Below is a quick snapshot of my experience in Lira, Uganda, with my team, the CTON staff, the Children’s Village, and all the participants.
Thank you for all your support and prayers!
I read Psalm 23 today and it seems very fitting for my responses below.
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.
What was the Imago Dei conference all about?
· Genesis 1:26-27 says that we are created in the image of God [Greek = Eikon], both male and female. So, human beings alone are literally God’s representation on earth. However, we rebel and thus have cracked the Eikon (English icon). Jesus Christ is the exact icon. As we get closer to God, we not only restore our relationship with our Creator and Source, but restore our relationships as well. See diagram below.
· The four main sessions were:
o We are the Imago Dei (image of God)
o The source of the Imago Dei (Creator, God)
o Living in the Imago Dei (“Putting off the old, putting on the new”)
o Living out of the Imago Dei (We are God’s ambassadors)
After your experience, what are you most grateful for?
· “You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows…”
· Before the trip, I asked people to pray for anointing—for me, the team, and the purpose. Our main goal was to encourage and equip the COTN staff, followed by the participants of the conference. Needless to say, God did anoint everything and there was a buzz that can only be described by the Ugandans themselves. We left seeing God’s hope and vision for restoration.
· Henri Nouwen describes ministry as the overflow (like two glass clicking after a toast—what comes out). It’s the first time in a while that I felt like my ministry was from the overflow. God gave me a picture of what could be, and a rhythm of life and ministry that He wants for me.
· Søren Kierkegaard calls “purity of heart (Mt. 5:8)” to will one thing. It’s what all people long for, but few possess because of distractions, appetites—essentially, each of us going our own way. Traveling half way around the world for 17 days is a huge sacrifice for sure, but it came with a gift. I experienced a purity of heart. While in Uganda, I desired to fulfill my God-designed purpose there. And being away from my family caused me to desire them, forgetting the normal distractions of life (for the most part). I.e., the main things were the main things.
· How wonderful my family is and what a gift they are to me (truly undeserved).
· How beautiful God’s family is: “I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” There’s really not much that separates us—not time, geography, or even circumstances when it comes to the soul. God created us all in His image. From an eternal perspective, I simply go to know some of my siblings better and we will have plenty of time together one day.
· Children of the Nations Uganda: Absolutely amazing ministry, organization and people. By far the best non-profit I’ve ever worked with (along with Flood of course). They just do things the right way for lasting impact. They really are rising up tomorrow’s leaders (from the ashes no less).
What can you do without or with less of?
· “The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing.”
· I take for granted the power of advertising (“you are insufficient until you buy_____.”)
· I buy too many little needless things and they add up to a lot.
· We are so spoiled in America with how many choices we have. I think it tends to create an entitlement and an insatiable desire within us. Yes, I’m glad I don’t have to eat beans and rice every day for 1-2 meals, but we eat without appreciating what we are eating or care for whom we are eating with.
· I am over entertained. It’s my go to when I’m stressed out. It takes up way more time then I realize. Most people in the U.S. are the same way. Entertainment is a big idol, which can easily suffocate the life out of me. And I (we) complain we don’t have enough time…, which, is not true. As a wise person said, we have plenty of time, just too many choices. And the irony is, our choices make us less free.
What has been your highlight moment, experience of the trip?
· “You prepare a table before me …”
· The hospitality of Uganda is exemplary. The first Ugandan I met with Jimmy Mao—he bear-hugged me immediately for a long time! And it wasn’t awkward!!
· I was scared to spend the night in the Children’s village because of all I know of the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army: a freakish political/religious cult who has kidnapped over 100,000 children over a 20-year span. They are notoriously evil and horrendous.). Not scared for my own life, but I didn’t want to orphan my own children. Thankfully, I spend the night in the village in Solomon and Denis’ room. The 10 boys sawing logs in the middle of the night was one of the most peaceful sounds I’ve ever heard in my life. It was also one of the most beautiful. I woke up to Denis leading the whole room in prayer and worship, by his own prompting. It reminds me of Jesus saying, “Unless you have faith like a child…” These kids taught me so much about courage, hope, dreams, and perseverance. Back story: Denis’ dad died a hero at the 2004 massacre in Barlonyo, however it left him and his two siblings orphans until the Children’s village adopted them.I was scared to spend the night in the Children’s village because of all I know of the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army: a freakish political/religious cult who has kidnapped over 100,000 children over a 20-year span. They are notoriously evil and horrendous.). Not scared for my own life, but I didn’t want to orphan my own children. Thankfully, I spend the night in the village in Solomon and Denis’ room. The 10 boys sawing logs in the middle of the night was one of the most peaceful sounds I’ve ever heard in my life. It was also one of the most beautiful. I woke up to Denis leading the whole room in prayer and worship, by his own prompting. It reminds me of Jesus saying, “Unless you have faith like a child…” These kids taught me so much about courage, hope, dreams, and perseverance. Back story: Denis’ dad died a hero at the 2004 massacre in Barlonyo, however it left him and his two siblings orphans until the Children’s village adopted them.
