Big Take-Aways from the Uganda Trip

I'm back at home in Texas now, but my trip is not yet over.  God is still teaching me and working things out in me that became illuminated in this trip. I want to share with you a brief list of some of my big take-aways from this trip (so far).

* God is SO big and SO loving.

Watching Him knit together the big and small details of this trip was incredible.  Daily, I had moments of recognizing "That was God.  He did that right there."  It made me realize that back at home there are probably a lot more of those moments that I don't recognize.  I see a good "coincidence" or even a "blessing," but I don't stop and say, "That was awesome, God!  Thank you for that!"  James 1:17 says, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." God wasn't different in Uganda than He is here. Is there a good and perfect gift in my day? That was from God. I need to learn to recognize that more and thank Him for those gifts.

Also, I can trust God to take care of the big and little details.  He really will work all things together for the good of those who love Him.

* Praise God like no one is watching.

I've said before that the times of praise and worship in Uganda were incredible, and they were.  Not only were they truly joyful, but they were a workout!  I felt like I had gone through a little mini-Zumba workout after each one, and I loved it.  I was praising God with my mind, my heart, and my body.  There wasn't this aura of self-consciousness that kept us all focused on ourselves.  I've been praising God more fully since I've been home.  If I want to raise my hands, jump up and down, or even put a little rhythm in my feet to praise the Lord, and if it isn't disruptive to the worship of those around me, then by golly, I'm going to do it...and with a focus on connecting with God not on the potential thoughts of others!

I also discovered anew in Uganda that you can praise God in just about any activity.  Mama Mary sang a simple song with different verses like "Sing Hallelujah," "Dance Hallelujah," "Wave Hallelujah," "Jump Hallelujah," "Greet Hallelujah," and "Sit Hallelujah," and it truly reminded me that I can do all these things and more while praising God or even as a praise to God.  Today I sang "Unload Hallelujah" as I unloaded the dishwasher, and that was the best time of unloading a dishwasher that I have had in a long time! I don't remember the last time that I thanked God for our dishes!

Psalm 100 says,

"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.

Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise
give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations."

* Relationships are not meant to be disposable, and they are the vehicle by which ministry happens.  

I saw real and warm relationships in Uganda that highlighted my own relational poverty.  I live in a culture that views relationships as disposable.  We leave churches, small groups, friendships, marriages, and teams with abandon when they start to get too uncomfortable.  In fact, we won't even start one that we think might be too awkward for us.  I'm putting a stop to this in myself.  It's time for me to grow relationally and in community. The book Reclaiming Adoption: Missional Living Through the Rediscovery of Abba Father with Dan Cruver as editor says this: "Because God is a communion of eternal Persons, and we were made in his triune image, it is clear that we were created to live in communion with other persons--with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and with other human beings.  This is central to what it means to be created in the image of God and therefore central to what it means to be on mission with God."  Relationships are messy.  They're hard.  They involve sacrifice and suffering.  All of this was modeled by our Savior, Jesus Christ, who endured death (Talk about getting messy!) for the sake of bringing us into relationship with Him in the triune presence of God!  "We love because He first loved us." (1 John 4:19)

Reclaiming Adoption quotes Dave Gibbons' book The Monkey and the Fish: Liquid Leadership for Third Culture Leaders with this:

 "The soul of the Great Commission and the Great Commandment leans into difficult people and their complexities.  It's to be the essence of who we are as Christians.  In fact, unity of mind and generosity of spirit in the midst of diversity is the distinguishing mark of true Christian community.

"It's a bold radical endeavor: to love our neighbor.  But it's the endeavor God has called us to.  It's where the gospel becomes real.  It really speaks to the power of Jesus if we can work through our discomfort and overcome the barriers we too easily let divide us."

This is what I'm trying to work on now, working through my discomfort and overcoming the barriers that keep me from engaging in relationships. I realized on my flight home from Uganda that I needed to practice this more fully at home before stressing about how best to implement this in another culture! So, I look at decisions differently now.  I clean my house so that it will be a functional place for relationships and growth, not a trash heap that I have to hide nor a magazine-worthy place that becomes my obsession. I've committed to spending time each week in a summer small group because growing in relationships and in Him is more important than sleeping in. When there's a disagreement on a team, I'm more concerned about restoring team unity than on us all coming to a perfect and "right" resolution.  When something is said from the pulpit that I'm not sure I agree with 100%, I'm setting aside my thoughts of "Is this an important enough point to leave the church over?" and recognizing that the church is not just about a series of theological beliefs; it's a body of believers in which I am called to engage.  I'm trying to look through more relationally-tinted and grace-filled lenses these days.  I have a lot of growth ahead of me in this!


I want to go back to Uganda now.  In fact, I want to go for the next 3 summers and form relationships with a group of conference attendees as they grow through those 3 years.  I want to grow with them.  I want to go back and hug A at Foodstep and share a new game with him.  I want to find out what happened to P and SR...have their needs been addressed?  I want to meet more children to love on there. I want to go back and see the people at Hesed and our driver and anyone else I have the chance to see again and talk with them about how they've been.  I want to stand in church there and give testimony of how God used my first trip in Uganda to grow me up in Him and in community.  I don't know yet if I'll have the opportunity to do any of this, but I have the heart for it now.