All in a day's activities!

So, yesterday (Sunday) included visits to Green Pastures children church, the Maya dental clinic project and the Acholi community.

Within all of that:

• ·      Some of them went to church for the first time ever
• ·       Those who have been to a UK church before all said how much better their Ugandan experience was than UK churches
• ·      They all heard a lively ‘preach’ of God’s love, through word, music and dancing
• ·      Many said that if church was that lively in the UK they’d be up for giving it a go – to which those of us who go to church did gently point out that there are some lively and happening churches in the UK!
• ·      They all had a practical, lived-out case study of sustainable living through the dental clinic that is solar powered, bio-gas for fuel, rainwater harvesting for water supply, and built out of eco-friendly bricks
• ·      They heard the story behind the dental clinic which all came from a 16-yr old UK girl who went to Uganda on a team, saw a need, responded by sharing her dream of making a difference, and didn’t give up – very powerful story to hear, and a lot of this team were very impacted by it
• ·      They were introduced to the concept of being good stewards of God’s earth, and sharing resources with others rather than just looking out for number one – a seemingly new thought process for some of them
• ·      They came face to face with abject poverty, held hands with children running around bare foot, or with broken sandals, wearing clothes that would have long ago go in the rag bag at home, and yet still smiling, laughing, and giving thanks for life – mind blowing for our young people for whom possessions are so often nine-tenths of the law (apologies to all young people who don’t live by that standard!)
• ·      They shared in bead-making with the Acholi ladies, learnt a new skill, and realised the impact that selling the beads has for the ladies, who now don’t have to work in the quarries.

The outcome – lots of thought-provoking experiences taking place, lots of processing going on, lots of spiritual, emotional and physical challenging for each of them, and a massive amount of enthusiasm for the week to come!

Will keep you posted on Smiler and his family, but for now the two-pronged mission trip continues!

Thank you for your prayers

Helen