One Life

Emma, Kent

‘Going to Uganda was one of the most life changing experiences I’ve ever had. I learned so much out there and definitely grew in my faith. I was constantly amazed by what I saw there, from the amazing scenery to the beautiful smiles of the children who had nothing!

One of the things that really affected me was the ‘normality’ of poverty out there. In Kasese, everyone was poor, and it was quite easy to overlook the poverty as there was nothing else around to compare it to, at a first glance, everyone was in the same position. However in Mbale it was easy to see the divide between the poor and those who were a little better off. It was then that I realised how poor the people were in Kasese. It’s only until you really look that you realise that the children are turning up everyday with the same clothes on, and the ‘gift’ of a simple water bottle becomes their most treasured item.

Visiting the slum was a very difficult experience for me, after doing Slum Survivor twice, and researching for that and seeing the horrors of slums around the world I oddly thought that somehow I would be prepared for what I saw. But it was when we started meeting the people that live there and shaking their hands as they eagerly welcomed us into their huts. Seeing the faces of the children as they held on to us laughing as we walked through rubbish and filth. Smelling the strange mixture of garbage, fires and alcohol. Hearing the tragic stories of the strong women who have desperately tried to cope with many children, some not even theirs, and make a life for themselves. I just had an enormous respect for them, especially one woman Mary, whose husband had died and has opened her house to orphans. Her heart of compassion for these kids was just so humbling; she already had two of her own children and yet had allowed the people of the village to ‘dump’ these other children on her, taking them under her wing. It was only until after that we left her that we found out that she had HIV. I just felt like crying.

It’s very rare in England that a person with so much tragedy in their life would put their sorrows aside and show great compassion to others like that, especially when she had nothing.

One of the things that really affected me while we were in the Slum was the vicious cycle. It made me sad that it seemed that they had very little free will. It is as if their fate has already been chosen for them because of their circumstance. They are born in the slum, their parents can’t afford to send them to school, they then can’t get a job and then won’t be able to send their children to school and the cycle continues. Here in the west we have so much choice, we can almost decide how our life will turn out. Not only do we have lots of ‘stuff’ but we have different choices of ‘stuff’ there are different choices of washing powder, pens, cars. Just because we are born in the west means that we automatically have a better life than those in the slums.

I also found it incredibly difficult to eat dinner at the restaurant after we had been in the slum, it was two different worlds and just being in one after the other really boggled me. I found it quite hard to digest. Then I thought about the people who actually live in Uganda who see this poverty everyday, but are so used to it that they just carry on with their lives and eat in nice restaurants. It made me think of how we can be like that in England, we see that homeless person everyday who hasn’t had the same choices or privileges that we have had, and yet we are so used to it that it becomes part of our everyday life, but in the wrong way.

It surprised me to find so many passages about justice in the Bible. It’s clear that this is something that is very important to God, and if it is important to God then it should be important to us. Most of Jesus’ ministry was spending time with the poor, or those rejected in society.

I have come to realise that we are all on this earth for a reason and that God uses our circumstance and our experience to further His Kingdom, and bring relief and love to those who are in the greatest need wherever and whoever they are. Seeking justice is part of our worship to God, and I really feel that He has put these things on my heart to start making this part of my life, and being passionate for justice, and to try and do all I can to do His work.’

Stella, Chorleywood

‘Seeing people praise God with all their heart, soul, body, mind and strength was so impacting. The Ugandans gave God all the glory – singing loudly (and not always tunefully), dancing as if no one else was watching just to glorify their King. This was inspiring enough and has (I hope permanently) changed my attitude and praise. But then, seeing where they lived, hearing their stories and starting to understand their poverty and persecution for being a Christian blew me away. Rose supporting her blind husband, several children and adopted orphans – a family (I think) of 12 on about 50 pounds a month living in Namatala and yet so full of the light of Christ, generous and loving. Martin and Joseph, living with Vinnie and Grace because as young Muslim converts there is nowhere else that they can safely live, and with no means of supporting themselves, throwing themselves into the work of the church and continuing their education where they can. People like this challenged me even more than the scenes of endless poverty and desperation that confronted us on a daily basis, which although were shocking, was of such a magnitude that I felt a bit numb to it. These incredible people, with little or no material possessions, but so full of the joy of the Lord, singing ‘ things already better, things already better, with Jesus on our side, things already better’ will remain with me for a long time and will continue to challenge my attitudes daily.’

