AFRICA JOURNAL: Meeting 'Unfiltered Love' in Uganda

25 May 2011

MBARARA, Uganda — “Unfiltered love” is what happened when the Parental Care team of nine finally encountered the enthusiasm of a Southwest-Ugandan church congregation on Monday. Nothing in our 10,000-mile, 20-hour trip prepared me for that reception of unfiltered love, a phrase coined by team member Rocky Gill, 40-ish and a fellow Ugandan newbie.

“It’s almost overwhelming,” Gill said to me after being mobbed by children and adults alike by the church in Kafuzi — at another place simply called the “Chicken Church” — and the Parental Care School by human beings who seemed overjoyed we were there. The people were literally the living stones of God’s spirit embracing us unreservedly, fully and as if they had known us as favored family for most of their lives.

The unexpected reception by “strangers” was so startling that it had to be the best faked welcome ever — or God himself working through his people.  I — and the rest of the team — chose the latter scenario, simply because it made the most sense.

Team member Dr. Foy Forehand met the girl, Lydia, he and his wife, Mia, had been sponsoring for nearly three years. They embraced in what Forehand said was, “a very moving, yet at the same time what seemed to be a completely normal, experience.”

That tone, that scenario — moving, yet normal — is what we are becoming aware of as the norm for Uganda. Traveling about 30 minutes to the Chicken Church near Mbarara, the scene repeated itself — mobs, hugs, happy, smiling celebratory faces, and then prayers of gratitude, acceptance and protection.

But the best was yet to come at our reception by the children of Parental Care Ministries School in Mbarara that evening. Almost 300 children and school staff came and hugged us without reservation — as if anything less would simply be unacceptable — and then sang the evening away in a smiling, spiritual celebration of our arrival. The worship time afterward — worship leaders please take note — was awesome. If children can “prophesy” in song, I believe I saw that last night.

Not one of the Parental Care team members have ever been welcomed this way by any church in any place they said — except here. I’ve certainly not witnessed it in any of the 24 countries I have visited.

I’m glad I got the chance to experience Uganda before I left this planet failing to realize that relationship could carry the tone, focus, warmth and joy I’ve seen here so far.

And this is just the first day the Parental Care team has met believers in Uganda. More is coming.