We've been still for a few months now but two weeks ago we got on a plane with a group from our bible college and flew to Uganda.
Oak Hill Bible College have been partnered with Uganda Martyrs Seminary in Namugongo for about thirty years. Twice a year we get a group of students together to go out to UMS and run a bible conference for all of the students. Their timetables are cleared for the week so they can all attend and we have a little graduation at the end. This whole partnership is made immensely easier for us by the hard work our onsite missionaries put in.
About four years ago a couple from Oak Hill moved out to UMS and now live and work there. While raising their three children, they teach and mentor students and play a huge role in how the college is run and is developing. They are an amazing family who work tirelessly for the sake of furthering the gospel.
But the story of how we came to be at UMS goes back much further than them. So the story goes...
Around 1886 Kabaka (King) Mwanga of South Uganda reigned and was a corrupt and vicious ruler. One day as he was hunting a hippo attacked him, causing him to drop his favourite gun into the river. He survived the attack but came home seething. Upon his return he found his household quiet and most of his servants at prayer. Many of them had come to faith through missionaries and, not expecting their Kabaka home for hours, were not there to greet him. This angered him and he demanded boys be brought to his bedchamber. This was refused. He then ordered all of his servants be rounded up and put to death if they did not renounce their faith. As they were wrapped and stacked together on the kindling they were offered one last chance to renounce their faith but they would not, instead they sang of God's great love for them as they we're burned alive. This and other such incidents around the time is the reason thousands of Christians walk hundreds of miles each year to commemorate the Martyrs deaths at the Uganda Martyrs Shine and at the College.
The site of the burning is on the college premises but today, instead of facing persecution, Christians gather there to train and advance the gospel of Christ.
The Present
We set out from Oak Hill on Friday 25th June and arrived very tired, late Saturday afternoon. It was blissful to step out of the airport into warm fresh air, so much so we didn't mind waiting for our ride at all! In true Ugandan fashion, what should have been an hour and half journey took Chris and Wilson four with traffic. Fortunately for us the ride back didn't take nearly as long.
Having never been to Africa before, I really wasn't sure to expect. And the uncertainty of that prospect the day before had tempted me to stay firmly on English soil, but then what kind of traveller would I be? All I knew of Africa was from nature documentaries and BandAid songs, so basically nothing of use. As it turned out, I was caught in rapt curiosity from the moment we left the airport. So much to see and hear and smell that was different to life as we know it. The earth is so red and the roads so busy and people are just everywhere. Nothing separates the road from the ramshackle shops and the boda boda drivers fly past without helmets, weaving in and out of traffic to get their customer to their destination and fast as possible. Colourful fruits spill out of shops and hang off the back of trucks to be sold while children laugh and play in the dirt with treasures they've found, avoiding the welders sending sparks reigning down as they work.
As we beeped our way through Kampala I lost the battle with my eyelids and had to rest a while hoping Jimmy would stay conscious and be my seatbelt.
I woke to see the Shrine pass by our window and then a little way on we turned into UMS and pulled up outside of the family home. Here we were reunited as a full team with those who had travelled out early.
Our guest accommodation was on the beautiful site of the College too and, although basic, was all we needed. Outside (and sometimes inside!) we saw plenty of wildlife roaming free; chickens, goats, cows, dogs, geckos, crickets, giant snails, birds and an array of stunning butterflies. The grounds were lush and green thanks to the rainy season.
Each night we were kindly hosted for dinner and our first was at Principle Canon Henry's. His family were kind enough to make us chicken and chips to ease us into Uganda! We were all grateful not to have to face something else brand new that day. Canon Henry is a wise and friendly man who is used to us as visitors and has been to visit Oak Hill with his wife a few times.
