Different, But The Same
posted by: Ryan Andrews (Beta Gamma Pledge Class, fall 2011)

It has been another incredible day of ministry here in Bukaleba!  We started the day off with a delicious breakfast highlighted by the Rolex (not a watch, a Ugandan breakfast burrito).  This hasn’t been the only amazing food we have had here so far though: the banana fritters, beef pie and mushroom soup on pasta have been some of my favorites.

After breakfast we went to the Arise Africa Secondary School to do some more painting.  When we left, we had nearly completed one of the classrooms.  We came back to the guest house to get lunch before going down to the Babies Home (orphanage) to see the orphans.  We got to give them our full primary school presentation today and I got to share the story of Jonah with them followed by a gospel presentation where some of the kids prayed to receive Christ! But the work of God was only just beginning for the day.

After the Babies Home, we all went to a nearby village where we got to help Arise Africa with a church plant.  As soon as the team got out of our vehicles in the village, we were swarmed by Ugandan children, many of which had probably never been that close to a mzungu (white person).  We made our way to the makeshift church that had been set up in the village: brick walls, a few benches and a blue tarp on top, about the size of a small bedroom.  We prayed for the work that God was about to do, paired up with a translator, and split up to go tell people in the village about Jesus.  It was such a blessing for me to get paired up with Pastor Robert as my translator.  We were able to share the gospel with many people including a handful who accepted Jesus for the first time, a man who was in leadership at the local mosque that did not make a decision but was very interested in our message, and a Christian woman who had been left by her husband and needed some encouragement.  Pastor Robert and I also had great conversation as he shared with me about his church and his family and I shared with him about where God was leading me in life.  We shared ways that we could pray for one another and I felt like we both walked away very encouraged from the evening.

It is certainly a very different place here in Uganda, but the same God we serve in America is very much at work and all of your prayers for our team are very much appreciated!

Ryan Andrews

Beta Gamma Pledge Class (Fall 2011)