Bukerere Outreach August 7-8 2026

My first morning in Uganda began slowly; with a cup of coffee in my hands, I looked over the patio of the newly finished ACV mission house at the mist-covered hills of Bukerere. We had just landed from Dubai the day before, so though we were tired, we were excited. After a devotional and worship, we headed out for a busy 2 days at the annual AICM conference, where our theme was “Formed.” Our theme of “Formed” came from Isaiah 64:8: “But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.” Our theme certainly inspired the events of our conference; the hearts of the community and of our team were undoubtedly formed by our loving and ever-present Maker.

Each day when we arrived to the tent, dozens of children were waiting patiently for our team to begin the program. While at first they came off a bit shy, the next two days, the children were inseparable from our team members. I rarely walked anywhere without holding a baby or a child’s hand in mine. The children, who on the second day numbered about 500, were full of joy and laughter. We sang songs and played games, and my favorite thing I got to do with the kids were dance lessons — having the kids teaching me to dance like a Ugandan, and making them laugh at my pitiful attempts to copy them. God showed his kindness to us through his provision in food, because we had over 500 kids and not enough food for them. But Aaron prayed before the meal to the same God who took the 5 loaves and 2 fishes and used it to feed the 5,000, and we had enough!

Over at the women’s tent, the Spirit of God was moving in a powerful way, from the worship to the testimonies to the messages. On Saturday evening of the conference, 17 women gave their lives to Jesus! Countless other women were able to be prayed for and find fellowship with other Christian women through meals shared together and small group time. The finale of the conference was the graduation ceremony from the women’s poultry project — where we celebrated the  100 women who learned to take care of chickens, thus providing for their families and offering them a way out of poverty. We sang, danced, and cheered for all the women, young and old, and the celebration felt like a glimpse of the celebrations to come in heaven. 

So far, our team is off to a great start, all glory to God. In spite of our diversity in background and experience, God has knit us together in unity, and we are so expectant for what God has in store for the rest of our trip!

- Audrey