From the Field Uganda: Immersion Testimony from Lydia
Lydia Winter (right), alongside classmates Genesis Garner (left) and Olivia Beaverson (middle). Lydia was a part of a six week East Africa immersion, a return trip to Uganda after her Summer Internship there in 2023.
After almost 7 full weeks of serving, traveling, and learning so much here in Uganda, I am finally sitting down to put words to all I've seen and been a part of. The memories of all that we have done, really all that God has done, feel somewhat overwhelming. Not in a bad way where I feel paralyzed by everything, but in a way that causes me to reflect and remember the way that God has led us.
In response, I’ve been moved to give glory to him for his faithfulness. I’m filled with so much thankfulness and hope as I reflect on my time here in Uganda, knowing that the word of God we have been implementing has not returned void. It has gone out and brought life, healing, reconciliation, transformation, purpose, and hope. Testimonies of the way that God's Word has changed peoples’ minds and perspectives on life flood through my brain. Whether it was at SLAM (Students Living a Mission), a retreat for local leaders, or the Church Community for God Networking Conference, there were always people testifying to the way that God's Word was informing their perspectives and giving them hope for their lives. This is powerful.
The GOD Campus in Uganda hosted several conferences this summer. Local leaders from Kenya and Uganda traveled to campus to gain biblical education and practical skills in running ministry programs for themselves.
God has helped me realize on this trip that people are what matter the most in the world. Not structures, money, systems, or materials, but people. It's the stories, the laughs, the smiles, and the testimonies that really stuck out to me in my time here, knowing that each person I look at has a story of their own that is unique and challenging. It's crazy to think that no two people have the same story. One that stuck out to me was the story of a young woman named Esther.
Lydia Winter (far right), alongside GOD Summer Interns and Esther (third from left).
She grew up with a few brothers and sisters and a father who was in the military. This meant that she was always moving around and living in government housing that was small, old, and barely fit for human beings to live in. She shared that her mother worked hard to care for the children, and her father was always gone working with the military. As she got older, her sisters began to choose careers that interested them and would give them some status within their community. Esther shared that her father was proud of her sisters and would introduce them to others by always including the titles of their professions, such as being a nurse or a teacher.
But for Esther, she wanted to serve the Lord through working for the church. She shared that this decision to serve Jesus disappointed her father. She felt as though she had let him down because she didn’t choose a career that would give her or her family status within her community. After a few weeks of being with our team for various conferences, she testified to the way that God had given her confidence in her decision to follow Jesus. She now knows that the work she is doing is the work of God and has value. I was so blessed to hear her story and see how God has helped change her perspective on her work's value.
Interns from the US and East Africa, reflecting on their experiences mid-trip.
As I've had the privilege to hear many people’s stories in my time here in Uganda, I hold them close and treasure them. They have challenged me to sit and listen more, to show people that their stories are worth telling and that God values and sees them. Our world doesn’t give people the chance to share their stories or to feel like humans, even if they have been through great challenges. People often feel ashamed about their lives and forgotten in the eyes of others. But it is those who feel forgotten by the world, like the widows, the orphans, the sick, and the poor, that Jesus sat with and ministered to. He didn’t forget them and commanded us to always remember them.
Along with the lord softening my heart to the people around me, he has opened my eyes to the great need in Uganda. Last year, when we were here for 3 weeks, I saw poverty, injustice, and systems that dehumanized people. I didn’t know what I could do in response. This year, I have been challenged by Isaiah chapter 42 to respond to the things that I have seen and to take responsibility for them. God has helped me understand that I have a role to play and that there is always room for me to serve on this team if I ask how I can help because there are always so many needs.
Lydia and the East Africa Immersion team on one of their last days in Uganda, alongside their new best friends. The East African interns and trainees and the immersion team spent day and night serving together!
I can’t go home the same person I was when I came. I have now seen and heard of the great need and am choosing to respond to that need. Jesus said that there should be no poor among us but that there always will be if people ignore them and live their own lives with their eyes on themselves. A resolve that I have made is to respond to what I have seen by learning God's word and letting it inform how I respond. I am no longer learning God's word for myself but for the poor and needy to bring about lasting change that addresses the root issue.
Jesus healed the sick and gave them a way forward. He fed the hungry words of life and told them they would be satisfied. He listened to the injustice around him and was active in his response. I don’t want to be passive in my service to Jesus, but instead, I want to work to bring about transformation and change how Jesus models his life. This trip has changed me and my perspective on life. There is so much work to be done, and I am so grateful that I have the privilege of being a part of what God is doing here in Uganda.