This morning was absolutely INCREDIBLE. There’s no way I can describe it in perfect detail or capture absolutely every moment from today, but I am definitely going to try my best!
After our crazy 24+ hours of travel, falling asleep in an actual bed was amazing, and I slept through the entire night, trying to adjust to the time change from America to Uganda.
Breakfast was at 7:30 this morning, which meant we all woke up a little early, but it was definitely worth it because the delicious French toast was waiting on the table for us! The staff here at The Nabisere Hotel are all so kind and gentle, treating us with amazing hospitality and cooking up the best-tasting food. With the French toast, breakfast potatoes, and fresh fruit we got this morning, it definitely woke me up and gave me the energy to get ready for church.
We drove for about 30 minutes on bumpy dirt roads to Kyotera Bible Church, located within the Master Care School, and even just driving up made my heart fill with complete joy! There were so many little kids waiting for us when we drove up, along with some of the Master Care’s staff and Solomon, whom we met yesterday, with his family and ADORABLE baby boy Drew. They were all so kind and welcoming, and all of the kids were so excited to see and hug us, but I’ll talk about that in a second.
Even just walking into church was eye-opening: the worship was already going on, and it was so loud, and the music was so amazing that I immediately felt the presence of the Holy Spirit in the room. Even though I couldn’t understand any of the lyrics, the people on stage were such amazing singers, and everyone in the room was worshipping without any shame. Whether the students from the school were clapping or shouting the lyrics or jumping and dancing around near their seats, there wasn’t a single person not praising the Lord. The joy of the people was so contagious, and as I looked around at all of us students from PCA, I think we may have all had huge smiles on our faces as we got into rhythm, swaying and clapping along.
Dr. Williams spoke next after worship, bringing an amazing message about how we are chosen, redeemed, and are a part of His plan! Something he said really resonated with me, and I wrote it down: he said, “We are a part of God’s plan, meaning we get to be a part of it.” If we accept Christ, we get to have a relationship with Him and participate in what He has planned for our lives. The message ended with worship once more and a call to the altar, where a woman gave her life to Christ! It was so inspiring to see her walk up and kneel at the altar, crying tears of joy as she surrendered everything to God.
After the message, we were welcomed once more by the Master Care’s student choir, who beautifully sang and danced for us, and they even invited us to come up and dance with them! I had no clue what to expect, but when they tied a feathered skirt around my waist and told me to shake my hips, I think my fear of social embarrassment completely disappeared as the girls danced with the others and the boys participated in an African tribal dance with the little boys.
Lastly, at the school, we got to meet tons of the kids, and they were all so incredibly sweet! They were all intrigued by our clothes and jewelry, asking for our “bangles” (bracelets) and asking us to play with our hair. I got convinced and ultimately sat down on the dirt in my dress, letting at least six little girls braid and twist my hair (the knots were definitely worth it!) As we walked around, I thought it was amazing how even in the midst of not having much, the kids were all so happy and excited for us to be there, wanting to create relationships with each of us immediately.
The rest of the afternoon was slow as we got back to the hotel, ate lunch and dinner pretty close together, and then all grouped up to play board games and reflect on the day. As we go into tomorrow, I am so excited to participate in a sports camp with the primary school kids and teach them more about Jesus!
Please continue to pray for the students, and that they have open hearts as we share, as well as letting them teach us things about Jesus we didn’t know. Again, I am so extremely grateful for this opportunity to visit Uganda and praise God for everything He is doing at the Master Care’s school!
