From the Field Uganda: Community Restoration

Olivia Beaverson is a senior at The Institute for GOD and participated in an immersion trip to East Africa, which overlapped with the Summer Internship Team. Olivia has an occupational focus in early childhood education and a heart for social work, which you can read throughout.

Written by Olivia Beaverson

After two amazing weeks of service in southern and central Uganda, it was time for us to head east to the Kamuli district. GOD International has invested much time and effort in developing local leaders here. Part of these efforts culminated in a leadership conference, where we got to meet the men and women of God who have been working with our ministry this past year. 

Last year, President Garner (Summer Internship Lead Facilitator) gave us a preview of the development about to take place in Uganda. He talked about many systemic issues and how sustainable job creation was going to play a crucial role in addressing those issues. He then shared the hope of creating a hospitality business where jobs could be created for students and those working with our ministry. These jobs would help to empower the students and agents working with our ministry in Uganda by creating sustainable revenue for them to continue developing their communities without being dependent on resources from the West.  It was at this same time last year that we gained many new members to our ministry, and the growth was rapid. While very exciting, I was unsure how our ministry would possibly ensure this much growth.

The upgraded gazebo on the GOD International property is one example of the renovations that have happened since last time Olivia was on the field (one year ago).

Returning just one year later, many things he spoke about are now in full swing. People are in place, ready to train and provide jobs to faithful laborers of God, providing wages that will support their families. Anyone’s eyes easily saw the amount of growth in the structures, but it wasn't half as impressive as the development of people, although you’d need a special eye to see it. The amount of time and thought put into developing and educating the local leaders who joined our ministry was beyond exciting. 

One of those leaders was Pastor Wilbur, and he was the reason for our traveling east to the district of Kamuli.

The inside of Pastor Wilbur’s church in the Kamuli district, an area of great need.

We arrived late in the evening, or I should really say early in the morning, and we were welcomed by Pastor Wilbur who stayed up until our arrival at 2 am just to welcome us. As we entered his church we found some space on the floor and fell asleep fast because we had a very busy day ahead of us. We were holding a SLAM Service Plunge for Pastor Wilbur’s community. This is where the students in the community come together for a day and serve their communities through different projects and then spend the evening learning from God’s word to equip them to better serve. 

Olivia speaks at a school assembly. Olivia’s Professional Development experience at The Institute is with the Academy for GOD Preschool, where she teaches regularly.

The service project I was on was helping teach some classes at a local school. I had been to some government schools in other areas and the need in those environments were great. This was a public school though, so I thought that it may be in a bit better shape. However, once we arrived I saw one half built brick structure and one small scarcely built wooden structure. This school’s environment was worse than the government schools I had gone to and this was the private school in the area. Despite the environment that creates many challenges for learning, the children and teachers were so brilliant and welcoming. I’ve thought before that the kids I’ve met in Uganda are some of the smartest and most diligent kids in the world and this trip provided further evidence for that claim.

Many of our students noted the difference between the many run-down school buildings that they’ve seen in their time, and this school, which had no building at all. Students met “under the trees” as an official classroom.

As we walked back to the church, I talked with Pastor Wilbur’s wife. We talked about the need in her community and how, especially since the pandemic, it has been so hard to keep young girls in school because the parents can’t pay the fees and often struggle to make enough to even provide food for them. This has created issues in their community of many young mothers. As the girls aren’t in school and aren’t always being provided for, men often make promises to provide for them in exchange for services, services that create many young mothers. 

As we entered back into the church to begin the evening session, I looked around at the church and saw so many babies. There were easily 15 babies in the room. I looked at the young girls holding them, probably 13 or 14 years old, wondering if they were their older sisters or their mothers. I was sitting next to an older woman who I counted had 7 kids with her, 2 very young and she was struggling to breastfeed both of them at the same time because they kept fighting over her. One of them pushed the other off her lap at one point onto the ground and he fell on his head. He was ok, but the sight just stuck with me because there was this precious mother who was so tired and overwhelmed and while her kids felt like they needed to fight for their provision. As I watched her and the young mothers and so so many babies I kept thinking, where are the fathers? Where are they?

The soccer match included local players from a soccer club we’ve started in Kenya and members of the GOD Summer Internship team and facilitators (including Justice Garner and Gregg Garner, Summer Internship lead facilitator).

The next day we had a community soccer match and as we walked there, again I saw so many kids and babies and so few fathers. As we got to the field I was starting to feel really overwhelmed with the need in the community and for a lot of the soccer match I zoned out a little bit. At the end Mr. Garner charged us to keep thinking critically and listening to the instructions we were given because they were important. That was the charge I needed, as we walked back, the need was still there and it was still overwhelming but I was thankful that we weren’t working to meet the needs alone and we had help from leaders and from the Lord. 

A scene from the banqueting table with the soccer players being presented their own balls and taking a group photo. We did not know at the time how powerful that soccer game would be.

Later that evening, we held a dinner called Banqueting Table for the church, where we created a special time for the church to dine together and be served in a dignified way. It was a sweet time and everyone was filled and dined with each other as equals. As the dinner ended, we knew that our time in Kamuli was wrapping up. Mr. Garner still needed to meet with the leadership, and as he did, I wondered, “Have we done enough?” The need was so great in Pastor Wilbur’s community, and the people were so precious and smart and hungry to know God more, but we had so little time with them. Was it enough?

As Mr. Garner finished meeting with the church leaders, he told us he had something big to share. I won’t go into all the details of this, but essentially, the church leaders had shared with Mr. Garner that a few months before our coming, the community had a major conflict with the church over false accusations and had actually stoned several of the church leaders. The crazy thing was that the community soccer match had some of those very people who stoned them playing against us, and they came to the banqueting table and ate with the very church members they had stoned. Furthermore, those community members who stoned the church leaders began to say they recognized that they needed the church and wanted their help to improve their community.

Institute President Gregg Garner spoke with community members during the banqueting table event.

In just a few days, God had reconciled a whole community to this church. Reflecting on this, I realized my question had been answered. Was it enough? With God, yes, it was. It didn't feel like we did enough, and it wouldn’t have been if we had done it without the Lord, but we were working with God, and he multiplied our efforts and redeemed the little time we had. 

As we began to leave, I saw pastor Wilbur carrying his small son, and I thought, “There they are, there are the fathers.” There were few present fathers, but they were there, and I know as we keep investing in Pastor Wilbur, he will be able to help his community that now sees they need him, and he will be able to help other men learn how to be present and provide for their families. It sounds like a slow process, but look at how much God did in just a few days, and who knows how much more he wants to do. 

A group picture at the end of our team’s time in Eastern Uganda, with the SLAM youth who carried out service in their own communities.