Serving with G.O.D at our local Primary School has led through 7+ years of thriving and empowerment.
It was the year 2014 when G.O.D started to give full support to the local primary school to see that this rural school would grow and develop and become a model for other schools in the area so that they too can grow. The kind of growth and development which was to be emphasized is one that was to be witnessed in the children and teachers at this school. Most rural government schools in Uganda are so underprivileged in many aspects, from lack of enough teachers, poor building structures, or a lack of them in many districts to poor facilitation in terms of scholastic materials among others.
So when Brother Gregg Garner visited the school on different occasions with different teams, they felt the holy spirit inviting them to help. There was a need for people to join the call and serve to help meet the many needs. While he spoke from the word when we had a Bible study one evening, he highlighted how Jesus laid down his life for the sake of others in a sacrificial way and those who follow him need to recognize that he's still wanting to manifest himself to the world for people to see him in their lives and so even in a school setting this was a great possibility.
Lawrence chose to move to this school not because it was the sensible thing, but because the Holy Spirit moved in him, prompting him to go.
I felt the move of the Holy Spirit so strong in me and prayed to God that He would strengthen me to take the decision and move to working at this local school so that I can participate in what the LORD was wanting to start there. Gregg had observed how children were malnourished, many of them were sick, others had chiggers, 99% had no shoes and so the majority had wounds, the teaching staff was less compared to the number of children and so they were overwhelmed.
The LORD helped me to decide and I joined the school. The LORD worked so powerfully with our team and G.O.D. Int’l kept on supporting us in many ways. They constantly prayed for us, writing letters of encouragement, sending scholastic materials, organizing teacher seminars, starting a lunch program for the school, repairing buildings, offering camp skills programs, providing wound care materials and empowering teachers to handle and treat wounds, providing hand-washing stations, supporting agricultural activities by buying hoes and farm boots for students, and providing sports equipment like soccer balls and jerseys.
For the last seven years the school has been thriving and by that, I mean the children and teachers. Other schools have come to learn from the model of our lunch program among other things. The school enrollment has been growing over the years and students' attendance also increased compared to how it used to be.
I feel blessed for having been a part of this historical service to the LORD, I have grown and been empowered. My eyes have over the years been opened to many realities, to be able to see the world through the eyes of children just as Jesus taught his disciples. I pray that the Lord continues to lead us so we can demonstrate his love to those we serve to heal and bring restoration.
Amen.
Lawrence’s faithfulness to serve the students at this school has enriched their experience. But there are still hardships, like students having to leave class multiple times a day to go and fetch water just to wash their hands, or have a drink. You can change this by sharing water with these students. It’s our goal to raise $250k before December 31st in support of causes like these.
1 Timothy 6:18-19 - Do Good, Be Rich In Good Works, Generous, And Ready To Share, Thus Storing Up The Treasure Of A Good Foundation For The Future, So That You May Take Hold Of The Life That Really Is Life.
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