My Impressions of Our Mission Trip to Uganda

My Impressions of Our Mission Trip to Uganda

Julius Edward Francis, Jr.

First, let me take this opportunity to thank the management at CBF Florida for affording me the opportunity to travel to Uganda. This is my first time taking a trip to a foreign country for the expressed purpose of completing a mission assignment. This was quite a revelation for me as my overall knowledge of the plight of refugees has been somewhat limited. Uganda is unique as it allows over 1.6 million refugees to inhabit their borders. The lives we saw being impacted came from all levels of society. There were some that were very impoverish to some that had professional credentials. One thing that struck me was the grateful attitude that appeared to be expressed by each refugee. They were being treated with dignity and with opened arms. Sometimes its not the size of a country that counts, but the size of that country’s heart.

One of the heartbeats of the refugee assistance program is Refuge & Hope International located in Kampala, Uganda and in Alabaster, Alabama. The missionaries Jade and Shela Acker, the founders of Refuge and Hope are so impressive. To see them in action up close and personal was a blessing from God. If my own children were to find a cause to immerse themselves in I pray it be identical to the depth and breadth of the organization created by the Ackers. Starting with twelve students in 2008 to over a thousand students today, their vision has been and continues to be blessed by God. The number of programs being provided not only reaches any interested refugee but are available to citizens of the host country, Uganda. It is impossible to bless someone else without being blessed yourself. I have so much more to say but I will be obedient to the limits placed on this article.