Drawn to Love
LBC students share God’s presence in Uganda
Guitar strings reverberated down the hotel hallway, situated somewhere in the jungle of northern Uganda. Not to be outdone by the guitar, the Life Bible College mission team lifted their voices in an offering of heartfelt worship to God.
While the sounds of worship may have caught the ears of the hotel staff, it was the sweet presence of God that drew them to the hallway.
“The presence of the Holy Spirit, it was just so tangible,” said Tim Parnell, a first-year Life Bible College student. “The air felt thick, and there was a calm, and a peace, and a comfort. It was one of the coolest experiences I’ve ever been a part of.”
One at a time, the hotel staff came toward the hallway. At first, they hid around corners, or parked in doorways. But soon they joined in worship. Team members started to pray over the hotel staff and saw God set them free from anxiety, fear, back pain, and depression.
“It just reminded me of how attractive the gospel is when it’s portrayed correctly,” said LBC alumna Katya Galenko. “The love that is there—the people were just drawn to it.”
Everywhere the team went they carried the magnetic love of God that drew people in. They traveled to Uganda for a three-day crusade and pastor’s conference, and saw many people receive salvation and healing. But what stood out the most was the small, one-on-one interactions of everyday life.
“The heart of worship was so apparent on this trip,” said Pastor Bill Thomas, LBC Director. “It was super, super awesome.”
The night after the hotel experience, the team settled down to eat at the Lookout Restaurant. A piano sat nestled in the corner of the room. The temptation to worship God in song was too strong to resist.
As was the case before, one by one, the staff started to come in. One man was filled with the Holy Spirit. Several others were healed or received salvation. All experienced a heavy, sweet, and peaceful presence of God.
“It ended up being an upper-room-style moment,” Tim said.
No stranger to Uganda, Tim was on his third mission trip. But this was his first after beginning LBC in the fall. Going through classes such as “Blood Covenants” and “The Holy Spirit,” Tim noticed a difference in the way he ministered.
“The first trip, I was completely running on grace,” he said. “This third trip, I was still running on grace, but I knew more about who I was, the authority I walked in, and the covenant I had. It seemed like it brought a whole new confidence to what I was doing.”
At the beginning of the trip, Brother Cliff Graham, who helped organize the crusade, told the team to write down three things: what they were expecting, what they wanted direction for in their lives, and what “residue” they were going to take home.
For Katya, God went above and beyond to answer all she wrote down.
The “residue” she wanted to take back was more boldness in her daily life. Throughout the trip, she prayed for people. She cast out demons. She shared words of wisdom with others. She went deeper in her relationship with God than she’d ever experienced.
“I just sort of grew out of my shell a little bit, which was super cool,” she said. “God is more abundant than we can ask for. You can ask, but He’ll give you more.”
For Pastor Bill, it’s always awesome to see LBC students apply what they’ve learned in the classroom—to boldly step out and represent Jesus wherever they go. And even more, he loves seeing students understand the main reason behind going on mission trips.
“I think on this trip, this team learned—and most teams do—about why you go,” he said. “You go for the people. You don’t go for yourself. You go for them.”
It can be as simple as sharing Play-Doh with a little girl and seeing her face break out in a smile. Or as miraculous as seeing someone, who has been in torment and pain for years, be set free from a demon and experience the peace of God.
“It’s probably the greatest feeling I’ve ever experienced in my life,” Tim said. “And that’s one of the things that’ll keep me going back to [Africa]. Because that’s something that I’ll never get enough of.
P.S. Check out photos from the Uganda Mission Trip below.
Founded in 2007 out of Life Church in Boise, Idaho, Life Bible College is a two-year accredited school for adults of all ages. LBC exists to educate, equip, and empower you to walk out the plan God has for your life by growing your knowledge of God and His Word. For more information on LBC, click here.
