I was amazed how well our team got along throughout the week as they waited for bathrooms and showers patiently (all twenty-three of us shared two bathrooms). Team members took turns with preparing meals, doing dishes and cleaning bathrooms. Not only were we all thrust into an entirely new culture, we were operating on little sleep and trying to adjust to an eight hour time change. On top of that, we were sweating profusely all day long. With no air conditioning, the nights were often hot as well. It's common to experience some sickness when traveling abroad. I think the majority of our team experienced stomach issues at one point or another. Thankfully, though, every case was short-lived.
I kept waiting for the day that we'd all lose it--you know, like day three or four when weariness would set in. But it never happened. The fact that there were no harsh words or conflicts amongst us I contribute to our prayer team. Unity among our team was a priority prayer that they were praying daily for us. It was also a prayer that we lifted up for weeks prior to leaving. For us all to be living underfoot in the stifling heat with little sleep and no grouchiness? I honestly consider that just short of a miracle!
SOS Ministries uses solar energy to operate their electricity. Thus, on particularly cloudy days, the generator would quit and we wouldn't have water. There were mornings there was no water for showers. One team member got undressed, doused himself with his liquid soap and then got into the shower, only to find there was no water! It made for a funny story.
A coffee pot takes so much power to make a pot of coffee that they limited the amount made. I usually heated up water and drank instant coffee instead.
The Cupps and Hurleys both have a water filtration system to filtrate the water so that it is drinkable. Keeping water available for our entire team was a constant 'watch' job; Jen would have to be pouring water into the filtration canisters throughout the day so that we wouldn't run out of drinking water. Here is a picture of the water canisters with the filtration system:
We drank water constantly because of the hot weather. My water bottle became my best friend. I kept telling myself I would continue this great habit when I returned home to the States, but my water-drinking has already diminished dramatically.
Our second night of sleep didn't go so well for many of us. There was one particular bird whose chirp sounded like an alarm clock right outside our window. While most of us were taking some form of sleep aid, they didn't always work.
Our second day was Saturday. The men on our team were helping with a day called 'Men's Muscle Month'. This is a men's discipleship time that SOS holds once a month--all the men in the surrounding villages are invited. While the men participated in that, the women cleaned up the church and set up chairs for Agriculture Day that was starting at 11 AM.
The men started their time together playing something like hand ball.
They then sat out under one of the beautiful trees and listened to Shannon and Jason (our church's youth pastor and mission trip leader) speak to them about what the Bible says about being the leader of your family.
All the men who had been to every Men's Muscle Month so far, were given a t-shirt. These men were so proud to have earned a shirt!
After Men's Muscle Month, we all ate a quick lunch and then went over to the Hurley's house for a SOS orientation and tour.
Just to give you an idea of the missionaries' homes:
The Cupps' home--the one we stayed in--is on the left-hand side (the one with the bus sitting in front of it) and the Hurley's is on the right-hand side (with the people standing in front):
These homes are made of concrete. Hardly any wood was used on these structures due to the termites. Their floors on the inside are also concrete, as well as their kitchen counters. When building these homes they used the most durable products, yet also most cost efficient. They made these homes spacious with the idea that mission teams and people would be staying with them on a regular basis.
When we had the tour and listened to Shannon Hurley talk about his vision for this ministry, I couldn't help but be in awe of how God is doing big things in Uganda through this ministry. Shannon's passion for what he is doing is contagious, for sure, or maybe a better way to say it is that he shares God's vision so passionately that you can't help to want to be a part of it.
He took us through the history of how SOS had come to where it is today. As he described the first time he came to this area and how there was barely a road and everything was thick with jungle, you couldn't help but be amazed at his tenacity to endure...his ability to see the vision ahead of him when all that was presently in front of him was jungle. I felt like we were talking with a modern day Hudson Taylor or David Livingstone.
He had story after story of changed life after changed life. As they built and befriended and hired villagers to help them, the Gospel was shared. One by one by one, people they met came to know Christ personally. Kubamitwe used to be a village that people were ashamed to say they were from. It's history includes one of blood-shed and war--it was considered a place where alcoholism and hopelessness was rampid. Yet, as life after life after life has been changed by Christ, this village's persona and reputation has changed. One villager recently said, "I used to be ashamed to tell people that I was from Kubamitwe. Now I stand proudly and say, 'I am from Kubamitwe!'"
This is the latrine for the school that is being built. The depth of the hole, I do not remember, but it was DEEP.
Here is a picture of the current school--it is on the right-hand side right next to the church. Once the new school is built, this building will be used for his pastor's conferences and seminars. Shannon's heart is to pour into and equip pastors all over Uganda so that they can affect their villages for Christ in much the same way that they have been doing here in Kubamitwe.
These children live in these homes across the street. Throughout the week, the girls got very attached to these children.
We picked up sticks, trash and pieces of bricks and metal.
We removed tree roots and stumps.
After working here for the afternoon, some of us got to accompany Olivia to a Bible study that she has started with some village girls ages 11-16.
She meets here under this tent out back behind the church. Two of these girls just recently accepted Christ at this study! It was a beautiful thing to witness as Olivia shared and her words were translated.
That evening Jen made us a Mexican meal, complete with homemade salsa and guacamole. By the way, this is how big the avocados are in Uganda!
Late afternoons and evenings were filled with sitting on the porch and playing with the village kids that would come over...
...while the ladies spent time preparing for children's Sunday School and children's church that our group was in charge of the next day.
Most nights ended with us meeting and debriefing about the day, discussing our agenda for the following day and breaking up to pray with one another.
This day, for me, was about truly catching the vision of SOS Ministries. It was about seeing how loving those around you while spending time in one-on-one discipleship can completely change the landscape of a village. As I went to bed that night, I thought about Paducah and our role there with Fellowship of Christian Athletes. I asked the Lord to help us take the things we were learning back to our little area of the world. I asked Him to work through us in Paducah just like He was doing here in Kubamitwe.
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