We arrived in Kampala late last night and reunited with friends Peter, Francis and Lawrence. After taking a moment to recognize the Lord for his goodness for safe travel, we rejoiced in the opportunity to be together, spending the remainder of our travel catching up about our lives and families. I am so grateful for these men--my brothers--and the opportunity we have to serve the Lord together.
We woke up to rain that lasted the majority of the morning. We have no complaints, as just a few months ago the ground was dust here, and my phone was filled with urgent requests to pray for rain. As Francis says, "with rain comes more business." He means, there's a lot to do.
Tom (top) and Andrew (bottom) are two of our students in Uganda, gaining practical skills as well as deepening their knowledge of God's Word. Andrew is holding a scythe, a tool we introduced last summer for slashing the grass on their compound in a faster, easier, and more economical way.
During the rain I conducted meetings with all of our Institute for G.O.D. East Africa students regarding health care issues and concerns. Learning to be responsible for one's own health is part of empowerment, and it is a process that takes time. Many people here 'give up' in regards to what can be done to stay off sickness and disease. We train our people that "everyone is a health care worker," and everyone is responsible to put in the proper work to maintain wellness. Putting this into practice, however, can be challenging, so I helped answer their questions, and we discussed the health concerns of the last year they've been living on our compound.
I then met with four of our young people in regards to their work responsibilities. Each of our students have a variety of expectations on them, ranging from cleaning, cooking, gardening, building, to serving as educators at St. John's. At the same time, they are enrolled in an academic course load at the Institute for G.O.D. East Africa. They are receiving a unique opportunity to both gain practical skills and a biblical education, and it is exciting. I heard feedback from their last two semesters. One student, Henry, said,
Prior to being a part of the work of G.O.D., I was pursuing a way of life that promised wealth, as that was what all my friends and family were doing. I am thankful to God for the education I've received in his Word, because I now see I can be more than I ever knew I was capable of before. I can bring order to my world peacefully, by becoming someone who can articulate what's wrong and point people towards what's right.
We finished the daylight hours with work in the garden. We will be focusing on improving their compost operation and animal husbandry projects while we are here. Neither Derek nor Aaron have been to our compound before, so today they toured St. John's primary, the new homes being built, and got to work in the garden.
We finished the day with a time of worship and prayer together, acknowledging again the goodness of God. We just can't get over how good he is to us.
Cameron Kagay Regional Director of G.O.D. East Africa On the field in Uganda
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