“For every vision there is a provision.” I’ve
heard that saying before; I think it was T.D. Jakes who said that. But it is
the truth. I had a burning desire to go to Uganda with ACF this year 2014. How
the money was going to come I had no idea. But God provided; that’s what
matters.
Brother Emeka doing what he is called to do.
I didn’t really know what to
expect from this mission trip. All I knew was that I wanted a deeper
relationship with God. For years now I’ve been reading my Bible daily and
trying to pray every day. I really wanted to know the voice of God so that I
would be able to do the right thing.
I didn’t worry much about what
role I was going to play on this trip. As a musician, I already knew that I
would do something involving music. So I brought my bass guitar along. I was
thinking I would use it during the crusades, and then hand it over to someone
in Uganda afterward. Outside of that, I had no plans coming into this trip.
The first thing that struck me
as we left Entebbe Airport was the amount of dust flying everywhere. When we
got to the hotel, we were cautioned about using the running water, so at one
point I was a bit paranoid that I would get sick. I remember waking up the next
day wanting to go home. That was when God checked me and told me that I was
being selfish. I felt foolish; it was only a matter of adjusting to the
environment so that the team could do God’s work effectively. I took my focus
off the water and started to focus on the mission. From then on I was
comfortable.
I noticed that the team put a
lot of emphasis on the morning and evening devotions. Just about every morning
and evening, before breakfast and after dinner, we would gather together,
praise and worship God, share lessons and experiences, and pray. I see that was
where the power was. It was our collective closet where we communed with God
and each other, building each other and ourselves spiritually.
God truly is the Master
Planner. In Kumi, I started a conversation with Bryan and David, ACF Uganda
young adults. The conversation drifted into music and musical instruments. I
told them that I play bass guitar. They told me that they were interested in
playing bass guitar. So I said that I would give mine to them. The bass guitar
now belongs to King Jesus Church.
Brian and Emeka just make a perfect combination in music.
Just like his father, Emeka is a down to earth young man and always ready to give a helping hand in everything.
The devil tried to mess up his ankle but he wasn't successful at all. Emeka is a true soldier of the Lord as he laughed off the situation.
The crusades were my favorite
parts of the mission program because I played my bass guitar there as well as
piano. I felt like I was playing a huge role ushering in the presence of God,
which is primarily what worship leaders do.
I’ve seen that God really loves
to show what He can do through our weaknesses and faults. I saw how He proved
Himself to be sovereign when I hurt my left ankle in Fort Portal on the first
day of medical missions. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to walk well on the
second day. God turned that thought on its head. As I moved around, my ankle
(which was taped up) got stronger. I ended up playing soccer with some children,
mostly using that same foot that I had hurt.
The ultimate goal was to reach
people with the Gospel and make disciples of them, as Jesus’s Great Commission
goes. So I kept that in the back of my mind and prayed that I would make that
my goal as well, not only for the trip, but for when I return. I began to think
of my school, George Mason University. I am starting to see that is my mission
field.
I thank God for giving me the desire
and opportunity to enter the mission field. I have seen the heart of God in a
way I have never seen before. I’ve seen some of the ways that He moves around. I
am thankful for the people I have met and the relationships that I have built
with them. This experience has helped me to focus more on my relationship with
God and to search Him out all the more. By God’s grace I will be back next
year.
