TIA: African Sabbath
Posted on 17. May, 2009 by Josh Agerton in Formation, Uganda
A good day. Our team started out with worship at Gaba Community Church here in Kampala (This is the church that Buloba Community Church was planted out of). It was great to be at Gaba…reminded me a lot of Cornerstone but with an African flare. Then we headed out to Buloba for the service there. All went well and I got the redemption sermon out with help from Pastor Isaac as my translating partner. Worship involved lots of dancing, lots of drums, and lost of grass skirts shaking. It was awesome to experience worship with these friends. Four people came forward and accepted Christ’s love at the end of the service.
But also in the service Pastor Isaac tried to get out team up to do a little special music and dance. We were pretty caught off guard and said not this time. Thinking we will have to do some kind of musical dance thing before we leave. I’m working through how we could mix some Chris Tomlin with the electric slide. Any other ideas?
We stayed in Buloba and just hung out around the church the rest of the day. These folks really know how to practice Sabbath and I learned a lot. I was exhausted after the almost 3 hour worship service (on top of the earlier Gaba Church deal).
After a little lunch we all went outside and enjoyed the beautiful weather…a little overcast and breezy. I spent about 3 hours sitting on the porch with Pastor Isaac and Godfrey (the African Renewal Ministry Social Worker in Buloba). We laughed, drank orange Fanta, shared peanut-butter crackers and talked about all kinds of crazy stuff. They taught me about the fruit from every tree we could see and I showed them wonders of the iPhone. We laughed so hard that our stomach hurt and cheeks were sore.
Then we took a stroll down to what they call “The Big Tree” (a huge old beautiful tree…have no clue what kind it was) and then on to the well. Was fun to watch the kids pump fresh water and play around the well. Then back to the church for more lounging around in the grass and playing with kids. It was so relaxing and there were little distractions to take us away from seeing each other and listening to one another. Wondered so many times…why can’t I do this with my family and friends at home? I realized how much we loose in our busyness.
Then around dusk, the church gathered again for us all to watch a film on the life of Paul (projector with a sheet hung on the side of the building.) There’s no direct TV or cable in Buloba so there is a pretty big draw when something like this goes on. A ton of people from the community came…it’s a great evangelism tool for church.
We got home around 10m…had dinner and everyone is crashing to bed around me. I’m feeling kinda old with this group. They were all singing songs in the van on the way home tonight and I knew none of them (never thought the day would come). Also, I’ve become the old guy who gets up early in the morning…everyone else stays in bed until the last minute to eat and get out the door. But it’s been nice to have the place by myself to read and get ready for the day.
This has been a great trip. Really sensing the Lord expanding some places in my heart and I’m wanting to give him more and more. Funny how the sermons in the weeks prior to this trip were preparing me. We were talking about God’s economy and the story Jesus told where a man who found treasure in the field and then hid it and out of his joy sold everything to go and buy the field. I preached on this myself one week and it really did a number on me. Opened me up to a new level of surrender that I’m still working through. So…the Lord is at work in all of us.
Ending again saying that I miss Leslie and the kids. Thinking of you all through the day and have loved sharing your stories with new friends here. Miss you and love you all – Josh.
Joan
18. May, 2009