Praying for our Leaders:

“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”
1 Tim 2:1-4 (NIV)

William Penn on January 1, 1701 stated, “If man is not governed by GOD he will be governed by Tyrants.” The Bible in Psalms 33:12 says, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord...”
As a country, our short history is tainted with a very interesting mix of leaders. We have had several wars, being the 3rd most corrupt country in the world, very high population, high levels of unemployment, etc, that have left the country wanting in terms of leadership. However, we have to recognize the fact that all leadership comes from God, and that it’s our responsibility as Christians to continually pray for those in positions of leadership above us for many reasons: -
• The decisions made by leaders influence large numbers of people in very major ways. Most of us greatly under-estimate the extent of their influence upon us.
• Secondly, though our leaders have to tackle numerous complex problems which are totally baffling, they are often rather ordinary men placed in extraordinary positions of responsibilities. Therefore, they need super-human wisdom and strength to tackle these problems.
• Thirdly, leaders often do not get the correct information to make wise decisions because they receive flatteries rather than truthful feedback. Therefore, we need to pray for them to be able to discern the right information to base their solutions on.
• Fourthly leaders are faced with dangers that others are less likely to encounter; e.g., they are targets of envy, slander and unfair criticism. If they are doing a good job, they also become prime targets of Satan - who hates to see men blessed by good government.
• Lastly, they are often victims of temptation because of their positions of power and wealth. Because of their power they often over-estimate their- true abilities and become too proud to listen to feedback or advice. They also tend to become unfeeling for the weak; and cruel, or they may abuse their power, or they may be tempted to grab more and more wealth or even to think that they are –“god.”
Prayer can take care of all these because "The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD; he directs it like a watercourse wherever he pleases.” (Pro 21:1).
On the other hand, Christians also need to pray for and with each other. But we particularly need to support Christian leaders, whether in the church, or in society. Church leaders face many challenges - balancing the roles of pastor, priest, preacher, church leader, and administrator, besides other roles they may have such as husband or father. Those Christians in secular leadership positions face the challenge of remaining true to the gospel in a complex and difficult world. Like it or not, Christian pastors will have cast upon them heavy burdens of expectation, with society ready to condemn any weakness or mistake.

It’s our responsibility to pray "for all that are in authority" whether they are Christians or not. When Paul wrote this advice, the Jews were under Roman rule and all the kings in and around Israel were not only unbelievers but also persecutors of Christians. Logically, the more anti-Christian the ruler is; the greater the need for us to pray for him. Jews had all along prayed for heathen rulers that ruled them (Jer 29:7). However, four years before Jerusalem was destroyed, the Jews stopped praying for the Roman emperor. This was probably the human cause of why Jerusalem was destroyed. Jews who had converted to Christianity obeyed Paul's command to pray for their (Roman) rulers and were largely spared from suffering when Jerusalem was destroyed.

Paul writes that the benefits of praying for our rulers are that "we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” This refers primarily to freedom from religious persecutions (which greatly tormented the early Christians); so that Christians can practice their faith unhindered.

May our rulers lead us to aim for the simple quiet pleasures of a contented life (I Tim 6:8) of home and family, to a peaceable life of peace with God, with our loved ones, our neighbors, our circumstances and our own consciences. May our rulers continue to allow us to seek a life of godliness and honesty and not lead us to one of godlessness and greed. Let us pray that their sincere quest for the "greatest good for the greatest number" be indeed the true "greatest good".

Government Leaders: Christians must stay informed and communicate with their officials. Do not forget to praise them when they vote right and take correct stands.
"Don't withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do it." Proverbs3:27

Pray that our leaders will:
• Love the Truth: “They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For this reason, God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.” 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12.
• Have Wisdom: "Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or swerve from them. Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding. Esteem her, and she will exalt you; embrace her, and she will honor you." Proverbs 4:5-8.
"Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me. I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts." Psalm 119:98-100.
• Display Courage and Integrity: "The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out." Proverbs 10:9.
"The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity." Proverbs 11:3.
• Be Sharp in Insight and Quick in Discernment: "Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil."1 Thessalonians 5:21-22.
"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” 1 John 4:1.
• Surround Themselves with Good Staff Members and Advisers: "Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers." Psalm 1:1.
"If a ruler listens to lies, all of his officials become wicked." Proverbs 29:12.
"…for waging war you need guidance, and for victory many advisors.” Proverbs 24:6.
• 2 Chron 1:10 -- supernatural wisdom
• Prov. 4:11 divine guidance
• I Cor. l6:13 supernatural spiritual strength
• Ps. 18:1-2 "
• Ex. 15:2 supernatural physical strength
• I John 2:10 leadership that does not stumble
• Ps. 119:66, 169; Prov. 2:1-15, 22; II Sam. 22:33-35
• Ps. 35:1-10, 22-28
• Ps. 91 Reassurance: Ps. 27 through 31; Ps. 37
Enjoy God's Protection over Themselves and Their Families: "God is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging." Psalm 46:1-3

