The U.S. Buyamba Story Part 3

Part 3: Buyamba Finds Roots in California

While things continued to grow in Kingston, New York and Texas, God was igniting another Buyamba flame in California that started with a Ugandan woman named Samalie Malindwa. Samalie had been in ministry for years with Pastor Dongo and Florence in Uganda, growing Kabalagala Pentecostal Church. Samalie remembers the day that there was no church building and

they would be evangelizing in the streets of Kabalagala, knowing that God wanted ministry in the middle of the growing city. As the street church grew into a tent, then a building, Samalie served alongside the pastor couple as KPC’s accountant.

In 2000, Samalie moved in with her sister Milly and husband, Placide DaSilva, to Thousand Oaks, California. When Dongo visited the U.S. in 2001, he contacted Samalie, and she invited him to visit. Milly and Placide introduced their new Ugandan friend, Pastor Dongo, to their own Pastor, Larry DeWitt, at Calvary Community Church in Westlake Village the following Sunday. Milly recalls that they found Pastor Larry right before church started to make an introduction. Even though Pastor Larry met Pastor Dongo five minutes before the service, he recalls, “God put on my heart to be open to this Ugandan brother, and I also trusted the integrity of Milly and Placide.”

As Pastor Larry walked up to the platform, he introduced Bethuel Dongo as his Ugandan brother and shared Dongo’s mission to care for orphans. He asked the church to join him in prayer over Dongo. The next week, Pastor Larry invited him to meet the whole staff, and Dongo captivated their hearts as he told the story of his many children. Then Dongo prayed over them. Those two prayers that week, united their hearts and thus the 16-year partnership with Calvary Community Church began. Pastor Kirk DeWitt ran the Missions Department at that time and he and his father Larry began to strategize on how to help. Pastor Larry felt that there

needed to be photographers sent to Uganda to take pictures that could tell the story, so when Milly went to Kirk to ask if maybe Calvary should send a team of people to see the work happening on the ground, the church was ready.

Milly recalls that when she asked who should lead such a trip, Pastor Kirk said “This is a great idea and YOU are the leader to do it!” Milly and Placide led that first Calvary Community mission trip with a team of 26 people. More than half of these were high school students who were added to the team at the last minute. The planned high school trip to Zimbabwe had been cancelled due to the political climate at the time. The team returned called and charged to care for the children of Uganda, and the church involvement grew, sending teams every year, sponsoring children, and helping with significant building support for God Cares Schools.

God was also moving in individual hearts. Degna Horton was walking in the mall one day when she saw Pastor Dongo and the DaSilvas walking the other way. She felt the Lord’s connection to the three and felt that one of them was a pastor, but she didn’t know them. She prayed that if the Lord wanted them to meet, He would allow their paths to cross again.

She prayed that if the Lord wanted them to meet, He would allow their paths to cross again.

Degna Horton - Board Member

Degna ended up sitting in church that same Sunday that Dongo was introduced. She went up to him after service and told him the story of seeing him the previous day. She recalls, “Pastor Dongo took my hand and said, this is truly a divine appointment.” Degna had many connections, and she soon started making them. She became an ambassador for the ministry, connecting people both in California and other states. Pastor Dongo would stay with Keith and Degna Horton for years to come, and he affectionately called Degna “Madam Secretary” as she would schedule meetings each visit with different churches, schools and individuals that would evolve into lasting partnerships.