faith

Uganda – From a Visitor’s Perspective

/ Gina Sawyer / Leave a comment

As we have mentioned before, we love hosting visitors! We are so thankful when people make the sacrifice of time and finances to come experience Uganda with us. Not only do they get to see the ministry, but they can also relate to our life a little better. In March, we had some very dear friends come to visit and we asked them to share their thoughts about their visit to Uganda. Hopefully this will encourage YOU to come visit, too!

What are some things that stood out to you while visiting Uganda?

“People seem to genuinely care for each other and look out for each other, such as helping each other in the marketplace, asking about each others’ families, children taking care of the younger ones, etc. We enjoyed getting a taste of daily life like driving, shopping, and meeting with various people in different villages. The coffee tour was also incredible to see where and how production happens, and to hear the detailed process and how integral relationships in the community are to ministry. We got a glimpse of how relationships are key here. In regards to safari, it was like being in “National Geographic”- it was amazing to see so much beautiful creation in one setting.”

Were there any cultural habits or traditions that stood out?

“It was impactful to see the social significance of the mission work through building relationships with so many people. Being including in those interactions and relationships was meaningful to us. We enjoyed witnessing the importance of speaking local languages like Luganda, but also seeing the country’s emphasis on English being more widespread with the upcoming generations. We also enjoyed hearing different phrases in ways we wouldn’t normally use, like ‘You’re welcome’ when coming into a someone’s home or the church, or ‘Praise God’ as an initial greeting with someone. The other thing that stood out to us was the meal rituals of washing visitors’ hands before eating and serving the visitors’ food – it seemed like more relationship building and serving one another.”

What was difficult for you to see?

“Life seems tough. It seems that many people, especially children seem to be missing a purpose of structure to engage, which could lead to problems like boredom, lack of education, limiting personal or community growth, improving living conditions, etc. It was hard to see poverty all around us, without simple solutions to help.”

What felt similar to your life back in the U.S.?

“Daily life seems to be similar to ours: shopping, eating, household chores, dressing up to show respect or honor, etc. Missionaries also seem to be able to engage in a range of local and personal cultural activities such as household responsibilities, education, different foods, social engagements, driving, etc. It was nice to see that while the cultures are very different, we have a lot of similar daily life activities.”

What things were different than you were expecting? What things were the same?

“We expected life to appear more challenging, but we were pleasantly surprised that their lifestyle seemed more collaborative and functional with a community, relational focus. Driving appeared chaotic – driving on the other side of the road than the US and with so many small motorcycles (called bodas) moving in and out of larger vehicle traffic. The weather was more enjoyable than we expected, even though it still felt hot and humid. We adapted better than we expected. Also, the natural beauty was a bonus. The mission work seems to be as deep and engaged as we thought and have read about in newsletters, but the relationships were stronger than we expected. Overall, we were well prepared for our trip, but there are still things we are trying to process from all that we saw.”

Is there anything you learned about the ministry or Uganda that you didn’t know before?

“The ministry work is much broader than we realized. With the mission work, Mbale Church of Christ, village churches, Messiah Theological Institute, discipleship groups, and other development projects, there’s a lot going on. But also with relationships with Livingstone International University and Good News Productions, we didn’t realize the relational connection with the mission work and their partnership with one another.”

What moment(s) from the trip will stay with you the longest?

“We will never forget our experience on safari and seeing so many animals up close! But also, we saw that daily life can be simple and is unique for each person or family. Sometimes we overcomplicate or fill our lives with too much. Another thing that will stick with us is the reminder that relationships are so important for everything. Sometimes we get too busy for people, but they are who matter.”

What would you like to share about your trip for others to know?

“Don’t wait!! Visit when your heart calls you. For us, making the journey and experiencing the culture convicted us in regards to the American lifestyle of individualism and divisiveness. This trip increased our desire for deepening relationships with God, and with others in our own life and community. I hope more people will take the opportunity to visit you and Uganda.”

Journey to Uganda – 10 Years In

/ Gina Sawyer / Leave a comment

Many of you have asked how we got to Uganda. Some of you have been with us throughout the long journey, but some of you are new to reading our blog and don’t know the full story. So, as we celebrate 10 years in Uganda, here’s the story. It’s a long one, so be prepared….