“Every man must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an angel of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing.” Romans 13:1-6 (NIV)

In Psalm 20, the Psalmist prays for the King:

May the Lord answer you when you are in distress;
May the name of the God of Jacob protect you.
May he send you held from the sanctuary and grant you support from Zion.
May he remember all your sacrifices and accept your burnt offerings.
May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.
We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up banners in the name of our God.
May the Lord grant all your requests.
Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed; he answers him from his right hand.
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
They are brought to their knees and fall but we rise up and stand firm.
O Lord, save the King! Answer us when we call!

The psalmist didn’t just ask God to bless the king; the psalmist blessed the king as well. He was also quite specific. If you were to meet the President face to face, would the first words out of your mouth be “May the Lord answer you when you are in distress?” What about in our prayers? Do we ask God to answer our Leaders’ prayers? Do we ask God to give them strength? Do we ask God to grant our Leaders the desires of their hearts and do what they ask him to do? Do we even stop to realize how good it is that our Leaders have lived through another day? Do we ask God to protect the lives of our Leaders? Do we encourage our Leaders to trust the LORD for victory in battle rather than putting all their trust in the awesome power of our military?
It is a simple thing to know that we should pray for our leaders or even to word a short one sentence prayer for them. What may not be so easy is for us to take the time to follow the biblical example of how we should pray for our leaders and to bless our leaders by calling upon God to hear their prayers, provide for their needs and grant their desires.

A prayer for our Leaders: By Sue Hess:

Heavenly Father, I thank you for our country, our Constitution, and our leaders. I pray for our President and for every elected and appointed official who serves with him.
I pray that You will build a spiritual wall of protection around the marriage and family of every national, state and local official.
I pray that You will rebuke Satan for the deception of his lie that we can be “as gods” in deciding for ourselves what is right or wrong.
O Lord, may our leaders cast down every law, policy and personal example which weakens marriages, families, or Your moral standards.
O Lord, I pray that You would protect and guide the men and women of the armed forces that are fighting in foreign lands to uphold the sanctity of the founding of this country.
I pray that our leaders will understand and follow the principle of Your Word. May they realize that all authority comes from You, not the voters, and that one day they will stand before You to give an account of the power You gave them.
I base this prayer on the promise of Your Word, that if I will humble myself, pray, seek Your face, and turn from my wicked ways, then You will hear from heaven, forgive my sin and heal my land.
In the name and through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray.
Amen!


“The Prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” James 5:16






References and related pages:
http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewPoetry.asp?id=88170
http://www.timothyfish.net/Articles/Article.asp?ID=16
http://www.abetterhope.com/prayer/leaders.html
http://www.presidentialprayerteam.com/
www.apibs.org/sermons/sglcc980809.htm
www.prayforourleaders.org/
http://www.entourages.com/barbs/howtopray.htm
http://www.prayertower.net/Cal/Primer.htm
http://www.teal.org.uk/ep/pastor.htm

Pray for our Nation’s economy

“If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7:14 (KJV)

We’ve been reading in papers and watching on every single TV station of the price fluctuations all over the world. In Uganda right now, an average person can’t even afford a kilo of sugar! The rate is becoming so alarming.

Further still, on Sunday, Owino Market got so totally burned down! This is equally so alarming, considering the many people who depended on that market for their source of livelihood.

We cannot neglect these people. Mordecai told Esther that if she did not intercede for the Jews, help would come from elsewhere, but then Esther wouldn’t expect to be included. I say the same; we cannot ignore all the people suffering out there. We may be able to buy the sugar, continue driving our cars, even when the fuel prices are crazily increasing, e.t.c, but let’s not forget to pray and even help the average person who is perishing of hunger and poverty, in a world that should have more. We need God’s intervention. Pray fervently; for “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16b)

It’s our responsibility to pray unceasingly for our nation, our government, our economy and all our cabinet leaders.

