Henry Blackaby in his book - Experiencing God - coined a simple but challenging phrase:
"Find out where God is at work and join Him there"
Kevin and I have recently decided to go on a short-term mission trip to Uganda, Africa in May 2010. We believe God is hard at work in a village outside of Kampala, Uganda called Bweya Village and we want to join Him there. God has been working in our lives in so many ways and He has now opened the door for us to be a part of a team that is traveling to Uganda with an organization called "ekissa" (the Lugandan word for "mercy"). This organization was started by our good friend, Sarah Ledford.
Even though we don't physically leave for our trip for several more months, I feel like our "trip" has already begun. In our minds simply making the decision to go 8000 miles away from our 2 year old and the comfort of our own home for 10 days to go minister to orphans and residents in Uganda was the "official" start of our trip. We are already beginning to prepare for this trip with regards to vaccines, passports, childcare, finances, Ugandan culture, and of course preparing ourselves spiritually and mentally. During this trip, we will be engaged in ministry to the children and caregivers of Mercy Orphanage, Bethany Children's Home, and the residents of Bweya Village.
Before you think we've totally "flipped our lids" (I just love that Southern saying!), there are lots of questions we've had to answer for and within ourselves that you may also be wondering about, so we thought we'd take this first post to answer them here...
Where in the world is Uganda?
Uganda is a landlocked country in eastern Africa, bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by Tanzania. The southern portion of the country includes a substantial portion of Lake Victoria. The guest house we will be staying in is beside Lake Victoria.
What do you know about Uganda?
Ummm, not much......yet. In fact, before we considered this trip neither of us could probably point it out on a map of Africa! Our friend, Sarah Ledford, has been to Uganda several times and will be our team leader on the trip. As she has traveled, I've kept up with her stories and learned more about the people and culture of Uganda, as well as what the teams have been accomplishing during the trips. Our research has told us some very interesting, disturbing, and exciting things about the country and its residents. Uganda is about the size of the state of Oregon with a population of 27.3 million, yet has 10% of the world's population of orphans. It is in the top 25% of the poorest nations in the world with 50% of the population under the age of 15. Ugandans on average make $1.50 per day. Life expectancy is 51 years old. 320 children die in Uganda every day from Malaria and the cost of treatment is just $8. Most Ugandans get Malaria 6 times per year. Treated mosquito nets have proven to reduce the risk of contracting Malaria by 65%, a reduction from 6 cases per person to 2 cases per year. One net is effective for 5 years and costs less than $10. There are 49 deaths each day due to HIV/AIDS as well as a high percentage of breast cancer with only 5 mammogram machines in the whole country. 66% of the 27.3 million in population claim Christianity with 16% Muslim and 18% Indigenous. Around 40 different languages are regularly and currently in use, with English being the official language. You are also likely to hear Luganda and Swahili. Football (what we call soccer) is the most popular sport in Uganda.
Learning these things also helped us to realize that while there's a desperate need in our own town/country/state/nation, even the poorest we could imagine here in America would be considered wealthy in Uganda. While the community service Kevin and I are both a part of now is invaluable, immersing ourselves fully into a culture so completely different from what we've ever seen or are used to will be an experience that cannot be compared to anything we've ever done in our lives.
Why (in the Heck) are you going 8000 miles away from Whit for 10 days?
We firmly believe that "we need Africa more than Africa needs us". What this means to us is that while we may hear Africa and think of poverty, orphans, HIV/AIDS, starvation, tribes, etc., we also tend to think, "how can I help" or "how can I make a difference?" While in reality, Africans can actually be the ones to help us. We have heard and seen pictures of how Africans are just filled with joy. While we may look at them and think, "what in the world could you possibly have to rejoice about in those conditions or situations", they've got joy from somewhere we cannot envision here in America in the midst all of our "stuff." In places and circumstances where we would normally think that despair should thrive, instead, the people of Africa decide to choose joy. They put new meanings to the words "faith" and "grace" in the (forced) simplicity of their everyday lives. Of course Africa is in desperate need of our resources, prayers, and efforts - but at the same time, we (Kevin and I) also proportionately and exceedingly need Africa. We need to be reminded that possessions do not equate to happiness or fulfillment. We need to be reminded of the simplicity of life, of God's grace and mercy, and of his faithfulness in the midst of despair and hopelessness. Africa has so much to teach us. So while we are bringing invaluable resources to them during our trip, consequently in exchange we will also be gaining so much for our lives. Many instrumental things that will unquestionably affect our marriage, our family, our community, our church, our faith. So that's why we're traveling 8000 miles away from our precious 2 year old son and the comfort of our own home and lives for 10 days to go to Uganda. In the end we realize that 10 days go by very quickly but we know that those 10 days will change our lives. We desperately want so much more out of our lives than professional careers and a middle class lifestyle. We have become complacent in our faith and are ready to shake things up within our souls -- if it takes a trip to Africa to do that, then sign us up! In a nutshell, we hope to go to Africa to humbly help expand God's Kingdom in whatever way(s) He can use us in order to make an impact on the lives of the Ugandans we meet as well as on our own lives for eternity.
You may be wondering, well, how did you know you were supposed to go on a mission trip, and to Uganda? The "canned" response is, we just wholeheartedly, 100%, without a doubt know this is what we're supposed to be doing. However, we both know that saying that doesn't minister much to others or give them a glimpse into what God can do or how to obey Him, so we're individually working on our responses to that question and will get back to you in a future blog. Until then, stay tuned and enjoy the "trip" with us to Uganda - before, during, and after.
James 1:27: "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."
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