God is Everywhere, but He Lives in Uganda
God is everywhere, but He lives in Uganda. This was probably one of the first things that Phillip Sozi (the eldest of the Sozi boys) said to me as we started our trek to Murchison Falls. We all kind of just laughed at him. Sure, sure, sure. We quickly discovered our family’s love of banter might have met its match. However, within a matter of hours, we became firm believers.
I definitely had my preconceived ideas about Uganda, but truly I did not know what to expect. You see the pictures on Instagram. Friends who have been there have described the crazy and chaotic streets of Kampala. We arrived at night, so we really didn’t have our bearings. As we left Kampala the next morning and headed North, the scenery quickly changed. And truly, I was astounded at the natural beauty that surrounded us. Then within minutes of entering the game park, our senses were overloaded, and we encountered a mama elephant who was blocking our path.
We sat there and watched her eat for at least 30 minutes, seeing her baby just behind the bush waiting to be nursed. In my head, I wondered why we didn’t inch forward just a little bit to see if it would encourage the mama elephant to move out of the way! It wasn’t until two days later that I learned Mama Phoebe had texted Phillip at that moment and let him know she felt the need to pray for us. Phillip texted her back and said “Good! Because we could be charged any moment by a nursing mama protecting her baby elephant.” Phillip decided to keep this from me. As Mama Phoebe was telling me this story, she asked me if I had been scared. I said, “No! Was I supposed to be?” And she exclaimed, “Yes! You could have been charged and that’s why God had me praying for you.”
But it’s not just the natural beauty and the animals He created. It’s the Ugandans. Everyone we met just had this joy that bubbled out of them. The children we met in the schools. The teachers who are loving and teaching them. The staff at Divine Care Ministries. The women who showed us the things they created at the Women’s Empowerment Center. The congregation who came up to strangers and threw their arms around us. They also exhibited faith and a prayer life that left me envious. I do not think I have ever seen first hand so many examples of needs being presented through prayers to God and a group of people believing without a doubt that God would be faithful and answer their prayers. You just have to listen to the stories of how Divine Care Ministries came to be. How Divine Hope and Divine Grace were started. How people showed up and built buildings or donated money. And how God continues to show up and provide for the incredible ministry that the Sozis started.
I was only there for 6 days, but I left there wanting to be stronger in my faith and my prayer life. And I left there counting the days til I get to go back.
-Stephanie D.
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