God is good!

Well it has been a bit over a week since I returned. I was warned that re-adjusting from the jet lag would take several days, and they were right! It kicked my rear! A small price to pay for all I got to see and do!

Looking back at the trip I truly see what a blessing it was to be playing a part in God’s plan. Prior to the trip I was concerned with “What could I do?” or “What skills do I have that can be used?”. I have since realized it had nothing to do with what “I” could do, but rather what the Lord would accomplish through me!

From all of this I know that the Lord will take anyone who is willing to serve and do amazing things through them. These things may not be immediately obvious, at least for me, but I now see that answering prayers is a blessing in disguise. I know, from actually being there, that these people have great faith and joy, unlike anything I have experienced, and being a part of that has opened my eyes to the broad scope and love of God’s plan for all of us.

I encourage anyone who is feeling led to make this or any mission trip; whether locally or globally. Be open to the direction the Lord is pointing you in! Stay focused in prayer and devotion time. Be steadfast in glorifying God in all things. This journey started for me helping with prison ministry, something I previously said I would never do, but being willing to follow this path helped prepare me for this larger one! It’s about being obedient to the will of God which is the key to spiritual growth (John 14:15).

I want to thank everyone again for all of the types of support you provided! This experience was such a blessing for me and I hope it was for you as well! God is good!

God Bless,
Rodger

Made It Home!!

Hi all! I wanted to let everyone know that we made it home safely!

I have so much stuff running through my head from the whole trip. I plan on writing up some final thoughts and impressions of this experience (hopefully over the weekend).

God is good! Seeing the impact he can have on lives is so amazing. So I pray I can write something that is meaningful and glorifying to Him!

Thanks again to EVERYONE for their support!

God Bless,
Rodger

The Journey Home

Wow, what a whirlwind! The experiences and blessings I received was so amazing! As I sit here waiting for our flight in Kampala, all the experiences are running through my mind. I loved my time in Uganda, but I am also ready to see my family who I miss very much!

I have a lot of flight and waiting ahead of me, but it was so worth every bit of it. It is amazing the joy you get when you are serving the Lord.

God bless!
Rodger

Acanga Carepoint

This was our last carepoint feeding visit. I was amazed at how many kids are in Acanga. I believe it is the most populated of all of them. While many kids still needs sponsors there, I saw many smiling faces.

It was really fun to play with all the little kids; so many here. I found myself in a group of students who were pretty good in English giving me a crash course in Ateso (local language). They got the biggest kick out of me trying to say the words, it was a blast!

Again we had a huge outreach from the community. So many people showed up for the meetings and tours. Again, it was amazing to see such an outpour of support from the community!

God bless,
Rodger

Obule-Ajet Carepoint

This visit was very special to me. I finally got to meet our sponsored girl, Abunyang Mary (they go by last name, first). Better yet, at each carepoint, the students present the community with songs, dance, and skits and Mary played the drums! It was really exciting
To see her in each skit smiling and excited to be playing!

It was wonderful to see the community coming together, in a way that Sean and Tom said they have never seen before! They also had the bull feeding, so everyone ate well! Seeing all the smiling faces on the kids brings true joy to your heart!

When the festivities ended, I was able to give Mary some gifts that we brought her from home as well as some items purchased at the village for her home. It was such an amazing experience! It's hard to describe in words how awesome it was!

God is good my friends!
Rodger

Ngariam Carepoint

Today we visited the Ngariam carepoint. We meet with the new Headmaster, council, and the sub county chief. Afterwards we were given a tour of the schools and were shown the needs from an education standpoint, which are many.

We also watched several students perform songs and dance praising Jesus, which was awesome! Followed by some more community meetings and then finished with a feeding for everyone. They ate beef (bull), rice, beans, and potsho.

It was amazing to hear from Sean and Tom of all the changes they have seen since the projects started. It was also amazing to hear how excited the villagers were to be playing such an active roll in there community and taking care of each other.

Today was such a blessing to see the Lord working through so many people.

God bless!
Rodger

Been busy

We have had an exciting few days! We were able to participate with a church in a local village during their Sunday service. It was a really cool experience. We were also able to make our first rounds to our villages.

It was an amazing experience to finally see our villages. It was great to see our care points with 1 completed and the remaining 2 in the finishing stages! These care points are going to be such a blessing to the residents!

The most exciting part of my day was meeting our sponsored girl, Mary. The principal was nice enough to take me to her class, which was in session, to introduce me. I should have more time to meet with her on Wednesday as we will be in her village for the day!

God is good!
Rodger