Hey everybody!!!!
Sorry it’s been so long! I’m missing all of you! I have so many stories to share but I’ll just wait until I’m with you to spill most. This experience was a while ago but it is so revealing of the way God is working in my heart right now. I just want to share it with you.
So picture yourself, first week in Uganda, doing ministry daily, door to door evangelism in the morning and hospital visits at night. We jumped right into to movement. It felt like we had lived in Uganda our whole lives, but yet everything was new and beautiful. Walking around to each stranger’s house to share the love of Christ, we were invited in. Almost every Ugandan “Mama” quickly rushed to grab seats for us strangers and then they took time to patiently listen to every word we spoke. The graciousness and loveliness of the community moved our hearts, so much, it almost seemed they ministered to us more than us to them. Giving. Humble and joyful. I love the people of Tororo.
So, you have just jumped into this incredible ministry, where you are pushing the limits of your comfort constantly (by eating new foods and speaking God’s word in front of crowds, learning to kill cockroaches and adjusting to African time, being absolutely blown away by the beauty of the landscape and the kindness of the people) and you finally wake up on Wednesday morning. Which, by the way, is our dubbed day of rest. So naturally we decide to climb up Mt. Tororo to rest up.
We drive up in two taxis with six people each to the towering rock face of Mt. Tororo. And we began our ascent. Wow. What a beautiful challenge. The steep mountain paths were definitely made for and by livestock (as noted by the cow patties dangerously dotting the way). Our inexperienced team joyfully stretched out our unused muscles and climbed at top speeds, sometimes running, sometimes literally rock climbing and sometimes taking who knows how old metal ladders. We rushed out of the bottom layer of bush first and started into the rocky ravine section of the mountain. And with what a glorious reward! We could see for hundreds of miles in every direction. When we finally scaled the top, we were all drenched in sweat, standing in the hot sun, staring out amazed at the rolling mountains in the distance and the sand sized cars of Tororo. It was such a beautiful experience.
And as I sprinted to the top, I kept going. I didn’t want to stop and admire the beauty around me. And God hit me with something. He said, this is what you always do, I take you through a challenge and you run on full speed ahead, but you don’t take time to appreciate what I’ve taken you through. God told me to stop running, stop plowing on ahead regardless and take time to look out over the mountains I’ve conquered. The mountains He’s set me over.
I loved climbing that mountain <3 and our God is the lover of our souls
What a beautiful playground is the earth!
I’m glad to share this tiny piece of our adventure with you.
God bless you,
Malisa
