Learning To Praise God Amid Trials in Uganda

Nothing humbles you more than when a child holds your hand, smiles, and has more faith in the Lord than in their circumstances…cancer.

Today, we had yet another incredible opportunity to partner with a life-giving (literally) ministry. The Bless A Child Foundation (BCF) is a registered nonprofit and UICC member (Union for International Cancer Control). BCF provides a comfortable, dignified home for children suffering from cancer as they go through treatment and hospitals. Their care and support extend to family members or guardians of the children, who travel long distances to access adequate medical facilities.

Bless a Child Foundation strives for honor in all services it offers, nurtures all patients with respect and dignity, values transparency, honesty, and accountability, and believes that early detection and treatment save lives. Not only that, but they empower and equip families with the information and skills needed to cope with cancer and its effects.

We had only three short hours with the staff and patients (and their caretakers) today, and boy did the time fly. After our program of corporate prayer, worship, testimonies (both our team and patients), and our drama/skits that present the Gospel, we broke up into smaller groups to connect on a deeper level.

Here in these small groups, we heard story after story of hardships and struggles from the patients, and the most humbling part was the way they smiled as they spoke.

They praise the Lord for the small victories in this medical excursion, they thank Him for the help they receive, and they inspire us to do the same.

Their stories and circumstances are very real. There is no minimizing of what they go through and the sacrifices they’ve made to support their loved ones, no matter the cost to themselves. And yet they praise.

Sound familiar? Praising for the testing of our faith.

Our Uganda family got to experience that first-hand. And our prayers as leaders are that they would remember what it’s like to praise amid trial. To see life through the eyes of a cancer-stricken child who can still laugh, dance, and thrive with the time they’ve got.

There are always circumstances that can halt our praise or faith, but it’s our choice to step in and live in the “now.” To take a step towards reliance on the Lord and praise His name no matter the cost.