Bed was calling us all from the moment we arrived and that night was the best I slept all week. Waking up to a stone cold shower at 4.45am, however, was not so welcoming. Jimmy, Ben and I
were the first out to attend a church service at one of the students churches which started at 7am. We didn't know until we arrived that we would be staying for three services, each getting longer and being spoken in Ugandan. At random intervals we would each get called (or at least "Joyce" got called and I went along) to read a prayer or a passage so there was no drifting through the service, we we're honoured guests, and at one point sat on the stage. I was able to visit the Sunday school children who sang me a song and Jimmy blessed a wedding for a couple who had just returned from honeymoon. And later in the service Ben even read a funeral prayer - so we had all bases covered in one day. Although it gained us the 'longest Oak Hillian church visit while visiting UMS' accolade it was a pretty amazing experience and one we'll never forget in a hurry! (oh and we finally got back to UMS at 4pm...)
That evening was planning for the start of the conference the next day, more food at Canon Henry's and sleep, sleep, sleep!
The Conference
For the rest of the week each day played out in a similar format with a big teaching session in the morning with some individual study time, followed by two sets of example sermons on the topic and group times to come together and discuss what we were learning. Each Oak Hill student was given a group of UMS students to go through the conference booklet with in our group times, I went with Jimmy in the hope of being a support to the women placed in our group. We were also encouraged to meet with individual students after we'd finished at 3.45pm to talk through sermons they were writing or questions they had.
All of the Oak Hill guys did a great job of clearly taking us on a Bible Overview through the week using different tools to teach us how to use the bible to the full when showing people Jesus. For example the Promise Progress Tool, seeing where we are in the OT along the line of the promise God made to Abraham and how it leads right up to Jesus.
Everyone listened well, volunteered for crazy illustrations and began to share openly in group times. We encountered some wonderful conversations that were able to cross cultural bourndries and aid the students in furthering the gospel. I know Jimmy and I personally felt encouraged by members of our group that we met with. Their openness to ask questions, enthusiasm to know more and exceptional insight and intelligence even though they are working with limited resources compared to the wealth we take for granted in the UK.
Along with hours of study there was time put aside for the traditional Oak Hill Vs UMS sports. It happened to be fairly competitive but all ended in love! UMS won the Volleyball (we conveniently can't remember the score...) and Oak Hill won the football 3-1. Us Mzungu have still got it apparently!
On evenings there wasn't sporting events we had no shortage of things to do. We were grateful to accept an invitation to visit a private school in the area followed by dinner at the lecturer's home, which gave us a small insight to education in the area. We also had a missionary prayer evening on Tanzania where we learnt a little Kiswahili, EG: How did you sleep? - Lala fofofo! (Like a log!) And on our last night with the students we had a cultural evening where we all ate outside together and then shared some songs and sketches from our respective cultures. I'll let the photos speak for themselves on that front...
Final musings...
Now I really have rattled on a while but please indulge me a little longer. Believe it or not there is a lot I've missed out! There was torrential rain and boiling nights, banana everything and poorly tummies, gecko hunts and terrifying wild dogs! And also endless banter and laughter within our group as we got to know each other and journeyed through the week together. For many of us it was our first ever trip to Africa, let alone the first time we'd run a conference there.
I also can't go without mentioning how incredibly grateful we all are to the staff, students and Howles family at UMS. They welcomed us instantly and were so generous and patient when we didn't understand or weren't feeling well or even when we failed to turn up on our Mzungu time and were beaten by all the punctual Ugandan students!
The Howles house became our sanctuary for the week and the kids were the cure for any homesickness or uncertainty in such a different place. We know it's painful for them when the groups leave and feel immensely blessed that they sacrifice their emotions and welcome us anyway.
Jimmy and I have learnt so much during this trip to UMS, especially of sacrifice of all kinds. We have felt challenged to ask ourselves, as we should again and again in life, how much would we give up for Christ?
Always, everything.
So closes another chapter as we put our backpacks away but our link with the work of UMS is far from over. We will pray for them as they pray for us and hope we can visit again soon.
J & J x
"I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or death. For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain"
Philippians 1:20-21
