Church in a Hut

There is far more to share about yesterday and today than I have time & energy to share right now. A couple of highlights, though: two young girls (they are 11) who Josh & Mandy Shaarda know came from pretty far away seeking out Rebecca yesterday because they had heard a friend was coming. They stayed with us for the whole day, and it was fun to see Rebecca interacting with her new friends (Betty & Adella). They also stayed for dinner because they had had nothing to eat all day. During dinner, they shared their stories, which were really beyond comprehension. In spite of all their struggles at such a young age, they love Jesus and trust Him to care for them. I think it was a tremendous learning experience for all of us. Betty has invited Rebecca to go to school with her one day this week (she said that it would make everyone so happy because if a muzungu---white person in Ateso----comes to school, the teacher will not beat anyone that day). Later, Rebecca said she really wants to go so that no body gets caned that day. Such a sad thing happening in the schools here.
Today was incredible. We left the house at 7AM for Karamoja. Last night Tim had told me that I wouldn't be preaching afterall, but our whole team practiced some songs to sing. Rebecca taught us her liturgical dance and song and we practiced and prepared it for today. On the way to the church, we were flagged down by Christians gathering at another place. We stopped and then were invited into their service to bring special greetings. It was a most unusual experience to just show up unexpected and to be asked to share. Tim spoke and then our group sang for them; then, we were off to the church that was expecting us. When we got there, lots of people were gathered aroud a small grass hut. We were invited in; this was the church building for the day. Some kind man had graciously vacated his house so we could have church. I'm guessing that there were about 40-50 people crammed into the inside of the hut, and many, many more gathered around the outside. The singing of the congregation was beautiful; even though we couldn't understand them on many of the songs, it was so clear that God was in that place. Part-way through the service, Tim informed me that now i had to preach afterall. I somewhat panicked, but mostly because I hadn't even brought my Bible or my sermon notes into the church. My Bible was here at the house, and my sermon I had prepared was in a notebook in the van. Tim went to the van to get it, but while he did, I prayed and felt very sure that I was not supposed to preach that sermon. My devotions this morning were from 2 Corinthians 1, and I remember thinking how meaningful a passage like that would be for a people who suffer so much. So, I chucked the prepared sermon, and preached on 2 Corinthians 1:3-11 instead. I don't think I said anything overly profound, but basically just walked them through the chapter, and shared some of what God has done in my life. When i was finished, the pastor leading the worship shared how they had been fasting and praying for 3 days asking God to give them some special words of encouragement and that those verses were exactly what they needed. Several others shared how they felt the Holy Spirit speak to them through it as well. As for me, I'm simply humbled and speechless. From the church in the hut, we went out to an IDP (internally displaced people camp). It was a very hard thing to see. Not one child had clothing that wasn't tattered and torn. There was a horrid stench throughout the whole camp, which holds about 10,000 refugees---the smell of fermenting millet used to make alcohol was overwhelming. The children---hundreds of them---followed us everywhere and closed around us so much that it was hard to move. Rebecca felt overwhelmed by all of it, but so did we all. The children wreaked of urine, their eyes were yellow from malnutrition, and their tummies were bloated from malnutrition, too. It was just SO sad! After our visit there, we went to see the mass graves that were made with money from the Ride for Refugees (2008 ride). We met with John Patrick who was a local politician that Tim worked with gathering the bodies from the bush and bringing them to give them a proper burial. John Patrick shook my hand and thanked me for doing the Ride and he shared how having the bodies properly buried has been a beginning of a healing process for the people of their area who have been so devastated by the raids of the LRA (Lord's Resistance Army). Virtually everyone in that town has been directly affected by this atrocity since the LRA wasn't driven out of their area until 2007. So, there was a lot to take in today....more than my mind and emotions can handle. But, in it all, God keeps showing us that He is the hope of uganda. Even in the midst of the suffering in the IDP Camp, there is a Christian man who lives there and is making a difference, one child at a time.
Tomorrow we are off to the Children's shelter to hold, pray over and love some children who so badly need it. Please, keep praying for us all. Thanks!