Moments Matter

As we’ve met for devotionals each morning, we been discussing how moments matter… how an interaction even as brief as a minute can make an unforgettable impact on a person’s life… how words, even briefly spoken, can either lift up a soul or tear it right down.

I can’t help but think about how many moments we often waste… how many times we have a chance to pour into a person’s life and we miss it.  Life in America is so fast, but here in Uganda we slow down.  Here we have time to sit and visit and get to know people.  We do not have regular access to Facebook and our phones are not ringing and beeping… and we are not distracted.  In the evenings we sit around talking and laughing and singing together.  We are not running to the next thing.

And we have time to take advantage of moments.

One of my favorite things about taking pictures is that each shot captures only a single moment.  Frozen on the screen is this little bit of time that once passed by so quickly, but has now been made permanent.

As a short-term ministry team, we have only moments here in these two weeks, and it is our prayer that in those brief moments God will infuse a glimpse of the hope that comes through Christ to those we meet.

Last night, we went around the room and asked this one question:  What is your most memorable moment of the trip so far?

Sue :: Hugging my sponsored children and when the mother of my sponsored child ran across the open yard to meet me.
Joshua :: Meeting a young boy named Mark who has a big personality, loves sugar cane, and reminds me of myself when I was a small African child
Angie :: Watching Milly (one of the Mercy Network beneficiaries) leap over corn stalks to greet us when we were bringing her food… or being peed on by little children all over Uganda.
Mimi :: Praying for the ladies and talking to them when we delivered the Mercy Network food
Cindy :: Chasing baby Ruth and the chickens all over the church grounds
Jennifer :: Playing beach ball keep away with the children… especially when I fell.  Then finding out one of them is the brother of my sponsored child.
Brian :: My surprise praise & worship debut in front of Mukono Community Church and when a dad in the Mercy Network agreed to start attending church after we delivered food to his family.
Colleen :: A real moment of sharing with Janna the deep down impact Jesus has had on our lives and praying with the Mother who just lost her baby.
Janna :: Capturing all of these moments on film and processing them every night to share with you!

So, our question for you, is this:  Tell us about a moment in your life when someone did or said something to you that changed the course of your life.