Should be another great trip.  Be on the lookout here for more posts.  Hoping to keep the updates coming as the week goes along…all depending on internet access.

The Story of Buloba Community Church from Josh Agerton on Vimeo.

I’ve just gotten settled into a 8 ½ hour flight from Entebbe to Amsterdam and I’m flooded with thoughts about the last 10 days.  So here goes a few snapshots from my memory:

• The family whose home I visited that had very little to eat.  The 6 year old son was so lethargic from not eating.  They had been on school break, thus he was not getting the cup of hot porridge he usually got at school.
• How the people of Buloba Community Church received us the first day…you would have thought the President arrived.  An awesome drum reception.
• Walking around the church building by myself pondering the overwhelming complexity of poverty, disease and education in Uganda.
• The dude walking around downtown Kampala with a huge live turkey across his shoulders.  This was hilarious.  Could not get camera out fast enough.  (TIA)
• Meeting Mariam, the little girl our family sponsors and seeing with my own eyes how God is changing her life with our small gift.  Also loved playing with her…she’s a little rascal.
• Kneeling on the ground and holding the rough hands of two women who were talking to Jesus for the first time, asking him to come and live inside of them.
• Hearing Amanda on the bungee platform say, “I don’t even do roller coasters” and the dude strapping up her ankles replying, “Roller Coaster’s are @#$%ing dangerous.   Bungee jumping is perfectly safe.”
• Being overjoyed standing in the ARM (African Renewal Ministry) office in Buloba looking at the long list of children who are sponsored by people from Cornerstone Church.
• Seeing the beautiful faces of Buloba Community church (many with tears) as we drove off this afternoon.
• Watching out team say goodbye to our dear friends in Buloba.  I was especially torn by watching Jordan saying goodbye to Remie, the little boy we had all come to love that  especially captured Jordan’s heart.  Jordan took off the watch on his wrist that Remie had been playing with all week and gave it to him.

So many more visions of this week.  But all of them merge into one idea.  One word that has been with me since we first arrived.  Redemption.  This is what Christ is doing in this world…in Auburn…in your town…in Buloba, Uganda…and maybe even in your life.

The words of Isaiah speak well to the redemption that our Jesus is up to:

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.  He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance for our God, to comfort those who grieve in Zion – to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.  Isaiah 61:1-3

Jesus Christ.  He is the only hope for overcoming the brokenness of this world.  The only hope.  He is alive and on the move, many times in ways we don’t fully see.  But this last week it seemed like the covers were being pulled back a bit and God allowed me to catch a small glimpse.  He’s in a little 8 year old girl singing her heart out to Jesus.  He’s in the beautiful smile of a little boy who has lost his parents and is now living with grandparents.  He’s in the heart of a girl who pulls out her school uniform to try on for me, so happy that someone believes in her.  He’s in college students who have given their life away to Christ and who desire to be his co-redeemers.  He’s in the simple acts of kindness that flow from hearts full of his Spirit.  It’s been a good time for me personally.  A much needed break from my normal routine.  Thank you Jesus.

I’m going to miss the people I have come to love in the last 10 days.  I’m hopeful it’s not the last time I see them.  But now I’m turning my heart towards the 4 people I will see tomorrow.  Leslie, Benjamin, Liza and Grace. I have missed them dearly (By the way, got news from Leslie just before getting on the plane that Liza pee peed in the potty today!!!)  Can’t wait to see these most important people in my life.

So that’s it for now.  I’m sure I’ll share more about these last days in Uganda as this all unfolds in my heart.  But for now I’m going to vege out and watch movies on the plane for the next 7 or so hours.  (I’ll post this when I get to Amsterdam.)

TIA…signing out.

Trip is going great so far. We spent the morning at Bethany Village, a community for orphans started out of Gaba Community Church. They have 177 kids living there in homes of about 15 kids each…along with house parents. Each household becomes a family unit, dividing up chores of cooking, working the garden etc. and the kids all go to school there. It’s an amazing place of hope that is changing this world. I love it because it is such a place of redemption. Despair is turned into gladness, sorrow turned into joy. Orphans with nothing transformed into next generation Christian leaders.

We had a good lunch in Kampala then spent the rest of the afternoon in Buloba. The folks there are so grateful for the child sponsorships and support. We’re really beginning to see the affects of our partnership with them. The new church building now has all it’s walls and a roof. The original church building has now been converted to an office and two classrooms. A full time social worker from ARM (African Renewal Ministry) now works out of the office in the church to manage all of the child sponsorship stuff. They are doing an amazing deal with that and I’m so impressed with how organized they all are.

And I finally got to meet Miriam, the little 5 year old that our family is sponsoring. She’s a cute little girl how does not say a lot but loves to hold hands. She calls me her “American Friend” and stayed glued to me the whole time I was there. We are going to celebrate her birthday together tomorrow (turning 5).

