I had never been to a prison before, never mind a Ugandan prison. So I really had no idea of what to expect. I kept trying to picture our ministry there as we waited to be let in the little door with a small lock on it. When we walked through the door, there was just an open dirt courtyard where men in yellow prison garb milled around. From there we went into an open concrete room packed full of more men. They cleared some wooden benches for us and we joined some other people from the church who were also there to minister to the men. They had us introduce ourselves and say why we came – “to share God’s love,” “to love you like Jesus,” “to serve,” – I think they got the idea after hearing it 13 times.
A couple of our guys shared with the inmates through Kenneth, who translated for us. Kenneth is a story himself. He is 25 years old and started an organization called Children’s Chance International at age 21 that helps children stay in school, women learn to support themselves, and orphans be able to attend school, among other things. His passion that goes into everything he does was incredibly apparent as he translated for our team.
The men seemed really open to the teaching and after the preaching was over, they began worshipping. I’ve never heard a more beautiful sound than the voices of these Ugandan inmates as they sang out – eyes closed, hands raised, their faces expressing their hearts. They were praising the king of kings – the Lord of Lords, and I couldn’t help but think that what I was hearing might be like the angel's voices as they worship God.
So far, our ministry here is a broad spectrum of things – building relationships through prayer walks in the community, visiting various schools and making friends, discipling individuals, or helping organize AIDS outreach programs with Harriet – one of the most passionate, Christ-centered, and loving women I have ever met. We’re learning how to invent games for hundreds of children who may or may not understand our English, and finding that ministry looks like a lot of different things – mainly living life with Jesus. Although we have a somewhat of a schedule for our different ministry outlets – T.I.A. – this is Africa, and being flexible is just life here. We may not end up having a ride to church, but we’ll watch the sunrise with Jesus from the roof instead. The car may break down and only two of us can go on the back of a motorcycle to a home visit, but God uses every opportunity for something good. We’re learning that Jesus actually can expand our stomachs to eat a full meal only a couple hours after lunch, and that this trip isn’t always about the crazy things God does, but the fact that He just does life with us. No matter if we are in Uganda, or in America. Jesus is the same and He uses every situation for His glory.
