(Last squad photo before we all flew home to our respective states! I love and miss each of them dearly)
Hello, friend! I have now been in Michigan for a month now which means that this will most likely be my very last blog post from this Race. Before I talk about that, lets rewind all the way back to my squad’s travel from Kenya to Uganda!
After a 4 a.m. wake up, a 1 hour bus, a 6 hour train ride, 3 hours in a coffee shop, a ride on a Matatu (local taxi) and getting stuck in the worst traffic I’ve ever been in, running through the crowded streets of Nairobi with all of our stuff while praying that we would not miss our bus and getting shouted at and proposed to by random men (I was offered 90 cows to marry one of them), making it to our bus before it left with the help of a kind stranger, a 16 hour bus ride, and one stop at the Ugandan border at 5 a.m., my squad finally made it to Mukuno, Uganda! Praise God!
During the Kenya debrief, our squad split into two teams, Dynamous and Fresh Wind. On team Dynamous was Aaron (team leader), Michael, John, Ella, Ava, Lillie, and Abby (squad leader). On team Fresh Wind was Sarah (team leader), Alex, Amanda, Mandy, Brice, Coby, and I (squad leader).
(Team Fresh Wind!!!)
Originally, our two teams were serving at two different ministry locations. However, after 2 1/2 weeks in Uganda, some unforseen circumstances, and lots of prayer, Fresh Wind was pulled from our first ministry location. That turned out to be quite the blessing as that allowed us to finish the last month and a half on our Race as all-squad, a time that I look back upon quite fondly.
Unfortunately, I was quite ill for majority of my squad’s time in Uganda (6 out of 8 weeks). While we were at our first ministry location, I got a very serious and aggressive bacteria infection, H Pylori, which my squad affectionately nicknamed Harry. Navigating life with Harry was quite difficult, he essentially was eating away at my stomach lining which caused ulcers to start to develop. As a result, I was experiencing intense physical pain in my abdomen (it often felt like I was being stabbed), digestion issues, bloating, extreme fatigue, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting. These symptoms often prevented me from participating in organized ministry, especially in the first few weeks that we became all-squad.
To be completely honest with you, the first few weeks of being sick were quite a dark time, spiritually, physically, and emotionally/mentally. I was miserable, felt so discouraged and hopeless in my walk, and was so frustrated with a God I felt had abandoned me. Being in pain and feeling very ill day after day, not seeming to ever get better, having to navigate my responsibilities as squad leader while being very ill, and not being able to do ministry, really began to get to me and for a short time, I began to accept the lies of the enemy for truth.
That I would never be healed. That I was a burden. That God didn’t care about my pain.
I tell you this not to gain your pity, but to testify of a God who meets us in our suffering, who is not indifferent to our cries, and is always moving and working even when we can’t see it or understand it. It was hard for me to see the Lord and to believe the Truth when my eyes were fixed on my circumstances and the lies of the enemy.
When I cried out to the Lord when my strength was failing and I was seriously considering going home, He met me and gave His strength. He blessed me with 13 friends who had become family, who told me time and time again that I was not a burden to them even when I felt as though I was, who spoke life over me, who prayed over me, and continually pointed me back to the arms of a loving Father who had never abandoned me.
He gave me fresh eyes for the community we were in, the beauty around us, and a new appreciation for every moment regardless of if it was different than I expected or hoped. He opened my eyes to the reality of my situation through a dream in which I was being attacked by satan, spoke to the season that I had been walking through, breathed new life upon me, and gave me a fresh wind.
In Psalm 126:5 it says, “Those who sow with tears, reap with shouts of joy.” This is a verse that I was able to see come to life while in Uganda and one that I am still continuing to see come to pass now that I am home.
Those weeks, while shadowed by pain, frustration, and many tears, are something I can now look back on and call beautiful because it was in that unraveling, in that ugly and raw surrender, in that time of endurance when I felt I had nothing left to give, that the Lord developed a depth of faith within me that would not have happened otherwise.
A faith that wasn’t rooted in circumstance but deeply rooted in the truth of the character of our King and His promises.
A faith that was steadfast even when the outcome was uncertain.
A faith that persevered through suffering and difficulty.
