The taxi turned north, escaping the congestion in Kampala and making its way through the suburbs. Bustling city scenes were replaced with undulating hills and forests, and the mood of the travelers shifted along with the view.

Less than two hours from the capital city of Uganda, a space opened up that promised rest, creativity, and opportunity. This was the vision Haggai leader Javis Mugagga Lubwama had for the Beauvais Retreat Center, a vision that ultimately became a beautiful reality.

Javis and his wife, Gladys, have long dreamed of creating spaces, platforms, and opportunities for people to thrive as they deepen their relationship with Jesus. Early on in their marriage, they hosted groups of young adults in their home where they would develop friendships and mentor them in a safe environment. Coming from a polygamous community, Javis wanted to show the local youth a different way of life that aligned itself with the Bible, rather than a cultural perspective.

From those early days of mentoring, followed by a formal role as a discipleship coordinator for a non-governmental organization in Kampala, Javis carried the idea of having a location to share the Gospel and equip people from all walks of life: leaders and laypeople alike. He told Gladys about his vision and even went as far as drawing up some architectural plans early in 2014.

Gladys remembers, “It was really a huge, huge idea to me because we didn’t have any money, we didn’t have land, not even any resources that we thought we could use to develop all this. But I kept on encouraging him because I believe every story comes from someone believing in you.”

Four years later, when Javis attended the Haggai Leader Experience in Maui, his vision finally gained momentum. After being part of a program that exuded excellence in all areas, Javis was inspired to bring this experience back to Uganda. He remembers walking into his Haggai Leader Experience and seeing the John Haggai quote in bold print:

“Attempt something so great for God that it’s doomed to failure unless God be in it!”

He knew then and there that God was speaking to him. He says, “Beyond motivation, Haggai gave me the model.”

Javis returned to Uganda and discussed the changes he wanted with his architect. Besides connecting previously separated buildings, he also included a chapel at the center of the retreat, echoing the idea that everything they wanted to do would be centered on the teachings of Jesus. Even the way he and Gladys went about finding land and securing loans was preceded by prayer and utter reliance on God’s generous provision.

Starting with only four acres of land, the Beauvais Retreat Center now sits on 16 acres and has the potential to accommodate up to 60 people. Still in its building phase, Javis tells story after story of how even this season has been an opportunity to mentor the 100+ men who are working on the building site. He says, “We befriend them, but we’re also modeling things; not just telling them. Eventually, they pick up one or two things beyond just getting an income, which has a good impact on their lives. So the drive for me is that one life that we touch.”

The Beauvais Retreat Center is just one of the ways Javis and Gladys, along with their three children, are impacting their community in Uganda. While they await its completion, they continue to run other areas in their ministry called LayLife, the goal of which is to equip the layperson to be involved in evangelism, education, and entrepreneurship. In addition to the retreat center, they are providing a food assistance program to keep young children in school, teaching character formation classes to develop high schoolers, and offering microloans that help small businesses succeed.

Everything is done through the lens of creating spaces and opportunities to make Jesus known.

As Gladys says, “We can create space for equipping, we can create opportunities for business, but if we don’t create places where people can see Jesus, it’s all for nothing.”

Written by Carolyn Grant