Let’s pray that God will give our leaders divine wisdom to lead our nation, and to lead us successfully out of this economic crises. We need to pray for God’s glory to be revealed as Isaiah states it in Isaiah 40:5.

Father God, times are hard they say; many people are losing their jobs and other sources of livelihood; others are dying of starvation, all over the world. No one can tell how long this crisis shall last. No assurance can be given to all who grope in the dark. But I believe, dear Father that this too, shall pass, and there is no trial we cannot be able to conquer with faith in our spirits and courage in our hearts. Protect us dear God first of all from despair. Let not our minds be anxious but let our spirits have peace that surpasses all understanding. May we never lose our hope. May we never lose sight of our awaited morning when milk and honey shall flow into our land once again. May we walk with steadfast feet. May we work with steady hands. And may we always believe that miracles still happen, for they do happen even now as we pray. Let your abounding Grace cloak us with blessings and may your strength keep us from every harm. Vanquish the fears that wish only to cast doubt and hopelessness. Replace it with a love that never fails, a love that heals and prevails, a love to keep us warm as we hold on to each other and as we await the abundant land which You have promised us with your kind and mighty Hand!

Oh Uganda, May God uphold thee!!

Impressions

Whats up with the world now???

Since the year begun, it looks like everything is just going so wierd. whatsup? There have been like endless series of uprisings all over the world, with no one trying to explain their real motives. Are we trying to start a 3rd world war??? dont incriminate me...just wondering out loud.

Well, now for Uganda, i give up. By the time the five-year term is finished, i dont know how old the president will have gotten, thats if he's really working, coz the stress thats going on, bambi, is just so enough to make a young boy turn grey...if they are really working.

Just imagine, its like less than 2 years since Owino market caught fire, and now its down again, and looking so worse than before...!!! Who is behind the fires??? Why cant he/she/they be tracked down and seriously punished or even banished?? coz thats a real serious offence being committed there!

On the other hand, could it be that some political people just want to sell off that land or use it for other purposes, and cant achieve it coz these business people wont give up the land??? so they resort to destroying these people's lives??? the world is just so unfair! These people dont have...they are trying to survive with their families...those who have cant even rest until they take away even the so little that these poor vendors are tryng to survive on!!!!??? why must it be so???

Think of whats going on in Norway. The country, for along time was known as the most peaceful and best place to stay in for anyone in this world. They have contributed so much to so many countries. Why would such a thing happen to them? what entered that guy's head, if not the devil himself??? seriously.... Time to real intercede for this world! Or atleast prepare your souls for departure.

trust me, i so totally dont understand this world anymore. i better hurry and accomplish what i was sent for and vanish, kubanga..the world is getting more and more intolerable!

Otherwise, we need to really pray for this nation. My heart goes to the vendors who have lost all their source of livelihood in that fire, and also the Norwegians who have lost loved ones. May the good Lord avenge your enemies. And may He bless you with peace and comfor even amidst all the craz turmoil. Amen!

Pray for Uganda, and the world all over

Alot is going on around the world, and trust me, Uganda hasnt been left out. There's just too much violence on the rampage. Will someone fall on their knees and pray for this earth, please?

Another crazy thing going on is the increasing magnitude of wtchrcaft...eh! the worst is that citizen tv, in Kenya has even started a program featuring just wtchcraft in Kenya!!! crazy crazy world! i dont even know if am excited about staying alive anymore.

Anyways, i still have loads to praise God for: am still alive, breathing, studying, blessed and healthy; i have a very wonderful family, and friends...what more could i ask for?

Loads of blessings, my dear precious ones!

Meanwile, our president swears-in this thursday. i was his supporter - staunch one, but right now, i dont know...with all the violations going on...? well, Leadership comes only and only from God. i trust He's in real control.

Oh Uganda, May God uphold thee!

Campaign/ Election fever

Something just amused me this morning. am in a market trying to buy stuff in my house that can last atleast 1 week just incase 'things' happen, and then there's lots of commotion. In confusion, i turn to catch a glimpse of whats going on. Ofcourse, as expected, there's supporters of one presidential candidate passing. what happens is most spectacular: all the market vendors scream and cheer these supporters.

10 minutes later, supporters of another presidential candidate pass, with the same comotion and noise. this time am shocked, coz the same vendors turn and scream so loud, just like they had done earlier. In my head, am left wondering if this screaming to 'all' candidates was out of fear, or they actually mean it. i mean, they simply cant support both candidates??? unless...