The truth was, the Lord had been nearer to me in this season than He ever had been and I had been in the palm of his hand all along. He had never been indifferent to my cries and pain, but had been using the silence to stretch and mold me more in His image, unravel me to rebuild, and to develop deeper rooted faith within me.
Praise God!
~
In Uganda, my squad mainly participated in three forms of ministry, door-to-door evangelism, Bible studies, and leading church services. Despite the hardships I faced in Uganda, the ministry we did in this country was one of my favorites. The Ugandan people hold and cultivate such an eagerness for the Word and it touched my heart deeply. The hunger that each person we met held was so unique and unlike anything that we had seen in any of the other countries that we had ministered in. It was absolutely beautiful to witness and it stirred my own heart with zeal and passion for the Lord.
It was in Uganda that I saw Matthew 9:37 come to life before my very eyes, “The harvest is ripe but the laborers few.” The harvest is truly ripe and plentiful in Uganda. Every interaction that we had with people of all different walks and backgrounds was so fruitful! We saw so many salvations, deliverances, healings, and baptisms within the span of 6 weeks! Praise God!
Ugandans are very eager and open to conversation, even if they were in the middle of something. Nearly everyone we met was willing to stop what they were doing to talk with us, whether that was for 5 minutes or several hours. With each person we encountered on the road, at their homes, or a store/business, we would either share the Gospel, a word of encouragement, or a testimony. Often times, that would open the door for further conversation about their lives, families, struggles, and questions. At the end of our time with them, we would pray and invite them back to the Bible Study that we hosted at our compound, three times a week.
Very quickly into our time in Uganda, my squad realized that while there are many practicing Christians in Uganda, very few of them owned Bibles. After some fundraising with friends and family back stateside, my squad was able to raise the money to do two different Bible runs. In the span of five weeks, my squad was able to bless over 200 people with Bibles (both in English and in Luganda)! Praise God! These Bibles were passed out at the Bible studies that we hosted or at church service on Sunday.
Eventually, after a few weeks of evangelizing and providing Bibles to those in the community, the word began to spread and people began to know us as the “Mzungus with Bibles” and would often come up to us on the street asking for a Bible of their own. There were some who would come who barely knew any English, but they were so desperate to receive the word of God that one of the only words they would know is “Bible.” Their excitement and hopefulness regardless of their age each time that they would come up to us absolutely broke my heart but it was such a joy to be used to meet their need and provide something they had previously had such limited access to.
Both Fresh Wind and Dynamous hosted Bible studies three nights a week. Dynamous hosted one at our host’s church that was about a mile or so away. Fresh Wind hosted ours at the compound that we were living at, right in the middle of the community that we were evangelizing in. The first week that my team hosted our Bible study on the book of Matthew, we had only a handful of people attend. As the word spread, we had 40-50 people from the community (men, women, and children of all ages) coming each night! Praise God!!
Bible study was such a beautiful and intentional time of discipleship! Each person that came was so eager to learn and to dive into the scriptures that they had previously only had access to on Sundays at church if they were able to go. Their childlike wonder, excitement, hunger, and faith touched all of our hearts.
The Ugandans very quickly made the Bible study their own, coming with questions of all types, related and unrelated to the passages we were working through, asking to worship at the end, sharing testimonies of what the Lord is doing in their lives, and asking for prayer before walking home. Each person was so open to discussion and so willing to learn how to apply the scriptures we were reading to their lives.
Each night with them was absolutely precious and the presence of the Lord was so heavy!! His heart for the Ugandan people was truly so evident in each conversation that we were blessed enough to share with them. Through five days of evangelism and doing these studies three nights a week, my squad saw the Lord plant a small spark of revival within the little community of Namawajolo. It was such an honor to fan the flame and watch that spark grow! To see lives transformed and salvation received. To see an unabashed pursuit of the King of Kings!
While in Uganda, my squad also had many opportunities to preach at the Sunday services of many local churches. Each Sunday, we would split into 2-4 groups and would run the entire service, leading worship, sharing 1-3 testimonies, a word of encouragement, and then preaching the word. Because we had so many opportunities to do this on Sunday, nearly every single person on my squad had an opportunity to serve in almost every capacity! Unfortunately, due to my sickness, I was unable to attend most Sunday services. I did have the opportunity, however, to share a testimony with one of the congregations though!
