Uganda Mission Trip Report - Part 2

 Wow! What a difference a few years can make in a third world country!  Michelle and I were a part of Urbancrest's 2009 mission team that said a tearful goodbye to Buvuma Island, leaving behind a very primitive Urbancrest Baptist School, mud huts, winding walking paths, and no electricity.  As we piled into a wooden boat very similar to ones that Jesus traveled in, we did not know if or when we would return.

 
 Three short years later, we were blessed to be a part of Urbancrest's 2012 team of fourteen members. While six team members remained in Jinja (see Uganda Mission Trip Report - Part 1), the other eight members arrived on Buvuma to find roads and cars, brick buildings with metal roofs, a movie theatre (still surreal in my mind), and a brand new building supported by the people of Urbancrest Baptist Church in Lebanon, Ohio. It was wonderful to be reunited with Ron & Darlene Whitmer, retirees from Urbancrest Baptist Church, who are serving full-time in Uganda to support the ministries on Buvuma island and in Jinja. There is no question how the Lord is fulfilling His God-sized plan through them.

 It didn’t take our group long to realize that this (although very improved) island was still not the same as home. Outdoor showers, solar lighting, and the restroom facilities (I have promised to leave the specifics of that part out of this report!) were part of the challenges we faced while staying there for five days. As the week progressed, not only did the team galvanize as only the Body of Christ can, but these challenges were welcomed and integrated into our "new normal" lifestyle on the island. Complaining was non-existent. Love and grace became the common denominators of our team.

  We had the opportunity to share Jesus with some incredible people. We loved them before we ever met them, because Christ loved them first and was already at work there. Our team focused on several ministries. Two of us taught pastors, two of us went from village to village and taught men, and four of us ministered to several overcrowded schools through a VBS program. We taught pastors how to make disciples through key biblical principles. Our men's ministry shared the foundational teachings of our faith, and the children's ministry personally touched the lives of nearly 600 children through VBS. We were able to bring the hope of Christ to what might otherwise seem like a hopeless situation.

  Altogether on the island, we had over 30 decisions for Christ from adults and possibly hundreds of decisions from the children. The believers there strengthened us, and we hope in some small way we encouraged their work. The Lord created so many imprints on our hearts that will last forever from this part of the trip to a little island in the middle of Lake Victoria. The Holy Spirit blew the wind in our sails, returning us to the mainland in the same way that He led us across the world to reach a people who Jesus loves just as much as He loves us. Our hope is in the One who might someday choose to blow us in that direction again. Thy will be done.

~ Clint & Michelle Otto, Team Leaders