Committing to Share & Serve: EYO’s Easter

Emmanuel Youth Outreach holds an annual Easter outreach trip to an area near Kasana Children’s Centre. Below is a report on this year’s trip by Kenneth Kikonyongo, one of our older sons who helped lead the outreach.   {Please note that these photos are from past outreaches – we were unable to get photos from the most recent trip.}

“When the times become tough, often times we think of giving up or maybe realizing that dreams are more recognized and cause nobler before the eyes of men”, said one of the members in a conversation I had with him before the outreach. Well, the times have not been easy and the trail has not been so straight and smooth; we have been faced with so many challenges over the years.  Some members have been forced to retreat and some have become increasingly skeptical about the whole outreach. However, this never dismisses the fact that the Lord is still doing a lot of wonders through us as ministry and many lives are being changed; for this we are very thankful.

1890571_549015345211020_5861496944898545351_oAfter a very challenging period of preparation, we finally left for the outreach on Thursday, March 24th to Bukokolo, a village about 30km (18 miles) from Kasana Children’s Centre.  The people in this and surrounding villages are facing land wrangles as many are scared of their land being taken. This community needs our prayers as many men are drunkards which means they are not taking good care of their families as they spend a lot of their time and money drinking. We also saw several shrines in this community, which illustrates a lot of hopelessness in God so people have resorted to witch craft.

We were warmly welcomed by the church in the village whose hospitality and care for the team was very evident during the three days of our stay, and for this our hearts are grateful. Activities kicked off the following day with the usual tough 5:30 a.m. arise and shine wake up call.

20140821_082030The team of 28 committed to serve and to share the love and the good news of the gospel, never lacking in zeal to make their faith manifest through the good works. The members worked in two gardens of the elderly and planted two sweet potato gardens; garden work always started the day in the morning. After that, we visited homes of different people in groups of threes. While there we spent time in prayer with the sick, encouraged the desperate and gave a reason to live to the hopeless; shared the gospel and encouraged the Christians whose faith was wavering. We saw God work in the lives of many through this kind of ministry.

Most of the afternoons were spent at the local sporting complex where so many people of all ages gathered to view the ongoing soccer tournament that we had organized. This presented us with such a great opportunity to present the gospel using a public address system that we had. During the breaks, we talked to the players; the team also engaged with the other people at the pitch as the games were going on.

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The discipline and the love portrayed by our players in the tournament, especially when we were losing on most of these games, challenged the attitude and the worldview of most of their players. The crowd could stay and view the Jesus Film in the evening after the games. After the film, we also made an alter call inviting people to give their lives to Christ and we give glory to God that several gave their lives to Christ and others got an opportunity to be prayed for. The tournament was climaxed by the awarding of the trophy to the winners and a soccer ball and pumps to their runner-ups; medals to the best players and the most disciplined.

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Easter Sunday was a blessing to us as well. We divided ourselves into two teams; one team stayed with the hosting church and the other team ministered at a neighboring boarding school. In both the places, we led the church services and shared the good news of resurrection with them. Regardless of some members of the team spending hours helping and praying with a demon-possessed teenage girl who manifested at the viewing of the Jesus Film, challenges to do with power, more work for our small team and many more challenges, I can truly say this outreach was a success.

We therefore call upon more people to team with us in the outreaches that will come in the future; there is also still a great need for a generator as it has become increasingly hard to hire a generator in the communities around; we still need more sports equipment and stuff we can give as gifts to the teams; there is still a need for more funding.

God bless Emmanuel Youth Outreach, God bless Uganda

“I am blessed to bless, are you?”

Text & photos submitted by Kenneth Kikonyongo