Follow along with eight disciples as they travel to Bududa, Uganda to work with our partners at the Bududa Learning Center.
I am often asked to describe a typical day on a mission trip and quite honestly, I wrestle with how to answer this question. How do I describe the indescribable? How do I honor the realities of the day, the truths confronted, the rawness of love, which can simultaneously be joyous, difficult and daunting. What are the right words to convey the complexity and breadth of conversation that ranges from understanding the impact of solar panels during the rainy season to assessing the needs of a family devastated by the December mudslides to discussing why the chickens are joining us for lunch.
In any given hour of any day in Bududa, our individual faith is engaged, our courage summoned, our privilege checked, our hearts filled and then broken. The landscape of global mission changes from moment to moment. On this day in Bududa, our team could be found in the classroom where students learned valuable skills in construction and early childhood education. Others provided instruction to staff on excel programming, taught knitting skills to tailoring students, discussed challenges with the local Land Council, explored ways to increase capacity to house female students on campus.
Our day at the Bududa Vocational Academy ended as it began with a holy image that defies description. The women of MPPC sat on the cement floor, at the feet of the women of Bududa, and with great tenderness and love washed the feet of their sisters. Admittedly, the feet of our Bududans are foreign and we have not walked the same path, most women walk miles in bare feet, farm their land in bare feet, play soccer in bare feet. The vulnerability, humility and joy embodied within this simple act of washing broke down barriers of race and culture – in this simple act we offered a gift to each, in this simple act God invited these sisters to walk together in faith, to see what we have not seen before.
In a community where electricity is almost non-existent, the dark sky was graced by a moon shadow that illuminated light into the inky black sky. On this night, we prayed for our Bududan friends by name – Caroline, Emmanuel, Donna, Josephine, Martha, Andrew, Justine, Caleb, Darius, Milton, Robert, Betty, Sharon, Isaac, Paul, Eddy, Doreen, Donna, Samali, Sara and many others – God, grant our brothers and sisters deep peace this night.
– For the Uganda Mission Team, Court Young, Outreach Director
