Family Through Christ

Before I get into recapping our days of ministry in the villages of Uganda, I want to share about two people who became very good friends of ours during our time in Africa. You are probably thinking, "How can someone become a good friend in two weeks?" I was skeptical, too, at first. It's not that I didn't believe it completely. I have friends who have been to Uganda before and have come back with these good friendships. Our team leader told us that it would be important for us to get to know the pastors and translators that were working with us in ministry. We would still have a great trip even if we didn't take the time to get to know them, but our experience would be so much better if we did. While I understood the importance of that, I have to be honest and say that I don't feel like it's easy for me to make good friends. It takes a lot of time and trust, and I won't just talk to anyone. Throw in a bit of a language barrier and it all sounds a little overwhelming to an introvert.

Now, as I look back on the past two weeks, I realize that was one of the best parts of the trip. At the time, I didn't know how leaving them would affect me. Sure, I was more than ready to return to my family and friends, my home, my shower, clean clothes and my bed. And American food. But leaving my good friends has left my heart feeling a little heavy. The last day was tougher than I had thought it would be. It doesn't really cross your mind until the last moment that after seeing these people every single day for two weeks, the reality is, you may never see them again this side of Heaven. Yes, I look on the positive side and am grateful for the time we spent together, for the friendships that were developed and for the fact that we will still communicate even though we're almost 9,000 miles apart. I can rejoice that they are my brothers and sisters in Christ and that we will spend eternity together. And if the Lord calls me to go back to Uganda in the future, I will see them again. But once you have found friendship through Christ in it's truest form, it leaves your heart longing for more.

Meet Karim:

 Karim is one of the guards at the Arise Africa Guest House where we stayed. We met him the first day that we arrived, and while he didn't translate for us or travel to the villages with us, we saw him almost every day. Karim is married and has two girls. He is a converted Muslim whose wife prayed constantly for him to accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. On the verge of his wife leaving him, Karim surrendered to God and asked the Lord to come into his life. Now, he wears a wooden cross with "John 3:16" written on it in black marker. Karim sent us home with a page long letter expressing his gratitude for the friendship that was formed. Mom and Dad, he wants you to know that you have another son now since the three of us are brothers and sisters in Christ. =)

Meet Pastor Stephen:

Pastor Stephen works under Arise Africa. He is 34 years old and is married to a woman named Judith. They have two very young children, a boy and a girl. We met Pastor Stephen on the first day of ministry. He translated for us as we played with the kids. Matt and Pastor Stephen talked for a very long time that day. Each day of ministry, Pastor Stephen was with us. He accompanied us during hut-to-hut evangelism, to the schools and while we taught the children. Each morning when we arrived at the village where we would minister, Pastor Stephen was waiting for us and always greeted us with a huge smile and two great big hugs. He always made it a point to find us when we got off the bus. I had a chance to spend the afternoon with Pastor Stephen when I was a part of a school team. The bus hadn't arrived to pick us up yet, so we began to walk back towards the village. On that walk, Pastor Stephen told me that he felt like Matt and I were more than friends to him. He called it "family friends". While I didn't quite understand what exactly that term meant, I knew that it was something special. He was telling me that he considered us to be a part of his family. We also learned that his father was a polygamist and was very advanced in his age when Pastor Stephen was born. We learned that Pastor Stephen and his family don't stay in the village where his church is because the village is not able to make any money. The village is looking for a way to make money and would like to start a project of making bracelets to sell. They are also praying that they would receive soccer balls, not for their own enjoyment, but to draw other children, and ultimately their parents, to the church. Transportation is expensive for him to get around and he would love to be able to get to his church on a daily basis. Many use motorcycles as way of transportation in Uganda and having one would allow him to get around easily, but he can't afford the 400 American dollars it costs to buy one. His dream is to open a seminary to teach 50 pastors at a time. Pastor Stephen knows the Word, inside and out. He went to seminary and would like to be able to teach others now. He needs a house and 10 acres of land for this to happen, but trusts that God will provide if this is the plan He has in store. On the Sunday that we were in Uganda, our team was split up into groups of two or three and we were sent out to the many churches of the Pastors of Arise Africa. Matt and I chose to go to Pastor Stephen's church and when we arrived, he was overjoyed. I don't say that to boast about anything we did, but it was an incredible feeling to be received like that. He told us that he knew people from our team would be coming, but he didn't know who it would be. That morning, Matt preached on John 16:33 as Pastor Stephen translated. Our friend, Amy, and I gave our testimonies. Since the bus hadn't arrived to pick us up, Matt preached again and Amy and I took the children outside for stories and games, with the help of Pastor Stephen's wife. It was an incredible experience. A very humble man, Pastor Stephen gave up many days of seeing his own family. On our last day of ministry, Matt wasn't feeling good and stayed behind at the guest house. When we arrived at the village, I told Pastor Stephen that "my other half was missing" and he laughed. I asked about his wife and he told me that he hadn't seen her since Sunday when we left his church. (It was Thursday now.) That blew my mind. Because he was helping us in our ministry, he hadn't been able to go home and see his wife or children for 4 days. Who was I to complain about not having Matt with me on the last day?! That afternoon, I handed him 4 bags of clothing and other goodies for him to take to his family and village. As I got on the bus, my heart sank. I was sad because this was it. I was sad because Matt wouldn't get to say good-bye to Pastor Stephen. We exchanged emails and phone numbers and promised to pray for each other. I didn't expect to feel that way, but it hit me hard. The next morning, when we were eating breakfast, all packed up and ready to go, Pastor Stephen showed up at the guest house along with all of the other pastors to say good-bye and send us off. What an emotional roller coaster! I was so excited that Matt would get the chance to see him before we left. He told us that he would miss us over and over and over and left us with a few more great big hugs.

I guess what boggles my mind the most is the Ugandan way of friendship between us and them. (It might be different for Ugandan to Ugandan but I cannot speak for that.) When all I know is the American way, I can't help but compare friendships here at home to the ones in Uganda. Here at home, it might take several months to develop a good friendship. In Uganda, it only takes a couple of weeks. In America, friendships are usually based on what people have in common, their hobbies and interests, what they like to eat, where they work or how they like to dress. Sometimes they are even based on how people can benefit from each other. In Uganda, the only common factor is Jesus. (I'm not saying that here at home friendships cannot be based solely on the common factor of Jesus, it's just far less likely to happen.) In America, only the very best of friends exchange hugs. And if you were seen holding hands with a person of the same gender then you would immediately be labeled as a homosexual. In Uganda, as soon as they consider you a friend, holding your hand and exchanging hugs is a norm, regardless of gender. In America, we, as a people, are full of empty promises. We say we will do something and never follow through. (Insert "Stacy's Pet Peeve" here.) In Uganda, promises are kept. Friendships are treasured. When they ask for your email or phone number, they will contact you. When they want to know about your family, they aren't asking out of politeness, but because they really want to know. These pastors and translators are the example of what it means to be genuine; they are a true picture of the body of Christ as a family.

Jesus, thank You for the glimpse that You gave me of how You intended Your church to be. Thank You for my new friends in Uganda who are held close in my heart. Thank You for the opportunity to be a part of their lives and to be connected by the only common thing we share: You. Amen.