As I mentioned in my last post, I didn't journal the last 2 days in Uganda, but I do want to share with you an overview and some highlights from those days.
On Wednesday, June 26th, our team focused on teaching about children's ministry to the male and female attendees of the conference. Since one of our senior pastors and our family pastor were on the team, it was a natural fit for them to be the ones to explain the importance of intentionally reaching out to children. (Considering that the median age in Uganda is 15.5, this is an incredibly important population in Uganda. Of course, I think it's an incredibly important population anywhere!) After our lessons on some whys and hows of children's ministry, we all participated in a demonstration of a children's lesson. It was a lot of fun to see all the pastors and their wives participating as the "children" in the singing and dancing. In fact, Mama Bishop said that she has never seen the men dance so much before!
This is the first time I've mentioned Mama Bishop, isn't it? Mama Bishop is the wife of the Bishop who came and opened up our conference on the first day. She is a vital part of ministry in Uganda, and she had intended to come to every day of the conference as she usually does. However, she had contracted malaria and couldn't make it to the first 2 days. Fortunately, she was feeling well enough by this 3rd day to make it, and she came to the last day too.
I had heard a lot about Mama Bishop before I even landed in Uganda, and I'd been looking forward to meeting her. My encounters with her did not disappoint. Mama Bishop garners a tremendous amount of respect, and it's clearly well-earned. In fact, I saw multiple women bow on their knees as they went to greet her, and both the men and the women became so quiet when she spoke that you could have heard a pin drop in the room. Several times during the lessons, Mama Bishop would quietly raise her hand to interject a thought or to urge the attendees to give careful consideration to a point. Her words were imbued with wisdom and authority and gentleness. Spending time with her is clearly a blessing.
Back to the day at hand, after the lessons and demonstration, the women were given the opportunity to look over a children's lesson, practice delivering it in groups, and then deliver the lesson as groups to the whole room of women. It was fascinating seeing the different approaches, styles, skill-sets, passions, and giftedness of the women as evidenced in how they presented the lessons. For example, nearly all groups relied heavily on asking the "children" to repeat what had just been said at various times in the lesson. It was an interesting glimpse of how they likely pass on oral information to the children in their culture. On the other hand, some presentation styles were very unique to the women. Although the lesson was based on a day of creation from Genesis, one woman's eyes lit up so obviously when she spoke, and she presented it with an obvious passion to share the love and applicability of God's presence available for each person. Her passion and evangelistic giftedness were clear. Finally, I enjoyed hearing what songs the women used to add to their lessons. I've been singing one of their songs back home with my own kids now!
Thursday, June 27th was a half-day at our conference. The women finished up their presentations of the children's material. We reviewed the material from the previous days of the conference, and we had a graduation time. You see, this was the 3rd and final year for these women to attend a conference led by one of our church teams. I knew that the women who had come to Uganda and spent time with these women the prior year or 2 would be emotional at this graduation. However, I didn't expect that I would personally be that emotional. Well, I was wrong. Before we presented their certificates, we each shared with the women a few words from our hearts, and I ended up crying too...right before all the graduation pictures and videos.
During this last day and the previous day, Mama Bishop asked me about 3 times if I would be coming back to Uganda. Each time, I replied with "I don't know. I'll have to pray about it and see what God's will is." Honestly, I wasn't sure whether I would be up for another trip or not. I was exhausted by then! Plus, I truly had no idea if God wanted me there for a one-time trip or for multiple trips. I sure wasn't going to commit to trying to pull all this off in my own strength out of His will! The last time that Mama Bishop asked me, I answered with my same reply, and Mama Bishop just paused, nodded, and told me I'd be back for the next year. Now, several other women that day talked to me like it was a sure thing that I'd be back to see them some day too, but when Mama Bishop said it, there was some real weight behind it somehow, like she knew something that I didn't.
Throughout my time in Uganda, there were many examples of generosity from the people in Uganda. I received a few gifts personally that touched me. Two women at the conference gifted me lovely red bracelets. I have already worn both back at home, and they remind me of my time with these women and to pray for them. One gift particularly stunned me though. It was a lollipop. Now, candy or "sweeties" as they call them are exciting treats for the young and old alike there. We gave them out both to the children at Foodstep as well as to the women at our conference. On the last day, the women were given lollipops. Right before we left, one woman named Martha stopped me to give me her lollipop. It was a Dum-Dum, the same kind of lollipop my bank back at home gives out for free. I couldn't help but think how easily I could get more at home and how much of a treasure it was for her. I didn't want to spurn her gift, but I did want to give her a way to re-consider. I said something like "Are you sure? This was meant for you." She smiled, gave me the lollipop, and told me that now I'd have something to remember her by. I have treasured that lollipop like no other. Before my trip, I had no idea how meaningful a lollipop could be or just how generous these women would be!
