Marion, a former ICC Glasgow student with Gabriel, travelled to Luwero recently to spend a fortnight visiting the project. She has written a short report about her visit.
My return to Uganda after more than 10 years was all I had hoped it would be. The opportunity to catch up with old friends and participate in the lives of women and children in Luwero was as heart-warming as I remembered.
I ran a 4-day conference on ‘The empowerment of women and womens’ role in the church’. I helped out in the nursery classes and the primary school.
My first teacher asked me to draw 10 wall charts for her …. my worst nightmare, since I can’t draw two straight lines! It took me 3 hours! The next teacher gave me craft to do – my next worst nightmare. I really think God was having a good laugh. I moved on to marking – much more my style and also some interactive Geography and Science teaching. I loved being back in the classroom albeit with 56 pupils, no electric light and fixed blackboards, the top half of which I couldn’t reach!
I was invited to preach on the first Sunday I was there. The African style of worship is so joyous with the drums and dancing I was more than happy to join in.
The Ugandan diet was just as I remembered! If I never see another banana this year it will be too soon, not to mention goat and beans! Though the fresh pineapple and mango were amazing.
The best thing of all, apart from renewing relationships, was to see how the projects I’d been involved in had reached fruition. God is so good. Bishop Gabriel’s community has gone from strength to strength in an amazingly short time.
To see how folk live there and how their faith in God sustains them through so much hardship is very humbling. I was incredibly blessed throughout my time of sharing in their lives.
