Wow. I have been home now for about three days. It has been really hard to put into words all of the things I saw and experienced when I was in Africa. It's a kind of trip you really can't prepare for- and coming back, I also know it's a kind of trip that rocks your concept of everything you know. The hardest part for me in sharing everything that happened to me is that mostly it's really sad. Ok, first it was really scary, then the sad part kicks in. The despair is overwhelming. I don't like to complain or speak negatively, but I want to honestly share what I saw because I can't do anything less.
One of the biggest things God taught me on this trip is His sovereign plan. He designs things in our lives to attack our weak points and refine us as through fire. The first week I was in Africa, I was scared to death. I was so scared, I contemplated coming home. I was so scared that my mind kind of shut down and literally, my thought process was, just follow everyone else around and do anything you can to get through these next three weeks. The reason for my fear was what happened when we landed.
Day 1: Kampala, Uganda
After we travelled for two and a half loooooongg days, we finally made it to the guesthouse in Kapala. Originally, we weer going to spend two nights there and then fly to the little village of Kitgum for the rest of the trip. When we landed in Kampala, we were greated by the director of Far Reaching Ministries (FRM) who was on his way back to America. But first he sat us down and told us about something that happened about an hour before we landed. The war in Uganda has been going on for about twenty years. Because the president can't defeat the rebel LRA army, people who live way out in the country are not safe. So, the government moved all the Northern Uganda people into camps "temporarily" until the rebels were defeated and it was safe for them to go home. That was 20 years ago. Originally, the Acholi tribe were a pastoral tribe and farmed their own land. But now they are squished together in these terrible camps and have no way of providing food for themselves. So they rely on relief organizations like UNICEF, the UN, Food for the Hungry, etc. to feed them everyday. Without the help of these organizations, they would starve.
Because the LRA is so dangerous, everytime an organization goes anywhere outside the town of Kitgum, they have to hire military escorts from the Ugandan government. Without these armed escorts, the LRA rebels would ambush the convoy for sure. FRM also hires military escorts to travel outside the town for the same reasons. The news we found out when we landed is that the president decided not to allow any military escorts anymore for organizations. This means that over 2.5 million people would begin to starve as of that day because no one will travel out there without armed guards.
So FRM was worried that the people in the camps would rise up and riot because they were slowly going to be starving to death. Because of this, they postposed our flight into Kitgum for ten days.
That night, the evacuated an American missionary who lives there and she came and joined us in Kampala.
So that was my introduction to Africa- five minutes after we walked in the house. As the days went on, I continued to hear scary reports. One was that they the compound guards at the guesthouse in Kitgum saw five guys staking out the FRM guesthouse. They were taking pictures of the place where we were going to stay. The guards didn't know if they were LRA or robbers, but pretty much, I'm scared of either group!
During the time we stayed in Kampala, they also gave us books to read about the LRA and different kinds of reports from different organizations. We received daily and weekly reports on LRA activity. One report for the week prior to when we were there actually ended with the words, "LRA activity has been slow this week." But I went back and counted the number of abductions and there were 17. I am sure the families of those 17 people wouldn't have considered it a slow week.
Almost every day, I would get new information that would just scare me even worse. You can probably see now why I was so scared! I knew that Uganda was going to be intense, but I honestly didn't comprehend that I was going into a warzone. On average, between the rebels, the government soldiers and civilians who are in the worng place at the wrong time, about 147 people die each week from this war. I have never before felt like I was truly in danger of losing my life and there I was face to face with the reality that it might happen. And I realized that I wasn't scared to die- I was terrified of being attacked or abducted and living through it.
But, as I started off by saying, God is faithful to take our weaknesses and work them out in us. He is not a God of fear and does not want us to fear because He has numbered all of our days. Nothing that happens to us goes unnoticed or happens without His foreknowledge, so there truly is no reason to fear. And He gave me this passage to comfort me:
“And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him! “Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows." Luke 12: 4-7
It also helped when I started asking other people if they were scared too... which, no surpise, they were. But I know God planned that extra time in Kampala for us to work through that, and by the time we left for Kitgum ten days later, we were all actually really excited!!!
I am just going to write about my trip in little pieces I think... there's so much to say! :)
But here are some photos of the guesthouse in Kampala, our guard there and a Calvary Chapel we visited just outside Kampala. These pictures of the kids are Easter Sunday. Really quickly about this church. The village's name is Entebbe. Over half of the population is under 15 years old because AIDS has killed so many people. So there are many children who live in orphanages. This church has only been there three months and their congregation is about 60 people, but every Sunday, they have more than 200 kids come to their Sunday School! Older children walk with their younger siblings from miles and miles away just to come here the Bible taught. It was truly amazing to see.
