September 27, 2008Dearest Friends~
It has been 2 weeks now since I have returned from our trip from Uganda and I am still praying and trying to process all that we experienced. It was a very full time and we saw God at work in many places.
Our team of 11 flew into Entebbe (southern Uganda) and headed north on the following day. Uganda is very green this time of year and we began to see a very different landscape then what is typical in Southern California. After a 6 hour drive on bumpy roads, we arrived in Gulu and immediately participated in a lively prayer meeting. From then on, our schedule was very full until the time we boarded the plane to return home.
In the first part of our week, we were part of a team that hosted the East Africa International School of Reconciliation. We met with leaders from Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Congo and Sudan. We heard amazing stories of how God was using a few to bring the message of forgiveness, peace and restoration to lands that had decades and even centuries worth of tribal fighting. The wounds are deep in Africa and need the continued healing and restoration of God. In our meetings, it was wonderful to see prayer arise and nations blessing other nations in the midst of a great history of conflict. When the School was over, we sensed God's pleasure of all that had happened.
After the school, my time was spent in meeting and praying with leaders and participating in the many outreaches through Favor of God Ministries (www.favorofgod.org). Favor of God is doing a wonderful work in Northern Uganda and are to be commended for their tenacity and passion in serving God and the people of Uganda and beyond. I had the opportunity to preach in a prison, share and pray for those at an IDP Camp, pray with ministry leaders, pray for leaders within the medical community and so much more! Other members of our team were busy building a playground and ministering to the children at the House of Hope that is home to 33 orphans. What a joy to see these children worship God.
Ten days into my trip, I found out that my father had died. His health had been deteriorating before I left and I sensed that he might pass while I was gone. The Lord gave grace to my family in handling the details that were needed. I received the news the day we headed out for a safari and it was gracious of the Lord to surround me with beauty and friends on this day of his passing. I was able to rejoice that my dad was now in the presence of God and His perfect love.
Some of the ongoing challenges that I experienced were....
- Seeing the land in trauma. Northern Uganda has just come through 20 years of war and the impact is still very present. Most of the families I talked to were headed by a single parent of a family of 8-10 and as we talked more with them, we found out that part of the children were from extended families where the parents had been killed and were now being cared for by other family. Most of the people in the town of Gulu have experienced much loss from the war. It is hard to describe the look of hopelessness that is deep within many that I encountered.
- Continuing to see how fragile peace is in most of Africa. The wounds of the nations go very deep and we were very aware that at any point of time, an uprising could happen and bloodshed could be repeated. Since we have returned, we have heard news from one of the pastors who joined us of an uprising occurring now in Congo. His life and that of his community is at risk. We also have heard this week of how 90 children have been abducted from their schools in Congo to be forced into becoming child soldiers.
We all have returned with new faces and lands before us that we are holding up in prayer. The need for the message of reconciliation remains great for Africa and we felt privileged to hear how God is doing this in the land. I was very touched to see how individuals were able to extend forgiveness from such great atrocities committed against them. And to see a joy radiating from them. It left me speechless time and time again. In spite of the hardships, God is doing a wonderful work.
Well.....there are so many more things I could share but will stop here. There were many "too holy to talk about" moments throughout our time and God gave us much grace for a very intense trip.
Thank you so much for all the ways you prayed for me and the team. We felt your prayers carrying us every day and I am forever grateful for your partnership with me in prayer and support. Please continue to pray for the team as we transition back into jobs and family life while still carrying Africa in our hearts.
May the Lord continue to bring His healing and peace to the nations of our world.
Living for His glory and smile,
Lynn Heatley
http://www.prayercommandpost.org/
Some of the ongoing challenges that I experienced were....
- Seeing the land in trauma. Northern Uganda has just come through 20 years of war and the impact is still very present. Most of the families I talked to were headed by a single parent of a family of 8-10 and as we talked more with them, we found out that part of the children were from extended families where the parents had been killed and were now being cared for by other family. Most of the people in the town of Gulu have experienced much loss from the war. It is hard to describe the look of hopelessness that is deep within many that I encountered.
- Continuing to see how fragile peace is in most of Africa. The wounds of the nations go very deep and we were very aware that at any point of time, an uprising could happen and bloodshed could be repeated. Since we have returned, we have heard news from one of the pastors who joined us of an uprising occurring now in Congo. His life and that of his community is at risk. We also have heard this week of how 90 children have been abducted from their schools in Congo to be forced into becoming child soldiers.
We all have returned with new faces and lands before us that we are holding up in prayer. The need for the message of reconciliation remains great for Africa and we felt privileged to hear how God is doing this in the land. I was very touched to see how individuals were able to extend forgiveness from such great atrocities committed against them. And to see a joy radiating from them. It left me speechless time and time again. In spite of the hardships, God is doing a wonderful work.
Well.....there are so many more things I could share but will stop here. There were many "too holy to talk about" moments throughout our time and God gave us much grace for a very intense trip.
Thank you so much for all the ways you prayed for me and the team. We felt your prayers carrying us every day and I am forever grateful for your partnership with me in prayer and support. Please continue to pray for the team as we transition back into jobs and family life while still carrying Africa in our hearts.
May the Lord continue to bring His healing and peace to the nations of our world.
Living for His glory and smile,
Lynn Heatley
http://www.prayercommandpost.org/
