hey all,
this is something I wrote months ago, and has been shared with the team moreso in conversations than on paper. each of us has a story of why we are on this trip, but I thought I’d share some of my personal visions for the trip. who knows where He will take it from here….
TRIP VISION
My hope, first and foremost, for this trip is that we would see and experience God in new and very different ways. That we would learn from immersing ourselves in an entirely foreign culture, and expand our own views of the world and what God is doing in it. I want us to see the joy of the children, the strength of the widows, the love of the STAO pastors, and the suffering of all three.
Beyond that, I want our team to be an immense blessing to the village of Mafubira, a place that experiences death on a daily basis and has seen its working generation nearly entirely wiped out by preventable diseases and other issues of poverty. In Uganda, visitors are seen as a sign of hope. Coming from such a task-oriented society, it’s hard to understand the effects of what simply being among people, building relationships, can do. Nevertheless, I want us to be challenged in understanding and interacting with a culture so valiantly different from our own.
From a practical standpoint, I want our goal to be in equipping STAO to do their work in Mafubira. That is what Tusubira is designed to do, and one of the things I feel most passionate about. This will include increasing our knowledge of the most immediate needs in the village, and how we can work with STAO to implement lasting solutions. At the same time, I want our trip to be designed to use the talents of the team that is going—whether that is photography skill, medical knowledge, education interest, or anything else that we feel passionate about working on.
Our goal should not be “fix” Mafubira. This is unrealistic and impossible. I do hope, however, that our team can unite under the common goal of showing the love of Christ to the people of this village and ultimately, bring those we come in contact with in Uganda, as well as each other, a little closer to Him.
with peace,
kate
