On my way to Uganda

Conditions were treacherous. At least for a guy who grew up in Texas. A fresh blanket of snow and ice covered every inch of road between him and his warm home a few miles away in Nashville, TN. He was worried for his little junker Toyota Corolla with bad tires and built in slip ‘n slide capabilities. He shuddered as he envisioned doing an olympic style 360 straight into a ditch. This couldn’t happen. He HAD to get home.

Just minutes earlier, two retired nurses with dubious looking ID badges and syringes in their hands had shot him up with vaccinations for Hepatitis B and Typhoid Flu. He was on his way to Africa. At this make shift clinic in the bowels of a giant baptist church, he had run into another giant obstacle minutes before he had received his much needed shots. He had been running a fever of 101 and couldn’t be admitted into the clinic. He HAD to get these shots. TONIGHT. Realizing his dire circumstances, the nurse taking his temperature was less than forthcoming in reporting his fever as he slipped outside to “cool off”. He allowed the snow-filled air to envelop his body like a blanket as he prayed vehemently to God. “Lord, cool my fever down so I can get these shots!” What a crazy prayer, he thought to himself. It didn’t matter. He believed. He prayed it again. And again. And again. He walked inside with a 98.7 temperature and got his shots. The fever never came back, and he was one step closer to Africa.

His white Toyota Corolla was in full slip ‘n slide action as he fought to maneuver it out of the parking lot. “This isn’t going to be easy,” he growled under his breath. He sent up another silent prayer to the God who had just intervened for him minutes earlier. He believed. About an hour later he walked in his door with a sigh of relief and landed face down on his bed. “Thank you Jesus,” he mumbled into his pillow. Although a warm feeling of gratitude and relief pumped through his veins, he knew that the $121 he had just dropped on the needed vaccines had drained his bank account down to nearly nothing. He was running on fumes. He had seen God provide for him every step of the way on his journey to Africa, and he believed God would come through. His God was faithful. His God was PROVIDER.

His roommate walked in the door and dropped three envelopes on his desk. “You got some more support for Africa in the mail,” he said with a grin on his face. This was the same roommate who had weeks earlier cut him a generous check that had allowed him to buy his plane ticket. A rush of hope welled up inside him as he ripped open the envelopes to find 3 checks totaling $125. JUST enough to cover the cost of the shots, plus a little money for gas to and from the clinic. God had come through. Perfectly. Tears tried to push their way out of his eyes, but he fought hard to hold them in. God’s timing was impeccable. His provision was perfect. God gave him just what he needed, just when he needed it.

Proverbs 30:8 says this: “Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.”

That night, God gave me my daily bread. That was about 3 weeks ago. Ever since I made the decision to follow God’s calling to go to Uganda, He has provided everything I’ve needed. I’ve been amazed at his faithfulness as He’s stirred in people’s hearts to give generously toward His purposes. If you’re reading this and have contributed toward my trip, I want to THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart. I’m fully funded and ready to go thanks to you! Thank you for believing in a God that calls a 25 year old worship leader from Nashville, Tennessee to fly 8000 miles across an ocean to a country he’s never been, and care for people he’s never met. It sounds crazy, but we all know that’s why it can only be GOD. To care for orphans in their distress. To provide a poor community with clean drinking water. To give hope to the hopeless. And more importantly, to show love from a God who knows all languages, skin colors, and nationalities. I’m just loving my neighbors across the ocean who are in tremendous need.

I fly out in a week, and I can’t wait. Stay tuned…

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