Widows in Agago District

This group specifically asked me to spend some time ministering to the widows in the church. Often the coordinating pastor – typically someone who knows me well – senses a resonance with the specific church group we’re with and invites me to share my experience as a widow at a deeper level with the other widows. Our goal is to help them realize that God will use all things for the good of those who love him and have been called according to his purpose. In this church, I found something I really don’t recall seeing elsewhere. The dozen or so widows formed their own group – they ranged in age from 24 to 64 – and all were helping one another. I have not even seen this kind of solidarity and unity in a non-widow group. They absolutely loved one other, sacrificed for one another, encouraged and strengthened one another, and were an abundant blessing to our Father. What could I possibly teach them? They were so instrumental in instructing and loving me. Wow. More Lord!

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Pastors in Agago District

I am constantly amazed at how often I’m asked to minister directly with the pastors who attend such workshops. I feel entirely inadequate to teach these men of God and yet somehow they feel they’ve learned something when we’ve finished together. I have increasingly come to realize how much these men love God and how much they long to know him more. So many topics for discussion are taboo for pastors and we typically begin by discussing the importance of confidentiality…particularly for their wives. We discuss the issue of feeling alone and the value of solidarity (and thus the importance of confidentiality). We discuss the higher standard these couples are or ought to be held to. We talk about the role of pastors’ wives in the church and so many other issues. Typically a time of question and answer reveals similar concerns among the various groups with whom I’ve spent time and somehow they feel comfortable exposing their vulnerabilities to me as we pray together for the wisdom of God.

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Agago District Church

Praises ring out in the distance, praises of thanksgiving that the visitor has finally arrived. It was 8:30 pm and the 12 hour journey via boda, taxi, then bus from Entebbe to Kitgum and then 1.5 hour via boda to the venue rendered me safe but tired. The people in Agago District, bordering Southern Sudan, have been waiting for me since Thursday (it’s now Monday). They came expecting a Friday-Saturday program but the bus that would deliver me was down, then it became a special hire. Only on Sunday was that bus finally able to take me to this place. Pastor told the people to go home because he wasn’t sure when I’d be able to come, but they refused. They stayed and praised, fasted, and prayed for my safe arrival. Wow, this is what it means to have your hope is in the Lord.

The group of more than 85 remained steadfast during their waiting and well after my arrival. Our worship and teaching together was lovely. Two of the most common comments offered at the conclusion of the workshops pretty much wherever we go are 1) how practical, applicable, and valuable the teaching is, and 2) how thankful they are that someone would come all the way to where they live to teach rather than simply staying in comfortable Kampala where only the most privileged can afford to attend. Thank you, Jesus, for knowing what the people need and for making me portable.

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Teaching, Preaching, and Speaking in Bundibugyo

I’d been invited to work alongside Bishop Hannington to develop material for a publishing opportunity primarily because of my unique combination of experience in publishing and in Uganda. As usual, God used that opportunity to create a partnership with Surprised by Hope that Bishop and I believe will help the various communities where his 26 churches are located. I must reveal, however, that there seems to be some secret behind the red socks regularly adorning his feet.

Our first work together was teaching a one-day, biblically-based business workshop. I love the opportunity to show people that God is in everyday life. This particular group of pastors and lay leaders came from Congo, Rwanda, and the greater Bundibugyo area. They’d heard Bishop announce the workshop on his radio program and because they trusted him, they felt they had to attend. I’ve taught this particular workshop – The Art and Science of Thinking – in dozens of villages and we always struggle with the aspect of creativity. But this group was crazy creative. They reported realizing that because they were created in God’s image they could be creative too, and feeling that their mind had been opened to new ways of applying their thinking skills in their churches and personal lives. Yea!

The second opportunity to work together involved me preaching at Mitunda Church. I continue to rebel against the idea that I am equipped to be a preacher and I continue to agree when the opportunity presents itself. This Charismatic Episcopal church offered more traditional practices that what I’m familiar with so the service was interesting. The message was about having a singular focus on God so that he could equip us for his work. The most interesting part, in my mind, was when the Bishop invited all the Congolese refugees to come for prayer. He invited me to pray over them and I regretted not being so bold as to take a photo. About 20 people in this church of maybe 50 came from Congo with nothing into a place that had almost nothing and yet they were welcomed, loved, and supported.

The third opportunity to work together involved speaking on the Voice of Bundi radio program. I definitely did not want to speak in such a formal environment. I lacked confidence. A friend prayed with me and for me, he prayed anointing and favor, he kept me focused on preparing for that message. So thankful for him. When the time came, the message was short but powerful. The station phones rang off the hook and the two pastors’ phones rang nonstop. Several invitations to come teach at various churches were made. The station manager snuck into the room and gave us another 15 minutes of program time. People seemed relieved to address the issue of business focus, cheating and bribery, and customer service.

