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On May 6, 2022, a group of young people from Cloppenburg and Speyer embarked on an impressive mission trip to Uganda. The goal of our journey was to support the people with practical and humanitarian aid, as well as spiritual nourishment.
Full of anticipation, we arrived in Uganda early in the morning of May 7, 2022. After a long drive on bumpy, hilly, and dusty roads, we finally reached the mission building in the afternoon. We were now on the other side of the world, in a foreign country with a completely different culture and climate. Despite the vast differences, we quickly felt at home. This was due in no small part to the warm welcome we received from our fellow believers.
Our strong and motivated team
The next day, a Sunday, we attended the church service. It was incredibly exciting and so blessed to see how our African brothers and sisters praised our Heavenly Father. Just as they are, with what they have, they praised the Lord wholeheartedly. We also had the opportunity to serve the brothers and sisters with some songs and sermons. After the service, we played a lot with the children, who thoroughly enjoyed it and for whom we were something special because of our light skin.
Because there aren't many hospitals in Uganda and the costs of treatment or hospitalization are far too high, many injuries go untreated. A villager had been brutally attacked by a group of robbers, leaving him with a deep wound on his face. The untreated wound was already severely infected and couldn't heal. In this situation, we helped wherever we could, using our skills. We treated this villager and all the children who had injuries or wounds.
Distribution of the donated school bags to the children at the school
The first week began with a lot of work. The brothers from our group built new desks for the local school. We also constructed a shelter next to the school building so that the teachers would have a protected space from the rain and blazing sun to prepare the children's meals. This area will also be used for eating during breaks. The work wasn't easy, as the shelter had to be made of iron and steel, but our brothers worked with all their might. Meanwhile, we sisters looked after the children. After consulting with the teachers, we went from classroom to classroom during the school day and played color games with the children. During breaks, we sang and played with them in the schoolyard.
On a day off, we visited several schools and a Christian college with Pastor Joseph. We realized that we weren't the only ones serving the Africans; they, in turn, blessed us with spiritual nourishment. It was simply a miracle for us to see the conditions in which these people live. Although their standard of living is far below ours, they are happy and praise our Heavenly Father with vitality and joy.
Some sisters in our group had prepared to conduct a first-aid course with the school teachers. They explained the most important guidelines for changing bandages, demonstrated the recovery position, and instructed them in the application of various ointments. Meanwhile, some brothers from our group and I visited the village mayor. The mayor's wife has a kidney condition and will not survive long without her medication. Despite some difficulties at the airport, from which we were rescued solely by God's grace, we were able to bring this medication from Germany. Once our brothers had finished their work at the school, they installed windows in the house of Batende, one of our staff members in Uganda. Construction on the house will continue bit by bit as funds become available.
At the end of the week, we traveled by "bodabodas" (motorcycles) into the bush, where people live in abject poverty. The children and babies usually have no clothes and live in squalor every day. We distributed donated clothing to the fathers and mothers of these children. It filled our hearts with joy to see how happy the children were with a simple T-shirt, even if it was a little too big. We also gave them sweets.
Once most of the work was done, we went to the national park. There we had the opportunity to see all sorts of wild animals and enjoy God's wonderful creation. Last Sunday, we had the privilege of leading a children's service with the sisters from our group at the church. Full of energy and joy, we shared the story of Naaman from the Bible with the children and sang with them.
Brothers install windows at employee Batende's house
The last day of our wonderful trip arrived far too quickly. By God's grace, our brothers were able to purchase 90 school bags for the students with a generous donation from Germany. Many of the children had previously been using garbage bags as carriers for school. This allowed us to give every child who didn't have a school bag a new one. It was a great miracle for us that the 90 school bags were exactly enough, as we hadn't anticipated the need. This filled our hearts with joy and love once again. "And he answered and said to them, 'Whoever has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and whoever has food should do likewise'" (Luke 3:11).
After an indescribably beautiful, impressive journey filled with precious experiences and events, we set off for home on May 16, 2022. It wasn't easy to leave the village, the culture, the climate, and everything that had seemed somewhat unusual to us at the beginning. And yet, we returned home with contented and happy hearts. Looking back, we can say that God has richly blessed us. To Him alone belongs all the glory and praise.
Celina Stoll
Municipality of Cloppenburg
More information about the project and the opportunity to donate: