Many of the conversations we had as a group always went back to 'building relationships.' Even before we left, (months before, actually), we had meetings about what to expect on the trip, and Chase always brought it back to 'relationships'. I was expecting to get to experience the people in Uganda. I knew the children would run up and scream Mzungu or Munu at us when we arrived in the villages just as Cat had told us. However, God showed me infinitely more about the people I was with and the people of Uganda that helped me learn so much about myself, my purpose, and my relationship with Him. As long as it is okay with you, I want to elaborate on the important people that made this trip what it was. Sure there are many things I learned that I'd love to share with you, but without these 9 people, this trip wouldn't have had the same impact on my life...
Chase was our leader. We'd never met him before this trip but he'd been on the trip twice before. He seemed awfully quiet during all of our pre-trip meetings via Skype, but we gave him a chance anyway because we trusted Cat. When we met at Ihop the day we departed DC, I could feel an instant connection to him. I truly believe God has a remarkable way of placing people in your life at just the right time to make you know how loved and needed you are. Chase had this way of calling me out on my pathetic sarcasm, while showing such love and care. Our relationship started off in the 'cousin' territory, but ended with such brotherly/sisterly love with Halo hugs and big scoop hugs into the air. Whether I wanted to mock him for his height, or joke about his nature inspired lifestyle and 'Goji-berry-eating purpose-driven-life', he always made me feel happy. He kept us focused on our goal, asked all the questions you knew you needed to answer but didnt want to ask, and brought our trip back to God each and every day. I think that the lesson I learned while building my relationship with Chase, is that if I constantly keep my guard up and use humor to push people away, I will truly miss out on some of the greatest friends and family that God has placed in my life. I am eternally grateful that I got to experience this trip and these lessons with him and look forward to all I will get to learn with and through his presence in my life.
Ali is my Liberty lover. She has such a kind and quiet compassion that truly is insurmountable. We had such a great time laughing about the foul beasts, playing with the children, and getting to know each others numerous similarities while sharing a room/superbed. Even though she had to have 5 layers of protection on at all times for the mosquitoes, she never over-protected her heart and her love for Christ. Ali may not have realized the impact she had on me by sharing her story of her friends early passing, but because of her ability to share, I was able to share a little of my story. I think there is so much more in store for Ali and I's friendship and that the love of Christ we experienced in Uganda will only increase our bond through the years. Even though she wasn't an "Elevation member', she served such a great purpose by being with us on this trip. From Ali, I learned that no matter how "small" your story may seem, it has a huge and everlasting impact on others.
Brittany & Matt are only going to go together because I truly believe their souls are united in Christ. Their support of each other is amazing and it is such an honor to know them. A lot of times you would think that these country-boys that have never flown in a plane or been outside the tri-state area, would have a hard time with going to a foreign country. Matt was such an inspiration for how determined and casually he fit in with the people of Uganda. Brittany and Matt have such HUGE hearts for children and their desire to touch each child's life was so genuine, that there were times I could only sit back and watch their interactions. Matt was very open with the children and people about who he was in Christ, what he did for a living, and how it shaped who he is now as a father and partner with Brittany. Brittany was courageous for sharing her story with our team and I give her so much credit for her honesty about topics that most people may never be able to talk about. I think the lesson God wanted me to learn from them was that you should support your spouse/partner through the smallest and largest of difficulties. They showed me that love should overcome any obstacle and patience is the best virtue in a relationship. Brittany was such a great roomie for the days in Uganda and so much fun to watch her reaction to Craigs' jokes.
Craig taught me a great lesson to not take myself too seriously. His nanner-tater jokes and random fact of the day kept it light-hearted and all in good fun. Who would have thought that while in Africa, you would learn about lobster pee?? He taught me that sometimes I am a bit overbearing and take things too seriously. I would catch myself trying to relax and live in the moment with a little more innocence that I was bringing to the table. Craig may have been the one cracking jokes and using 'Jesu-mara' wrong, but he was also the one who gave a very animated story about clay pots. Brenda came up to us and explained that the villagers of Pugwini could use some encouragement as they had consistent battles that felt insurmountable, but needed to know God was on their side. Craig's illustration was a great reminder that no matter how hard you may feel beaten, or how deformed you may see yourself as being, you are just being crafted the way that God wants you. I owe Craig for helping bring tears of joy after a day of sadness while visiting the homes of the villagers, and don't know if I will ever repay him for that.
