Iganga Testimonies

And the people came...

Children filled the seats in this wall-less Praise and Worship Church of All Nations. I worried a bit until about an hour after we started a procession of people arrived. Keeping true Uganda time (i.e., LATE), they all came, and they came in droves. Pastor Gerald is learning how to mobilize the community and he is learning well. Over 50 people filled this little church during our second visit.

Banana juice is one of the byproducts of our first workshop together. One man created something new from our Business Concept workshop, something not currently found in the local market, and indicated he was doing quite well in selling the product, thus creating a new revenue stream.

Tailoring is nothing new in Uganda, but the tailor testified that her newfound sense of creativity rejuvenated through the Art and Science of Thinking workshop attracted more customers than ever before.

"Graduates"

Basket making is another common handcraft in Uganda, but this woman simply indicated that until she’d taken a serious inventory of her skills/assets, applied in our Asset-based Development workshop, she’d not thought of using that skill to earn money for her family.

Market shops are common in Uganda, they have all kinds of different products. One old woman simply said that she was “prospering like never before” because of the time of prayer and her new learning while participating in these workshops.

Leadership Team

So thankful for what God is doing in the lives of these people and their community. They truly understand the principle of Divine-human cooperation.

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Praise and Worship Church of All Nations

Pastor Gerald's jjaja, and now mine.

Bricks formed from the red clay earth depict the outline of what is now called Praise and Worship Church of All Nations. As is common, when the bricks run out the building stops. A temporary structure sits inside that foundation – rough hewn timbers support an iron sheet roof – to protect from sun and rain.

Alex leads part of the problem-solving exercise.

Inside that church voices ring out in song and dance, praising Jesus for his goodness. People gathered to learn together and though the numbers aren’t many – given how spread a part people are in the villages – all it takes is just one person to make a difference in their community. Pastor Gerald – a young man with a beautiful family – has a raw, authentic faith that humbled me. He’s not afraid to say that he’s young and new and at the same time he delivers the power and love of Jesus to a group of people who respect and look up to him.

I’m so thankful to Alone of Shared Hope for Orphans for connecting me to this lovely group of believers, to Alex for translating and slowly taking over teaching the lesson (training the trainers), and to Pastor Gerald and his leadership team for having such willing hearts, and to Pastor Gerald’s jjaja for giving her land freely to this church for the purposes of God.

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The Art and Science of Thinking

Teaching The Art and Science of Thinking – addressing creative and critical thinking along with problem solving and decision making – has become a standard workshop from which to begin all workshops. Sometimes we are trapped simply because of the way we think – often influenced by culture, education, experience, and opportunity (or lack thereof). Learning how to change the way we think – about our lives, about our community, and about our God – can set us free.

To begin, I ask people to describe what they think of as “art” and then of “science.” Typically no one will venture a guess. Why? Because in these villages exposure to such seemingly insignificant subjects is non-existent…they really don’t understand what these terms mean. Using pictures, I illustrate with famous works by Michelangelo, Da vinci, and others. Most people are amazed, though I have no expectation that they will have ever seen the likes of paintings such as The Creation of Adam. But when I show them pictures of Ugandan people dressed in traditional clothing, engaged in traditional dance, or crafting pottery and jewelry I somehow expect recognition or realization. Instead, what seems to happen is this moment of amazement that their very own culture could be filled with art. What comes next is the teaching that we are made in the image of The Creator and thus ought not be surprised to find such beauty among the people.

More than 20 people squished into this small sitting room to watch.

Closing the section specifically about this topic, we watch the film NOOMA Rhythm where the ideas of art and science come together in the form of a symphony (another unrecognized element from more developed cultures). Though most don’t understand the language, the visual medium affords dialogue that leads to a greater awakening of how art and science (rhythm and symphony) can bring us in alignment with God’s plan for our lives. I ask the question of whether or not we are in tune with His song? This question – taken from the film – seems to create a moment of pause…a moment when people begin to see how it all fits together.

Seated in the darkness and quiet of post film viewing, we contemplate the question…the question of whether or not we’re in tune with the song. This is when the Holy Spirit takes over and the real ministry begins.

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Caring and Sharing Dollies

The tiny children collected themselves under the iron canopy that is the church roof. It was as if they were waiting for me…knowingly. But there were certainly more than 10…what to do? Gathered in the shade of the partially finished brick wall, 10 of about 20 children received dolly gifts from a lovely group of women in Florida who call themselves Caring and Sharing. Though, my American heart worried about the fact that some children would not receive a dolly.

The children paraded past me one by one in order to see themselves in a photo. They actually organized themselves in doing this (no adult direction). They saw me take one picture and then lined up for their own. Eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen…wait…I only brought 10 dollies. I discovered the children were sharing the dollies so that everyone could have their picture taken – caring and sharing (I love what God did with irony).

Seated inside the church (um, under the iron sheet), Patricia came boldly to me and began running her hands through my hair. She did this for about 10 whole minutes while I prayed that her hands were somewhat clean’ish. She was enthralled, I was in love.

The next day the children could be found helping one another tie the babies on their backs like the maamas do. One girl almost tipped herself upside down while another tried to tie a too-short piece of cloth around her. Of course, they were too quick for me to get my camera ready. Simply precious!

Thank you so very much to the Caring and Sharing ladies for your ongoing prayers and support. May you be blessed to overflowing for your love and generosity!

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