The Call to Uganda
Stories from Rock of Living Waters Ministries
In October 2013, my husband Wayne and I were asked to consider going “on mission” to Uganda. The mission would be at the end of May 2014. We decided to consider the request and pray about it. As we fasted and prayed, I woke up one morning to this scripture reference in my mind, Matthew 28:19. At that time, I did not have the reference memorized as I do now, deep in my heart. So I asked Wayne, lying beside me, to hand me my Bible. As I turned to Matthew 28:19, these words from Jesus lept from the page, v.18 “I have been given all authority over heaven and earth.” v.19 “Therefore go”. I stopped right there and was blown away at the intimate voice of my Father. He had answered clearly, it was a “yes”, “go”.
Later as I continued to meditate on that answer over and over again, in awe of his faithfulness, I heard him say, “you will not go in your own authority; you will go in mine.” “You will go and make disciples of many nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
After saying “yes” to this call to mission, a stirring started happening in my heart.
A stirring I couldn’t express very well with words. The stirring came from a dream I had shortly after we said “yes.” I dreamt that we had a baby and I was nursing the baby. I couldn’t see the baby’s face, I only knew we had a baby, and I was nursing that child.
As the stirring continued, I began a commitment of fasting and praying every Wednesday. I would stay in my kindergarten classroom, as I was teaching then, and pray during lunchtime. While praying, the stirring in my heart began to increase, and I could hear the Lord begin to tell me, “you are done here. I have something else for you.” These words scared me since I had waited many years to get this job and had only been there four short years. But I decided to go ahead and tell Wayne. I’m not sure initially that he took it seriously but as the stirring continued,
I couldn’t help but say, “yes Lord, I hear you.”
At the same time, the dream of that baby was always in my mind. I knew it wasn’t that Wayne and I were physically having another baby, that season was over, and we had physical proof of it. But I wondered what the Lord was birthing.
I decided to take a step, early in the winter season of 2014, to tell my principal that the Lord was telling me that I was done there. After taking the step to not “renew” my contract, moments of doubt would invade my mind. As I prayed, the Lord would give me peace, strength, and courage to continue saying “yes.” And not just me, but Wayne as well.
The time came at the end of the school year when it was definitive, the Lord was ending this short chapter of teaching kindergarten.
We only knew that the next thing we were doing was going to Uganda.
Monica said, “I dreamt you had a baby.” I said, “wait, what”? “I dreamt I had a baby, too,” I told her. She went on to say, “The baby was crawling around on the floor, Wayne picked the baby up and handed me the baby, and I started nursing your baby.” The shock was all over my face; I couldn’t even find the right words. But when I mustered up words to respond, I told her about my dream. She then told me that she and Dr. Barret had been praying about opening a baby house in Uganda. Without thinking twice, I told her, “I just quit my job.”
I’m not sure what I thought I would do, but I was overwhelmed at how God speaks to His people.
So that day we prayed and soon after, Wayne, the team, and I left for our first Uganda mission.
That mission was the beginning of many miracles to come, and we are still witnessing them to this very day.
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