With just a week remaining before the Alabama Legislature is called into regular session in Montgomery, Senate President Pro Tem-designate Garlan Gudger (R-Cullman) and his wife, Heather, are busy answering an even higher calling 8,000 miles away.
Snow was in the forecast when the couple departed Alabama on January 20, but much different conditions were awaiting when they reached their destination in Uganda.
The Gudgers are currently on a mission trip and traveling through remote villages and towns in the African nation to open an orphanage — the sixth opened over the last several years — serving children in extreme need.
The couple also attended a graduation ceremony for a workforce development program they support that trains Ugandan women for skilled jobs like tailoring to help support their families.
The mission trip is Sen. Gudger’s sixth to the region and his wife’s second.
“When I was a young man at First Baptist Church in Cullman, a missionary came to speak about mission work in Africa, and I remember praying to God right then that I would do anything He ever asked except go to Africa,” Gudger told Yellowhammer News.
“I planned, and God laughed, and 40 years later, I am making yearly mission trips to Africa with my wife, which is something we both love.”
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Married for 23 years, the Gudgers hope to bring their two sons with them next year.
The senator’s commitment to mission work continues a legacy his late father began 15 years ago when he helped Daystar Cathedral fund and build a Christian radio station called Grace Radio in Uganda.
Gudger freely admits that at the time he objected to his father’s financial commitment, but today he understands the importance of that single decision.
“My father had been assured that Grace Radio would be heard by two million people a day, and back then I was certainly skeptical of that promise and estimate,” Gudger said. “But after years of expanding the license, the station currently allows the word of God to be heard daily by roughly 10 million Ugandans, Kenyans, and Rwandans in a region where televisions are scarce but most own and listen to radios.”
The mission trip is jointly sponsored by Daystar Church in Cullman and the One30 organization, which was founded on the idea that just $30 a month can sponsor and care for a child currently living in poverty.
“One30 engages in projects like constructing well-built and safe orphanages, installing water filters in order to provide safe drinking water, and other life-saving efforts,” Gudger said.
“The missionaries on the ground help breathe life into struggling children by feeding them, dressing them, educating them, and teaching them that they have self worth, and Heather and I consider it an honor to help make that happen.”
Gudger said he understands there are people in need in Alabama and across the United States, and while he, his wife, and his church are also deeply involved in domestic charity efforts, his mission work recognizes that “every soul is a priority of God” regardless of where it resides.
He noted that his mission work is fulfilling, but it can also be difficult, especially in a place like Uganda, where the average person earns just $2.50 a day.
“It involves long plane flights and jet lag that makes you forget what day it is, lots of dirt floors, and witnessing gut-wrenching poverty in villages each day, but all of that reminds us how fortunate we are to be Americans and Alabamians,” Gudger said. “At the same time, it allows you to reset mentally and reminds you that we have a moral responsibility to use our resources, time, money, and influence to help those less fortunate than ourselves.”
Gudger is scheduled to end his 10-day mission and return to Alabama on January 30, just a few days before the 2025 regular legislative session begins on February 4, but he has devoted what little downtime he has in Uganda to making plans, reviewing legislation, and coordinating with fellow lawmakers through phone calls, texts, and emails despite the nine hour time difference and often spotty service.
“I scheduled this mission trip a year ago, long before anyone knew that I would be nominated by the Republican Caucus as the body’s new Senate president pro tem,” Gudger said.
“After giving more hope to the people of Uganda, we’ll get off of the airplane and go straight to providing Alabamians with more jobs, even better opportunities, and a quality education system that ensures bright futures for our own state’s children.”
Grayson Everett is the editor in chief of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @Grayson270.