Kampala:
One of the biggest things God taught me on this trip is His sovereign plan. He designs things in our lives to attack our weak points and refine us as through fire. The first week I was in Africa, I was scared to death. I was so scared, I contemplated coming home. I was so scared that my mind kind of shut down and literally, my thought process was, just follow everyone else around and do anything you can to get through these next three weeks. The reason for my fear was what happened when we landed.
Day 1: Kampala, Uganda
After we travelled for two and a half loooooongg days, we finally made it to the guesthouse in Kapala. Originally, we weer going to spend two nights there and then fly to the little village of Kitgum for the rest of the trip. When we landed in Kampala, we were greated by the director of Far Reaching Ministries (FRM) who was on his way back to America. But first he sat us down and told us about something that happened about an hour before we landed. The war in Uganda has been going on for about twenty years. Because the president can't defeat the rebel LRA army, people who live way out in the country are not safe. So, the government moved all the Northern Uganda people into camps "temporarily" until the rebels were defeated and it was safe for them to go home. That was 20 years ago. Originally, the Acholi tribe were a pastoral tribe and farmed their own land. But now they are squished together in these terrible camps and have no way of providing food for themselves. So they rely on relief organizations like UNICEF, the UN, Food for the Hungry, etc. to feed them everyday. Without the help of these organizations, they would starve.
Because the LRA is so dangerous, everytime an organization goes anywhere outside the town of Kitgum, they have to hire military escorts from the Ugandan government. Without these armed escorts, the LRA rebels would ambush the convoy for sure. FRM also hires military escorts to travel outside the town for the same reasons. The news we found out when we landed is that the president decided not to allow any military escorts anymore for organizations. This means that over 2.5 million people would begin to starve as of that day because no one will travel out there without armed guards.
So FRM was worried that the people in the camps would rise up and riot because they were slowly going to be starving to death. Because of this, they postposed our flight into Kitgum for ten days.
That night, the evacuated an American missionary who lives there and she came and joined us in Kampala.
So that was my introduction to Africa- five minutes after we walked in the house. As the days went on, I continued to hear scary reports. One was that they the compound guards at the guesthouse in Kitgum saw five guys staking out the FRM guesthouse. They were taking pictures of the place where we were going to stay. The guards didn't know if they were LRA or robbers, but pretty much, I'm scared of either group!
During the time we stayed in Kampala, they also gave us books to read about the LRA and different kinds of reports from different organizations. We received daily and weekly reports on LRA activity. One report for the week prior to when we were there actually ended with the words, "LRA activity has been slow this week." But I went back and counted the number of abductions and there were 17. I am sure the families of those 17 people wouldn't have considered it a slow week.
Almost every day, I would get new information that would just scare me even worse. You can probably see now why I was so scared! I knew that Uganda was going to be intense, but I honestly didn't comprehend that I was going into a warzone. On average, between the rebels, the government soldiers and civilians who are in the worng place at the wrong time, about 147 people die each week from this war. I have never before felt like I was truly in danger of losing my life and there I was face to face with the reality that it might happen. And I realized that I wasn't scared to die- I was terrified of being attacked or abducted and living through it.
But, as I started off by saying, God is faithful to take our weaknesses and work them out in us. He is not a God of fear and does not want us to fear because He has numbered all of our days. Nothing that happens to us goes unnoticed or happens without His foreknowledge, so there truly is no reason to fear. And He gave me this passage to comfort me:
“And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him! “Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows." Luke 12: 4-7
It also helped when I started asking other people if they were scared too... which, no surpise, they were. But I know God planned that extra time in Kampala for us to work through that, and by the time we left for Kitgum ten days later, we were all actually really excited!!!
I am just going to write about my trip in little pieces I think... there's so much to say! :)
But here are some photos of the guesthouse in Kampala, our guard there and a Calvary Chapel we visited just outside Kampala. These pictures of the kids are Easter Sunday. Really quickly about this church. The village's name is Entebbe. Over half of the population is under 15 years old because AIDS has killed so many people. So there are many children who live in orphanages. This church has only been there three months and their congregation is about 60 people, but every Sunday, they have more than 200 kids come to their Sunday School! Older children walk with their younger siblings from miles and miles away just to come here the Bible taught. It was truly amazing to see.
Kampala:
This is the guesthouse in Kampala.
One of our guards.
Calvary Chapel Entebbe:
Sunday School
Easter Sunday
3 comments:
i don't know if you remember, but you posted a comment on my blog and you said something about accepting jesus chrsit in my life. thanks for that. my faith was awakened. I now pray a lot and i have been feeling much much better.
JAIM! I'm crying, I wish you could have brought me 100 of those kids. Thank God He protected you and that you are home safely. I can't wait to hear more...although it is seriously depressing. Love you! -Ashley
so glad you made it back safely! Write me when you have a chance! I missed you!!
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