Last week I, along with 4 other members of our Church Planting & Discipleship team, traveled to Nimule, South Sudan to encourage and teach the leaders from the churches of Christ. There were 22 leaders and pastors from South Sudan and northern Uganda that traveled to the border town for basic theological training and discipleship. To reach Nimule, these pastors traveled from safety into a war zone, from refugee camps to where they had fled, or across rebel controlled areas. Continue reading
Nkya iga Oluganda
Nkya iga Oluganda (sounds like Encha yeega Oluganda) means “I am still learning Luganda.” Luckily, we are not learning how to read or write Luganda at this point, so we only write how it sounds to us, which is different for Leland and me.
Immaculate, our language helper, is a primary school teacher who is not currently working, so she is able to help teach us every Wednesday and Friday afternoon for 1 hour. An hour doesn’t seem like much time but by the end of each lesson, our brain is fried and we are drained from trying to process and learn. She is patient with us, she challenges us, she speaks slowly and repeats herself so we can understand. Continue reading
Cultural or Christian?
I recently came out of a meeting and saw a large group of men parading down the street. They had completely taken over the road and were blowing whistles, horns and singing all kinds of songs. It was a traditional Bagisu circumcision parade. For the past two months it has been the season of these celebrations, and they mark when a young boy becomes a man in the cultural society. Continue reading
Castaways on Bugaya Island
No we weren’t castaways, but we were in a world completely new to all of us. Bugaya Island is in the middle of Lake Victoria, a 2-hour boat ride from Kiyendi, very nearly on the equator. Lake Victoria is the 2nd largest fresh water lake in the world (behind Lake Superior). When we set off, we could not see our island, but the captain knew the way and set us on course. I couldn’t help but sing in my head the song from Gilligan’s Island the entire trip. Continue reading
Same Power
This song has been a powerful reminder for me during our journey in Uganda. I can’t help but stop and sing when it comes on my worship playlist. We have been incredibly blessed by so much prayer, encouragement and support along the way, and we have felt God with us throughout everything. Continue reading
Go West Young Man
Over the “summer” months, my primary teammates were traveling and visiting the USA. But now the gang is all together and the three of us – myself, Dennis, and JP – are traveling together. This past weekend we made the long journey to the far western parts of Uganda, in a region called Rakai. The people there are drummers and cow herders. Continue reading
Days in Africa (Part 2)
The previous list got too long for one post, so I thought it would be fun to continue the differences we’ve discovered so far. And the interesting thing is that most of these realizations are day-to-day living and not even cultural differences. Those would need many more posts and would still be hard to find the words to express… We hope you enjoy getting a glimpse into our new world. It’s been a fun adventure! Continue reading
Days in Africa (Part 1)
Now that we have been in Uganda for 6 months, many of the things that came as a shock or caught us guard have now become the norm. I kept a list of the many different things we deal with on a daily basis. Here are many unique things we’ve encountered, all for your reading pleasure… Continue reading
From A Visitor’s Perspective
Recently, my (Leland) mom and step-dad came to visit our new life in Uganda. We wanted to get their fresh perspective on how they saw and experienced this new place. Here are some musings of my mom, Kim Broadway. I hope you enjoy them…
When Leland and Gina told me they were moving to Africa – and taking Adalyn with them, by the way! Continue reading
Village Work
The past two Sundays I have had the pleasure and responsibility of standing in the pulpit and speaking on behalf of the mission for village church clusters. Wow!!!
Let me back up…the mission that we work with, New Testament Churches of Christ (NTCC), is connected to about 300 churches all over Uganda. These churches are grouped together into clusters that are near one another, and these clusters come together occasionally for mutual support, worship, encouragement, fundraising and unity. We at the mission office travel to visit churches and clusters in order to strengthen, teach, lead and encourage them. We are partners with them in the work they are doing in their local community. Continue reading
Sawyers In Uganda 