Now for me, somehow i didnt get to register, which means i dont vote. so painful as i get to think about it right now. anyway, i just can only sit back and hope that people will vote wisely. i somehow dont even want to know the results of the elections. At times we are tempted to think that elections take place in one place, and decisions and made in another. i mean, dont quote me wrong. i've never even voted, which is so wrong for a devoted citizen as myself. i will definitely vote in the next elections, come 2016!! mark my word

i dont wana write alot, otherwise, i might find myself in one those 'safe' houses we always read about. i've so far heard of atleast 2 in the country.

All in all, please pray for us as a nation. there's alot of fear and uncertainty, and some of us live right where all the stupidity in k'la usually starts. pray for us. we need God in this nation. Only He can do what we think is impossible!

Please help us, Oh God! Dont forsake us right now. We cry to u, our God and Savior.

FOR GOD AND OUR COUNTRY!!

LONG LIVE UGANDA!!!

Not good, not bad, just different!

The kids' nails needed to be trimmed, i had a nail cutter, so i gave it some use this day



Both teams at our debrief at murchson falls (i guess we all kinda needed time to rest, reflect on what God had done thru us so far, share experiences, and to encourage each other. its was worthwhile)

Trust me its another extremely long long time before i could get time to post on this blog again. But today, as always before, i think i should finally decide to be alot more regular on this page...haha!
Otherwise, the last time i wrote here, we were talking about june mission, and politics i think. well, so much has happened in Ug since then. i believe the whole world heard about the bomb blasts. we bless God for all those who survived, and for those who passed on, may their souls rest in eternal peace. Those who lost relatives, God knows his plans for u. dont lose hope in him. Amen!

Thanx so so much for all the prayers that u sent to God on our behalf for june mission. It was the best time. It was so great seeing God use simple students, and people who simply availed themselves, not even sure of what God could do through them. Many of them either thought they were so inadeduate, or that the work was so different from what they were always accustomed to. Well, in the end, we bless God so much for the way he dealt with our different attitudes, and finally brought us to a level of being extremely willing to learn and adopt new ways of doing everything.
Our main theme, and what helped us to adjust the most was "Its not good, its not bad, just different"
everytime we encountered something we were not accustomed to, (as u'll always expect when u put 20 ugandan and 20 american students togetther for an entire month...oh! and one norwegian); we decided it was best to simply conclude that it wasnt goo, wasnt bad, just different. This worked a very great deal, trust me. and i bless God so much for all the testimonies, and stories of impacted lives that we here at FOCUS have been hearing and reading about from the diferent participants. I thought i should post one of the reports from a participant here, so u can have a first hand witness. Once again, thanx alot for all your prayers, support and contributions towards this event. it was never in vain! many blessings!

Here's a report from Paul Bulima, one of our participants. enjoy reading!!

Previous mission experiences
I had gone for very many missions with Kyambogo Christian Union (KCU) and Kyambogo University Busoga Missioners’ Association (KUBUMA) to different parts of Uganda and basically we could go with a big public address system. Our activities on the mission ground involved preaching door to door in the morning and open air crusades in the evening. The missions were basically for one week and we could some times have a conference in the host church. It was all about preaching Jesus. No social action apart from may be the cloths and shoes which we could ask missioners to bring so that we could donate it to the poor in the villages we went to.

From the above, I thought going for mission meant a one or two week visit to a particular place basically a village in a distant place from Kampala doing what I have described above. What we ate or slept on did not matter so much to us every time we went for mission our focus was always on how many people said yes to Jesus. Actually people felt that the more they suffered on the mission ground, the better or more successful the mission. Missions were always tiresome because we could sometimes walk very long distances during door to door and yet there was a lot of work to do at the crusade and very long prayers after the crusade. We always slept very late and woke up very early. People were not allowed to sleep a lot on mission grounds. Actually some times they were threatened that they would be attacked by demons if they slept a lot.

In conclusion, to me if I heard of any thing like mission, the descriptions above is what could come into my mind. I was given the task to get more missioners for the June mission at my university but non of them could imagine suffering for the whole month and so no body turned up however much I tried to convince them. I was also about to refuse but because I had been given the responsibility above, I couldn’t escape. At the end, every thing was different and all my thoughts about missions changed as a result of this June missions. Trust me much as it was different, it was the best mission I have ever gone for in my life. The experiences of showing love to a hopeless people, seeing how God has delivered His people after 20 years of suffering in Gulu, seeing the power of God through the falls in Murchison falls and the animals in Murchison falls national park was very exciting and inspiring.

