Uganda has the second highest birth rate in the world with an average of 6.8 children per family. Half of the population is under the age of 15. So it makes sense that no matter what project or ministry you have in Uganda, there will be a lot of children in attendance.

On a recent Sunday, our small church, New Life Centre Church, which averages about 40 people, usually half children, had a different ratio than usual. I counted 7 adults and 35 children! As I observed all these kids, from babies to teens, sitting, jabbering among themselves, running off to the latrine, and dozing off, I wondered how much of our adult services really get through to them. Or do they come to church for entertainment, socialization, or to get to get to ride in my old Land Cruiser?

Uganda, East Africa

In May and June we began construction on the new building to replace our pole and roof shelter that had collapsed last February. The foundation and walls for 2 rooms on the front were constructed in very strong fashion, with brick and cement. Pillars to support brick wall were erected, and the floor inside the foundation walls was filled about ¾ full of murram, a red, clay-gravel soil that packs into a very solid footing for roads or buildings. Then the gift that had funded us thus far ran out and the construction halted. Then we began the weekly prayers for God to help us complete the church.

On the church land are several deep pits from the excavation of murram by the former owner. One of them is suitable to be further excavated, to be used for some of our future ministry plans. Several weeks after the children prayed, some men came to the pastor and wanted to buy some truckloads of murram. He directed them to this pit and instructed them how he wanted them to remove it. He also made a deal with them to haul more murram to finish filling the church foundation, because they had a skip loader and could quickly and easily do so. The pastor stationed an old woman to count the loads of murram taken by these men and their trucks and when she informed the pastor that they were taking more than they’d paid for, he confronted them. He forced them to pay for the extra loads they’d taken. That in turn provided extra money needed for other church related business – including the completion of the foundation being filled with the murram!