What did you do?
An incredible variety of things! 1moreChild work with street children in Jinja, most of whom come from a slum villa
ge called Masese and belong to the Karamajong tribe which is very looked down upon.(Picture: Harry Ferdinando - 1moreChild founder - with some of their boys, including Joseph, the first child to enter the programme).
With them we interceded for the ministry, spent time with the kids they support and ran a fun-day style programme with games, facepainting, testimonies and sharing about Jesus. I gave a testimony of a time as a child when I had suggested we pray in the middle of a difficult situation and how God miraculously came through for us - to encourage the children that their prayers are powerful and valuable!
In particular it was moving to see how much the work of 1moreChild is transforming the lives of those street children. Some of the boys they support are coming top of their classes - this is unheard of within their tribe so it's an incredible honour and encouragement, plus an inspiration to their other kids. They are being given the chance to move forward in life and are taking hold of that with both hands!
The Bushfire Project has homes for children at risk as well as a health clinic, school, farm and a church. It is located in the countryside a couple of hours outside of Jinja, so has no running water (it must be taken from a borehole) and only two hours of electricity in the evening from a generator - day-to-day life is more adventurous! With them we 
ministered at the base and also alongside their outreach team going into the local communities. This included small groups with the teenagers, art & craft lessons, prayer for healing, family devotionals, prison visits, a hospital visit, Church service involvement, a school outreach, Bible studies and open-air evangelism.
(Pic: Sharing my testimony at 1moreChild, with the help of a translator).
When we met with the prisoners I gave a testimony about freedom from shame and how we are included and welcomed into God's family. We again performed some dramas and one of the team shared the Gospel. Half the men committed their lives to Jesus and were asking for Bibles so that they could do studies together! Overall through the different visits and open-airs around 120 people gave their lives to Jesus and have been linked into local church plants. Please pray for them all to receive the discipleship and support they need to grow in their relationship with God.
What were your highlights?
I loved praying for the children we encountered in different settings, and the mentoring times with the teenagers. Having the chance to speak God's truth to them and pray blessing over their lives was a great privilege.
It was an intensive trip with lots of last-minute things, often discovering the need to lead an activity or share a tes
timony at very short notice! I value space to reflect and plan, so a highlight here was just experiencing God's grace each day to enable us to do everything needed despite nerves or feeling unprepared!(Pic: Meeting some of the children in a village near Bushfire).
The hospitality from everyone was amazing and I really enjoyed the Ugandan food! It was great meeting some inspiring people who have been faithful to God's call and vision for their lives, many of them laying down so much in order to serve and be family for children in need.
What was challenging?
It was a good challenge seeing faith and relationship with God lived out in a totally different context. To remember that He is outside of culture, nationality and world-view and is not constrained by the boundaries of our own sometimes limited perspectives.
Personally I found it tough encountering suffering and not always seeing how that could be relieved. I don't have all the answers but believe that when there is suffering it doesn't mean that God is absent. Perhaps in the midst of it there is a deeper place of engaging with God and we are drawn closer to Him.
I also realised how much I take for granted - the NHS, our clean and constantly available water, the amount of Christian resources we have. In some parts of U
ganda the level of dependence on God for just basic survival is so much greater - whether it rains or not dramatically affects the crops and water supply for the whole community.(Pic: On an early morning walk these generous kids ran out to say hello, excited to offer us some mangoes from their tree).
On a practical level (or maybe it was psychological!) I didn't enjoy our bedroom companions of giant cockroaches, and certainly my night-time prayers included much interceding that I wouldn't get trapped under the mosquito net with one!
What did you learn?
There is much importance in helping people practically to empower them towards a better quality of living. However, I realised that the lasting thing and a matter of life or death is to share Jesus. Life is fragile and what is really precious is walking through it with Him. Knowing that in the end we are entering into something amazing beyond this earthly experience.
God is the same here in London and out in a farming community in rural Africa. Sometimes I get caught up in things that don't really matter, over-complicating and missing out on the simple basics of faith. The greatest commandment is to love God and then to love my neighbour as myself. What does this look like on a day-to-day basis? I recently heard a poignant question in reflecting back on our lives: 'Did you learn to love?'
A story of God's protection
Driving to Entebbe to catch our flight home early the next morning, we encountered some escalating protests in the
major towns. As we approached Kampala, cars driving out of the city were warning us not to go in as rioting was taking place and vehicles were being stoned!Our Ugandan friends feared that as foreigners we would be more of a target for the protestors, creating publicity for their cause. As we waited in the van on the roadside watching armoured vehicles speeding in, the tear-gas and smoke rising, we prayed for wisdom and safety in nervous anticipation of what might be faced if we attempted to drive through.
Eventually we risked it, following a van which had 'God is good' graffitied on the back! The situation ended up fine as by that point the military had gained control and cleared the road blocks. But it was an adrenalin-pumped end to the trip and we thank God for His care and protection!
(Pic: The 'God is Good' van).
Thank-you...
...to all those who enabled me to go on this outreach! There are so many people who invested prayerfully, financially and in their encouragement, and I am incredibly grateful. You made it possible for me to join a team that could impact lives in the nati
on of Uganda. Through this I was blessed and received so much, and I pray that you too will reap just as you have sown into the Kingdom of God in that place. Praise God for everything He did in our time out there!(Pic: Fun taking photos with some of the kids at 1moreChild).
I will be writing again soon with an update on life and ministry here in London at the Earls Court Community Project.
Much love,
Rebecca
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Here are the links to two online albums with photos of each phase:
www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150558747510858.665009.643865857&l=c2198e6024
www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150559475255858.666061.643865857&l=643e7ce9a1
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