Hi from Africa!! We’re already on day 6 of our mission trip to Uganda! Although all of us are exhausted, we are filled with joy every morning. Master Cares, staff, and locals have been so incredibly kind and encouraging every single day. They truly create an image of Christ that I aspire to reach one day! Today was a day that will live on in my memory for the rest of my life, and I am so excited to share it with you!! 🙂
This morning we woke up to the most AMAZING day ever…… It’s Mama Holly’s BIRTHDAY! She is someone that each of us looks up to, and we always want to hear more of her stories. God has used her in powerful ways and will continue to use her for many, many years.
After celebrating with some breakfast, we headed immediately back to the construction site, where we continued building houses for George and Rose. Two amazing people who love Jesus. As we were working, we had the ABSOLUTE PRIVILEGE of meeting the cutest little boy named Ethan. He loved to swing on arms, bite, punch, etc, but it was all out of love (hopefully). LIFE SKILL UPDATE!! I can now sort of participate in making concrete. So basically, I’m a pro, and I am gonna become a professional concrete maker.
After spending the morning working, we then got to go out and do everyone’s favorite… DOOR TO DOOR! We had truly amazing interpreters who guided us every step of the way. They also kept us from getting lost and probably never getting back to civilization. So many fruitful conversations were had throughout our entire team, but Mandy, Anna (Buchanan), and I got to talk to two different people in our journey. The first man we met was named Fred, and he was so kind to take out chairs so that we could sit. Fred told us that he is a Man of faith (PRAISE THE LORD), and we were able to encourage and pray over him. Soon after, we met a sweet woman whose name is pronounced Fow-sta (I’m sorry, I have no clue how to spell it). She was also so kind to allow us to sit with her and invite us into her life. She told us that she is Catholic and that she is content where she is, but we were able to pray for her eyes to be opened and for her health as well. Be praying for her from home so that we can see her one day in Heaven! 🙂 Both of these conversations were so different, but so uplifting.
After door-to-door, we got on the bus, all warm and cozy, and headed to a once-in-a-lifetime event. We all got to experience a graduation at the Master Cares Vocational Farm and Ranch in Bethlehem. Husbands and Wives who have learned God’s way of farming were celebrated and honored after two years of hard work and discipleship. They all received a COW after graduation as a reward for their hard work. This ceremony was so special and SO HOT. After the celebration was over, a lot of the graduates wanted pictures with Gabe because he is just SO white, so that was fun.
We then got back on the bus and drove to see Mrs. Irene, who works at the Master Cares Vocational Sewing School. She is such a nurturing soul and cares for so many people within her community and workplace. She gave us a tour of where she is graciously making us dresses from scratch and introduced us to many people that she works with. HIGHLIGHT of the tour was seeing baby Drew!! The tour was an amazing experience, and hearing their passion behind what they do was so special as well.
After the tour at the sewing place, we went to arguably the sweetest part of the day…. the hospital! Moses showed us around the entirety of the hospital and took time to explain the joy within each of the rooms. When we were tempted to be sad or get emotional at things we were seeing, he encouraged us and showed strength that only God can give. It was so beautiful to see how every single person in that hospital was truly family to one another and had hope through Jesus. An example of joy at the hospital today was a man getting to walk on a prosthetic leg, who has not walked in such a very long time! The Lord used Holly as she assisted him on behalf of Dr. Miller and his team, and to give this man a gift from our Savior. The hospital is something that I will never be able to unsee, and I would never want to unsee it. We also met so many sweet babies at the hospital, but one little boy just kept making his way back to us. His name was Joseph, and he is loved and cared for by so many people in this ministry. The best part about him was his SUPER COOL dance moves. He made the tour of the hospital so special and fun!
After the hospital, the bus ride back to the hotel was filled with encouragement from Cole and our leaders from the day that we had. It was also filled with Sarah Brinkerhoff falling asleep on my shoulder for a million years, Haha! When we got back to the hotel, we finished the night with a celebration of Mama Holly, who has gotten us to where we are today.
Every day of this trip gets better and better. I love my family at home so much, but honestly, I wouldn’t be mad to stay here…
Well, that’s all for day five, and I am exhausted, but so filled with anticipation for what the Lord will bring tomorrow! Continue to pray for our team and the amazing community that we are surrounded by. Our team cannot wait for the next several days and all of the things that God will show us. Tomorrow we will continue working on the building of two houses in Ninzi, and then go to a water well dedication! We can’t wait to see what that’s like! Would you please pray for opportunities for Gospel conversations and for those whom He calls to be saved? Thank you so much for the loving support we have received.
Ameena! (With a Luganda accent)
Check out our YouTube playlist for updated videos from the team. Prestonwood Students Master Cares YouTube
