“Every great journey begins with a step”. A saying that has never rung so true, than on the Thursday 14th August 2014, when we a 10 strong team began our journey to Gulu Uganda. As we took our first steps at air side to board, we had no idea what we were about to experience.
The flight preparation for our mission was not the direct route that we had wanted. To be seated comfortably on a BA flight would have a favourable choice. However, we were reminded that God’s way is not our way! Instead we were booked on to fly with air Egypt, land in Cairo for a connecting flight to Entebbe, Uganda. This route meant we had only one Hour to change -no sleep -shower, then hit the road with a 9 hour or so car Journey to Gulu. This Journey would have allowed us to arrive at our accommodation on Friday 15th around 7pm in the evening and enjoy a much welcome buffet.
As I mentioned before, our way is most definitely not God’s way. We would have preferred comfort in a realm of the familiar and known route. What God wanted was to stretch our capabilities into the unfamiliar, that would deepen our dependency on Him and create growth.
Our Journey became this… a three hour delay at Heathrow with Egypt air that resulted in us missing our flight in Cairo. In Cairo, we were issued with new boarding passes and new tickets heading us not to Uganda but to Addis Ababa, International Airport in Ethiopia!! Were we had to wait a further five hours in order to board our flight to Entebbe, Uganda, only to incur a further delay to our departure. All these delays meant we arrived at our destination 8 hours behind our schedule, leaving us with only one or two hours sleep before the mission kicked in.
In times of delay, hold ups, slow downs, detainment and waiting is when our attitudes are tested! Do we grumble and complain or pray for God’s direction and purpose? Can we perceive and discern if the season or journey we are in is being obstructed by hindering spirit or is a divine purpose of God?
My personal experience of this journey was one of peace and unity. As a team we have been focusing on Galatians 5 which talks about having the fruits of the spirit. I could see this being worked in us as a team, there was joy, patience, kindness and love displayed. As we landed in both Cairo and Ethiopia we prayed for that nation and land.
For us the delays were not set backs but a short detainment for a divine purpose and vision. For us the journey started at Heathrow on Thursday 14th August 2014. But for God this journey started 14 years ago on a rice padded field in Uganda, with four young men who were willing to take the first steps of faith on unknown journey with God given vision. A journey that had been birthed firstly in prayer, which had strategic delays and waits, to capture the heart of a young Liam Chapman. This resulted in the founding of TEAMS and the igniting of many more personal journeys for those involved with its vision.
Stephanie Anyan