Uganda Update - Josh Meyer

​Rafiki –Uganda: An Inspiration in Godly Living
 
I went in to our trip to Uganda, Africa excited to open some hearts and share the word of Jesus with the staff and children of the Rafiki Village I would call my home for next three weeks. What I have experienced over the past two weeks is far more than that. In fact I believe Rafiki has taught me more than I have taught them.
 
My first day arriving at the village was the first sign of this. Excited to teach sports and share in their day to day I quickly realized that they were just as excited to be part of my day to day as I was theirs. From inviting me to their table for lunch and dinner or having me join their devotion each cottage and house was excited that the MOAMs were there.
 
My days are filled with excited children looking forward to the daily activities we plan for them. In between activities that are scheduled you would find the groups that were off sneaking by just to watch the fun the others were having. As we held our activities we shared the values of Focus, Selflessness, Intensity and more as devotions we shared through the God’s teaching before each one of our sessions. Applying these themes of the day we worked hard as a group learning new skills and how to apply God’s good word to our every day lives.
 
Evenings were spent with our team studying the word as a group and spending free time with the children. At times we continued the activity from the day by playing knockout or elbow shooting. Other times we just were able to step back and have a conversation with an individual about how they got to Rafiki and at times they would share their memory books providing details regarding their relationships through the years and the sponsors each of them have.
 
As we spend time with them individually we learn about their passions, what trials they are experiencing and field the flurry of questions they have about living in the United States, having children, being married and playing sports. Questions about why do athletes wear so many armbands? Great Question! What does your son like to eat? Not many things... What is your favorite food in Uganda? Chipati!
 
With all the excitement of new things here at the Rafiki community in Uganda one thing is clear. The love of Jesus Christ is a live in these children and staff. They are developing future leaders of their nation to love God first and be mindful of his word in every activity they do. Everyone on staff in the community from the cottage Mamma’s to the teachers and missionaries all have one focus to teach the word of God through everything they do. This is a true inspiration for me and provides a challenge for me and my family to reach this expectation in our own walk with Christ.
 
-Josh