Update #8, Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Brittani: Our last few days in Uganda have been wonderful. I was baptized at the Nile River on Sunday with 3 other girls and Eydie. It was a very special moment. Eydie was given the honor of being baptized into the culture as Kisakye. Her new African name means Grace of God which fits her perfectly. It was a blessing to be a part of her celebration. Being given an African name comes with great responsibility. Experiencing the cultural aspects of the ceremony was a privilege. Please pray for our team as we say goodbye to the children and culture we have grown to love. Pray also for safe travel as we return. Love you all!
Tessa: Dear friends & family: This last week in Uganda has been amazing. At our last conference, Mama Eydie taught about the Holy Spirit & we watched Him move in mighty ways! Two of us, including myself, accepted Christ and four of us were baptized on Sunday! It was such an amazing experience. Alongside the four of us being baptized into a new life in Christ was Mama Eydie holding our hand. She then was baptized into the Ugandan culture! We went back to Raining Hope for her naming ceremony and celebration. God has truly blessed us here!
Teslan: Hello from Uganda! Our last week here has been life changing. The Holy Spirit has been working in very mighty ways. We have had the privilege of coming alongside 4 of our dear sisters as they were baptized in the River Nile. We have also had the privilege of being with Mama Eydie during her African naming ceremony. What a blessing! It was such an awesome day having the presence of the Lord all day long. He is moving in huge ways. Thank you for your love and support!
Nichole: Hello! I cannot believe our time of ministry has come to an end and we are preparing to come home. On Sunday, 4 of our team members were baptized in the Nile River! It was completely surreal and I am still processing that precious moment. We were also able to experience an amazing cultural celebration as the people gave Eydie an African name, officially making her one of them! I feel so blessed we were able to take part in the naming ceremony and I will cherish that time. Eydie (now called Kisakye!) was overwhelmed and I know that our team absolutely loved being able to affirm and love on her as she is always pouring into us. I cannot wait to share all of the stories of what God has done! Please pray for us as we say our goodbyes. See you in a few days! I love you all!
Melissa: Hi everyone! Thank you all for all of your prayers. They have been greatly effective. God has been moving greatly in our lives and we especially witnessed His power this Sunday. We had 4 of our teammates baptized into a new life and our team leader was baptized into the Ugandan culture. We were able to experience her African naming ceremony. It was an honor and privilege to be a part of such an important moment in her life and to also experience Ugandan culture. It was a great day on Sunday to celebrate God and His awesome power. Please continue to pray for us as we say goodbye to the children of Raining Hope and as we travel back home.
Meghan: We are on our last day in Uganda. I can say with all confidence that this journey has bee a life changing blessing. Recently, we finished our last VBS at Amazing Grace Church. Here we personally have learned a lot from Eydie and have gotten closer to our kids from Raining Hope. Also, very exciting things have happened throughout our team as we have been drawing nearer to Christ and fully emerging into the Ugandan culture. I was so honored to be a part of all these great treasures. I can’t wait to share my experiences with you all! This team and all of Raining Hope will forever be close to my heart because of the impact they made in my life. Thank you for your prayers. See you soon!
Jessica: Hello everyone! The past 3 weeks here in Uganda have been a life changing experience. God has worked in so many miraculous ways. This past Sunday has been such an awesome and powerful experience. I was baptized along with 3 other team members. We were also able to experience an African celebration. Eydie received her African name from her family at Raining Hope. It was such a blessing to see Eydie showered with love and adoration. It truly was a celebration! I have learned a lot and have enjoyed my time here in Uganda. Please continue to pray for Raining Hope and our safe return home. See you soon!
Elizabeth: In the next couple of days we will be back in America. This past week we ministered to the children and adults at Amazing Grace Church. Exciting moments happened this week where the Holy Spirit was moving through Eydie, Pastor Richard of Amazing Grace and the children of Raining Hope. The Lord was teaching me a lot this week on how to listen to the Holy Spirit more. I am very excited to share with all of you that Brittani, Jessica, Tessa and I got baptized. It was an amazing experience to declare my commitment to the Lord. This is surely one of my treasures. This place is very dear to my heart and I have been forever changed by my time here! We are going to finish well as we say our goodbyes to the kids and people we love. Thank you for all your prayers and support. I look forward to seeing some of you at the airport very soon! I love you!
Katie: Hello everyone! Our journey is almost complete! I am feeling very blessed. We could definitely see God working this week! Sunday was a big day for us and the Holy Spirit was moving tremendously. We attended Amazing Grace church which was an amazing place of worship. Then four of the girls on our team were baptized in the Nile. What an incredible & rewarding experience! I loved being able to be a part of a major step in their walk with the Lord. We then attended an African naming ceremony for Eydie. This is a very important cultural ceremony in Uganda. Everyone was so excited and I felt honored to be a part of it. God is truly working here & the Lord has transformed my heart since being in Uganda. I love you all!
Eydie: Camille did not have an opportunity to add her comments as she has been helping me with our preparations to come home. I want to take this time to say thank you for Camille. She has been an awesome co-leader. She has grown deeper in her relationship with the Lord. She had the respect of the whole team as a leader. Having the opportunity to come back to Uganda has opened her eyes to the beauty of this place, the people and her own walk with the Lord. I could not have asked for a more committed, teachable & faithful co-leader to walk this particular journey with. Thank you, Camille!
Being given a new African name has been overwhelming. I am glad they waited to give me the name when I was surrounded by my team...especially this team. When I received Christ years ago I had been baptized to proclaim to the world that I was a follower of Jesus! But this was different. With a new African name came great responsibility. The baptism was a symbol of my immersion into the Ugandan culture. It not only meant a great deal to me but it seemed to mean more to my Ugandan family. Words cannot express what it meant to be led into the home, head covered, with the team singing “Oh How He Loves.” I cannot express with words how I felt when they uncovered my head and revealed the name it was written on top of a cake. Eydie - Kisakye (Grace of God). When we cut the cake, my hand on the knife & Camille, Pastor Paul and Solomon’s hand on mine, it was a time of bonding the two cultures together! They counted down, we cut the cake, and then they sprayed Coca Cola all over me! That was instead of champagne! All of my Uganda pastors were present, Pastor Paul, Pastor Gerald, Pastor Richard & Pastor Godfrey. What an amazing day in the Lord!
The team did an awesome job leaving Raining Hope on the last night. We have a tradition of leaving after a time of prayer. We go out triumphantly shouting “Strong & Courageous!” Not only did the team do great, so did the children!
We closed with a time back at the hotel. I had purchased a cake and had written on the top “One.” This team really did reflect our theme this year from Ephesians 4:1-6. We were one body. I am so proud to have been their team leader.
We finish we a very precious moment of washing of feet. John 13:14-15 states, “And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each others feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.” One by one they washed the feet of another team member. Now, they are coming home to waiting friends and family ready to serve and lead by example. Thank you for your prayers of support on this journey. May you be blessed for your part in our journey!
Kale,
Kisakye!
Kale,
Kisakye!
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| Washing Feet |
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| Washing Feet |
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| Washing Feet |
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| "One" Cake |
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| Brittani & Katie! |
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