One Afternoon in Uganda
“Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all the peoples!” (Psalm 96:3)
There she was, lying exposed on a cot in the area which they had deemed the “post-natal ward.” It was a hot and humid afternoon in Jinja, Uganda, where our mission team was visiting the local hospital to meet and minister to new mothers.
Together with our partners from Kupendwa Ministries, we were equipped with postpartum gift packages—compilations of baby gifts and practical items that the women would need for their own health and for that of their new little ones. Our small team of eight split up in three different directions and we began visiting ladies, one by one, in the endless hallway of this open-air public hospital.
We approached one bed after another, getting to know each of these precious Ugandan women and, for those that were willing, praying over them and their newborn babies. In an effort to share the Gospel effectively with our new friends, we used a tool called the Evange-cube. This handy little folding puzzle is a cube that folds out and shows the images of the gospel one at a time as one shares the story and message of Jesus with others.
A Chance to Share
Our team reached the bedside of a lady who would be our final visit of the day. Our little group of three had been taking turns praying with women and sharing the Gospel with them from bed to bed, and this time it was my turn to share the good news with this young woman.
We each introduced ourselves with the aid of our translator, and we learned that this young lady came from a Muslim family. My first question for her was, "Do you know who Jesus is?" She responded through the translator with curiosity in her expression. She said that she didn't know who Jesus was but that she wanted to know more!
I began to share the images of the Evange-cube with her, explaining what each picture meant. Her attention was fixated fully, and when I flipped to the image of Jesus on the cross, she gasped. She stared at the crucifixion image in both wonder and confusion. She turned to our translator and said something in a hurry.
I eyed my teammates and then looked to our translator for a cue, and she flashed back a crooked grin. Her words came out with awe and excitement: "She said that she saw this image in a dream yesterday.”
We all gasped.
Our translator asked her, "Have you ever seen this image before?" And our new friend shook her head no, assuring us that she had never seen this image before yesterday!
She had dreamed about the image of the crucifixion for the first time in her life just one day before our team’s arrival. We were absolutely amazed!
I was able to share with her that I have heard that similar things are happening to Muslims all over the world! God seems to be revealing His Son Jesus to them through dreams and visions to communicate with them that Jesus is the only way to salvation.
I was then able to share the rest of the Gospel with her and she was very interested, listening intently.
The Hope of the Gospel
I was able to lead her through professing Christ as her Savior, and our whole team celebrated together! We connected her with the local partners in her community for follow-up so she would be discipled effectively after we returned home.
"How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” (Romans 10:14)
All across the globe, God is drawing the lost to Himself. As believers, we have an essential role in sharing and explaining the Good News. We can trust that God desires, more than we ever could, for His Kingdom to be established. Oh, that we would make it our life goal to see His name glorified and worshiped among all the peoples of the earth!
“Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19–20)
In this passage, known as the Great Commission, Christ commanded His followers to make disciples of all the people groups of the world and to teach these new believers to obey all that He has commanded. This mandate was not only for the disciples in the New Testament, but it is for all who have been adopted into the family of God. When the task is complete, we will see Christ-followers represented from every tribe and tongue!
“Missions exists because worship doesn’t.” –John Piper
We spread the Good News to all nations so God’s name will be praised and worshipped by all people. Millions of people are not worshiping the God of the universe simply because they have never been exposed to the Good News of the Gospel. This means that we, as believers, have the privilege and responsibility to participate in missions. As John Piper says in his book Let the Nations Be Glad!, “Passion for God in worship precedes the offer of God in preaching.”
Until we are completely in awe and wonder of the greatness of God, we cannot passionately bring the news of a Savior and share with unbelievers their need for repentance and salvation. To have personally savored the wonder and grace of our King is what fuels us to share the goodness of relationship with God!
Oh Taste and See
When we understand the glory of God and experience, taste, and see His goodness and power in our lives, we are compelled to share it with others—especially with those who have never heard the hope of Jesus, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6)!
“The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (Luke 10:2)
Did you know that a portion of all of the proceeds from the Well-Watered Co. goes to support Kupendwa Ministries, a maternity home in Uganda?
Kupendwa's motto is "Saving Lives …Two at a Time. Both Mother and Baby, Physically and Eternally.” Their purpose and vision, as founder Amy Washington shares, is “to share the gospel of Jesus by following His own example that He showed us during His earthly ministry.… By reaching mothers, babies, children, and families in their most desperate moments of life, God opens doors to share the saving Gospel of Jesus Christ and the reason behind everything that we do. The word ‘Kupendwa’ means ‘to be loved’ in Swahili. Kupendwa is a ministry that people can come to and find that they will be loved: Loved by Jesus through us, His servants."
Our Well-Watered Women Team is grateful to be able to support this ministry financially and through prayer, and we would love for you to continue to link arms with us to reach these women with the hope of Jesus Christ!
your friend, Kristin
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