Also got to see the new well that was put in last year. We sat around and watched the kids jump up and down on the lever, pumping fresh water out. This is so huge for this community. On my last trip a year ago these same kids were walking ½ mile to get water from a dirty run off drain pipe. So I look at this well now and just see a great act of love. It has been amazing to see both sides of this story. How people at Cornerstone rallied around this cause and then how lives in Buloba are being affected. This has been a kingdom investment. These folks are so grateful to Cornerstone for the support, hence the sign by the well.

We have a great team here and we’re having a lot of fun together…hearing bits of each others stories along the way. More to come in a day or so. Internet connection not so good here…TIA.

Also,  keep an eye out on Andi’s Blog.  She’s making good updates with pictures each day as well.

So here I am in Amsterdam at 2:15am CST. But over here it’s 9:15am. My body is beginning to get a little confused. The first leg of our trip was great…about 9 hours (saw a sunset and sunrise). Waiting a little longer here then on another 9 hour flight to Entebbe, Uganda.

I’m beginning to prepare myself for these next days ahead. I’m excited about what God has in store for each person on our team and those we will encounter. But at the same time I’m a bit heavy from leaving Leslie and the kids. It was a particularly tough good-bye this time. Benjamin especially was not too keen on Daddy leaving. So please pray for us all in this…especially Leslie.

Right now I’m in a pretty ritzy airport (I’m sitting right across from a spa). But on the next landing we will be in a much different place. I remember last time driving from the airport to the place where we stay and how tough it was to see those images of poverty along the way. It is a shock to the heart when you have not been exposed to it in a while so I expect to experience some of that again.

Well that’s it for now…about to run out of Wi-Fi. More to come later.

In 20 minutes our team is heading to the Airport. Please keep us in your prayers…have about 25 hours of traveling ahead. We had a great final day but with very mixed emotions. Ready to hold my kids and Leslie but heartbroken to leave such special frineds I have made here.

We spent the morning at the market in Kampala then drove out to Buloba to be with the poeple there one last time. It was a good visit. We handed out t-shirts and toothbrushes to about 50 kids and tons of parents. You would have thought it was Christmas morning. Then we headed into the church to end out time together in prayer. It was a sweet sweet time. Getting into the van several children were crying as we said goodbye.

So that is it for now. I’m leaving Uganda soil but the poeple are in my heart. I’m sure I will have much more to process here and many more stories to tell as this all unfolds. But for now…”Welaba” (Goodbye in Luganda…language of Uganda).

Much Love – Josh

Today we took a break from our usual work and spent a day as tourists. We headed over to Jinja to check out the Nile. Yes, the Nile…the longest river in the world which flows north into the Mediterranean Sea. We rode in a boat to see the source of the river…a spring that flowed up for many thousand years.

Then ended up for lunch at a serious high class bed and breakfast overlooking the Nile. Our waiters were expecting us and came out to our vans to greet us. They took us out to a veranda, and then set up a special buffet for us…talapia gumbo, rice, bacon-veggie fueteccini, fresh vegetables and salad, and my new African favorite, Orange Fanta.

After lunch I laid out on some lounge chairs and was able to close my eyes for a few minutes. It was nice to have a break but felt weird to drive back to Kampala and ride through hillsides of slums.

Tomorrow is our last day. Spending the morning at the local market and the afternoon back in Buloba for our last time with the people at the church. Will be a sad good bye. Our plane takes off tomorrow night around 10PM, Uganda time.

PS…I have a killer farmers tan.

The other night I decided to go outside by myself to listen to him. It was amazing…a strong, low Arabic voice. I sat under the stars and listened while his voice carried over the hillside we are staying on. I admired his discipline. I’m usually still snoozing in the bed when he is getting up to start praying. Or I’m going back for a plate of seconds when I hear him at 7pm. I even asked…why don’t I come out and sing to God this way? So for these last few times my Muslim friend who’s face I will never see will become my prayer partner. He’s like my timer. To pray for a man who misunderstands God and rejects Jesus Christ…the one who said, “I am the way the truth and the life: no one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

PEOPLE NEED TO SEE JESUS

Today was the third time our team has gone out to visit people in the town of Buloba. Some of the local church members have been taking us through the villages to meet people and share about Jesus. Basic door-to-door evangelism…African style. In this I’ve realized how much Islam has a big-time stronghold on this community. Christians are definitely in the minority. Out of my conversations I have come to the conclusion that people really need to see Jesus. What I mean by this is to see Jesus living out of the lives of those who call themselves followers of Christ. This is so much more powerful than any words that anyone can say to them. Here’s some examples.

Saturday morning my team ended up at a place we’ve nicknamed “Las Vegas”. It’s the local hut where the men get together to gamble. We somehow ended up talking to these guys and the local church member made them stop their game for me to talk to them. She put me on the spot to share the gospel with them so I went for it. Many of them were nominal Muslims and it was a mixed response. Some were laughing at me and some were intently listening…I could see in some of their faces that they were really taking it in. Then a guy blurted out “But all the people I know who say that they have accepted Jesus are no different than anyone else. Their lives are not changed like you talk about. They act the same as they did before”. True words and hard to hear. I see this all the time myself and told him so. Soon things came to a place where we needed to end but they let me pray for them…we all held hands and made a circle around their gambling table while I prayed for them.