Steve, Luton

‘All that I have previously said, thought or theologised concerning issues of poverty and injustice have been but a skeleton compared to the flesh and understanding that has opened the eyes of my heart through the last few weeks ministering in Uganda. I have witnessed something firsthand of our Heavenly Father’s love, grace and compassion over those who though they may have little may be rich in Him; though they may suffer they may find healing in Him; though they may come under physical and spiritual oppression they may be liberated in Him.

I do not understand nor am able to articulate some of the darkness that I have ministered in over the last few weeks but I am able to testify that there is a light in the darkness, a hope where it is hopeless and a joy in the sadness. For all our clever and quirky ideas of how we can change the world there remains only one who never fails. Our God still reigns.

This trip has brought me to some of darkest corners on the face of the earth. Slums where whole generations of men get drunk together, women cut their faces, HIV produces orphans, pagan worship requiring male (and in some cases female) circumcision of the most disturbing kind. Murder is rife in these communities and fear runs riot whilst food and good healthcare are scarce. As I walked through a slum children would grab hold of my hand and with no words spoken I heard their cry for help. I even spoke with one young man who had been taken into the Lords Resistance Army as boy but had since escaped (through faking his death!) and gave his life to Christ. One afternoon we visited a hospital where filthy kittens scurried between beds laden with up to five children suffering from Malaria or undergoing blood transfusions. I found this filthy paediatric ward in a government run hospital (yet they still have to pay and no food is provided -­ work that one out?!) That was one of the toughest experiences of the trip. Going into a hospital in Uganda has got to be a last resort for those ill as the reality is that these children (and adults) are exposed to death’s door because of infection and lack of nutrition. If I am honest it all felt massively hopeless. Being from a family with two doctors and a midwife, I felt least of all qualified to be there yet we prayed fervently that some might me spared deaths door and receive life in Christ. Let it be known that the NHS is an utter gift!

I have been reminded in these weeks that it is the same stealing, killing and destroying enemy, and the same matrix of sinful humanity in Uganda as it is in the UK. This may be packaged very differently but it is the same. Materialism is in my eyes at least as idolatrous in Uganda as it is in the UK. In Uganda the sick are more prevalent, the demonised more obvious and the poor even poorer but I know that God¹s heart is still for healing, liberation, forgiveness and restoration in whatever culture, country and climate. Our cosmic Christ still rules and reigns and his church is still called to minister his love in the power of Holy Spirit to the lost and the broken.

The conferences have been anointed times of worship, teaching and ministering. Hundreds of Pastors have benefited enormously and we continue to pray that much fruit and growth will come of this. God has released me more in preaching and teaching this week than I had anticipated. I gave a seminar series on Leadership Lessons from Corinth, preached the gospel in a jail and other sessions including God’s call to carry his glory to the world and a question/answer session around apologetics & missional challenges. As I have ministered in this way I believe I have experienced a fulfilment of what God has been growing in me, particularly through my theological training at LST. I was even dubbed as ‘Professor Corinth’!

It has been the upmost privilege to have served with the ONEL!FE team and those we partnered with (‘An African Dream’ and ‘Jenga’) who are faithfully ministering through a sustained program. The heart and values that have been fostered and practised through ONEL!FE have undoubtedly shaped the young leaders from the UK to become more obedient, passionate and significant in their own communities and calling. I believe the challenge now, for myself, is to work through what ‘just leadership’ will look like in my life, and relationships. This experience has given real weight and authority to everything that I have been learning thus far. God has done mighty things in Uganda.­ I pray that he will continue but I also pray that His Kingdom will increase in the UK too! Amen! In all we do may we act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God.’