So much to say...

I am back from Uganda! What a trip! In the 24+ hr journey home I tried to package everything that I've experienced and learned into a neat format that I can share with all of you but even now I am not sure that I fully have wrapped my mind around these last two weeks. So many lessons. So many blessings. More than the setting, more than the activities, the people of Uganda made the trip wonderful. They are such a friendly, loving, content people who live with attitudes totally contraindicated by their circumstances. I will try to pass on what they taught me.
(1) They do not hold others at arms length but completely open up their hearts and invest in your life. Everywhere that we went we were greeted with smiles and waves. Here in the states, both outside and inside the church, we shun vulnerability and let only a select few into the deep recesses of who we are. Most relationships do not pass beyond acquaintances. We do the least amount for one another. Our smiles are hollow because while we are glad to fill seats in our church we don't really want to sacrifice and lay down our lives for each other. Jesus said, "They will know you are my disciples by your love." Ugandans have grasped this. We still have far to go. I pray for God's grace to embrace others, to go the extra mile. (2) They are extremely giving. Americans give out of their abundance but Ugandans give out of their poverty. It was so eye opening to realize that people do still live in dirt huts dressed in rags. My definition of poverty was completely inaccurate; for the poor that we live with are rich compared with the average northern Ugandan. My eyes were open to my selfishness. I usually only give when it is convenient, when I can spare it. Westerners are selfish with their money, their time, the gospel. We lose the attitude of gratefulness to God and claim ownership of the resources which we have been given. This is why church budgets are behind, church staffs are burnt out, and the message of hope is not being spread. We are too busy buying into the world's ambitions and pursuing what we think is the definition of success. (3)They are content. They have little. They work hard, they suffer, they are persecuted, disease is rampant, but yet they face everything with a peaceful smile and rarely is a complaint vocalized. How different from our culture where we demand our way and the slightest inconvenience throws our day off track! Perhaps if everything that we place such importance in were stripped away and all that was left was our relationship with Jesus; perhaps then we would remember that true contentment comes only when we are not self-sufficient, when our lives are hidden in Christ. I think that we have a skewed view of what being a disciple means. Many times we view ourselves as reservists who sign up for weekend duty. We can claim partnership with Christ and receive all of His benefits but if the call to go to war is given we are caught off guard and surprised. We never intended to actually have to fight. We are called to suffer! Jesus said that if the world hated Him they will surely hate His disciples. How we shy away from active duty. We are on this planet to bring glory to God. A natural response of this is to share the Gospel. I am learning that the reason there are so many discontented, unhappy believers is that we are neglecting our purpose in life and forfeiting all of the joy and peace and spiritual blessings that can only be experienced when we are in the center of God's will. (4) I have learned to cherish my spiritual equipping. The lack of Bibles and Christian literature, the inaccessibility of seminary and cultural misconceptions combine to create a very weak understanding of God's Word. In many churches only the pastor owns a Bible which means he has no accountability and many fallacies are taught. In one camp this man sitting next to me (he could speak English) was so enamored with the sermon notes I had stuck in my Bible. He wanted to read every one that I had. How I take for granted the preaching and teaching that I have received since I was a small child! I was struck by how adequately the Ugandan church practices prayer. It's an amazing experience to have a whole congregation praying LOUDLY all at once. Jim Cymbala wrote that "the prayer meeting is the thermometer of the spiritual life of the church." (that wasn't word for word but close) We put so much emphasis on salvation that we forget the other amazing gift purchased on the cross-free access into the holy presence of our God. How often do we pass up this priceless commodity! Prayer is powerful. It binds believers together. Our eyes are blind in this area. Wow! This is getting really long and I have only skimmed the surface! I haven't even told you of the 9 hour journey from Kampala to Lira, being bug splattered and knee deep in mud, the ice cold showers, not having toilets, hanging on for dear life in the back of a truck while bouncing over crazy dirt roads and getting stuck in the mud, interacting with those suffering from AIDS and the challenge of sharing hope from God's Word and the message of salvation. There is so much to tell! Thank you once again for all of your prayers and support and encouragement! I could not have made the trip without God working through each of you. I am challenged to continue walking in the lessons that I have learned. It's easy to depend upon events and organizations to foster environments in which we can proclaim Jesus as Lord and neglect the dying around us. Oh that His name may be exalted in our land! Your servant, Sara