Kim Wilbanks

What do you do when you leave before dawn, travel an hour to a small church in a small town and you are greeted by women in the red dirt road waving flags?

What do you do when you are surrounded by the piercing, celebratory “ay yi yi yi” of a dozen Ugandan women as you pull into the church grounds?

What do you do when you are greeted by smiling faces and outstretched hands leading you into a simple church sanctuary?

And what do you do when you are ushered to a place of honor in front of the church?

What do you do when a handful of Ugandan children perform a rousing dance choreographed just for you? 

And a choir of women perform a skit and song for you?

What do you do when you are welcomed by a handful of church leaders when all you were expecting to do is drop off some food baskets?

Then, what do you do when the pastor of the church tells you many of the families in the congregation traveled from outlying villages the previous day and slept on a concrete floor in the church in order to be there for your early morning visit?  

Finally, what do you do when a stream of men, women and children make their way to the front of the sanctuary bearing bags of fruit, sugar cane, a beautifully woven basket and several live chickens?

All because they are grateful you came.

What do you do?

You come undone. 

You weep and you come undone.

It is  what we all did.

God provided for this little congregation in Uganda.  We were simply the messengers, the bearers of the 40 pound bags of food.  We were completely overwhelmed by their response of gratitude.  We were the  tangible recipients of their expressed gratitude to God.  It was quite humbling.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above . . . 

James 1:17 WEB