In 2010, Leland and I went on a “once in a lifetime” trip to visit our friend who was living in Nairobi, Kenya. We went on safari at Masai Mara, and then we took a 12-hour bus ride across the border to Jinja, Uganda to white water raft on the Nile River. Like I said, it was a once in a lifetime trip! One evening, Leland and I were walking around the village near the camp we were staying, and we asked the question “Could we live in a place like this? Our friend lives here, could we?” And thus the seed was planted…

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Thankful in the Midst of Hard

/ Gina Sawyer / 1 Comment

I am in a season right now where I am feeling HARD of life in Uganda! In our training at Missions Training International, we learned that as missionaries, we wake up at a higher stress level than we used to when we lived in our own passport cultures by almost double. We have learned to adjust and adapt, and even thrive in our lives here in Uganda. But sometimes, all the things that we can normally manage become overwhelming: things that shouldn’t take as long as they do; having to go to several stores and still not finding the food items we want for months on end; instability of consistent water, electricity, and sunshine (which the combination is needed to do laundry); household items that continuously break without the ease of buying a new one or getting it repaired correctly; good mechanics are impossible to find and roads tear up our vehicles; having work done on the house NEVER goes how we expect or want, often with errors, lack of appropriate tools or supplies, and any mistakes are at our expense; and don’t get me started on driving with the “mosquitos” we call bodas (small motorcycle taxis) that swarm the streets in ridiculously large numbers. We typically manage these daily challenges, and they have been part of our lives for the past 10 years. We have not only adapted to these things, but things have also improved with more options available in town, people we can call when we need repairs, people who help us find things we need from town and even deliver them to us, and a community of friends that is always willing to help in all sorts of situations. In the midst of the HARD, I can also see the GOOD.

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Partners in Ministry

/ Gina Sawyer / 1 Comment

We are always so blessed when people visit Uganda to see the ministry here. Not only do we get the opportunity to show them how God is at work for His kingdom in a variety of ways (from disciplemaking in villages to community development projects to bible studies in churches to conferences and trainings and so much more) but we also get the opportunity to share our life with people. And answer questions about our everyday life that is so different than what our life was like in America.

At the end of June, we were blessed with 15 men and women, ranging in age from 14 years old to adult (we won’t mention ages), from Quaker Avenue Church of Christ in Lubbock, Texas. This is a special trip because of the history Quaker Avenue has with the mission work in Uganda. It’s the founding church who sent the first missionaries here to Mbale to start the work with New Testament Churches of Christ thirty years ago, which is the organization from where all the various ministries have come from (Messiah Theological School, Livingstone International University, Tyler Homeschool Cooperative, Good News Production – Mbale branch), and of course what the work is doing now with disciplemaking and church leader development.

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Women’s DiscipleMaking

/ Gina Sawyer / 1 Comment

It is exciting to see how God’s kingdom continue to expand not just with pastors and men, but also with women. Since 2018, there have been three women’s discipleship groups that have concluded their meetings, and there are two women’s discipleship groups that are currently meeting in two different villages with women from area churches in the same cluster. These clusters are made up of area churches who come together for encouragement and helping one another.

At the end of April, the first two women discipleship groups met together for a time of prayer, encouragement, and spurring on one another to making disciplemakers. These groups started in 2018 and 2019, so we moved together through two Covid-related lockdowns and restrictions that delayed our group meetings, extending our time together for more than three years. It was a challenging journey for both groups, and we completed the groups unsure how the ladies would take disciplemaking to their churches and villages.

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A Little Glimpse of Heaven

/ Gina Sawyer / 1 Comment

One of my favorite things about living in Uganda is hearing the many different languages. While sometimes it’s a little overwhelming to be surrounded by languages I don’t understand, I am reminded of how diverse our world really is. When I hear other people praying to God in their native tongue or are singing worship to our God in a variety of languages, it makes me think of heaven.

This world has so many different people, cultures, and languages. What an amazing God we have to create so many unique people! And while sometimes we get distracted by our differences, it is so refreshing to share the unity in Christ when I come together with brothers and sisters in Uganda and recognize there are so many amazing things we can celebrate about one another.

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