Kumi Mission Team De-brief Session

Aug. 5, 2009

Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things; and the God of peace shall be with you. Phillipians 4:8-9

For Reflection:

What have you learned from the mission trip? What have you received from God through it? What insights have you gained about yourself? About missions?

What have you seen God do in the lives of the people to whom you ministered?

Have you noticed any important changes in who you are since the mission trip? (Physical, social,, emotional, political, spiritual, financial)

What do you intend to do with what you have learned, i.e., your goals?

What obstacles might keep you from achieving your goals (fears, uncertainties, lack of strategy)?

Your plan for achieving your goals and for overcoming any obstacles you have identified.


We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. I Thessalonians 1:2-3

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Reflection Upon Return from the Kumi Mission Trip

By Becky

This was my first international mission trip, and I returned truly amazed by what God could do with a small group of people, who may have thought they had very little to offer, yet God accomplished far more than any of us had imagined possible. I saw God's people in Africa offered the message of salvation and HOPE for their futures, as presented by the drama, the preaching, and testimonies. And I was humbled by the response, the hunger for the goodness of God to work in their lives, when I knew that the Ugandans had so few material goods, and had suffered so greatly due to no fault of their own. I was touched by their genuine warmth and openness, shown by the hospitality we received everywhere we went, from Miroi Village, to the Displaced Persons Camp, to the Soroti Prison.

While the construction of the school was interesting, and the VBS skits were fun, the relationships we had working with the people and with the YCVM team in particular is what was most outstanding to me about the entire trip. Silver, Grace, Emmanuel and Patrick are no longer names on paper and faces in a photo; they are unique individuals with amazing stories of faith, courage, and determination that will bring you to tears. They devoted their time to our team 24/7 to see that we were happy, comfortable, healthy, prayed for, and working alongside them as God's servants. As David Ofumbi wrote to me, “Now you have a family in Africa”, and he is right.

My first weeks back, I was constantly running the praise song “Biggy God-O” through my mind. I found myself thinking of the YCVM and praying for them and the people often. I was more mindful of my own wastefulness and am determined to be a better steward of God's precious resources. I would sometimes find myself close to tears thinking of the hardships the people endured, while I have had life so easy. And while I have always enjoyed travel as a hobby, I now know that travel with a mission purpose is the most rewarding travel experience one can have. My goals are to support the orphans financially and to help the Mission Team continue to work together and bring the stories we now have to new people and places, in order to fundraise for the completion of the Kumi School. And above all, I hope to encourage more people to engage in mission work, whether here or abroad, but especially in a very special place called Kumi.

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EchoBack Sunday

Plans have tentatively been set for September 20th as our EchoBack Sunday. It is one of many opportunities for the Kumi Mission Team to bring to our communities the richness of their testimonies, stories, pictures, videos, prayers, songs, etc. In short, we get the "live" version from the Great Eight themselves -- what they ate, where they slept, who they met, what songs they sang, and maybe, just maybe, we could get the live version of "Biggy Biggy God O"!

Stay tuned for more information...

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