Zionsville Presbyterian Church, IN has been in partnership with MLI for more than 25 years forming a life long friendship. ZPC are involved in Leadership Development, mission trainings, youth camps, supporting pastors and church planting. ZPC have many focus areas in the world other than Romania, one of such focus area being Uganda.
ZPC invited Emil Toader and Nicu Bragadireanu from Giurgiu (south of Romania) to join them on a mission trip in September 2024 to Lira (Uganda), where they have a flourishing holistic ministry serving hundreds of orphans, planting churches, providing medical care and community development projects. This work in Uganda is being done at Otino Waa (Our Children) under the leadership of Path International.
The common question amongst the team members during this was “how do we transmit; how do we even talk about what we see here?”. We met people that are filled with so much joy amidst severe poverty and suffering. There was a lack of basic infrastructure like roads, utilities and services. A place surrounded with death and sickness caused by AIDS and other tropical diseases. Hundreds of orphaned children smiling, interacting politely and depending on school for daily meals and care. The needs in such a place are overwhelming.
We were inspired by our partners as we saw the impact they have by providing education, housing, loving care, meals and even providing spiritual nourishment to a community church. The community development projects provide clean waters through wells, medical care and farming projects. Seeing the work done there made us want to open ways for Romanian churches to give, support, visit and be a part of the work in Uganda.
During our stay, we preached in churches encouraging our friends, but we learnt from them about having joy and stability in dire circumstances. We were able to develop friendship that was based on trust. We experienced that Joy was not only spoken, it was expressed in passionate worship and dancing. The Ugandan church and culture don’t see dancing as a form of entertainment but as an expression of joy, worship and a form of therapy. It was a blessing to see them dance with so much joy and passion regardless of all their surroundings and situations.
We were assigned to join a home of children with their social mothers every day for lunch. Mama Becca and seven special girls always laughed and sang, stealing our hearts during our stay. We were able to teach about Romania in school, four classes would not stop asking questions about us. At Otino Waa, they have a total of 700 children, 300 residents and 400 from the community. The level of conversation and the quality of the teachers were truly impressive. We were able to see through the involvement of our ZPC friends, a true expression of Church in Mission.
This is an invitation to churches in Romania to come alongside our brothers and sisters in Uganda to invest in transforming lives as this trip definitely was a life-changing and eye-opening. Romania has so much to offer remembering that we have been blessed to be a blessing. We pray for God’s guidance in this new partnership with the Ugandan churches.
