Kabale to Kigali...

This past week, we had the privilege of joining with the WorldVenture Uganda Field Staff for an annual three day conference in Kabale. It was a great time to see more of Uganda’s beautiful countryside, meet our new colleagues, and hear stories of God’s work in prisons, primary and university schools, child sponsorship programs, developing churches and communities, and our own lives. In the book of Isaiah, it’s said that the whole earth is filled with God’s glory. How very true! Kabale, a city near the Rwandan border, is a place with beautiful green hillsides that look like an ongoing patchwork quilt. Squares of cultivated land (all by hand) produce metoke (a banana variety that’s staple to the Ugandan diet) and other food crops like sweet potatoes, squash and groundnuts. Small dwellings are scattered about offering shelter to the workers, often women with small children strapped to their backs.

The first day of the conference was spent in prayer, with time for each unit (individuals and couples) to share about life in the past six months and what they hope to see God do in the coming three. It was a great opportunity for us to serve the group by facilitating with the Theisens, and to learn more about each individual. The following days were focused on business items, one of which was the guest house for World Venture in Kampala. I (Rick) was able to help facilitate discussion and walk people through the options EMI (Engineering Ministries International) put together. It was a real privilege to be able to help out in that way and dust off the 'ole drawing board (i.e. CAD on the computer).

We left the conference a day early to travel into Rwanda for a long-awaited chance to meet Deborah, a young girl whose education we’ve been sponsoring for the past year and a half through African New Life Ministries (based in Kigali, the capital city - click for map). Meeting Deborah and her family in her home town of Kayonza is a memory we will hold closely to our hearts for the rest of our lives. At the age of six she is the sister to four brothers (with one more baby on the way) and lives with both parents. She is the top of her class, loves math and dancing, and told us that she wants to be a pastor when she grows up. I asked her what she would say to us as a pastor, and the words of the Psalm 23..."the Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want"...came back to us in Kinurwanda, Deborah's local language. Meeting her father Joseph was also a great joy. He expressed his gratitude for us and let us know that the family would "pray for us always." These are the moments, though brief in time, that have lasting value and meaning for us. We are reminded that love for a child is a powerful thing, and we are privileged to help Deborah receive her education and live out her dreams.

Click here for pictures of our visit with Deborah and her family, and above for a video of her teaching Faye a traditional Rwandese dance. Thanks for checking in.