Communities

I've written before about the importance of living in intentional community and what a beautiful, messy, life-giving experience it is. Mbarara was the first place I experienced this type of Church-lived-out lifestyle, and I'm encouraged to see this pattern continue as I settle back into life and create routine here.
Throughout my typical week, there are a few scheduled gatherings that bless me continually and surround me with people who love the Lord and desire to see His kingdom come.

Sunday: church
I attend a smaller church in town called Mbarara Church of Christ. One of the main reasons I attend this church, apart from the fact that the gospel is clearly preached, is the multi-generational community. Our church is fairly representative of the current age demographics in Uganda. I know this because when the children leave for Sunday school, the congregation shrinks by half. Those that remain come from all walks of life, cultural backgrounds, and education levels.

I also appreciate that everything spoken in English is translated to Runyankole and vice versa. It's great for my language learning! Sometimes we sing in English. Other times we sing in Runyankole or Luganda. This particular Sunday we got our Swahili praise on.

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Tuesday: team meeting
Each Tuesday evening, our entire team gathers to share snacks and a meeting. It's wonderful to have this weekly time together since many of our paths don't cross during the week. We currently have 23 members on our team, including children.
I hesitate to share this video with you (and all of the internet), but here it is. This was performed as an introduction to our team at our AIM conference last month. It will only make sense if you've seen the "Christmas Jammies" video that went viral this year... Actually, I take that back. Even if you've seen that video, this won't make sense. But like I said... Here we all are (minus Seb who was still in the UK on furlough, Dr. Keith who didn't attend conference, and Dara and Dade who were too cool/embarrassed to be involved).

Our meetings change from week to week, sometimes focusing on business items and logistics, and other times we talk about our language learning or how to keep striving to become a "belonger" in our community as we learn culture. For the next few months, we'll be watching an expository video series on Philippians so that we can be studying scripture together. I can't think of a better way to be spending our time!

Wednesday: bible study
These ladies meet each week at our church for bible study. I love learning from them, hearing the bits and pieces of their life stories that come out over the weeks, and studying God's Word together. We recently finished a study on the book Heaven by Randy Alcorn (which I highly recommend), and it brought healing, hope, and redeemed anticipation for each of us.

Friday: Gathering
I attend a fellowship gathering that meets on Friday evenings (there's a whole bunch of kiddos missing from these photos). We always share a potluck meal together, and let me tell you... missionaries know how to cook! After enjoying a delicious dinner, we spend time learning, sharing, and praying together as the Spirit leads. I'm so grateful for this time of encouragement and vulnerability as we worship together and invest in one another's lives.