The weekend before we left Uganda, my squad also had the chance to baptize some of the people from the community at a local pool! We started off the evening with worship lead by Ella and an explanation of baptism shared by Coby. That day we had around 15-20 baptisms and nearly everyone on my squad was able to do one!! Praise God!!
Now, after summarizing what our one and half months of all-squad ministry looked like, the following are some short testimonies of some of my favorite moments:
- The first day that I was able to go evangelize, my team took me up to the hill to meet a woman named Majuma who they had talked to a couple days prior. They wanted to check in with her as she had just accepted Jesus into her heart. The four of us prayed with her and shared an encouraging word with the help of our translator, Mercy. Afterwards, we invited her to the Bible study that we were hosting and told her that if she came, we would give her a free bible. Majuma told us that it was too hard for her to walk that far so even though she wanted a Bible, she wouldn’t be able to get one. We decided that if she could not come to us, we would go to her, so a few days later, Sarah, Coby, and I brought her a Bible! The first that she had ever owned in her life! We didn’t have a translator with us the day that we gave the Bible to Majuma, but despite our language barrier, it was clear that she was overjoyed to receive her very own Bible and that she was praising God! Her joy was absolutely contagious and moved me to tears! After praising God and thanking us, she immediately began to flip through the pages and read different passages out loud in Luganda. It was such a sweet moment to share with Majuma and to see the pursuit and faithfulness of a God she had only just accepted into her heart days before in drawing her near to Him!
(Majuma with her new Bible!!!!)
- One of the first few times that I was physically well enough to evangelize, my team approached the home of a young woman named Marissa. When we first walked up to her, I had no idea what to say but I felt the nudge of the Holy Spirit to speak anyways. After introducing ourselves, I said a quick prayer asking the Holy Spirit to bring to mind what He wished for me to share with her. A piece of my testimony came to mind. I shared with her about a time in my life when I had not believed that God was who He said He was and how I wrestled with that for a long time until eventually, I asked God to reveal Himself to me. To show me that He was who He said He was. As I shared, her eyes began to fill with tears and once I finished, she said what I had shared with her was exactly what she had been struggling with. After talking a little bit more about that, she asked me some hard questions about why the Lord doesn’t answer some of our prayers. I told her that I did not have the answer to her questions but that even when we don’t understand why the answers haven’t come, the Lord hears her and sees her, and was not indifferent to her struggles. I told her that it was no coincidence that the Lord lead me to her that day, with a testimony of exactly what she needed to hear, at the exact right moment that she needed to hear it. Before we left Marissa, I prayed with her over her family and then we were able to give her a Bible in Luganda!
- My team was talking with a woman named Perina at her home and she shared a little bit of her faith background with us. While that was happening, Psalm 139 came to mind and I felt the nudge of the Holy Spirit to share it. Once they finished talking, I read the Psalm out loud and our host translated it for her. Psalm 139 shares how the Lord knows each of us in our mother’s womb, formed our innermost being, and has our every day written in His book of life. Perina then shared that she and her husband have been struggling to conceive. Her heart had been so touched by the Psalm that the Holy Spirit had been put on my heart and she felt as though the Lord was speaking a promise to her that a child would come. Perina asked us to lay hands on her and pray over her womb. As we were praying, the story of Hannah in 1st Samuel came to mind which I was able to share in part with her. How the Lord heard Hannah’s cries for a child and was moved to compassion for her. It was so incredible to see the Spirit move and use us to encourage and speak life over this woman and her struggles that we had known nothing about before sharing.
- Some of my fondest memories from Uganda come from watching sunsets on top of a nearby hill. One of my favorite hobbies in America is watching Sunsets and as it was something I missed, I convinced some of my squad to head to a nearby hill to watch the sunset one night. While we were there, we met several children who I instantly hit it off with. They were so sweet and adorable!! This quickly became a weekly outing and every time we went, the kids would run down the hill to meet us in excitement! Sometimes they would even hold our hands and walk us home and we would sing and dance all the way back! Watching the Sunsets became such an unexpected and joyous form of ministry and was so dear to my heart. I learned each of the names of the children and we would play games, dance, and sing, and I would tell them about the Lord who loved them so dearly. Each moment with them was truly so precious! Those kids we met on that hill truly had my heart and I looked forward to our little weekend tradition of watching the sunset together as much as they did!
