One prayer that has really been laid on my heart is for God to continue to push me out of my comfort zone. And after the first full week of ministry at Makobore High School for boys, He has done just that.
After our morning devotion with the students, they all go to class. As we found ourselves on Thursday with not much to do, two teammates and I went to the headmaster to ask if there was anything we could do to help out. He asked me which classes I liked, I told him math and science. He looked at his schedule, then back at me and said “okay you go teach physics class.”
I figured he meant I could go help the teacher. But little did I know there was no teacher, just me. I was handed a textbook, shown to a Senior six physics class, introduced to the boys and left to teach. Senior six in Uganda is equivalent to a senior in high school in America. Three weeks ago I was a senior in high school learning physics; I never would have imagined myself teaching it less than a month later. It just shows how mysterious and absolutely amazing God’s plans are for us.
The simplicity of the school is one of the things I love the most. There is a chalk board and desks in each classroom, but that’s all that’s necessary. The boys here are so willing to study and want an education so badly. In American, so often an education is taken for granted or looked at as an unpleasant routine, but here it is cherished. The boy’s motivation and attitudes toward learning is so refreshing and something I really admire. I was given grace when I misspoke or couldn’t answer their questions right away and was welcomed into their school with such love. I loved every moment I was in that classroom because that room was so full of the Holy Spirit.
When I first found out we would be working in a boys high school I didn’t think I would have anything in common with them. But because I just finished high school I can relate to them in so many ways. I know how stressful it can be, how fun it can be, and how challenging and rewarding it can be to your faith. It has become so obvious over the past few days that God placed my team and I in this school for a specific reason. We have the opportunity to build relationships and be a spiritual light for these boys. My faith is as strong as it is today because I had so many people encouraging me along the way, I can only hope to give back some of the encouragement I have gotten over the years to these boys.
