I arrived at the town center in Buwenge before Pastor Fred
was ready for me. After purchasing a bottle of water at the supermarket I
stepped outside. An invitation from Achmed resulted in my sitting on a bench
next to him and several other men who were speaking in Lusoga. Had they
conversed in Luganda I might have had a chance to understand and participate in
the conversation, but it was not to be. Achmed is a business owner who
transports produce to and from various places around Kampala. He was quite
interested in my favorite meal and then buying me lunch that day before I
headed back to town. Although I politely declined, he persisted. I also
discovered that he and another nearby man were negotiating which would become
my husband. Thank goodness Pastor Fred arrived with his wife Justine and their
baby Claudia.
Pastor Fred has been so instrumental in arranging teaching
and ministry opportunities in the Jinja area. This week he invited me to preach
a church he planted about 10 years ago. Victory Family Center is similar to so
many other churches in Uganda. Unfinished brick walls sopped wherever the brick
supply was finished. Metal sheets supported by rough timber sticks shielded us
from the sun (and half baked us too). Worship had already begun and the sounds
of joy filled the enclosure.
I’m not sure God has called me to be a preacher but three
invitations could not go ignored. I continue to feel the Holy Spirit
highlighting a few key concepts to me, concepts that are somehow engrained in
this culture – and to be honest, probably every mind since the Fall. Given the
opportunity, I teach about things that have to do with the way we think and
what we think about. Battlefield of the Mind and The Art and Science of
Thinking contain such essential messages if we are to gain freedom from the
oppressor.
 |
| Pr Fred's Adorable Claudia |
I’ll never really know how I performed as a preacher, and
maybe that’s a good thing. Lots of people came to the alter for prayer to be
set free from captivity in their own minds. At the same time we prophesied,
prayed for healing, and then…all the children started coming. Something happened
in the children there. I don’t know how it started but eventually almost every
child came for prayer seemingly without prompting from their parents. Maybe it
was the muzungu factor but God was showing me that we need to pray for
protection over these minds that have yet to be corrupted by the enemy. Please
join me in continuing to pray for these children and that they not become
gripped by the same generational plagues so prevalent in this country.