So moving on…today I ended up in a similar conversation with a woman. She also was a Muslim and came to a point where she did not really see a difference between Christians and Muslims. It was a dead end. We prayed for her and made our way out. But on the road our translator told us that she had said in the conversation that she needed a new blanket, that hers somehow got torn up. As we walked I told the local church person with us that the woman needed a blanket. She asked if I or someone on our team could buy one for her. But I told her that someone in the church would need to go back and take her one of their own. It would not have as much meaning if the rich white guy from America (this is how most people here see us) gave her one but that if someone there locally who understands and knows the importance of a blanket, and sacrifices their own for her…that she would see Jesus.

ZARIA SAW JESUS

Zaria is a Muslim woman who lives about 20 yards away from the temporary church building in Buloba that we are partnered with. There are 10 people living in her house that is smaller than my living room. They cook by fire in her house and barely has what some call an out house. When the church first began she had many squabbles with the Pastor. When our team came down last fall she would not let her kids come over and play with the masses of kids who showed up every day. She would not even look over at our team. In February when Rusty visited Buloba he went over and visited with her. She let him into her home and they visited for a while. He made an impact on her and opened the door. Then last week (our 2nd trip) she began peering at us through her garden…watching us dig ditches for the footing of the new walls for the church. She let her kids come over and play with us and allowed them to come to our VBS on Saturday. She also saw us carrying water back from the well (the one that is ½ mile away) and was amazed. Someone relayed to us that she could not believe that we were carrying water back from the well and that we really must love the people there.

After hearing this Tony and I made a trip to the well and brought back two 8 gallon jugs for her. She was out working so we left them at her door. She showed up yesterday at church yesterday but stayed low key.

Then today I saw her on the road and she asked if she could have a Bible. I told her that I would stop by her house later on and give her one so she would not have to carry it around while she was working (she was holding on to a cow at the time).

Then after lunch I saw her standing at the edge of her property looking down at us and I remembered. I got a Bible and headed her way. She met me half way and a few others came over to visit with her. She invited us to her home and took us inside. Once we were in she immediately said that today she was going to accept the gift from Jesus. We all hugged her and celebrated.

She told us that she was at church yesterday and wanted to accept Jesus into her heart. I asked her why she wanted to do this. She was a Muslim so why would she want to become a Christian. Her response…”I see the kindness and love that you all have for each other and the people here and I want that in my life.” I told her that what she sees is Jesus living in people and that he wants to live in her now. We talked a bit more then Pastor Eva led her in a prayer…repentance for her sins, asking Jesus to come into her heart, thanking him for now living in her…sorry, please, thank you. We all celebrated and prayed for her. Andi recorded the whole thing on video…it was so beautiful…and so real. Totally made my trip. We took her outside and over to where we were working on the building to introduce her to her new church family. It was an amazing celebration. She was now a daughter of the living God. Sandra came up to her and said “I’m so happy for you and I love you”. Zariaa said, “I know you do”.

Can we believe this…”I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live but Christ lives in me.” Galatians 2:20 Can we say this aloud to ourselves so that we hear these words and begin to believe it?

See the Cornerstone Mission Blog for more pics and stories.

Worshiped at Gaba Community Church today at their early morning service…8AM. Amazing to worship with our African brothers and sisters. These people really know how to worship…it was like we were being brought into hanging out with the trinity…Father, Son and Spirit. Our entire team was amazed. Power was radiating from this place. 300-400 people singing and dancing their hearts out in gratitude to Jesus.

Then headed out to Buloba to worship with them (this is the church that we are partnering with). There were probably 75 people there…and again, amazing worship but this time more traditional African style. Incredible to see the heart of these people. Highlight was when Andi came forward to share the story of how our church came up with the money to build a well at their church. She did a great job, explaining how it is an opportunity help people with the tangible need of clean water but also an opportunity to provide also living water from God. I wish so bad that our Cornerstone friends could have seen the faces and response of these people. Everyone just looked at each other in the congregation in amazement. We are hoping to get some interviews tomorrow with locals of how this is going to change their life.

Also preached at Buloba (with an interpreter). I titled my sermon “Nutin’ but Gospel”. But nobody asked me the title…that was just for me. It was just a straight up message about what Jesus has done for us…the greatest story ever, the story of salvation from beginning to end. And I had a blast. Wondering why I don’t just do this more often.

Really missing Leslie and the kids right now. Got to talk to them on the phone today a few minutes and they sound great. Supermom (Leslie) is doing good but sounds tired…pray for her please.

Check out the Cornerstone Missions Blog for more interesting stories. You can also see pictures that Andi has loaded up. Once at the blog, just scroll down to the photo gallery on the left…Uganda June 2008. She is documenting some of the interesting stories we are learning.