Why We Fall in Love with the People of Uganda!
Recently we asked four different folks who have made the trek to Uganda with Equipping With Truth this question: “What was it about the people of Uganda that made you fall in love with them?” The common thread throughout their responses was that the Ugandan people have joyful hearts of gratitude to God.
I believe that as you read the accounts below, you will see just how the people in Uganda have internalized Philippians 4:4-6: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again, Rejoice!” Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Patti Makar said: “When visiting, the first thing you notice are the dire living conditions. Your heart is saddened. But then, you meet the people—creative, smart, hospitable, loving, strong, courageous….
Their circumstances should breed gloom, but instead, the people of Uganda have the joy of the Lord! The hope they have through their faith is clearly seen through their infectious smiles, loving hearts, and lively rejoicing in Jesus.
Even while desperately trying to survive on so little for so long, their response to what God has done for them is gratitude and generosity, which sometimes can be giving away their only chicken to say thank you to a visitor they just met.
Worship and praise flow freely from their hearts. They cherish the Bible. They study, memorize, and share the Bible and live in grateful response to it.
You can truly see and hear the love they have for the Father. It can still be hard to see what they live without, but so uplifting to see what they live with—hope and trust in Christ alone.”
Karen Donaldson added: “I guess the biggest impression was not made by the place, certainly. The place is very hard. There is beauty but it is a hard existence. To fall in love with Uganda was to fall in love with the people. Everybody’s goal was to make me feel welcome. They wanted to make sure that I had food, a good place to sit, shade, and gifts. They would go out of their way to bring a block of wood or a neighbor’s plastic chair to makes sure we had a place to sit. The very first time I was there, a man who had nothing but a few chickens to his name gave us one of those chickens.
The gratitude of the people for a well, a home, a bicycle, or food, was more gratitude than I had ever seen before. They would cry at the thought of not having to carry heavy water containers for miles every day. They were grateful for plants and seeds that they could grow and do the work themselves and finally feel as though they were contributing to their family and their community and life. The people would go down on their knees and reach out to hug us as they cried when they received a Bible, then they would jump up, do a dance, and make a happy sound because they had received the word of God in their own language.
One of my favorite things about the people in Uganda is the way they worship. They jump and dance and wave their hands and sing very loudly. They are so grateful for what the Lord has done for them. All the children that I’ve ever met that live at the children’s home are a testimony to the workers and the mamas who have cared for them. The children know Scripture after scripture by heart. They are cared for in such an amazingly loving way and yet are taught respect and responsibility. The older children are becoming adults now and they are well educated, responsible citizens who love the Lord and want to give their entire life to Him.”
Pam Robinson added: “The first two commandments are to love the Lord your God and to love your neighbor. The people in Uganda are the epitome of fulfilling those two commands. Because they love God so much, they love everybody, including us. We had a wonderful time with these people. God’s love brings his children together in love and joy.”
Penny Dunovsky added: “When Bette Midler sings, “You’re everything I wish I could be” in the song, “Wind Beneath my Wings”, in all sincerity, I think of the people I’ve met in Uganda. They are everything I want to be!
They may have very little in material possessions but they exude many attributes of the Holy Spirit. They are so poor by worldly standards but they are not defined by what they don’t have. They are defined by what they do have—an unbridled joy that they express freely; a peace and patience that God is working things out while they wait in most difficult circumstances; a kindness to strangers that makes them into friends immediately. Their prayers always seem to be prayers of gratitude for what they do have or what God is doing. They are a very smart and very talented people but they have a humility that seems to guide their talents into praising God rather than toward self-aggrandizement.
I love them. I love how they love. I love the life lessons I learn when I am with them. I love how at peace with God I am when I am with them. When I come home from being with them, I realize that I could bring them no blessings except my prayers. But I realize how richly blessed I am having been with them. I don’t change their lives by my presence, but they definitely have changed mine.”
I don’t know about you, but for me, the people of Uganda really inspire me. People with grateful hearts can do these things because they know God will meet their every need. God gives us the ability to rise above the circumstances of life so that “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” May we all live with the humble confidence of our Ugandan brothers and sisters—that God is sovereign and in control. We rejoice in God and thank Him with a grateful heart!
Compiled by Gigi Johnston