Orientation period
Both groups had a one week orientation in their countries before coming together. That is, the American students had an orientation in America and also the Ugandan students had their orientation in Uganda before having one together as a group. The orientation was intended to prepare both groups to work together with out problems.

The orientation that I attended in Gerenge Uganda was an amazing one. I discovered very many things which I had not known before. Before the orientation, I thought I knew most of the things about the bible and generally about my Christian life but during the orientation, I was disapproved. One thing I discovered is that most of the things that I thought were essential Christian practices like praying while shouting, singing while clapping and dancing and very many other things were just cultural/Ugandan. I realised the need to sit and study the scripture more not just getting excited with only one verse. During the orientation, I realised that people across the world praise and pray to God differently from the way we do. I was taught to appreciate this because it is something which is not right or wrong but it was just different. This phrase “it is not right or wrong but just different” kept me going through out the mission every time I saw something that I was not familiar to.

After the one week orientation in Gerenge, we were joined by our friends from America, the Intervarsity (IV) students and staff. It was an amazing experience because we had to go and welcome them right from the air port and since this was my first time of reaching Entebbe air port and seeing an aeroplane live, I will never forget this experience. It was a time of excitement since all of us were expectant.

During our orientation together, the differences between Ugandan Christianity and the American Christianity was taught to us. As I said earlier it was very different but not wrong. I learnt to respect other people who are not able to pray while shouting, sing while dancing and clapping, preach with out a course voice. Before the orientation, I used to think that being filled with the Holy spirit in prayer meant shouting harder, I thought preachers ought to be smart people in coats and ties, I thought spirit filled Christians do not sing hymns and very many other things. I was so amazed because non of the Americans could pray while shouting, non could clap and dance as we did. Actually they were also amazed to see us dancing and clapping. It was craziness to them.

In conclusion, the orientation was good to both of us i.e. the Ugandans and the Americans because am sure the mission wouldn’t have been successful if both of us remained rigid to what we knew. The end of it all we all appreciated the diversity of the Lord our God in the way He is worshiped differently in different parts of the glob. From the orientation, we were divided into two groups. One group went to the northern part of Uganda (Gulu), while another group remained in the southern part of the country.

Activities during the mission
During this June mission, we were divided into two groups i.e. A and B. I worked with group A which was in the south for two weeks. Group A was further divided into two groups and the group which I was in went to New Start; a home of former street children. We helped them in their class assignment, conducted bible studies, helped prepare meals, played with the New Star boys, went to garden. After one week, we joined the rest of the team to go to Kaliro. Unfortunately I did not go with them because I had to meet my supervisor at campus.
From Kaliro we went to Murchison falls national work to meet the Gulu team and we were there for two days trying to reflect on what God had done and after the two days we went to Gulu and the Gulu team (team B) went to Kampala where we were from .

In Gulu, we basically did garden work with the child mothers at Child Voice International (CVI). We helped handle the kids of the child mothers when their mothers were attending vocational classes, we organised a women’s conference which attracted even men, we had a leaders’ meeting for the leaders in Lukodi community church, a church at CVI. We also attended the first anniversary of the church.

LESSONS LEARNT
To begin with, I realised that the way Americans did their missions is not the way us Ugandans did it. In America it was all about doing things for people so that you establish a relationship before you introduce Jesus to them and to us, we could just go preaching sometimes not minding about the state of the people we were preaching to. I believe this is a point that we need to adopt. In addition to telling people about this loving God who offered His son for our sake, I think we need to show practically by reaching out into peoples lives so that they can see the love of God practically not theoretically. In this mission, we visited orphanages. I personally went to New Start in Entebbe and it was amazing. We had good time of playing with the kids who were once street boys, I helped them in their school assignments, and we also had good bible studies in the evening. This was an amazing experience seeing how God has given hope to children who were once hopeless. Actually from there I also began thinking about how I can be part of what God can do in our days by may be providing them with the necessities of life.

One other thing that I learnt is accepting the fact that there are very many ways of praising and worshiping God not only the way I know. I remember a time when they told us to keep silent for two solid hours meditating on the goodness of God. This was a challenging thing for me because I had never imagined of something like that before. It looked like wasting time but at the end of it all I liked it. I think it is always good for us to put a stop to every thing and reflect on what God has so far done. Some times we grumble and complain against God because we have not had time to reflect on what he has done for us. Very many of us Ugandans dozed off because we were not used to this kind of worshiping God.