(Sunsets & sweet kiddos!!)
- As I mentioned earlier, bible studies were such a beautiful and intentional time of discipleship. They allowed me to build a relationship with an older woman named Ruth! Ruth came to Bible study nearly every week, eager to learn and receive the word as she waited patiently to receive her own bible and she was insistent on coming specifically to me for prayer at the end of each night. The very first time Ruth came up to me for prayer, she asked me to pray over her throat as she had a lump and was feeling pain and discomfort. The next day, she came back up with the same prayer request. After greeting her and asking her how she was, I prayed again. Afterwards, she smiled at me and walked away very quickly. Several minutes later, she came up with another woman who she had asked to translate to tell me that she had been completely healed!! The lump, pain, and discomfort had all been miraculously healed and was completely gone!! God is so good!! This encounter with Ruth was the first time that I had ever been able to partner with the Lord in praying for healing for someone else and it actually happening in the moment I prayed!! The next week, Ruth came back, full of joy and zeal for the Lord and told me (with the help of a translator) that she loved me and that I was her best friend. She truly was overflowing in the joy and love of the Lord and it was so beautiful to watch the Lord light that spark within her as the weeks passed, as He drew her nearer to Him. Several days before we left Uganda, Brice and I went to go get a water jug from the store for our squad. On our way there, we were stopped by Ruth! She saw us as we were walking by and came to get us so that she could invite us into her home! So, Brice and I followed her through part of the village until we arrived at her home, where she warmly welcomed us inside and graciously provided a cup of water for both of us. We then met her children and her grandchildren! Her son and daughter both had pretty good English so we were able to hear more about their family. Ruth’s son thanked Brice and I profusely for hosting the Bible study. He told us that he had been trying to get his mother to attend church for many years but she refused. Through meeting us, and attending Bible study, her son shared that his mother had been completely transformed and is willingly going to church each week! He said that he barely recognized his mother the last few weeks, that she has been full of joy, love, peace, and kindness, something that he had been praying to one day see! After talking with Ruth’s family for a couple hours, we prayed for them and their family before excusing ourselves because it was getting dark. It was beautiful to see how the Lord orchestrated such a unique friendship between Ruth and I and it was such a blessing to hear the impact the Lord has used my squad to have on her life! Praise God!!
(Ruth’s first Bible!!!)
~
As I mentioned earlier, I have now been home for a month and after 10 weeks of being sick, I tested negative for H Pylori! God is so good!! I still have a long road to recovery from the damage that Harry did to my body though. Currently, I am being treated for the ulcers that are still trying to form in my stomach and from the damage that was caused to my liver. I am hopeful, however, that now that Harry is gone, recovery will be smooth and swift!!
If you would like to pray, here are some prayer points:
- For complete and total healing in my body and for Amanda who also had H Pylori;
- For my squad as we adjust to life back in America and begin to consider next steps;
- That the Lord would continue pour out His spirit upon Uganda and for revival to sweep the country; and
- For those that the Lord used my squad to minister to this year. That the seeds that were planted would continue to be watered and grown. That the Lord would bring more people to them to teach them His ways and to encourage them and that they would have fresh encounters with Him!
It has been such a blessing and an honor to have been able to serve the Lord on the World Race. This year has truly been life changing and has grown and stretched me beyond what I ever thought possible. What the Lord has accomplished in the last 11 months goes beyond every expectation and hope that I had when I left Michigan in January. I praise God for every moment, whether it was in the valley or on the mountaintop.
The Lord is so worthy of our full and complete yes! It was so beautiful to be able to experience the Lord outside of America and to partner with the Him in His works around the world!!
Words cannot express how grateful I am for your support, encouragement, and prayers! This journey would not have been possible without your partnership!
Thank you for reading this blog and all of my others. It has been such a joy to testify and to share of what the Lord has taught me over this year with you! My prayer is that the Lord has used my blogs to encourage and inspire you in your relationship with Him!
Joyfully His,
Areonah
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