the joy of the girls up north, whose lives have been redeemed and restored. I saw Him in the selfless service of the workers and interns at CVI. I see Him in the young adults at Come Let’s Dance, who have given up normalcy in defense and service of the poor and oppressed. I see Him in my fellow team members and leaders who come alongside each other in any situation. I see His anger in the anger of people who are fighting injustice. I see His compassion through people who show unconditional love to children who have never had that love. And though in this country I am seeing corruption, despair, hardship, and even death, I am learning to wait on God. And I will have hope.

Susie Veon – (IV Staff director for Team A)
Diane is especially fond of me. She likes the gray hair and the fact that I am Jaja (grandma). I like her a lot and we have talked about science together, which is her favorite subject in grade 5. She is a bright 11 year old that has been abandoned by a mom who cannot make it in the slums. At Come Let’s Dance, she goes to school and lives in a group home. The staff are working with mom’s like hers to try and help them do small jobs and begin micro-businesses so they can support and feed their children. Day after day the IV and FOCUS students play hard, carry water, work, dig, sing and pray their hearts out. This is an amazing student team and I am so proud of them and honored to be a part of this experience with them. I will be sad to leave but hopeful for the impact of this on the lives of these students and how God will multiply the blessing to both them and to the Ugandan children, brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers. Amen. -

Patrick Harner –
I love doing back flips. I remember the first time I did a back flip by myself, it took me over an hour to build up the courage and just take the literal leap of faith and trust I was going to land on my feet. This sounds silly but I prayed to God I would land on my feet. And I did. Being on this Global Issues Internship in Uganda has been a lot like that. Just the other day one of the staff of Come Let’s Dance invited us to go with her to Mulago, a government hospital in Kampala. She told us how folks there might be there for months with infected open wounds or broken limbs without treatment or friends or family to visit. Going there we had have little to offer just prayer, water, and friendship. At one point, amidst the sick and disabled, Matt, Faith, and I, became very hesitant. We needed to leap back into action and trust God was going to put us on our feet. And he did.

Erin Gumbs-
Tens of jerry cans, 1 pack of hair extensions and thousands of miles from home, my experience in Africa has been quite an adventure (to say the least). Despite some minor distractions (the novelty of sleeping in a hammock quickly wore off), the IV and FOCUS teams have shared much victory in experiencing the love of Christ in Uganda. Considering the devastation caused by war, disease and poverty in this region, the joy in the spirits of the people we have been serving seems almost impossible. Whether in the smiles of the mothers from CVI or the relentless grip of the children from CLD, God’s restoring power is something we are experiencing daily. For the first time in my life I feel like I’m fully experiencing the glory of His kingdom- and it’s a beautiful thing.

Ashley Walker-
I went into this trip hoping that God would give me some sort of epiphany, about what? I don’t know. But I figured that I’d know it when it happened. I never received such an insight, and was somewhat disappointed for the first half of our trip, but I guess that’s my fault for thinking that I would suddenly just realize my purpose in life. It’s actually a funny idea now that I look back on it. However, after the last week or two, I’ve realized that I don’t need an epiphany, because everything I’ve gone through has been an ongoing lesson that I’m sure, in the end, will result in the self-realization that I was looking for. I’ve seen the ways God work in the hearts of people, especially those who are weak and afflicted. To us, it seems like they have nothing, but in reality they have it all because of their strong and loving relationship with Christ. You can see his love in their smiles, and their personal stories only epitomize the work of his hand. The life accounts of the girls at CVI, and the interconnected testimonies of the staff at CLD are living proof that the Lord works in mysterious ways, and that only through Him can we be truly happy. And so with a week to go I look back on my time here in Africa, and know that despite all that I, and the group, has gone through, it is only bringing us closer to Christ, and for that I am truly thankful. So I still might not have one BIG THING that I’ve learned from this trip, but we’ve still got a week - so ask me when I get home ☺

Chris wepukhulu-
when I had of this mission I couldn’t imagine what I would benefit out of it because of the testimonies from the different missions we usually had at Makerere university. The most important way I was blessed in this mission was to get God ahead of everything I believed in and to practically look at implementing Gods work to his people in the different ways I could ever imagine which blessed so many lives.
I had never done any outreach to the internally displaced camps before, but I realized whatever little faith you have, you could use it to bless somebody. So to all those out there, faith comes from God and please at whatever level you are, please use it to bless some body.
“Seek yee first the kingdom of God and other things shall be added unto you”matt.6:33