Uganda Mission Trip 2026: The Gospel Unites

Ogamba ki, Grace Fellowship! That is a greeting and one of the phrases I attempted to learn in Uganda. If you had no clue what I was saying, I think my southern Alabama twang probably made it unintelligible to them as well! That moment however captures something I experienced throughout our trip to Kampala and a pattern I’ve noticed on other cross-cultural trips I’ve been privileged to take: when cultural borders are crossed, differences become impossible to ignore. Language, culture, socioeconomic circumstances, and daily struggles can make it difficult to relate to people whose lives look different from our own. Sometimes, those differences even feed a fear that keeps us from investing in relationships with people outside our typical circles.

During our time in Kampala, we had the privilege of partnering with Cross Fellowship to host Flourish Camp for local college students. Through worship, small groups, conversations, and teaching through 1 Peter 1–4, we sought to confront false teaching, including the prosperity gospel, proclaim the truth of God’s Word, and point students to Jesus Christ.

Yet the greatest divide we humans face is not cultural, linguistic, or economic. It is the divide between sinful humanity and a holy God—a divide none of us can cross apart from Christ.

Sin has fractured our relationship with God, distorted our hearts, darkened our minds, and left its fingerprints on every culture and every corner of the world. No crevice in all of creation is untouched by the crippling effects of sin.  Our circumstances may differ, but none of us can escape the brokenness of a fallen world or our desperate need for the immeasurable grace of God. As Peter writes, “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18, ESV).

What unites us is not that our lives are the same, but that we share the same desperate need for salvation from sin and the same hope found in the finished work of Jesus Christ.

Our team—JM, Emma, Leah, Kelly, and me—came from the same culture, yet even among ourselves we have plenty of differences. How much more apparent those differences became when we crossed oceans, languages, and cultural boundaries. Yet we partnered with a local church, gathered around one message, pursued one mission, and served one Lord. There are few things more humbling than witnessing the Spirit unite people who seem to have little in common beyond the gospel. I will never be able to put into words the joy of seeing God at work in such a tangible way. It gave us a glimpse of the day when people from every tribe, tongue, and nation will worship our Savior in perfect harmony together for all eternity. And if you’ve ever stood beside me when I try to sing, you will know how much I desperately need perfect harmony.

Looking back, I can think of plenty of awkward moments—typically because of me. Sometimes I wonder if being awkward is one of my spiritual gifts. There were uncomfortable conversations and situations when we genuinely did not know what to do or say. Those moments reminded me that God does not require us to be perfectly comfortable or fully equipped before He uses us. Sometimes, our inadequacy is precisely what teaches us to depend on Him. And often, He teaches us to depend on Him through the brothers and sisters He has placed us around. I cannot fully express how much joy it brings me to think about and pray for the men and women we met. The church and the people of Uganda ministered far more to me than I ever could to them.

Our problem—my problem—is that we can become far too comfortable being comfortable. When we step beyond what is familiar for the sake of Christ, our weaknesses are revealed, and we are reminded to rely on Someone far greater than ourselves. God equips us with gifts to serve one another, “in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 4:11, ESV).

And this is what I want us to bring home from Uganda. The unity we experienced was not built on our similarities, but on our shared Savior. The same gospel that unites believers in Kampala unites us here at Grace Fellowship. We may differ in countless ways, but in Christ we share one living hope and an inheritance that is “imperishable, undefiled, and unfading” (1 Peter 1:4, ESV). Praise God that this inheritance is kept for us by His power, not secured by our own strength.

Grace Fellowship, may we never become so comfortable among people like us that we forget those Christ has called us to reach. Whether across the ocean or across the street, may we live as people united by one gospel, committed to one mission, and looking toward one unfathomable inheritance.

Before we close, I want to leave you—and myself—with three questions:

1. Whose life looks different from yours? Are you striving to build a relationship with them? If not, what is holding you back?
2. Who are you discipling and encouraging to walk closer to Christ? What can you do to encourage them today?
3. How does the unity we have in Christ shape the way you view and love other believers, especially those who are different from you?