Paidha and Pacwach are districts in north western Uganda, and this was the area in which one of the 2009 BMS Summer Teams worked for three weeks in August. The team, composed of seven people, was part of ongoing work to have teams of volunteers who can encourage ministry leaders in their host countries. The Baptist Union of Uganda (BUU) National Co-ordinator, Peter Ochulu, was responsible for the team during the time they were in Uganda.
In their September newsletter, the BUU expressed their appreciation, as they had not been able to send a team to work with the churches and the communities in these districts for a long time. The team members used their abilities and skills to lead devotions, do hospital outreach, visit homes for the elderly, clean a trading centre, help with water-source hygiene and get involved with discipleship.
Here is what one of the team members had to say about the experience:
“Uganda had many of the differences from the UK we expected to see before going – unusual food, hot and sticky weather and obvious poverty affecting local people. But what challenged us the most in our time there was how God’s call to action was identical to that often seen back home. At the heart of the work we did, alongside Ugandan villagers, were projects such as town cleaning, helping the elderly and isolated, and caring for the sick. Our equipment was basic and some of the places we went to seemed beyond our help – but not beyond God’s power and authority!”
“The biggest challenge we took home was if we could trust God in Uganda to change the world through the simple act of litter-picking, then we need to recognise God is more than capable of taking our service in the UK to new levels when we trust in him. Uganda was a beautiful and inspiring place to serve and it made us all more aware of the power of doing what Jesus did – showing love through what we do and not just what we say.”