Lauri Carnahan:
My Uganda reflection takes me back to last July as John
DeLine and I were discussing the materials I could use in my girl’s ninth grade
Bible class. His wife Kathy, along with his daughter and grandson, had been to
New Hope in Uganda that summer, and Kathy had a new passion to help the people
of Uganda. She had also read the book, Kisses
From Katie, an autobiography about how God used a young girl to change
several villages near Jinja because she said YES to His work there for her. My
daughter had also read and loved that book, so I thought it was a great idea to
read it with the girls in my class.
Meanwhile, God was working on my heart. He continued to move
me toward His plan for me involving evangelism, and I signed up for a class
called Perspectives that was being held at my church. The purpose of
Perspectives is to help the students see God’s mandate for the world to know
Him and to glorify His name. Right now, there are still 3 billion people who have not heard the Gospel! Every day, 156,000
people die without Christ! God has called all Christians to evangelize the
world, and Perspectives class gives students some tools and resources to be a
part of His work for the world. “Evangelism is not an optional accessory to our
life. It is the heartbeat of all that we are called to be and do. It is the
commission of the Church which gives meaning to all else that is undertaken in
the Name of Christ.” (from “The Master’s Plan” in Perspectives on the World Christian Movement text, p. 125)
Right after my Bible students
returned to school following Christmas break, I had an assignment for them.
Reading an article about the book, My One
Word, I decided to have the girls choose just one word, along with a
scripture passage, to be their focus for the year. As an example, I chose mine
and shared it with them. My word was Perspective.
Not only did I choose that word because of the class I had starting attending,
but I also wanted to see the world more like Christ sees. I chose the verse:
“Come and see what God has done, his
awesome deeds for mankind!" from
Psalm 66:5. In choosing this word, I never expected to see all His amazing
works that I have experienced!
Following the “My One Word”
assignment, the girls and I began to read Kisses
From Katie together in class. After reading, the girls were assigned
reflection homework on each chapter. The more we read, the more I looked
forward to reading their reflections. I couldn’t believe the way God was using
this book to change their hearts! Soon, the questions began: “Mrs. Carnahan, do
you think we could go to Uganda and help Katie?” “Could we go to Uganda on a
mission trip?” At first, I downplayed the questions as spontaneous girls with
nice dreams. However, the girls became more adamant with their suggestion, and
I began to get emails saying, “Mrs. Carnahan, I really feel that God is asking
us to pray about going to Uganda.” So, we started praying, setting aside
lunchtime on Wednesdays, sometimes fasting.
I told several friends, including Lindsey Cowart and Tina Gerke, about the idea, and they joined us in praying as well as opening doors to see if we could work with Katie Davis’s ministry in Uganda. One day, Lindsey was talking with a friend from Georgia whose sister started a ministry in Jinja, Uganda, called Kupendwa. Their ministry had just sent out a newsletter with a huge front-page caption, “Servants Needed!” Just as the door had closed to work with Katie (she doesn’t take short-term mission groups), another door had opened. We were so blessed to be the answer to the prayers of Kupendwa Ministries! Our destination was finalized, and the work to raise the enormous funding of the trip began.
Another interesting God-thing was
that JT King and I both happened to be in the same Perspectives class. I had
mentioned to Lee Houtz, my worship pastor, that my Bible class and I were going
to go to Uganda, and he told me that JT, his brother-in-law, had been there
several times. Wanting more information and knowing that God had just directed
me to a great source, I approached JT one night at class. He was so excited
about Uganda and couldn’t wait to tell me more or help me share information
with the freshmen girls’ parents. I praise God for giving us JT’s knowledge,
prayer support, passion and friendship. He was such a huge asset to our group!
Gabrielle soon designed a beautiful
shirt for our team. The back of the shirt really encapsulated our team’s motto,
one that we had gleaned from Katie Davis: “God is making the impossible
possible.” We would never have believed that God would bless us in the way that
He has, helping us raise the needed funds to go to Uganda. In addition, we had
people volunteer to make pillowcase dresses, crochet washcloths and baby
blankets, gather supplies from the hospital, and give us time to share and pray
for us. What a supportive and encouraging group we have in the body of Christ!
Arriving in Uganda was so exciting! I knew that God had chosen to send us, and I couldn’t wait to see what He would have us do, who we would meet, and how we would serve. We were able to develop relationships with the girls and their babies at the maternity home, tutor them and help with chores, have worship and devotions with them, teach in a primary school, talk and pray with ladies in the hospital and in home visits, be excited with children at kid’s clubs, encourage a congregation in an island church, repair a mud hut for an elderly woman, “dig” out the weeds in a woman’s garden, and paint and plaster a home of a woman caring for an invalid child. Our team incredibly was able to lead 23 people to Christ!
The one story that impacted me the
most was a home visit to the woman that I sponsored through Kupendwa back in
February. Her name is Nora, and she now has 3 children. Her husband is often
gone as he looks for work, so she is alone to care for her family with very
little money. Her home is in the slum village called Railways where she lives
in a concrete compound about 8 x 10 with no windows. Nora is a believer, and
she explained to us how often she prays and how much she loves God. She prayed
to God to heal her baby because Nora could not afford to take her to the
hospital. God healed her! When she has no money for food for her children, she
prays. She told us, “If I eat, I glorify God. If I don’t eat, I glorify God.”
What an amazing lesson in faith, gratitude and love for her Savior!
The relationships we built there
will always be a part of my heart. In saying yes to God regarding serving in
Uganda, God has changed my perspective!
He has helped me to see the world, and it’s need for Him, in a way that I had
never seen before. He has blessed me with more love, more compassion, and more
passion for Him and for His people. I am excited to see what He has next for me
and for the rest of our team. We were all changed...we will never see Him the
same again.
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