At Amazima, we believe life change happens through relationships. In fact, Relationships is one of our core values! Through relationships, we answer the call God asks of each one of us – to love one another as He loves us. It doesn’t stop there! Not only does God ask us to love our brothers and sisters, but while loving them, He also commands us to “go and make disciples.”
For Joseph, a student at The Amazima School, developing intentional relationships not only changed his life, but also transformed the lives of those around him. Joseph became part of his first discipleship group a few years ago when one of Amazima’s family mentors led a men’s group at The Amazima School. He was so inspired that he later decided to start a discipleship group of his own. Though the pandemic and lockdowns put restraints on school activities and gatherings throughout the country of Uganda, Joseph knew that at this time, more than ever, there was a call and a need for discipleship. There were communities longing for help, full of people longing for God.
Joseph gathered his neighbors and began to meet regularly Sunday afternoons. Beginning with fellowship, the discipleship group came together to pray, read scripture and go out to serve. Traveling by foot or on boda bodas (motorcycles), the group of young men sought out twelve families in their community to visit on different Sundays following their meetings. “On the service projects we pray, share the Word, and do some work for the families like washing clothes or building pit latrines. What we do for the families is determined by what we find when we get there or from past visits,” Joseph shared. The group fundraises locally for their service projects, allowing them to bring food to the families they visit and help them with house repairs and basic needs.
This discipleship group has strengthened their relationships with one another, with those they serve and with God. By living out God’s call for them as Christians, they have come to a greater understanding of what it truly means to love, serve and make disciples. Joseph joyfully shared, “The world is full of darkness and you need to have people by your side who always push you towards the light. I treasure friendship and always strive to leave people around me better and happier than when I found them because I know that’s what Jesus would do and that’s what He did. Seeing the smiles on the families we serve just speaks loud for me.”
Joseph and his friends plan to continue diving deeper into God’s call for this group, serving these families and inviting more students from The Amazima School to be a part of living out the gospel. We are certain God has big plans for this group and are excited about the relationships being formed for His glory!
“Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:19-20