Uganda
On November 5th of 2019, five of us from our home church (Parker Memorial Baptist Church - DeArmanville) in Oxford Alabama headed towards the Atlanta airport with northern Uganda as our destination. Four Corners Ministries out of Opelika Alabama has an amazing ministry just beyond Gulu called Abaanas Hope. Evan has been able to travel with the organization for several years and this time a group of us were fortunate to go as well. We flew and swapped planes and flew some more.
Once we landed in Kampala, Uganda we were immediately surrounded by the sounds and smells of the local culture. The city was crowded and busy just as I expected. We were met by the missionaries on the ground and taken to a very nice guest house to rest up before traveling towards Abaanas Hope the next day.
One of the reasons that Four Corners planted its mission in the far reaches of Northern Uganda is because the people are hard, indeed, to reach. Not only spiritually but physically. It’s a 6 hour car ride from Kampala (which is a fast drive now that one of the main roads is paved... it was 12 hours previously). On the drive we had delicious roadside food and I learned that goat on a stick is so good. Like for real. Granted, you never know what you’re gonna get when you pull over and people are practically throwing food in your window and asking for money so we might have just been lucky.
The guys (did I mention I was the only female?) all rode in one car while I rode in another car with the family of one of the missionaries. It was amazing to get to know them and their children. By the time we made our first bathroom stop (yep, it was a hole in the ground) I had a kindred friendship with each of them. As we rode we saw small children leading bulls by a rope, 4+ people and building supplies on a motorcycle (or boda as they call them) and more jerry cans than I could count. Everything was immediately different and I was in love with it.
Once we hit the outreaches of Gulu we continued farther and farther into the bush. Down little paths that didn’t seem like they could possibly be actual roads ...Past otlooms and farm land and finally arrived at Abaanas Hope. It was the rainy season so everything was green and lush and the landscape was breathtaking. The population became more dense and we began to see so many excited beautiful faces waving at our cars. It was immediately clear how beloved the full time missionaries residing there are. Inside the grounds we finally arrived at the missionary housing and guest house and we immediately felt so welcomed and at home. The hospitality from the missionaries and the Acholi people was overwhelming. I’m writing this a year later (life really gets in the way sometimes) and it still bring tears to my eyes to think about it. Nighty is a local woman who works in the guest house and cooks the most amazing meals and upon our arrival served us delicious chicken and dumplings. They were seriously the best I have ever had and such a sweet gesture! Chicken and dumplings aren’t exactly a common meal in Uganda but she heard we liked them and spent her time, energy and resources to welcome us with something that would make us feel at home. It worked.
Almost every Acholi person has a personal story that will break your heart and move you in ways you could never imagine. As we spent the week amongst them it was so clear how redemptive our God truly is. So many lives brought from unimaginable circumstances to the life changing love of Christ. The men spent most of their time helping conduct and teach at a men’s conference while I mostly supported the missionary wives and their tasks. We supported the kitchen staff as they fed hundreds of people for the conference. We went to meetings assuring that the children in their safe keeping were getting their best care. We helped the ladies who take paper and turn them into one-of-a-kind jewelry (all while the care for their children at the same time). We checked on the school and stood in awe at the children’s respect and discipline. And at every spot, program, service and meeting on the property, people were discipled and pointed towards the gospel. There was far more ingrained in me in those 10 days than I could ever explain or give someone else.
One afternoon we took a little break and made our way to the top of the water tower to see the full scope and beauty of Abaanas Hope. Having a birds-eye view was breathtaking and gave us time to truly give thanks. At night we would fellowship and worship with the missionaries for a sweet time together.
There are so many highlights that stand out in my mind from our time there, including but not limited to… making friends with a goat and then eating it the next day. Watching the women make a meal for hundreds over a fire from what seemed like thin air. Sitting in on a meeting on the dirt floor of a womans home while chickens fought in the corner. Meeting children on the street that were endlessly entertained by simply making silly faces. Watching our guys play soccer and almost dying from the heat and sheer exhaustion of trying to keep up with the home team. Sharing a devotion through an interpreter to woman who work at a respectable job that ten years ago would have never been afforded to them because they were in an area where their only other options for money were ones we dare not mention but has now changed thanks to Abaanas Hope and the gospel. I too have been changed thanks to the gospel and my time at Abannas Hope and I look forward to returning soon.
As we made our return to the airport we took a detour by Murchison falls National Park and saw the Nile River squeeze into a the smallest of passages and create an unfathomable rush of water through a cliff of rocks. Then the Paraa Lodge hosted us for a night which allowed us time to take a safari with tons of animals I had only seen in my dreams (including giraffes and a lion sleeping in a tree). These adventures were an incredible way to see Gods incredible design, wonder and love into an already spiritually provoking trip.
