W.O.W.!
Our first proper day out in Uganda - and what a baptism of fire! After a few mix-ups this morning, none of which seemed to cause much stress, we made it to TAIP's offices in Jinja town where we met Sam Mugote, the director, and his team, including our guide Fred, as well as David and Joseph and a cool young man called Timothy Mugote (Sam's son). He is training to be a lawyer and seems more westernized in some ways than many of the other Ugandans. This is no bad thing, as he is knowledgable and easy to communicate with - a good go between for when we get our wires crossed! We are still learning how to be here.
After a brief chat with TAIP it was off to Kakira - an area mainly populated by sugar plantation workers' families - to visit Cornerstone Baptist Church. Words cannot describe the gracious and friendly welcome we received from Pastor Paul and his team. Kakira seems much poorer that the the cities . Many homes are simple bricks or even mud houses, or combinations of various materials. It also seems notably harder-edged, dirtier and more desperate than any place we have yet seen.
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| One of the streets in the community of Kakira |
After a few introductions, we were told we would be going out in to the community to evangelise! We were put into teams who then prayed and went off. I had no idea what to expect, but was so thankful for the presence of Timothy and the church secretary Gorette. She said to me: "Ok, we will visit the house, and then the stage is yours to preach." How terrifying! We split into a further sub-teams and I was forced to leave Emily and Sarah to go it alone with some of the Cornerstone people - we could all feel our comfort zones evporating around us!
We visited three houses - there seemed to be some uncertainty as to whether the inhabitants were 'born again' or merely nominal Christians, or indeed had any faith at all. At the third home, the lady of the house was a Muslim, and I had to engage with her quite reasonable assertion that we were all believers in God, so why did she need Christianity. I spoke a little about the uniqueness of Jesus in my life, and that Jesus himself claimed to be "The Way, the Truth and the Life", as Timothy interpreted for me. I don't know if she was very convinced, but an animated discussion in Lugandan ensued between her, Timothy and Gorette of which I understood little, but which was punctuated by verses from the Book of Revelation about final judgement, works of righteousness and salvation through Jesus. It was hellfire and damnation stuff, the like of which we completely avoid in the liberal West. But it obviously engaged this poor Muslim lady, who listened thoughtfully as her daughters and granddaughters sat on mats on her meagre porch. The children looked malnourished, and were clearly very poor - they had nothing to play with except bottle lids. Once was about the same age as Aidan, and we were informed she was sick. So we finished speaking with "Mama" - the grandmother - and laid hands on this child, praying for healing power and for this to glorify God and testify to his truth and goodness.
The other ladies we met and prayed for were perhaps nominal Christians, and we focussed more on speaking about change and the importance of fellowship in bringing about discipleship in their lives. As Pastor Paul later said, the people here are open to hear what you have to say - even if they disagree - and this means that evangelism door-to-door is still possible here in a way that is close to inconceivable in the West.
The morning's work was hugely humbling, stretching and faith-building for all of us. Pastor Paul's team which included some of our group saw four people give their lives to Christ! The church at Cornerstone now has the task of discipling them so they can make a life out of the committment made.
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| Clara and I (with Timothy) singing A Red, Red Rose when asked for a Scottish song - on the porch at Estella's house where we had lunch |
Then it was back to the community for home visits to those with whom the church had been visiting, building relationships over the last few months. My team, including Gorette and Pastor Paul visited a woman who was sick with malaria. I was deeply unsettled and saddened, not only by her illness, but by her living conditions - a one-roomed mud and brick box with a single bed, a matress on the floor, a big pile of cooking pots and jerry cans in the corner, and a small fire outside for cooking on I have never seen such desperately poor conditions in all my life. I felt extremely conspicuous with my western clothes and bottled water and felt helpless to aid this poor woman other than to offer prayer and love. But I thank God that those things I did have to share and to give. I prayed in faith for healing power to come, and for her to know the closeness of God in her suffering. It felt like a very weak prayer indeed, but I trust that my presence coveyed somethign of God's care for her. As we left, Paul and Gorette gave some money for continued medication and promised to visit again soon.
This woman was another Muslim, and Paul explained walking back that there is not the same outreach and care from the Muslim community to their own. Many, he said, would convert to Christianity but for the fear that if they apostosise they could be killed under certain interpretations of the Koran. In this situation, it is much more important to share the love of God, and his care for the sick and poor. A powerful, tragic and hopeful encounter all in one. Something must be done about this poverty though.
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| One of the kids in Kakira |
We came back together at the church building to pray and praise before some final sharing and departure. Gorette led us in an exuberant time of worship which just seemed to come out of nowhere! Before we knew it, we were praising and shouting and dancing and hugging and laughing in the house of the LORD, in this doorless and windowless bare-brick building in the middle of a lake of poverty and degradation. We did not hide our light under a bushel! Many little kids came to watch and join in, and later we had such fun playing with them - the most beautiful, happy children you could ever imagine - and yet so poor.
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| Playing with the kids at Cornerstone Baptist Church |
Cornerstone is a wonderful beacon of hope in a tough community to whom we are so grateful for hosting us. However, you would think that it was us who were doing them the favour, at the sheer amount of thanks we received for our visit. Ugandan Christians are wonderful people, and they worship a wonderful God.
We finished the day back at the hotel, when after another yummy Ugandan meal, we were very tired. I did manage to slip in a guitar lesson with our amazing hotel employee Daniel, who was overjoyed to learn the E chord and the D chord! He would love a guitar, but cannot afford to buy one on his wages. He loves country music, and his three favourite artists are Jim Reeves, Don Williams and Kenny Rogers! I promised him a third chord tomorrow...
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