Our Stay in Kampala (at a glance)

The IV team has been working long days and learning a TON about what God is doing here in Kampala.  The children here have stolen our hearts.  Lifelong friendships are beginning to form, and we are starting to grapple with big issues like poverty, health care, and reconciliation both within and between religious communities.  We have been serving in our assigned organizations almost every day, and have been challenged and stretched in the process.  This week, we’ll be featuring reflections from three students, each from a different work site: Miles 2 Smiles, Rhema Academic Centre, and Threads of Life.  These should give you a sense of what each site was like, and how they have made an impact on us. 

Miles 2 Smiles

"Miles 2 Smiles is a day care center filled with energetic and loving children ranging from 8 months to 5 years of age.  This place is not a regular day care center; it’s a place created for the safety of the children.  While their parents, mainly single mothers, are busy working to provide for their family, if not for this facility the children would either be locked in their homes or be running on dangerous roadways while their mothers work in the marketplace.  The founder of Miles 2 Smiles, Aunt Kathy, opened the center because she saw the need of both the struggling mothers and the kids to be safe and have the opportunity to receive an education.  Presently, the number of children in the center is rising, yet the number of teachers & nurses remains stagnant.  In order for these children to grow up physically, mentally, and spiritually appropriately, they need both increased attention & love.  That is why both the staff and children at Miles to Smiles are thankful for volunteers like us to just spend time with them and shower them with love.

Our experience with the children was amazing! They ran towards us and wanted to play and be held all the time.  We sang a lot of songs and played many games with them. Although we were tired by the end of the day, the children’s bright smiles so clearly depicted God’s love and encouraged all of us.  Please pray not just for the struggling parents and their children, but also for the day care center and its staff, because these children need this place and they truly walk miles to smiles."

          ~Katia & Miki

Rhema Academic Centre

“The children at Rhema are full of life, and faith.  They smile and play, learn math and science and history.  This week we had the privilege of working with the teachers and students of Rhema, and to see God at work within each child and teacher.  We taught vowels with Primary 1, Reduced Fractions through a translator with P3/P4, and English with P6.  At Rhema, God reminded me of the beauty of childhood.  He reminded me of the importance of education.  Most of all, though, he reminded me of the value of friendships between students & teachers.  While I was only with the children and teachers of Rhema for a week, I will not forget the smiles, the stories, or the laughter of the students and teachers—my new friends—in Uganda.”

          ~Brayden 

Threads of Life

“For 2-3 days, the ministry groups had the privilege of working with women at Threads of Life.  Threads of Life works directly with (mostly) single mothers in the Katonga slum areas to help them learn practical skills for work (sewing, tailoring) and restore a self-sustainable lifestyle with their children.  Our teams spent a few days teaching various levels of English classes. 

We learned that English is a key requirement for these women looking for jobs and surviving in their competitive environment.  The women were divided into appropriate class levels and we were so blessed to see how passionate & sincere their attitudes were to learn.;  some of us worked very closely with just a few women to not only teach, but to share our own stories and most importantly, share Jesus.  Others taught larger beginner classes with basic vocabulary and interactive bible stories.  One of the women was trained and prepared to be a devotion leader for the group once we leave!  Their enthusiasm & smiles brought us so much joy and every one of us feel our time together was too short!  Sharing those few days with the women encouraged us tremendously to continue to restore justice around in communities here and back home with the love of Christ we’re learning more about here.” 

          ~Aimee

In addition to a very fruitful time at our ministry sites, we've been experiencing many of the sights and sounds and communities of the beautiful (and very dusty) city of Kampala.  Right outside Rhema Academic Centre, Josh Williams preached at his first ever 'crusade', an open-air service full of singing, dancing, and a truly powerful place for encouragement and transformation for the poor and oppressed who were gathered there.  (We also got to do our first choreographed choir performance :)). We've been challenged to immerse ourselves in another cultural expression of church, going door-to-door to encourage people and offer support and prayer in the slums.  We've enjoyed delicious Ugandan food, especially matoke (a banana-like vegetable that is best served smothered in groundnut sauce).  We've even visited Mulago Hospital, a government-run hospital where many patients crowd in a single room and wait for weeks, even months or years, to be cared for, and we were able to encourage those who were there and wrestle with what this all means for us.  

There are only a couple of days left here in Kampala!  They'll include a 'crazy kids day' we're organizing, a visit to a mosque, and some much-needed debriefing of all that we've experienced and learned.  Then we'll be off to Gulu for phase two!

Please be praying for us!

-Pray for a safe trip to Gulu.  We will be leaving by bus Tuesday, early in the morning.  Pray for us to be rested and ready! 

-Megan Silver has an unfortunate case of conjunctivitis (pink eye).  We are hoping it goes away soon, and we've been taking all the necessary measures to help it heal, but your concerted prayers would be very much appreciated!

-Pray for continued energy and health for the whole team, as the days have been very full and we have been living in close quarters :) 

-Praise God for the unity and protection we've all experienced so far!!