Becca's Ugandan Adventure: September 2015

As I come to write this last blog, words evade me – for how could I adequately describe or neatly summarise such an incredibly influential season of my life?

It was not simply a ‘trip’ for us, instead it was our LIFE for 5 weeks. It really felt like such a short time to stay in those closing days, yet we had invested so much and learnt a great deal.

We kept going till the minute we boarded the plane, so our final week was packed full of joys, frustrations and important lessons just as the other weeks were. Whilst Emily was travelling in a group with Chris (her brother, my cousin), I remained at the Smile house and helped to write up the stories of sponsored children and widows, in addition to the weekly visits to Nabulagala community. One day, I was also given the opportunity to meet four girls at a Crisis Pregnancy Centre. These young girls, all teenagers, had been disowned by their families as a result of finding out that they were pregnant. Each girl shared their story and it was heart-breaking to hear. One girl had been with her boyfriend for two years and on telling him she was pregnant with his child, he said he already had a family she did not know about - a wife and children. He could not afford to help and support her, so left her to be cast aside by her distraught mother and father. Fortunately her uncle brought her here. She is just one of many girls in similar situations and I hate to think that she might be living on the streets or worse if she was not taken to this centre. There, they are taught basic skills and taught that they and their baby are deeply loved by their heavenly Father. By the time the baby is born, the families are persuaded to take the girls home though I’m sure life is not easy afterwards. If you are a person of prayer, please pause now to lift up girls in this situation to our heavenly Father who longs for them to know his love, protection and sovereignty.

Aside from serving with Smile during the day, we spent most evenings at Kampala Baptist Church where we have made many good friends. I could never fully express how grateful I am for my brothers and sisters there and how wonderful they are; how they welcomed us with acceptance, how they could always make us laugh at the end of a hard day, how they were genuinely interested in getting to know us, how they took time to listen and to talk, how they love Jesus and how they love so deeply. God surely blessed us with meeting not just friends but family in Uganda and that is a bond that can never be broken. I pray that they will be blessed abundantly for their kindness, care and friendship and I long, like Paul does in his many letters, to some day return. And that is in God’s hands completely. I desire to be with the beautiful children and inspirational teachers, my joyful, strong friends and family in Uganada. Whilst some days I wish I could hop on a plane right away, I know God’s timing is perfect and his ways are far higher than mine; I trust his promise that his will is good. And if not on earth, I know we will be together again in heaven – rejoicing, laughing and singing praise to our wonderful Saviour for eternity.