After our half-day of conference, we said our good-byes to these people now impressed upon my heart and began our trip back to Jinja. I enjoyed talking with teammates on the drive and taking in as much scenery as possible, knowing that it might be my last time to see any of it. There were 2 plants that I saw again on that drive that had amused me throughout the trip. Both looked like they came right out of a Dr. Seuss book. One was a plant that was as tall as our sunflowers and looked just like a giant dandelion puff. The other was a tree that grew out in the country but looked like an expert gardener had to have been pruning it for many years. The branches closer to the ground were wider than those at the top, so it had a conical shape like a Christmas tree. However, unlike a Christmas tree, it only had branches shoot out every few feet, and those branches grew at a perfect 90 degree angle to the trunk of the tree in a perfect circle around the trunk. We were close enough to one on the drive, that I could see the bottom circle of branches had exactly 6 long branches that seemed to be evenly spaced with a few feet separating them from the next circle of branches up.
The plants were not the only unusual part of the scenery that I was trying to commit to memory. Throughout the trip, I had been fascinated by their signs and how they named businesses. Many business names started with "His Grace" or "God is Good" and things like that. I decided toward the end of the drive to write down a few of the more interesting signs I was seeing. I saw "Cuppycake Nursery School," "Jesus Cares Supermarket and Butcher," "Look Right Look Left Zebra Crossing," and an ad that said "For the love of nice chicks with big thighs" (It was an ad for chicken if you haven't figured it out yet.).
Once we made it to Jinja, we had a team debriefing, a chance to freshen up, and a dinner before heading to the airport to start our long flights home. At the team debriefing, I shared what I was starting to process more about relational poverty, but I'll wait to share more about that with you all until my next post when I'll talk about some of my "Big Take-Aways." For now, I'll leave you with a couple pictures from my last 2 days at the conference.
Both of these pictures were taken at the request of the lovely women I'm with in the pic. The first was a picture to memorialize our heavily green-coordinated outfits and the second to represent my relationship with "Mama Mary." (I mentioned Mary in my post about the first day at the conference.) By this last day, not only did Mama Mary want a picture with me, her "daughter," posed in this motherly way but Mary's mother was also smiling that she must be my grandmother then.
On Wednesday, June 26th, our team focused on teaching about children's ministry to the male and female attendees of the conference. Since one of our senior pastors and our family pastor were on the team, it was a natural fit for them to be the ones to explain the importance of intentionally reaching out to children. (Considering that the median age in Uganda is 15.5, this is an incredibly important population in Uganda. Of course, I think it's an incredibly important population anywhere!) After our lessons on some whys and hows of children's ministry, we all participated in a demonstration of a children's lesson. It was a lot of fun to see all the pastors and their wives participating as the "children" in the singing and dancing. In fact, Mama Bishop said that she has never seen the men dance so much before!
This is the first time I've mentioned Mama Bishop, isn't it? Mama Bishop is the wife of the Bishop who came and opened up our conference on the first day. She is a vital part of ministry in Uganda, and she had intended to come to every day of the conference as she usually does. However, she had contracted malaria and couldn't make it to the first 2 days. Fortunately, she was feeling well enough by this 3rd day to make it, and she came to the last day too.
I had heard a lot about Mama Bishop before I even landed in Uganda, and I'd been looking forward to meeting her. My encounters with her did not disappoint. Mama Bishop garners a tremendous amount of respect, and it's clearly well-earned. In fact, I saw multiple women bow on their knees as they went to greet her, and both the men and the women became so quiet when she spoke that you could have heard a pin drop in the room. Several times during the lessons, Mama Bishop would quietly raise her hand to interject a thought or to urge the attendees to give careful consideration to a point. Her words were imbued with wisdom and authority and gentleness. Spending time with her is clearly a blessing.
Back to the day at hand, after the lessons and demonstration, the women were given the opportunity to look over a children's lesson, practice delivering it in groups, and then deliver the lesson as groups to the whole room of women. It was fascinating seeing the different approaches, styles, skill-sets, passions, and giftedness of the women as evidenced in how they presented the lessons. For example, nearly all groups relied heavily on asking the "children" to repeat what had just been said at various times in the lesson. It was an interesting glimpse of how they likely pass on oral information to the children in their culture. On the other hand, some presentation styles were very unique to the women. Although the lesson was based on a day of creation from Genesis, one woman's eyes lit up so obviously when she spoke, and she presented it with an obvious passion to share the love and applicability of God's presence available for each person. Her passion and evangelistic giftedness were clear. Finally, I enjoyed hearing what songs the women used to add to their lessons. I've been singing one of their songs back home with my own kids now!
