By Sara:
Ever since March when the schools in Uganda were closed and children sent home, families in Uganda have been in an unusual situation. Since the majority of students study at a boarding school, it is rare for an entire family to be home together for longer than the few weeks over Christmas holidays. But now, everyone has been together for over 6 months!
Felix, the son of one of our friends came to me a few months ago and asked if I would help him start a Bible study group with some other youth. Right after schools closed, many of them had been getting assignments and homework from their teachers, but that quickly dropped off. So they were just at home, helping with chores but overall feeling pretty bored. Felix thought it would benefit many of them to study the Bible and gain some new ideas which they can use once they eventually go back to school. He gathered a few young men and women who live near him and agreed with them to meet weekly on Saturday afternoons. He and his sisters host us at their house each week.
For the first several weeks, I facilitated the Bible study to give everyone a chance to learn and practice the method we're using. Then, the kids got the chance to start facilitating. During the week, I meet with the volunteer to help him or her prepare and then on Saturday, they lead us all through the Bible study. After they finish, we each give them a compliment or encouragement about how they did. All of them are excited about their new skills which will help them lead Bible studies with classmates when they eventually go back to school. But they also encouraged one another to lead Bible studies with their families/siblings/other friends even now while they are at home. This opportunity to facilitate a Bible study has helped them gain confidence in their own abilities and in understanding how to read the Bible.
They have made a lot of interesting plans for how they will put into practice what they are learning from scripture. Many times, it involves obeying their parents' instructions without complaining or playing with younger siblings/helping them with school work. They have also been working on being more truthful, reading the Bible or praying more often, and making plans for getting their chores done on time. One young lady said she will now look people in the eye when she talks to them because she has felt self-conscious about her eyes being small but now realizes she is made in God's image and doesn't need to be ashamed.
Since these kids go to boarding schools, even though their families are neighbors, they didn't all know each other very well before starting the Bible study group. They have mentioned how much they appreciate spending time together and realizing that people they might have thought were unapproachable before are actually very friendly. One week, it started to rain right when we were finishing the Bible study, so we all had to sit inside for almost an hour waiting for the rain to stop before we could to go home. They spent the whole time asking each other their theological/Biblical questions and discussing possible answers!
It gives me such joy to see these young people who are so passionate about studying God's word and putting it into practice. I hope their parents are as proud of them as I am.
