Kyenjojo Radio Station
Picture at Radio Station after talking on radio
(Pastors and Robin)
Thank God for this Wonderful Mission to Ugnada
by Holly Lambert
The first thing I have to say is go to Uganda, as I told the radio audience of Kyenjojo. I would recommend travel to Uganda, which some know as the Gem of Africa. It is a beautiful land with friendly people who love to see smiles. The radio audience I am told was 1.5 million. Robin Bachini and I were accompanied by three Kynenjojo ministers and our Uganda Mission Director, the ever dedicated Pastor Saazi Godfrey head of Grace Out Reach Ministries. At the radio station, KDR 96.7 FM we were allowed to give testimony- (Robin), pray for individual calling into radio show- (Robin and Holly), and tell about Aglow International Ministry- (Holly). The report back was: listeners were calling back for long time after we the station with testimonies of how God healed them physically and testimony of answered prayer, then also more prayer requests. Our visit to the radio station, opened doors so much so that the radio station was willing to give the Kyenjojo ministers the lowest possible cost a radio show slot twice a week. Pastor Godfrey claims this victory a miracle. In my opinion, it was just a taste of the many miracles we saw. After a week of ministry in the Kyenjojo, the area the ministers asked, (almost demanded) to have the team come back next year. Oddly enough, the Kyenjojo area was chosen in part because it was the beginning of the rainy season. It was felt that there would be better weather conditions for the team. The area ministers (various denominations) had never been gathered in any kind of joint mission or conference. Our mission was going to schools, jails, a hospital and a crusade and the conference was attendance by 427 attendees who were to be church leaders and pastors. And yes we fed the Church leaders a balanced meal each day which was large and enjoyed, as one church leaders told me. Food in Uganda is generally not a problem but getting a balanced diet is, but as of today, I received e-mail from Uganda stating getting food now in Uganda may be a problem because of recent floods. The poverty and need of help in Uganda is overwhelming.
The Uganda people need you your visit; in person help their economy, in prayer- to besiege God's grace to fall upon them, in giving- to help orphaned children many who at times have lacked food.
Uganda is not just a beautiful land to visit. It has people who you will fall in love with and sights and experience that cannot be explained in a travel book. The people there cry out for help in silence. They will hide their needs from you, or in the next moment be oblivious of the total different world you come from. Some how your presence brings them hope; as if the prosperity you have will fall upon them or that God above has not forgotten them. The people in their hearts carry a genuine feeling of hospitality. At a more practical level, your visit will provide them with funds as we paid to stay in their homes.
The best thing about our Uganda visit was being a bringer of the light. We carried the Gospel of Jesus Christ where ever we went. Our first week November 1-7 was with Pastor Godfrey. It was challenging week because of being immersing in a new culture; but the excitement of the mission, loving hearts of the ladies on our team, the sincere genuineness of the Pastors we met, and Fran Hallgren, our Aglow Transformation leader, helped us get through.
It was long trip to arrive at the airport in Entebbe, Uganda. At the point of exhaustion, we were met by Grace Out Reach ministry team who lovingly took on our need of transportation, carrying our luggage, arranging of lodging. They did this by faith that we were going to be ministering to Uganda in a special way. We were entrusted to carry God’s message with us. Through God’s grace, God choosing us to go forth In Christ’s name we fulfilled our mission. Our schedule was a full one. From morning till evening our team was speaking at the Pastors Conference, then with short break we off to the Crusade. In the evening at the Crusade, we gave messages of greetings, testimony of how Christ changed our lives, a message of evangelism; to give a chance for those attending to ask Christ to come into their heart.
The Uganda people were listening carefully, I observed that the Uganda women were not as free to follow as many different occupations. I mentioned in my greeting that I was a female firefighter, and they probably had not met a female firefighter. They took it as challenge, it came back to me that somewhere in Uganda they did indeed have a female firefighter.
The crusades had great results, the crusade manager reported, that over 370 people gave their lives to Christ. After the evangelist message anyone who desired could line up for prayer. All of our team prayed for each person in line by laying hand on a shoulder of the person; this could be 20- 25 people maybe more (adults and children). We used interpreter for our messages and in the prayer lines. In the prayer lines, many were touched by God, while some felt God’s presence for the first time, others were healed of physical ailments. Because of the multitude of people we were encouraged to pray for each person only a short time. As we were praying, people would get on the stage, who had just been touched by God- saying I am healed or I don’t have any more pain. They would explain the to the audience what God had just done.
On this trip we prayed for many many people. I remember praying for a man who said he could not hear well, after the prayer, we usually say how do you feel now or how is it now? The man nodded his head, yes, I can hear from that ear. Never doubt the power of God. God’s presence was there that night to heal. Praying for your prayer line was not always easy, the first night I had two ladies so unkept that smell drove me away, I could not get close to pray, it was very disturbing to me that they came forward, but I could not get close enough to lay my hand on them to pray. That same night I prayed for at least 2 aids patients and many sick people.
Our team split into at least two team durning the when the Pastors Conference (also know as the Pastor Fellowship) was going on. Often the minister would say the team is now at a school ministering to the children, or at a jail or somewhere else. That week during the conference everyday we out in mission work as some of our team minister to the church leaders. We visited schools, jails, a hospital and the radio station twice.