Also it was during this mission that my perception towards hymns changed. I used to think that may be hymns are out dated songs for those traditional old Christians like my father who are not filled with the Holy Spirit. I remember we sang “how deep the father’s love for us” the song had very powerful words that expressed the love of God for us and I just couldn’t believe the inspiration that I felt as we sang it. It was at this time that I was made to realise that hymns are not for the unspiritual but for the spiritual people like me.

The June mission is one of those missions that I will never forget because it gave me opportunity to see various things which I had never seen before. The experience of a game drive around Murchison falls national park was an un forgettable one. I saw animals which I had been seeing just on TV and even in Pictures. I saw the falls live and I wondered how excellent, how owe some, how great, how wonderful, is the Lord our God.

Often times we spiritual people tend to think that we are led by the spirit and so we do not need to be taught. During this mission, I actually realised the need for me to even go in a bible college and study more about God and the bible. This is because most of the things I encountered were new and strange to me. I could not imagine going for mission but one of the things at the mission ground is baby sitting. This was amazing, it was very un usual and in the first place I thought we were wasting time because we were not preaching Jesus. I realised the essence of what we were doing the day we left. I saw the tears of love that the child mothers in Gulu shade as we were leaving, I read the letter they wrote to me as I was leaving and trust me, this was more than what I could think of. It is at this time that I came to know the essence of what we were doing. We never told any of the girls to get saved but what we did for them spoke to them better that if we had told them that God loved them.

June mission was like an eye opener or a training ground for me. It was a mission that prepared me to be a better missionary by changing my perception towards mission from just being theoretical but also to being practical. It is during this mission that I realised the need for me to address the social problems affecting my community for example poverty, health problems, alcoholism and very many things. I believe if God blesses me with resources in future, I will be of great help to the needy people in my society.
I was also challenged to read the word more during this mission. Some one I don’t remember said something during our orientation meetings that really challenged me. He said that in African, the church is a mile wide and an inch deep. Believe me if you are an African and you heard this, it wouldn’t be good news so to me I purposed to read more so that I deepen my relationship with the Lord.

One other thing that I learnt is to be prepared. For example all the Americans had all the basics they needed while very many Ugandans including me did not have. Not because we could not afford but because very many came with the thought of “I will borrow from a neighbour” actually I did not go with soap because I knew someone would carry soap. During the orientation, we were told not to ask for such things from friends because of cultural differences and it is during this time that I realsed I needed to get ai little more serious.

The experience of getting new friends moreover from abroad is some thing I can’t forget. The new friends I got during the June mission are like a reminder to me that I was part of the mission. Actually up to today, much as they went back, we are still very close to each other on face book. They encourage me so much and some of them made a contribution to me when they heard that I was fundraising for my mission to UK. This was the most exciting experience through out the mission.



Challenges
Much as the mission was a success, the following below are some of the challenges I faced during the mission:
Language problems: all along I thought I knew English very well but I was disapproved because I could not understand well the accent of the Americans and neither did they understand well mine. Most of the times pardons were very common when we went to Gulu, it was worse because non of us could understand Acholi and yet most of the Acholi people did not know English in most cases we had to have an interpreter and of which only one of us new Acholi.

To a certain extent, it took me time to appreciate some of the things we were doing for example baby sitting. In the first place I thought it was wasting time but at the end of it all realised it was spiritual.

We had times of misunderstanding especially with the IV staff because of our cultural differences. I remember a time most of us Ugandan students were late for a session and that caused great chaos at the mission. We thought it was something small but it was very big in the eye of the Americans.

I had challenges with my research at university because I had not finished my project. On this matter, I sometimes had to go back to school to meet my supervisor and this is something that costed me a lot of money in terms of transport and time.

Conclusion
In conclusion, June mission is something I would desire every one to be part of especially those who are finishing campus. June mission taught me the other side of the coin in as far as missions is concerned. It is because of June mission that am doing well here in UK. The cultural difference exposure I had during this time have really been of great help to me and I believe this time will always be remembered in my life. The friendships I established during that time with various people who came are still on up to today and I believe the friendship will stay for a life time. June mission made me international in terms of preaching the word, friends, at least I now have friends all over the world. Actually am more contagious than ever. But above all things, one statement will keep me going for the rest of my life especially when I meet people from a different culture and that is “it is not right, it is not wrong, it is just different”.