Recap of our Trip

Klint Ostermann • November 23, 2013

Now that we have been home for a week, I wanted to take some time to reflect on our recent trip to Uganda and share some details with you.  I haven’t posted this recap yet because I have such difficulty finding words that due it justice.  Please bear with me as I overuse adjectives when describing our experiences.

First, the country of Uganda is absolutely gorgeous.  Winston Churchill christened Uganda, “The Pearl of Africa”, and it is easy to see why when you are there.  It is a very tropical place that is lush and green (almost as green as north Texas in November).   Vicki and I think that Uganda looks like what we imagine the garden of eden to look like.  The biodiversity there is amazing as there are so many varieties of plants and trees.  There are also over 1,000 bird species in Uganda.  Pictures don’t do it justice, but here are a few to show how beautiful it is here:


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The people of Uganda are just as beautiful as the country.  We found Ugandans to be extremely friendly and very hospitable.  While we were there, we were blessed to be able to observe several training classes including a general health education class, a business class and a HIV education class.  The people attending the classes seemed so eager to learn as much as they could.  We especially enjoyed spending time with the kids as they seemed so full of life and loved their picture taken (so they could see themselves).

As we mentioned in a previous post, it did not take long at all for us to begin to feel at home in Uganda.  I’m sure the reason for this is a peace that passes understanding that God has granted us, but it doesn’t hurt that the people and country are so beautiful.  We felt extremely safe while we where there other than some near death experiences on the motorcycle taxis there called boda bodas.  Here is a video of a boda boda ride so you can get a feel for what it’s like:

We were so blessed to have such a wonderful guide in Vanessa, who has been in Uganda for about 7 years.  She setup meetings with missionary families, including the family that is living in our future home, so that we could ask them thousands of questions about various options for education, healthcare, and general items.  She took us to eat at various restaurants so that we could get a general idea of what was available.  She also took us to a couple of grocery stores and to the market so we could get a feel for what would be available to us.  We were surprised at what we could buy at the stores and that made us feel better about our food options when we move there.  She and Dana Bogan took us to a small school run by an American educator called Kilombera, to a clinic to meet a pediatrician and to a pharmacy to see what was available to us.  She took us to Kampala to see what was available at the malls and larger grocery stores and to a dental clinic.  It was really nice to have a guide that could give us a real feel for what life would be like when we make the move to Uganda.

 

While we were in Uganda, we received so many confirmations that God is leading us there.  There is no doubt left in my mind that we are doing the right thing.  I want to thank everyone again for all the prayers and financial support for this trip as well as our permanent move.  We couldn’t do it without you!

The post Recap of our Trip appeared first on Heart For Uganda.

By Klint Ostermann April 16, 2025
Last week, during our West Africa In-Field Mentoring in Senegal, we witnessed God’s transformative power in remarkable ways. I’m excited to share this story with you. In-Field Mentoring involves coaching mentees as they deliver sessions for community training. As mentors, we guide them beforehand, evaluate their presentations, determine if they earn credit for the session, and provide constructive feedback for improvement. Occasionally, a mentee struggles, requiring us to step in to ensure the audience receives accurate information. This happened on the second day during a session titled “Consider Your Ways, for You Are the Temple of God.” This powerful session often leads to repentance and salvation, but the mentee struggled to convey its message. I stepped in to lead the session, and as I spoke, I felt the Holy Spirit moving in the room. In Senegal, where 97% of the population is Muslim, sharing the Gospel openly can be met with resistance, and attendees have left trainings after such presentations. Yet, I felt led to share the Gospel boldly. Praise God, six men raised their hands to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior! We guided them through a prayer of repentance and connected them with a local pastor for discipleship. During the break, a Muslim woman from a closed Northwest African country approached me. She had traveled to Senegal specifically for this training and shared that the Gospel message I presented needed to reach her homeland, where such teachings are unheard. She revealed that for years, she had suffered from a debilitating nerve condition in her leg, impairing her ability to walk. She had been praying for healing for years, yet she found no relief—until the first day of our training, when God miraculously healed her! Overwhelmed, she felt something stir in her heart during the Gospel presentation but didn’t fully understand what was happening in her. She even said she wanted to become a Farming God’s Way trainer. Her country is deeply hostile to Christianity. Apostasy can carry a death sentence, though no known cases of this has occurred in recent years. Converts face severe risks, including family rejection, loss of livelihood, or exile. Extremist groups further endanger those who leave Islam. We provided her with a Bible and connected her with missionaries working in her country. Through Farming God’s Way, someone from a closed nation, who might never have heard the Gospel, encountered God’s love. Additionally, two Peace Corps workers from Hawaii and California attended the training. Afterward, they approached our team with questions about Jesus. Missionaries shared the Gospel with them and gave them Bibles.  God is moving mightily through Farming God’s Way, drawing people to Him in unexpected and beautiful ways. Thank you for supporting this work that is transforming lives!
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