· A young boy in the Children’s Village come up to me, grabbed my hand and said, “Do you know my name?” [Pause for tears]. I said, “No, what is it (nening nya?)?” He said, “Joseph.” I said, “Yes, I know your name, it’s Joseph.” I will never forget Joseph and I know his name. More importantly, God, his Father, knows and calls his by his name everyday. Side note: Joseph was wearing an American Football shirt…the only one I saw there since soccer dominates. Very cool Joseph, very cool!
· Chad, Annie, and Lauren shared their testimonies at Truth Fountain church—basically, “how God has shown His love to them, and how they’ve seen God’s love work in and through them.” I foll0wed by sharing the true love from 1 Cor. 13, and my story: that when I first heard Revelation 3:20-- “[Jesus talking] Here I am at the door and know, if anyone opens the door, I’ll come in and eat with them, and they with me.”— I immediately opened the door to Jesus in my life, and continually try to every day. I asked if anyone wanted to do that as well, and pastor James sister came forward because of what she identified in Lauren’s story. Soon after, about 10 more people accepted Christ that Sunday. Not from persuasive words, or clever exegesis, but from our stories of God working in and through us. So simple, so true, and so often overlooked.
· The Imago Dei conference exceeded everyone’s expectations—the Lord was moving!
Biggest Surprises?
· “Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”
· The average salary is about $75/month. Most of us spent that much on souvenirs…
· I didn’t get sick...until I got back. I thought it was Typhoid because of the violence it unleashed on me, but tests were negative. In any case, the Cipro wiped it out, though it was a pain in the butt :)
· Chipatii is amazing: a cross between a tortilla and a soft, doughy roll. “We like chapatti, we like chapatti…” [Sung to the tune of, “we like to party, we like to party].
· God blossomed a romance on the trip between two of our team members. God’s Spirit really does move in mysterious ways...
What’s an area I’ve been stretched in that I want to continue at home?
· “He refreshes my soul…
· Devotion: to God and family. My normal rhythm of life is divided and fragmented. I want to continue cultivating a purity of heart—to will one thing—loving God and loving others.
What’s the value in encouraging someone else to go?
· “Surely your goodness and love will follow me…”
· Get out of your bubble! Yes, our bubbles insulate us to a degree from discomfort and inconvenience, but they also keep us from true fulfillment. If we want a mediocre life, we can have it, but don’t make the mistake of thinking that’s living…
· There’s no liminal experience like being on a team for a purpose. But it involves sacrifice, perseverance, and self-renunciation. However, to truly get close to people, there is no other way.
· It’s important to break down the walls of prejudice, passive participation in injustice, and apathy. Once you taste that all people, no matter whom or where, are made in God’s image, it can change everything—how you treat people in your own family, church, community, country, and world. This is important because on some level, we are all bigots to varying degrees. And if this is true, there are parts of us that are living antithetical to the will and purposes of God (lit. enemies of God), which is not a good place to be. God made us to be reconcilers and restores…so let’s get busy!
What does it mean to be in full-time ministry?
· “Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life.”
· In Ephesians 4:6, Paul says that Jesus is “all and in all.” This means all of life, all of the time.
· Paul also says in 2 Corinthians 5:16ff, that we are God’s ambassadors, imploring people to accept God’s reconciliation.
· Most of us compartmentalize our lives to the point where we expel God from most of it.
· The truth is, everything we do is important and matters—all of the time.
· An ambassador (and an embassy) is always sovereign ground, no matter where or what.
· If we lived in this truth the world would be different.
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