A State of Worship

What a beautiful day! Starting with our boat ride across Lake Victoria and the short fun ride on “boda bodas” which is similar to (dirt bikes/motorcycles) on village paths. We led VBS with songs of worship with the kids and teachers. Chuck and I led the story of Esther and God’s plans for her and her people and how God directed her path for a great plan. David led the children in learning the Creation Story. The bottom line was - God made everything, including you. It is good! By the end of the lesson the kids were eagerly calling out “The bottom line¨. You should have seen the kids worshipping in song. It was worship for us!

Our timeframe was to leave Bethany by 1:30; we had plans back at the guest house, but God had other plans! As we were preparing to leave and get in the boat, dark clouds began to roll in. We gathered under a meeting shelter by Lake Victoria to wait out the storm. We know God’s plans are certainly better than ours! What started out as a delay, turned into our own personal worship service. Did you know that rocks in an empty water bottle and a bottle of Motrin make great impromptu shakers?

This along with an African drum, the rain beating around us with occasional thunder, and our voices and hearts lifted to God, make for quite a worship service-Ugandan style. It was simply our team and a few people from Bethany Village and Africa Renewal Ministries, singing, worshiping, and basking in our Jesus. As much as I try, it was an indescribable time.

After our worship service, we returned by boat to the guest house to eat pizza. Shortly after eating, Sarah and David left to accompany a local Pastor on a prayer walk for a community. During that same time, the rest of us gathered and held a two hour prayer vigil. We have been greatly affected by the things we have seen and felt the last few days: sadness, frustration, joy, love. We specifically started praying for spiritual and physical protection for our two team members using verses God had revealed to us. But God also kept bringing to our hearts a reminder about his unsurpassed love for us, including the orphans, whether at children’s homes that care for them individually or at an orphanage that doesn’t even meet the basic needs of nourishment. God knows each child by name, they are His children and He weeps with us at the choices that man has made. We felt His presence speaking to our hearts and we know He walked alongside Sarah and David at the same time. But all those words still can’t describe what those two hours were like- an intimate powerful moment.

Do you think we were done? No way! God had more in store to feed our souls. Next door, Ggaba Community Church’s worship team was practicing. That was practice--- but to us it was worship! Lisa and I sat outside to just bask in God’s presence. Wow! What a day! Our bottom line for the day: ¨We spent a whole day immersed in worship with our God who adores us.¨ Thank you my dear Father God, thank you.

Written by Stephanie