Buganga Worship Service

Today was another day of experiencing the heartbeat of Uganda as we visited the town of Buganga and worshipped with Pastor Livingstone and Pastor John. Pastor Livingstone serves out of the capital city of Kampala, but with the help of others, he has established a network of churches and pastors that he mentors and ministers to; Buganga is one of these places. Pastor John is the resident pastor of Buganga and he welcomed us with open arms as we made our way down the dirt road to his filled worship area. We were engulfed by fifty or so kids as we dismounted the van. We were missionary rock stars for a few fleeting minutes, but it is safe to say there were no autograph requests. Buganga is another area that our team has ministered to each year. Last year our team began the logistical steps of getting a water well established near the church. This year our team was blessed to bring funds to buy Pastor John a motorcycle so that he can better minister to his people. If you don't have a bicycle or motorcycle here, chances are that you will be walking in the bush. I wish you could see his congregation's reaction when that was announced. You would have thought that each of them had just won the lottery. Again, the motorcycle was purchased with the help of our church as well as a few others that had heard of the project. I don't remember if I mentioned this before, but my prayer requests heading into this trip was that God would do a work in me. I feel like I already have a heart for others, but I know there is more of me that needs to be transformed to impact others. During this trip, I feel like an onion that has been peeled back layer by layer exposing every emotional and spiritual nerve within my being. Things are so raw here you must have a passion for life and for others - there is not an alternative. As the team did last year we also brought bags of food to the worship service to minister to the physical needs of those in Buganga - flour, sugar, rice, beans, salt and soap. This might put it into perspective - the $200 of supplies listed will be enough for 100 people for two months. Let that sink in...We ended the visit with a meal at Pastor John's house. His wife prepared a feast of local flavors to include matooke, cassava and gnut. It was humbling for our team to pack into their small house and eat as his wife stayed outside to allow enough room for her guests. With the amount of food prepared, it was apparent the meal was one of family sacrifice. It made me consider what sacrifices I was willing to make for Christ. Is my ten percent monthly tithe really causing me to sacrifice much? My answer is the same as yours most likely is...I can do more and I need to do more. The question is will we?