There were many schools, both church schools, public schools, I saw no lack of schools, but a lack of what we would call a traditional school. From our view Schools were without books or libraries, most we saw had a dirt floor, and opening in a wall for windows, many had roofs with holes in them. No play ground equipment, no athletic fields, no supply of paper in the closet, no musical instruments, no reference books or computers, many no electricity. The schools would have what they called books, which was sort of a notebook in which an amazing amount of learning would take place. Their teachers and the notebooks would prepare them to take nationalize exams to pass to the next grade. Much of the students learning is in oral fashion, so it was natural for them to sing to us. We heard many songs and all of them stole our hearts. Every student we met took Uganda National. They took the tests very seriously. It seemed we pray for extraordinary amount of students. I would say, over 90% of students requested prayer for wisdom, or prayer to pass their exams. Students were polite and followed teachers instructions. At the schools we prayed for teachers and some pastors whose ministries helped fund and run the schools.
It was humbling to us to see teachers, pastors, as their tradition called for, kneel out of respect before us, as we prayed. We laid our hands on them and prayed how ever the Holy Spirit led. This kneeling was usually on a mat but sometimes just on the dirt floor. It was such special times. God just seemed to invade the area as we prayed.
At the schools, we shared the gospel usually through a cube which tells of the good news of Christ, it’s called an evange-cube. It was very effective everywhere we went, but we also made necklaces which shared Christ, and told puppet Bible stories. One of the first schools we went to, the teacher said she had been praying for us to come for years. There are many very sincere Christians who wanted God’s touch from someone who was daring enough to cross the ocean, get out of their comfort zone, and pray a prayer believing God would speak and answer. Again it was humbling, for me to hear her say, she would indeed keep praying for us.
On the jail visit I saw hardened hearts be changed instantly as the love and forgiveness of Christ flowed into them. On this mission I was bless to give a salvation message.
In the morning our Aglow Transformation team would gather at the Kyenjojo Hotel for a devotion. Most morning we would take communion with the pre-package communion sets some 500 sets 2 boxes I stuffed in my weight limited suitcases. I tried to take as many things as possible to give to the Uganda people. I got so carried away that I decided I could indeed wear 10 bright colored t-shirts under my suit jacket to give away to some of the poorest people in the world- Uganda people. My t-shirt idea actually worked very well, until the very last flight I mentioned it to a team member and then it was, hey do you believe what she did? Our team gave away many children’s vitamins, Bibles, clothes, shoes, gifts to Pastors what ever we could carry. The pre-packaged communion sets seemed to set the Pastors Conference at a different level when Pastors from different denominations came together it was a memorable moment. I was also able to bring Bibles to give away from our Church Bible ministry. Our ministry hopes to send more Bible to Uganda in the future.
With sadness we left the ministry with Pastor Godfrey and started another exciting week. Our second week with Imelda Bwayo who is the National President of Aglow International in Uganda. Our 10 women team split into 3 teams. My team went to Entebbe, where we stayed in a pastors home, and his neighbor who was a member of the church. Pastor Moses and his wife Martha were wonderful people they completely trusted us to do ministry in their church. They kept us very busy, two Aglow meetings, two Sunday school classes, 3 Sunday Church services, Orphanage visit and ministry to a Pastors group in a three day period. Our team Donna, Phyllis, and I heard testimony of how women lives were forever changed from women of hopelessness to women encouraged, confident, freed in love and power of Christ. The Aglow meetings have provided quite a transformation for them. The Lord graced us with the opportunity of being there at moment when new chapters of Aglow were being formed allowing us speaking at the meetings, pray for attendees and advise newly formed Aglow Chapters (which we call Aglow Lighthouse).
At the Aglow meeting in Uganda as at home we emphasized evangelism, prayer, hearing God’s voice, baptism in the Holy Spirit and many were set free just as when Jesus was preached. Aglow encourages the spiritual gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 and 2 Timothy 1:6 as a way to encourage Christians to use the gifts they have, empower them in Christian ministry and to pray in the Holy Spirit as the Lord leads: praying in a heavenly language of tongues.
From Entebbe we went on to the home town of Imelda Bwayo Mbale, where we continued in ministry to a new Aglow group. Our whole team took a morning off to go on a prayer journey to Wanale Summit, a beautiful mountain top then ministered to an Orphanage. While I was in Mbale, Phyllis and I stayed with another Pastor, Pastor Luke. He was very hospitable and a good cook. The many Pastors we met noticed that by grace of the Lord Jesus Christ our Aglow Transformation team came in power, an organization make up of all sorts of Christian denominations with many leading members claiming the status of lay leaders. Aglow started as a women’s movement in the United States to empower the gospel to go forth through women. Now it has entered the world, even men are eager to taken up it’s cause. Aglow International, as I saw first hand, is taking off in Uganda like wild fire.
Thanks go to Pastor Imelda, who was in charge of our second week. We saw so many wonderful thing the Lord was doing in Uganda.
Our whole mission team enjoyed our mission trip so much, even though we had many challenges. Thanks be to God, many people were ministered to.
Thanks be to God for this outreach to Uganda, thanks to the people who supported it.
Holly Lambert
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