Yesterday I wept for the first time in a long time. It was in song. I was leading worship for my church yesterday morning, and the last lines I sang came out as mere babbling. Why was I crying? Why was I bawling into my microphone? It was because of you guys.
Before we started our last set, my church watched a video about church planters in Ethiopia. It ended with an Ethiopian pastor weeping and shouting in an interview, saying “This is what I want to see all over Ethiopia! This is what I want to see all over Ethiopia!”
After a week of praying that God would stir a deeper love in my heart for the people of Uganda, this hit me like a train. Seeing such an earnest heart for his people moved me in a way I had not expected. This will likely be the heart of the church leaders we will be working alongside. This is their vision for Uganda, and it is one that we must share if we are to take part in it.
Then, in our last song, we ended repeating the lines “Let the amen sound from your people again!” And it hit me even harder (like a collision of trains): this is our ministry. We are taking on the task of bringing people back into relationship with their Creator and welcoming them into a global family of believers, and they will sing to God just as we are. The amen will sound from His people again and for the first time.
How humbling that God drew us of all people for this task. And so I wept. And so I pray that this message reaches you, as well. And I pray that God is deepening your love for the people we are going to minister to. Be seeking Him as we fast tomorrow. We must be desperate for Him, for it is only by His grace that we will succeed.
Sterling Pounds departs next week for an e3 Legacy expedition to plant new churches in Uganda. This week, the team completes its fourth day of seeking the Lord through fasting, in preparation for ministering in Uganda.
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