Back from Uganda

Well, I think this has been my longest break from blogging yet. Even though I've been back from the wonderful country that is Uganda for 2 weeks, I have either thought about blogging and not known where to start, or have not had access to the internet.

But I feel that now the time has come for a post. I am feeling particularly inspired and excited about what God is doing in His wonderful world. Whilst there are a lot of things going on which are not particularly wonderful, it is still so clear that God reigns over us with an incredibly Almighty power.

Uganda was an awesome time. It's always hard to sum up trips like it in just a few words when you experience and learn so much...I had the incredible privilege of working with Pastor Stephen, who has such a huge abundance of wisdom and vision. It is so clear that God is His strength and is behind everything he does. He is a man who knows what it means to be gracious. Many people have hurt him and let him down, and in spite of this, he really shows them love. It is very apparent that Christ is living in him.

Of the many, many words of wisdom that Pastor Stephen gave me, the one in particular that has sprung to mind right now is when he was talking about having a huge heart, and a lot of room in his heart to love people. Then he said that he also expects to be disappointed by people, which I found an odd thing to say at first, thinking that it was perhaps a little harsh. But then he explained what he meant and it all made sense. We all do things to hurt people, even though much of the time we can have the best intentions. Pastor Stephen said that in expecting disappointment, it is not a surprise when it comes. Knowing that the people we love can and will sometimes hurt us can enable us to let the disappointment wash over us when it comes, and just carry on loving that person despite the disappointment. I don't want you to misunderstand what he meant - it's not that he is just waiting for someone to let him down, it's that he has the perspective that disappointment inevitably happens, and we can choose how we respond to it...

I'm now back in Bristol, and it's so exciting to see what God has been doing here over the last few months. There are many new faces at church, and have been incredible healings in people which is brilliant. God is really on the move, and the more we see Him at work, the more our faith increases to see even greater things happen..