Alex is going to be one of my new best friends. He may not realize it, but there are not many people who know as many facts about soccer as he does in my life. My lack of ability to remember names is horrendous and my use of numbers is dismal. He may get sick of all my invites, but he will become a bestie, with or without his consent... But on a serious note, Alex is one of the most well spoken and written people I've ever known. What he can illustrate in a few sentences, feels like the words you wish you could have put together in paragraphs. There was one moment on the trip when I felt that God was yelling at me to listen to Him. I struggle with knowing that I may have the right words to say, or 'who am I to share this with them' sort of thoughts. We were in Pugwini, and Brenda had asked if someone would like to share a verse or story. Alex had been on the other side of the group going through the Bible and pillaging for a story to share with the villagers. I walked over to get one of the delicious sodas, when a thought hit me hard. Alex should talk about the sparrow story. I may not remember the book of the bible or the verse, but I remember the impact the story had on me when Pastor Furtick spoke about it in church. I wasn't going to say anything initially, because I thought "nah, that's not the right story for now", but God only got louder. So I spoke up and asked Alex, who then had a look of complete shock on his face. It turns out, that was the story he was getting prepared for the group. I don't think there was any time that I felt like I was supposed to share, but that my affirmation was only to help Alex know he was on the right path. I know that God has spoken to me before, but I can't say I've had such a clear affirmation as I did at that moment. Alex taught me to trust myself, trust when I hear God speaking to me, and to care deeply about all people the way that he does.
There is one more person on the trip that I haven't mentioned yet that traveled with us. At various points I had to convince Nicole that she didn't have a brain tumor because of a poorly popped ear, she wasn't becoming paralyzed from a knot in her shoulder, you can't get black lung from a minor cough, her headache was normal, and that maybe a few more bottles of water would cure her illnesses. Nicole's laugh is absolutely infectious. At some points, she would be laughing at me, and me in response to her laughter. She has so many different styles of laughter, there were moments where I just wanted to make her laugh to see what would come out next. Nicole was the organizer of this trip. She brought a wide variety of people together to go on this seemingly crazy mission half-way across the world. Her ability to follow God's voice and listen when He wanted her to go to Uganda, was the sole purpose the eight of us were on a plane flying across the Atlantic. 
I've served with Nicole on the Welcome Team at Elevation Church before our trip. I knew her as a happy and cheerful person, who spoke so proudly about her love for Christ. Nicole and Alex lead a great group of volunteers to help welcome new guests and returning friends to our church. One day, when I wasn't sure if I was really fulfilling my purpose on the team, Nicole stopped me and said "I'm so glad you're here today. I don't want to be stuck with all these boys. I need you here." She probably has no idea she even said it, but it kept me coming back for weeks after. And then she invited me to Africa and with all my fears and doubts, I just knew I was supposed to be there with her. Nicole has one of the kindest hearts. She is a truly great friend which is eminent in her ability to get Ali to come across the world with her. She helped encourage me, guide me, and share truly personal stories with me that made me feel like I wasn't alone. After getting home from Africa, I felt a bit empty from leaving her. My laughter wasn't as frequent and my jokes were definitely not responded to as joyfully as Nicole responded. God taught me an incredible lesson of love, laughter, and resilience by placing Nicole in my life and I am so excited to all the many lessons He will continue to show me.