Thursday, June 27th was a half-day at our conference. The women finished up their presentations of the children's material. We reviewed the material from the previous days of the conference, and we had a graduation time. You see, this was the 3rd and final year for these women to attend a conference led by one of our church teams. I knew that the women who had come to Uganda and spent time with these women the prior year or 2 would be emotional at this graduation. However, I didn't expect that I would personally be that emotional. Well, I was wrong. Before we presented their certificates, we each shared with the women a few words from our hearts, and I ended up crying too...right before all the graduation pictures and videos.
During this last day and the previous day, Mama Bishop asked me about 3 times if I would be coming back to Uganda. Each time, I replied with "I don't know. I'll have to pray about it and see what God's will is." Honestly, I wasn't sure whether I would be up for another trip or not. I was exhausted by then! Plus, I truly had no idea if God wanted me there for a one-time trip or for multiple trips. I sure wasn't going to commit to trying to pull all this off in my own strength out of His will! The last time that Mama Bishop asked me, I answered with my same reply, and Mama Bishop just paused, nodded, and told me I'd be back for the next year. Now, several other women that day talked to me like it was a sure thing that I'd be back to see them some day too, but when Mama Bishop said it, there was some real weight behind it somehow, like she knew something that I didn't.
Throughout my time in Uganda, there were many examples of generosity from the people in Uganda. I received a few gifts personally that touched me. Two women at the conference gifted me lovely red bracelets. I have already worn both back at home, and they remind me of my time with these women and to pray for them. One gift particularly stunned me though. It was a lollipop. Now, candy or "sweeties" as they call them are exciting treats for the young and old alike there. We gave them out both to the children at Foodstep as well as to the women at our conference. On the last day, the women were given lollipops. Right before we left, one woman named Martha stopped me to give me her lollipop. It was a Dum-Dum, the same kind of lollipop my bank back at home gives out for free. I couldn't help but think how easily I could get more at home and how much of a treasure it was for her. I didn't want to spurn her gift, but I did want to give her a way to re-consider. I said something like "Are you sure? This was meant for you." She smiled, gave me the lollipop, and told me that now I'd have something to remember her by. I have treasured that lollipop like no other. Before my trip, I had no idea how meaningful a lollipop could be or just how generous these women would be!
After our half-day of conference, we said our good-byes to these people now impressed upon my heart and began our trip back to Jinja. I enjoyed talking with teammates on the drive and taking in as much scenery as possible, knowing that it might be my last time to see any of it. There were 2 plants that I saw again on that drive that had amused me throughout the trip. Both looked like they came right out of a Dr. Seuss book. One was a plant that was as tall as our sunflowers and looked just like a giant dandelion puff. The other was a tree that grew out in the country but looked like an expert gardener had to have been pruning it for many years. The branches closer to the ground were wider than those at the top, so it had a conical shape like a Christmas tree. However, unlike a Christmas tree, it only had branches shoot out every few feet, and those branches grew at a perfect 90 degree angle to the trunk of the tree in a perfect circle around the trunk. We were close enough to one on the drive, that I could see the bottom circle of branches had exactly 6 long branches that seemed to be evenly spaced with a few feet separating them from the next circle of branches up.
The plants were not the only unusual part of the scenery that I was trying to commit to memory. Throughout the trip, I had been fascinated by their signs and how they named businesses. Many business names started with "His Grace" or "God is Good" and things like that. I decided toward the end of the drive to write down a few of the more interesting signs I was seeing. I saw "Cuppycake Nursery School," "Jesus Cares Supermarket and Butcher," "Look Right Look Left Zebra Crossing," and an ad that said "For the love of nice chicks with big thighs" (It was an ad for chicken if you haven't figured it out yet.).
Once we made it to Jinja, we had a team debriefing, a chance to freshen up, and a dinner before heading to the airport to start our long flights home. At the team debriefing, I shared what I was starting to process more about relational poverty, but I'll wait to share more about that with you all until my next post when I'll talk about some of my "Big Take-Aways." For now, I'll leave you with a couple pictures from my last 2 days at the conference.
Both of these pictures were taken at the request of the lovely women I'm with in the pic. The first was a picture to memorialize our heavily green-coordinated outfits and the second to represent my relationship with "Mama Mary." (I mentioned Mary in my post about the first day at the conference.) By this last day, not only did Mama Mary want a picture with me, her "daughter," posed in this motherly way but Mary's mother was also smiling that she must be my grandmother then.
I was surprised on the plane ride home how much I already missed these 2 women and others!
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