Testimonies

Pastor Jay Sanders

Ugandan Thunder is one of the best things that ever happened to our church. After about a year of serving as the pastor of Towaliga Baptist, I had the opportunity to have the choir come to perform for us. I had seen them before and knew they were good so I jumped at the chance. We haven’t been the same since.

The kids in Ugandan Thunder are all really cute, they wear cool costumes and they are very talented. But, none of that really changes churches or the communities they seek to reach. Behind each talented kid in Ugandan Thunder there is a deep, compelling story.

As you listen to these kids sing, you are listening to some voices that don’t know what it’s like to cry out, “Daddy!” after falling down. Each smile that you see is a reminder that there are millions of faces in our world that don’t know what it means to smile because of a mother’s embrace. Although words like AIDS and malaria may not mean a whole lot to us, they are the source of great pain and fear for these kids, who know firsthand the carnage that these diseases leave behind.

Less than a year after Ugandan Thunder visited our church, three of us were able to visit them in their home country. Scores of us were able to raise money to build an orphanage in their country. Hundreds of us were left with a greater sense of God’s heart for the orphan, the widow and the nations.

You need to pay attention to Ugandan Thunder because you need to be reminded of the pain in our world that can only be cured by the gospel of Jesus Christ. Maybe in your world true joy is based on how much you earn or are worth. Ugandan Thunder will change your perception. Perhaps you view worship as something done by white, middle-class people for a few minutes a week during a church service. Ugandan Thunder will help you to have a more biblical understanding. Maybe the boundaries of your world begin and end with the property lines around your house. Ugandan Thunder will help you to see God’s heart for the nations.

One Ugandan Thunder concert changed my life and it changed my church. It can do the same for you. You’ll be surprised by what you can learn from a bunch of really cute kids with drums and nice voices.

Jay Sanders
Pastor
Towaliga Baptist Church