Uganda 2005

October 2004


Dear Friends and Family,

Mucama Yaba Zeebwe (Praise the Lord)! I just got back from my second trip to Uganda, Africa and again I came back more blessed than ever. It’s good to be home in America with everything from a hot shower to back to driving my Jeep Wrangler. However, I have to say all the materialistic things in this country could never amount to the importance of the Great Commission to go out and make Disciples in a country so full of hopelessness and need. I am called to the country of Uganda and hopefully in a few years I will be venturing into the southern part of war torn Sudan.

This trip was so wonderful. It was great to see all my Ugandan friends from our first trip in early 2003. Everyone was so happy to see us again and anticipated what the Lord had in store for this trip. Our mission this year was to start up three major soccer camps. These camps were held in Masaka, Llwaji Island, and Kasambu.

Our first camp was in the city of Masaka which is about a three hour drive from our home base in Segaku. Masaka’s camp was a training ground for those young men who were interested in coaching. We trained almost sixty young men the rules of the game and all of them received their coaching certification. Coach Derek Stanton from England came to help train everyone. He was a professional player in the 70’s and 80’s, playing for the team Aston Villa in Europe. With your help we were able to give each new coach a ball. Those who scored perfect on the written test also received soccer clothes for their entire team and markers for their field. All the coaches were so happy to become certified and are all looking forward to starting their own teams and reaching their players with the good news of Jesus.

Our second camp was held on Llwaji Island in Lake Victoria. Lake Victoria is the second largest lake in the world. I went to the Island a year earlier, so it was neat to see how much it has progressed. Many of the houses which used to have thatched roofs have metal ones, and it seems they are starting to clean up more now around the island. The village is still pretty much the same; most of the women are prostitutes, and the men get drunk and fish all day. My heart broke when I saw the children again. All of them had smiling faces although they were covered in dirt and their clothes were torn to shreds. The parents do not care about their children, because each family has anywhere from 5-10 of them. The parents buy their own clothes and then think of the children last. I saw a few kids this trip still wearing the same ragged shirts they were wearing last year. Another thing is 50% of these kids are living with AIDS because most of their mothers are prostitutes. It’s sad to see such poverty and despair, but one thing I know is true is that me and so many others can go there and love the kids, tell them about Jesus and give them a future to look forward to. The soccer camp at the Island was great. We ministered to about 300 people and 60 of the young men came to the Lord. I learned how to play a game called net ball, which is very popular in Europe. We played that game with most of the women. Soccer is a men’s game in Uganda, while net ball is for women. They liked the fact that five American guys would play with the Ugandan women. I had fun with it!

From Llwaji we went to the town of Kasambu where we started our third camp. We split into teams and I played net ball with some of our guys and the Ugandan women. Another group ministered to the children and the rest played soccer. Some of the servers at Red Lobster, where I work at home gave me Beanie babies and bubbles to give to the kids. The children loved the stuffed animals and were so thankful. Many of them have never even seen a stuffed animal let alone owned one. Kasambu is in a major drought. It hasn’t rained there in almost three years. This means that everyone is rationed with drinking water. On our third day a little girl passed out from heat stroke and dehydration. We gave her a bottle of water and she downed it in about ten seconds, so we ds of children die each year because of these parasites. The girl was still not feeling well so I picked her up and carried her to her homgave her some more and gave her some worming pills. Worming pills cost only fifty cents yet thousane. I had one interpreter who’s name is Joseph with me. On our way there I felt in my Spirit that the Lord wanted to save the little girls family. We asked and discovered that her parents were Muslims. When we got to her house her parents were overwhelmed with the fact that we would bring their child to them. I told them how much I loved them and how Jesus is love and that’s why I cared so much. I gave the children bubbles and gave some trail mix and water to the mom. After giving a message of salvation, the entire family accepted the Lord as their Savior.

While in Kasambu I met a little boy named Derek. Derek was only about two years old. He came out of a field covered in dirt. Derek was very shy and didn’t say anything; his pants were torn and soaked in urine. I picked him up and held him, and then my heart broke. I started to weep for him and so many of the small innocent children. Through my tears I felt the Lord say “This is why I brought you here – to reach the children.” I carried Derek around with me and cleaned him with some baby wipes. His fingernails were caked with dirt and he had clumps of dirt in his eyelashes. I wondered to myself, “How could anyone do this to their kid?” On the second day we noticed Derek had some witchcraft tied around his waist. We cut it off and prayed that Jesus would protect him. I kept telling him Nkwagala which in Lugandan means “I Love You.” He just smiled and went “mmmm”. By the third day Derek was laughing. We would tickle him and he’d squeal. The Lord kept reminding me to show Derek “the Father’s Heart”. I went to town the last day and bought Derek some worming medication. I knew he had worms because his little belly was swollen. We gave him a furry little animal before we left. It was so difficult to say goodbye we just sat him on the ground and drove away; most of our team left in tears.

I knew God wanted me on this trip for a reason. Yeah, it was difficult to choose Uganda over going back to Concordia University this fall, but you know my life isn’t really mine – It’s God’s. He taught me something on this trip which I will never let go of and that is the fact that where there is a need we need to fill it. I found a need in Uganda and that is the need of hundreds of little boys and girls to know the love of a father and mother. Uganda is the size of Oregon and it has over 1.5 million orphans who have lost their parents to HIV and AIDS. Those kids need love; they need Jesus because without him they have nothing. Our lives are short, a blink of the eye compared to eternity. We need to share love where there is no love and give hope where there is no hope. This is our calling – to find a need and fill it.

Thank you so much for Blessing me with this opportunity to go to Uganda. I have been changed by this experience I am planning to go again in the near future. The Lord wants to use me to reach the orphans, so I plan be moving to Uganda in about five years. Currently I am finishing my degree in business with a minor in Non-profit management. Thank You for your prayers and encouragement. I love each and every one of you so much!

Love,

Paul