Dear Family and Friends,
I am writing to say thank you to everyone who supported me through prayer and monetary gifts to go on the mission trip to Uganda. I have been back for 2 days now. It was truly one of the most amazing and eye-opening experiences of my life. I am moved beyond words. Here is my feeble attempt to try and share some of this trip with you.
On the flight to Uganda I read “Radical” by David Platt. It is an amazing book and was the perfect read to prepare me before my trip. I highly recommend this book to anyone. The sub title of the book is ‘Taking your faith back from the American dream’. This book spoke to me and started to break my heart and convict me before I even arrived in Africa.
One of the things that struck me the most on the trip was the mile upon endless mile of extreme poverty. Countless children stood or walked along the roadside without shoes and sometimes even clothes. If they did have clothes they were often filthy and ripped or worn out. The amount of under-loved, under-cared for, and under-fed children in Uganda is mind blowing and absolutely unbelievable to me.
We visited 6 different villages while were in Uganda. Some of the villages had support from churches in the United States while some of the villages had absolutely no outside support. It was amazing to see what a little support from a single church in America could do for a entire African village. In order for a child to go to school for a year and have at least one daily good meal at school only costs $250. The cost of supporting a teacher for a full year is $365. The cost of supporting a church congregation and costs that go along with that is $250 a month. In order to support a Vicar and his family it is $100 a month. We visited villages that, because of support from the United States, were able to have water wells dug or were able to build a church, school or workshop. We also visited villages that did not have these things or lacked some of these things. The one thing that remained the same in all of the villages was the excitement and pure joy and happiness that the children had when we would pull into the village. They would swarm the van and they would be reaching out to touch us as soon as we stepped off the bus. So many of the children just want to be held and loved. The amount of joy that they had is something that is not frequently seen here in the US. They loved having their pictures taken and would love to then see the digital pics of themselves. For many of them this was probably the first time they had seen a picture of themselves. Often times they would all start singing when we would arrive.
We also had the opportunity to meet some of the vicars that were supporting various congregations in the different villages. These men of God leave their families to go to seminary in Kenya so that they can become ordained pastors and preach the word of God to the villages. They are not paid and they rely on the congregations to support them and their families. Since most of the congregations do not have money, the vicars struggle to get by and support their families. Each of these vicars has multiple congregations that they minister to. It was humbling to meet these men and see the sacrifices they are making.
Two of the villages prepared great meals for us. We had cabbage, beef, chicken, rice, and peanut sauce, a dish made from plantains, potatoes and greens. I really enjoyed the food and was moved by the selflessness of the villages. Those of us on the mission trip and a few key people in the villages were the only ones who ate the meal. To prepare such a meal for us cost the villages a large amount of money. It was one more thing that wrecked my heart. These people living in poverty sacrificed a great deal and made us a better meal than they ever have enjoyed themselves. They sacrificed for us when they have nothing. Wrap your mind around that.
We handed out candy, super balls, stickers, cross necklaces, soccer balls, soccer uniforms (shorts, jerseys, shin guards, socks), dresses, and Bibles to the children at the villages. We were also able to present the teachers of Bufuula with goats (part of their pay). They were extremely grateful and so happy. The smiles of the children are images that I will never forget. We also helped to paint the church in Nakabango and build some benches for the church. We were there for the dedication of the church and it was the most amazing church dedication that I expect I will ever be a part of.
While we were there we had the opportunity to attend a few different worship services. We were able to celebrate baptisms, confirmations and also take part in the Lord’s Supper. The congregation would burst out in celebration when the children were baptized and confirmed. It was beautiful to see such celebration for the Lord. Even though they live in poverty they praised the Lord to a degree that is not frequently seen in the American church. I truly feel honored to have been able to attend these services and visit these villages.
I am planning on staying involved with the long-term missions in Uganda and I plan to go back as frequently as possible. I feel like I am being called to support the missions in Uganda on a full time basis. I have no idea in what capacity or what it will look like but I am trusting that God will show me how I can be used for His Glory. Yes, these villages and children need money, but they also need relationships and the love of Jesus Christ. My prayer has been that God would burn these images into my consciousness, not just in my memory. I am also in prayer that I would be a better steward of what God has given me. I now have a whole new understanding of how truly blessed I am.
Again, I want to say thank you for supporting me on this mission.
I will continue to update this blog as God brings clarity on how I will be a part of supporting the missions in Uganda.
http://shawn-emily.blogspot.com/
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In Him,
Shawn Roller
PS - here are a few pics
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