While many students spent their Christmas break working, relaxing and catching up with old friends, 10 North Greenville students spent a week and a half of their break halfway across the globe.
Megon Traynham with one of the Ugandan children she met on the mission trip.The students made up North Greenville University’s Uganda L.I.G.H.T. team led by Murrill Boitnott, founder of Macedonian Call Ministries and NGU staff evangelist from Greenville.
The team left Dec. 6 for Hoima, a town in Uganda, expecting to minister in orphanages and hospitals and meet the king. Upon their arrival, there was a change of plans due to the king’s absence and an outbreak of ebola, a deadly virus.
Mornings were spent sharing Christ in homes and at the marketplace, while afternoons were spent working with “Training for Trainers.” The students used the information learned to teach techniques on sharing the gospel, since Bibles are unaffordable in that area of Uganda.
Working with Hoima Baptist Fellowship, the team held worship services during the evening while using basketball to minister to children at the Boima grounds, a community park.
“This was the best team I’ve ever taken to Uganda. The food was terrible. There were bad accommodations, but the team never complained,” Boitnott said.
According to Boitnott, more than 100 people committed their lives to Christ. Students also had the opportunity to help baptize 15 people.?
“I was able to baptize two people I led to Christ. It was a really humbling experience,” said Megon Traynham of Chesnee and a member of Holly Springs Baptist Church in Inman.
Before returning on Dec. 17, the team hosted a worship service for the employees at their hotel and attended the local congregation-led worship service. “It was the most amazing worship I’ve ever been a part of,” said Ashley Sullens of Lyman and also a member of Holly Springs.
Plans are being made to return to Uganda again in December 2008.