Recap of Uganda

7 Days in Uganda!

Wow friends, I cannot believe I am even typing this up right now. It has taken me a little bit longer than I expected to send this out, because I still don’t feel like I have fully processed the goodness that I experienced during our visit to Kamwenge, Uganda. The Lord met us as a team in such a sweet way, giving so much affirmation of His perfect plan and perfect timing, and I don’t think I am capable of even articulating it all. This is just a brief recap of the trip and does not even come close to scratching the surface on everything I learned and the things that God revealed, but hopefully it can give you a glimpse of His goodness and love. He is just so faithful.

Psalm 26:3- “For your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in your faithfulness.”

Traveling!

Sunday, May 19th: Dad and I left from Buffalo and flew to Dulles, where we were able to meet up with Elise, another student, who had gotten in earlier that morning. Our next flight was the following morning so we ended up “sleeping” on the benches in the ticketing area of the airport.

Out of the entire trip, this was probably my lowest moment. There were armrests between every seat, making it so hard to get comfortable, so none of us got more than 45 minutes chunks of sleep, and it just felt like the night dragged on. The devil loved to sneak little lies in my mind during this time, and being so exhausted made it hard to counteract them with truth. Thankfully though, the Lord’s mercies are new every morning, and He provided comfort even in the uncomfortable.

Shannon, a communications professor at Grove City, met up with us the next morning, and we had a 13 hour flight to Addis Ababa, Ethopia, followed by a 2 hour flight to Entebbe, Uganda. Both of these flights went super smoothly and we had no trouble at customs or security, praise God. We landed around 11:30am, and Rev. John’s son, Josh, picked us up from the airport. We ended up driving 10 hours that day, with a quick pitstop at the Equator, but by the time we made it to the Inspiration Center where we were staying, we were all exhausted.

Day to Day Activities

The first day we took things very slow, letting ourselves get caught up on sleep and trying to work off the jet lag. We toured the school and were able to ask Rev. John many questions and overall get a better sense of his initial vision for the school and hear the story of how that has shifted and grown over time. We were all extremely impressed by how organized the school was, and how far things had advanced in such a short amount of time. In just 15 or so years, a school of less than 50 students, now has over 600 students, with fully equipped science labs, computer lab, library, cafeteria, and so much more.

We arrived at a really interesting time because the students were just coming back from their month long break, so we were able to first see the school when no students were there, and then watch as students reported for second term. We were also fortunate enough to be able to attend a little bit of their graduation ceremony for the vocational students- and wow, do we Americans need to step it up. Forget pomp and circumstance, I want to process to Ugandan music because that was significantly more fun.

One thing that really stuck out to me was the sustainability and intentionality of the entire school. For the past few years, Rev. John has been working on developing more agriculture on the school land, so they now have cows, pigs, chickens, goats (and soon fish) that are all used for practical hands-on-learning, as well as food for the students. They have a field of banana trees to help supply food, and many coffee trees so that coffee beans can be harvested and sold to cover expenses. During covid the staff planted bamboo and eucalyptus trees (chosen because they grow quickly) right across from the new workshop building so that they can be used as the lumber for student’s projects. These carpentry students build all the desks and chairs for the classrooms, the sewing students make all of the uniforms, and the culinary students make the meals for the students. Many of the teachers at the school live in a newly constructed (and beautiful) apartment building across the street as part of their employment benefits. Overall, there is so much thought put into not only providing quality and hands on education, but doing so in a way that benefits the entire community.

We were also able to participate in some fun cultural appreciation activities, traveling throughout the western region of Uganda, visiting a few new cities, and trying new foods. While this doesn’t feel like actually “doing something” it was an honor to be able to learn more about Ugandan culture and definitely furthered our entire teams love for the country. A significant highlight for all of us was going on a game drive in Queen Elizabeth National Park and being able to see elephants, gazelles, hippos, and even two lions hunting a pumba.

Personal Take Aways

One of my personal favorite parts of the trip was the fact that we ate all of our meals with Rev. John and his son Josh. During these times we were able to ask questions and learn so much. Both of these men are incredibly busy and hardworking, so we knew how much of a sacrifice it was for them to consistently just sit and be with us, and we all gained so much insight from them. By the end of our time there, they were family to me (even Josh’s young kids too!).

One the biggest inspirations was Rev. John’s visionary nature. His vision is so much more than just a primary, secondary and vocational school. His vision truly is to see the entirety of Kamwenge transformed. 20 years ago he asked God “okay, how do I create lasting change? Not just starting a program that raises money but can’t survive more than five years. How do I actually have an impact?” and he felt the Lord tell him education. It is AMAZING to look at it now, and to see how that vision has grown and expanded, and how well he has been able to communicate it with others and bring them on board. Even a small example of this is how he now works with a refuge aid organization and now offers 6 month education programs so that Congolese refuges can earn a degree before they are relocated, helping to provide a means of employment for them whereever they go. He didn’t set out to help refuges, but his vision of transformation has grown and evolved as time goes on.

When we were talking about his leadership, he mentioned the difference between telling people “go and do this” versus, “come and do this.” Rev. John has invited those around him to join what he is already doing, and this all flows out of the fact that he has joined what God is already doing. What a gift that God invites us to participate in His mission with Himself. His presence is with us, working alongside us. In Shannon’s words “we get to co-create with God.” Seeing how Rev. John has co-created this school and the ripple effect it has had on the community was so inspiring and challenging. What is my vision for the future of my community? Am I co-creating with God, or am I just going off and trying to do my own thing? Am I the kind of leader that clearly communicates and brings others on board, taking time to stop and talk around a dinner table?

It was also such a blessing to be able to experience this with my dad. For those of you who have not had the blessing of meeting him, my dad is one of the most thoughtful, encouraging, and supportive people I know. No one has championed my passion for missions the way my dad has, and so to be able to do this with him was one of the greatest honors of my life. This will forever be one of my favorite memories with him.

There were so many other takeaways that I cannot even begin to unpack just in an email, but if you see me, I would LOVE to share some. Overall, I am walking away with a greater appreciation for the beautiful diversity of God’s kingdom, a deeper love for His Ugandan friends, and a renewed perspective on what it means to join God in his world changing activities.

If you were someone who helped financially contribute to this trip, thank you so much! I had a sense of immense gratitude the entire trip for the fact that I even had the opportunity to be there, so thank you for making it possible. If you prayed at all over the past few weeks and months for this trip, thank you so much! There were so many chances for roadblocks to come up, and instead the path was cleared, and seeds for the future of our partnership have already been planted, and that would not have been the same without your prayers. Thank you for partnering with me and this team.

I am now safetly in Bangkok and settling in, and will send some updates within the next few days! Thank you for journeying with me!!

With love,

Kaitlyn

Photo Dump!