Nangombe

Every Thursday, we walk to the Nakiwogo docks, hop on a boat, and cross the water.

Our destination: Nangombe.


The first time we went to Nangombe, I instantly fell in love with it. Nangombe isn't an island, but because of where it's situated, it's easier to get there by boat than by car, at least if you're living in Entebbe. I think part of the reason why I like Nangombe so much is because I have to cross Lake Victoria to get there. Because of Nangombe's location, it's very different from Entebbe. It's definitely not as developed as Entebbe, but that adds to its character.

The people are always willing to sit down and talk with you - even if you don't speak the same language. And you can count on kids singing, dancing, and waving hello as you pass them when you're walking by or passing on a boda (bodas are dirt bikes or motorcycles with long seats so that 1-2 people can sit on them - you hire them like a taxi and they're a main means of transportation here).

After we cross the lake on Thursdays, we hire bodas and ride to Nangombe Farm, one of the outgrowths of Calvary Chapel Entebbe. We also spend time supporting Calvary Chapel Nangombe, a newer church plant which is rapidly growing. Sometimes, we do farm work on Thursdays, other times, we do outreaches for kids at the church. But most of the time, we cross over to Nangombe to do school outreaches.

There are three main schools that we have been visiting for the last few months. These schools allow us to come in, lead the kids in a few worship songs, share a Bible lesson, and then play games with the kids (when time permits). Of course, we always need a translator, but regardless of the language barrier, we've been able to build deep, meaningful relationships with the kids.

One boy that we've gotten to know is named Fred. Fred goes to a catholic school that we do outreaches at, and he absolutely LOVES Byron. As soon as he sees Byron, Fred begins hanging on him and following him around. Last week, we crossed over to Nangombe, caught bodas, and were riding them to Calvary Chapel Nangombe. Fred was standing on the side of the road and saw us drive by on our boda. As soon as he saw us, he realized we were heading to Calvary Chapel Nangombe to do a kids' outreach, and he was so excited, he started running after us.

We didn't know that Fred had started to run after us, so we had our boda keep going. It took us about 10 minutes to get to church after we initially passed Fred on the road, but he was probably running to catch up to us for a good 30-40 minutes. Once he got to church, his feet were extremely dirty and he was all sweaty, but the smile on his face was heart melting. Fred didn't care that he had to run, he was just happy he made it to church. Coming to church and getting to learn about the Lord is the highlight of his week, and we are so blessed to see his excitement for the Lord. I wish I had a photo of Fred for you guys, but I don't. I'll try to take one in the next few weeks though. But, I do have this photo of Byron with some of the other kids that love him.

This is just one of many stories about one of the many sweet kids we get to hang out with every week. But the kids aren't the only ones getting excited about the Lord in Nangombe.

A teacher at one of the schools we visit recently started going to Calvary Chapel Nangombe because of the school outreaches. Not only that, but she's become extremely active at church and is really excited about the Lord. And now, as she falls more in love with the Lord each day, she is able to minister to her students at school throughout the whole week. It's so cool to see how the Lord has given those kids someone to pour into their lives on a daily basis. We're so blessed to see the fruit in that teacher's life. I also wish I had a picture of this teacher, but I don't. However, here are some of the kids that are in her class.

As you pray for the ministry here in Uganda, please be praying for Nangombe. Pray that the Lord would work mightily there, and that many people would turn to Jesus. Also, please be praying that the Enemy would no longer have a foothold there. Witchcraft, witchdoctors, and child sacrifice is a real thing there, so please be praying for the people involved in those things to really fall in love with Jesus and allow the Holy Spirit to bring about a radical change in their lives. Also, there is a witchdoctor hut right next to Calvary Chapel Nangombe. Please be praying that the witchdoctor would become saved and that the hut would turn into a place of the Lord and no longer be a place of witchcraft.

Lastly, please be praying for Pastor Deus (the pastor of CCNangombe), all of the kids we have met, their families, their teachers, and their schools. Pray for the Lord's will to be done in their lives. Pray that they would be protected and would grow in the things of the Lord. And please keep praying for us as we minister to Nangombe on Thursdays.


Blessings,
Emily