Kamuli District of Uganda

Kamuli Town, in the Kamuli district, is a small town with two gas stations and several small shops to purchase food, merchandise, livestock, and so on. We stayed in town at a guest house where the couples had their own rooms and the rest of the team were divided into groups of two or three. I roomed with Moses and Carl Gordon in a small room where three twin beds were shoe-horned into. The doors were locked with a padlock and remained secure the whole time we were there. In fact, the guest house was a walled compound with a gate to drive into a courtyard in the back.

The church site is on the outskirts of town past several private schools named after Catholic saints and filled with colorfully uniformed kids. The church property was purchased at the end of a road - also purchased to reach the larger site. As a guess, I think the property is less than acre while the road is about 200 feet long.

The church, as we arrived, lacked some brickwork, a roof, doors, and windows. The trusses were ready to be put into place once the brickwork and windows were done. The building is about a 50x30ft large room. In the morning, I helped on the crew that was building a platform from where God's Word would be declared and worship led. In the afternoon, I began teaching pastors and encouraging them through the Word. About half-way through, the rain came. Torrential rains that turned the site into a muddy mess. Once the rain let up, we spent about an hour getting one of the vans unstuck and out of there.

Even though the church was incomplete, the dedication service was scheduled for the next day (Friday) at 11am. There was a tent setup in front of the church building and chairs arrayed within. As I arrived, the pastors asked if we could complete the conversation the rain interrupted the day before. Gladly, we finished our conversation and all was encouraged. We discussed how we should each rely on God's resources - His Spirit, Strength, Faithfulness, Peace, and Help in Temptation.

The dedication service began around noon and lasted until about 3:15. The picture you see above is of a young boy who sat on the front row not wanting to miss a thing! We heard from honored guests (including a Member of Parliment), the town president, the Stevensons, and I had the privilege of sharing some encouragement from God's Word. We saw dancing like I've never seen - let alone in a dedication and worship service. The kids sang and we sang a song, too. The Pastor (another Moses) and I cut the ribbon to the building and prayed over it. All was translated and there was joy, laughter, and amens. Also, it rained. Again. While it was inconvenient, we have to remember that these people, who live off the land, are blessed by the rain from God Himself. It was a very good "amen" all by itself.

Afterwards, we were treated to a great lunch and on our way to Kampala and the Stevenson's Complex.

Uganda is a beautiful place. I can see why Winston Churchill described it as the "Pearl of Africa".