The Lord took five ordinary women out of their ordinary lives and placed them exactly where He wanted them—in Uganda. He called each one of them by name and gave them what they needed to go where He led. Each woman was different, but they had one great thing in common: their love for the Lord and their desire to obey Him. Even though they were called by God, it was difficult for these women to lay aside their fear and say yes to Him. Like most of us, they struggled to obey the call and choose to march forward with so many unknowns. But one by one, these women responded with a resounding YES! Yes, I will go wherever He leads me. I will follow Him into the unknown. I will obey Him even when I am scared to death. After months of preparation, these women embarked on a journey that would change their lives.

The work of the Lord started right from the beginning of the adventure. As we arrived at the airport, we saw God working. Team members were led by God to pray over people at the airport before we even took off. God was already on the move. This was a sure indicator that His hand was all over this trip. And it surely was!

The first ministry stop that God sent us to was Gonve. Gonve is known to be an unreached area in Uganda. It has the highest number of drunkards, an overwhelming number of incest cases, and the largest number of unschooled children. I believe that is why God asked us to go there and minister to the women. There had never been a gathering of women like this before. As we arrived, we noticed that they had erected a tent and were prepared to receive our team. Each of the team members gave a powerful message from the Word of God. The women’s hearts were open and receptive to all God wanted to give to them. At the end of the day, many women, one man, and one teenage boy came to Christ. What a day of rejoicing it was. As we were leaving, the team decided to gather funds and purchase Bibles for the people who had attended the conference. The Word of God is a powerful tool that can change even the darkest communities. We hope and pray that we made a lasting difference in this place.

Our next adventure was out west in a breathtakingly beautiful area called Kabale. We traveled over eight hours by road and arrived at an elevation of over 7,000 feet, struck by the incredible beauty of God’s creation. When we arrived at Full Gospel Church, we sensed the strong presence of the Lord in that place. We knew that we were exactly where God wanted us to be. We spent two full days giving and receiving from the men and women at Full Gospel Church. Our hearts were full as we watched God break through and deliver people from so many bondages. God tied our hearts together with the people we came to serve. We know that God began a good work in Kabale and in us!

Our next stop was Burundi. We were all uncertain why God called us to such a place. It wasn’t easy getting there. We drove from Kabale to Rwanda and took a flight from Rwanda to Burundi. When we arrived in Burundi, we were immediately confronted with a battle. The enemy knew that we were sent by God and coming to tear down hell's gates in Jesus’ name. Our first encounter with opposition was when the customs officer wanted to retain all of our totes. These totes were filled with God’s resources for His people in Burundi. We stood our ground and fought the battle. As the team gathered and prayed and worshipped the Lord right in the middle of the airport, God was moving to release our totes. After a two-hour struggle, we left that airport with everything that we came with. God was victorious! Burundi is one of the poorest countries in the world, with a shortage of fuel and specific food items, such as sugar. We went not knowing how He was going to use us in that place. After leaving the airport, we were escorted to the pastor’s home for a wonderful meal and time of fellowship with the leaders. At this time, our hearts began to be tied together with these beautiful people. During our two-day conference, we experienced the powerful move of the Holy Spirit. We enjoyed the worship brought by the team of Christian Life Ministries (CLM). While we spent the next several days teaching, fellowshipping, and worshipping, we were changed! I believe that everyone who participated in this time was drastically met by God. We will all never be the same.

As I look back over this trip, I can confidently say that God has deepened my dependency on Him. I have learned to trust Him like I never have before. He has shown me that no matter what I am up against, He is always the way through it. I liken our experience to “Red Sea” opportunities. First, it was God who brought His people to the edge of the sea. He brought them there. And it was God who brought us to Uganda and Burundi. And as He brought His people to that point of desperation, He did it with a powerful purpose. He wanted to expose them to His rescuing power. He wanted to expose this team to His rescuing power. He wanted us to see how we can trust Him when there seems to be no way out. He wanted us to experience walking on dry land. He wanted us to get to the end of ourselves, the end of our control, and learn to fully rely on Him.

We are forever changed because of Him.