Brenda is one of the ministry leaders at Koro Farms in Gulu, Uganda. Brenda is a strong, courageous, fiercely loyal, and devoted woman who proves that God sends angels to be with us on Earth. For all that she has been through, she has continued to push on and make sure that her community sees the love from Christ that she feels in her heart. I cried the night we left her. Because of Ali's story in Koro, I was able to open up a bit about my own personal experiences and struggles. Brenda later pulled me aside so we could discuss how similar our experiences have been and to share in a deeply spiritual prayer about healing and the power of God. Brenda never did anything halfway and had so much love, I wondered how it fit in her petite body. I look forward to the time we will get to spend together again and pray for her daily. God has so many big plans in store for her and I want to be there to hear all about them. I think my take away lesson from Brenda is the perseverance and a sense of urgency. Brenda would walk around her community and visit homes to spread the love of Christ. She may have been thrown out or turned away from many, but she was appreciative of every one that invited her in. Brenda didn't wait for provisions to reach her, she created the opportunities and went on her own. How great would our lives be if we took that true leap of faith and trusted God with our plans the way that Brenda does?
Sam may have initially seemed quiet, but he was an incredible addition to our group. Sam was the trips coordinator that traveled with us in Kampala and Gulu. I think that God was aware we would need a bit of a soft-spoken addition to our team, but with a happy and joyous heart like Sam's. To think it took four days to find out Sam could dance so well! I wish that I could have healed his knee for him, but that obviously wasn't what my purpose was for this trip. I feel like my queesy/motion-sick stomach was there for a reason on the bus rides. I got to sit right behind Sam and learned so much from him about his country, his people, his story, his salvation, and all of his goals/wishes. I wonder if we could get Sam to come to the USA so we could show him the same hospitality and kindness that he showed us in Uganda? Let's make it happen people!Before I end this blog about relationships and the summary of the love in Uganda, I would be re-missed if I didn't mention and encourage the EmpowerMe Sponsorship program through Sports Outreach. I have been a sponsor parent to little Daniel in Honduras since 2014 through Compassion International. I've sent in my monthly donation and received the letters from his parents/teachers and pictures he colored himself (he's only 4, so no writings from him yet). However, being in Pugwini and meeting the children that receive the scholarships through Sports Outreach gave me a true appreciation for these programs.
One young lady stuck out to me specifically in our journey. Trinity is a young girl from Pugwini Village in Gulu, Uganda. Her mother told us the story of how she left Trinity when she was two in order to get something that was away from their home, leaving Trinity and her siblings home alone. When she returned, she found that Trinity had fallen into the fire that was cooking their meal and burned her arm terribly. She spent months in the hospital recovering, and her mother admitted that the struggle to care for her was so hard that she often wished to leave her children behind. However, Trinity's mother accepted Jesus in her life and stayed with her children. She struggles daily with her past thoughts and sometimes feels them coming back when things are very difficult. She asked for prayers to remain strong and keep Trinity as her focus and to maintain her love for all of her children (Trinity has additional brothers- we met four- during our visit). I related to Trinity's story in a way I wasn't expecting. I've often felt cast away and a burden on those around me. My appearance isn't what many people want, so often you feel this crushing feeling that you aren't good enough. Trinity said she wants to be a doctor one day, which gave me hope. It reminded me why I do what I do for a living, and made me grateful that I could help people like Trinity back home. When we got back to the hotel that night, our group began discussing the children we had met. It was truly God's handiwork that we all had chosen to step up and support a child, with not one child being left behind. I am proud to say that I sponsor Trinity and look forward to all of the blessing she will have in her life. If you want to know what it is like to feel the honor and love from these children and their family, I implore you to go to the www.SportsOutreach.net website and look into the Empower Me program. These children not only get to have stable meals because of your donation, but an opportunity for a better education and life for their families. And who knows, next year you may be able to come with me back to Uganda and meet your child for yourself so you can see and feel this love first-hand.
At this point, I guess I should finally make my end to the blog and to this powerful trip. I could go on and on about these people and about the lessons, the details and the funny stories that happened while on the trip. The days of June 5-15th, 2016 will never be forgotten and will only serve as a catalyst to share the gospel and ministry of Sports Outreach with the rest of the people I meet. Cat told us not to promise anything to the people that we could or did not intend on keeping. But my promise is simple. I will return to Uganda one day, but until I do, I will show the same love to those around me as they showed to me in those few short days.
Apwoyo Matek. Amari.
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