“God Moves In Uganda”

Looking back now, I can’t say that I recall the specific moment that God placed Uganda on my heart, only that He had done so prior to my visit with my friend Denise. As is often the case for me, God moves in my heart long before I see why He has done so.

As I sat in the office of my friend Denise Sears, the President and CEO of Supplies Over Seas, discussing her upcoming trip to Uganda, it occurred to me that there may be an opportunity for our Amazing Orphans International “AOI” outreach to make a difference in a new part of the world. Uganda, just the name itself conjured up feelings of Spiritual Adventure, and if there were children in need, I wanted AOI to be a part of it.

God had already placed Uganda on my heart, and if Denise was planning to go, it might be a perfect opportunity to expand our outreach. Excited at the prospect, I asked Denise if she would reach out on AOI’s behalf during her upcoming trip to Uganda, and she said that she would.

I was eagerly anticipating the opportunity to go to work in Uganda when I visited Denise again a little later in the year, so it hit me pretty hard when I discovered that she and her husband, Barry, had decided to create their own outreach to help care for the children they met during their visit.

Although completely understandable, I was still very disappointed (they had lost their daughter Lauren and had decided they wanted to name their outreach after her, the Lauren “Kisebere Children’s Foundation”).

I was happy for Denise and her husband. I was sure they had felt the same tug on their hearts that I had felt so many times before when entering a new country. Always seeking opportunities to help vulnerable, orphaned, and abandoned children and their communities.

Months passed, and although I hadn’t forgotten about Uganda, I didn’t have any immediate plans for support there. After my last visit with Denise, my hopes of developing an AOI outreach in Uganda had faded.

But God Had Other Plans…

Our Jonny’s Wagon outreach (US operations) had been serving a weekly meal to those in need at the Taylorsville Community Center for a while when Alicia and her husband, both Jonny’s Wagon volunteers, introduced us to Gary and Connie of Kanisa’s Call Ministries. I didn’t know it then, but this introduction would be the key to God’s work on my heart months earlier for Uganda.

Gary and Connie just so happened to be planning a trip to Uganda (Gary and Connie do amazing evangelistic work in countries worldwide – see Kanisascall.Org). Unbeknownst to me, they had had a cancellation.

So, when Gary asked me if I would like to go with them to Uganda, he must have been absolutely stunned when I said yes, without a moment’s hesitation. But I knew something Gary didn’t at the time, God had already called me to Uganda.

Although I didn’t know what I would find, I had learned to trust God and knew He had a plan. And, through God’s amazing blessings, AOI would go on to finish building a school that had long since been abandoned.

Today “The Living Word Primary School” in Tororo, Uganda, sits complete with floors, windows, doors, and desks, everything it takes to make a school complete, and if that were the end of the story, that would be an amazing testament to God. But how God put the pieces into place makes this story even more special.

Over the years, as I have drawn closer to God (James 4:8) and allowed Him to use me and direct my steps, he has given me the ability (Discernment) to see Him put pieces into place for plans that go far beyond anything I could ever accomplish on my own. No fewer than eight pieces had fallen perfectly into place in this case. Nearly every one of them had the potential to keep me from going to Uganda if they had not fallen into place at the precise time.

God placed it on my heart to visit Uganda.
Supplies Over Seas, although originally offering to reach out on our behalf, felt God leading them to open a foundation in their late daughter’s name.
Our daughter Stephanie was coming home from travel nursing and would be a huge help while I was away, helping care for her aging granddad.
Taylorsville Community Church needed our space, so we couldn’t serve our meals while I was away.
As this trip would be occurring during Christmas, a very busy time for our family, it was a consideration. However, we had completed our Christmas shopping before the Holidays (this had never happened before).
I was introduced to Gary and Connie (a pivotal moment).
They just happened to have a cancellation (someone unable to go).
Most importantly, Gary and Connie had connections to a ministry with a school that desperately needed AOI’s support.

In my mind, there is no question that God had orchestrated all the above events. Events that led me to the Living Word Primary School in the tiny remote village of Tororo, Uganda, a school that needed God’s hands to be completed. And that is how God has worked in my life ever since I invited Him in.

Who am I, you ask, that God should place such extraordinary miracles and events in my life? A child of God who decided to listen. A child of God who has given his life over completely to God to use as He wills it.

You have been reading an excerpt from my book, “Reaching the Darkness,” a work in progress. You can read my other works at ScottGoldbach.Com

God’s Humble Servant,
Scott Goldbach
Founder And Executive Director
My Daily Armor Ministries – Amazing Orphans International – Jonny’s Wagon

The Living Word Primary School - Uganda (2)

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