Uganda Trip #13 | Post 5
I had just turned a corner about 1.25 miles from where we sleep, and I heard a motorcycle coming from behind (over the noise in my AirPods-walks are a great time to listen to podcasts). I looked back over my shoulder to see how far away the cycle was and caught my foot on a rock that sent me tumbling on the gravel. A percussive word came out of my mouth which hasn’t been spoken by me for over thirty years!
One of the funny insights into my heart this unearthed was how I quickly scrambled to my feet. Admittedly about 25% of my quickness was not wanting to get hit by the motorcycle. The other 75% (by the way I measured these numbers scientifically) was that I was embarrassed and felt old in my stumble. Here I am on a totally different continent concerned about how I will be perceived by a person that I will never see again…God, help me.
My reward was some road rash on the heel of my hands, right elbow and right leg. I’m also a bit sore…the biggest damage is psychological. I tried removing gravel with a tweezers without much success. Washing my hands extra hard and adding ointment to facilitate healing and resist infection. This was all before 6:30 am.
If you notice my picture, you will not only see a little blood, but the water bottle I was carrying sustained damage to the cap that won’t allow me to put ice in it. As a confirmed ice-a-holic this is mildly traumatic-especially in 98-degree weather. For those of you who pay attention, I am seldom more than a few feet from my navy-blue water bottle. Thanks to our friends at Amazon, a replacement will be waiting for me when I arrive back in Hudson.
Our classes started up at 8 am. We spend our second session on Ephesians 2:1-10. Things felt much better today. Yesterday felt like a C-, today was a B. These are very subjective assessments on my part. I have also come to learn that in preaching that in times with I felt effective, I got little to no positive feedback. Then there were times things felt like a train wreck, and I got feedback of impact. So, I simply evaluate and try to prep for my next lesson. I’ve been through my notes twice today and will do it once more in the morning.
The discussion was much livelier today, and it seemed more was going on in the hearts of the trainees as well as myself. We read from Romans 7 where Paul speaks of the challenge of not doing the things he should and doing the things he shouldn’t. We all identified with this struggle, and I was moved to tears at the conclusion: who will deliver me from this predicament? Jesus! How grateful I am for the mercy offered in Him.
Our second session was led by Benson, one of our Lead Trainers. He is a godly, gifted man. I took a picture while he was teaching. It was a joy to see him lead and there is great confidence in his leadership for northern Uganda in the future. I would rate him as a more effective teacher than myself. When you add his ability to connect with the local culture more effectively, he is a treasure. Next year, he will be one of the trainers with no Americans around, and he will be really effective. This is our vision-An abiding network of Gospel centered, Bible saturated African lead churches. Benson and our growing team of Lead Trainers point to a fruitful future for the local church.