When Rev. John Charles Odeke speaks about education, he does not do it casually. For him, the opportunity to study was never guaranteed.

“I was a school dropout,” he says.

Today, Odeke is a priest serving in Achukudu Parish in Napak District, northeastern Uganda. Heis also a theology student at Uganda Christian University (UCU) Mbale University College, through the support of UCU Partners. But his path to priesthood and theological training was marked by long periods of waiting.

In 2007, I performed my musical testimony, “Lord Make Me the Person You Want Me to be” in Uganda. I was invited to do this in the town of Hoima for 1,500 residents and also at Uganda Christian University (UCU) for nearly 2,000 students. It amazed me how deeply it touched the souls of those in the audience.