I’m so thankful for the many opportunities Bishop Hannington created for me to teach, preach, and speak about God’s Word through business.

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You Stole My Wife

Bundibugyo is just a few kilometers from the DR Congo border where war is driving Congolese families to seek refuge in Uganda. These Bundibugyo communities tend to be a happy mixture of nationalities, languages, and customs. I attribute this acceptance to recent memories of their own war-torn past resulting from the likes of rulers like Idi Amin and Joseph Koney.

Though one young pastor-refugee reported that after crossing the border, a Ugandan man took his wife. Very likely she felt that as a refugee her husband could no longer provide for her. Given the very practical nature of marriage in these East African village communities, her survival was surer in the hands of the Ugandan. The sad realities of life in such places.

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The School that War Built

Following is Bishop’s description of how the school came about. Any errors can be attributed to my own inability to type as fast as he spoke. I love seeing how clearly God used a bad circumstance to make something good and bring him glory.

Congolese rebels attacked Uganda. When they did, they caused a lot of displacement. We found ourselves in IDC. The International Steward workshop taught principles of stewardship and generous giving: Four key principles 1) everything belongs to God 2) stewards of what god has entrusted us with 3) God has work for all these resources 4) no scarcity of money but scarcity of stewards.

In the camps, there were so many orphans and no one to care for them. When the government gave food, they had no one to go and get food for them from these programs. God opened my eyes and showed me that the church could stand in the gap for them. They could be part of our family, we could help the older ones start their own temporary structures. Even if we give them shelter and food, they still needed education. The church elders and church people started making contributions to provide for the education and requirements. Soon, the number of orphans we cared for grew very big. I saw they needed Christian instruction, particularly when the number grew so large. They could not have good instruction about Christ if they were scattered in all kinds of schools, so we gathered them to our own school.

People in the church volunteered to teach them. They started raising money in the church to start paying them. Now the students were too many. We needed more teachers, shelters, and the construction of classrooms. In time, we built three classrooms – Mt. Zion One Orphanage School. As the school flourished very many orphans came. The church could no longer meet all their needs. Now we opened the school to all children so that they can pay fees. When they pay their money will go toward the costs of the orphans. Keep the number of paying students to 50% of the number of orphans so that we don’t look commercial.

People around were not well off and so meeting the fees for paying children was difficult. God gave me the idea of moving to this town because people are better off, they’re working class. We opened the town school for paying students and that money goes to the village school.

The school / church

 

These boys finished their work and are lounging in the kitchen.
All the logs are for the fire needed to prepare meals.

Boarding students are responsible for their own laundry.

Drying the laundry Leslie-style. Though the day is so moist,
I doubt any actual drying took place.

The future canteen where students will purchase
requirements, sugar, and other needed items.

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Traveling to Bundibugyo

A diesel-fuel high made my ears ring as I contemplated how many people in Uganda died from such daily inhalation only to blame the likes of pneumonia or ulcers. Our eventual bus departure was met with great relief and a few aspirin. The journey was relatively uneventful given my recent trip to Congo, though no disappointment crossed these lips. After passing through the surprisingly large town of Fort Portal, the topography changed dramatically. The formerly lush green rolling hills gave way to far reaching mountains.

On this day ominous clouds hid the peaks of the Rwenzori mountains bordering the Great Rift Valley. Bordering DR Congo and sharing Lake Albert, Bundibugyo is rich with moist air and a variety of thick green vegetation, particularly given that this is rainy season. Stark contrasts play with my mind as I enjoy the freshly paved roads, mile markers, painted lines, guard rails, and road signs. Can I really still be in Uganda? Alighting at the taxi park, the end of the route, I waited for what would be a broadly smiling face to meet me. Bishop Hannington arrived on a boda with Pastor Timothy and gave up his seat so that I could join them all at their home.

That modern road system is juxtaposed against stick and mud houses made in the traditional fashion. Those who are less fortunate build their homes with what they find around them, crooked tree branches and clay mud gathered after the rains. Dried grass often protects the occupants from the elements. The Bishop’s house, like those who are only slightly more financially secure, was built with clay bricks made from the ground just outside the door and covered with a plaster mixture requiring the purchase of cement and sand.

A warm Ugandan welcome followed that long journey.

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Busing Uganda Style

Grabbing my bags before I could even protest, questionable bus attendants ushered me to the bus park at the same time demanding to know my destination. Stumbling past crowds of people, trying to keep up with my now fast-moving luggage, I struggled to keep up. Pushing me into the front seat of the big green Link bus, the attendant instructed me to wait the nearly three hours in the plastic covered seats as sleepy faces gradually filled in the gaps.

The Buganda Bus Park is home to most major long distance bus carriers and eager attendants sometimes get a little overbearing. Fights among them often break out with the customer caught in the middle. This is no place for the faint of heart – know where you’re going, know which bus line you need, and hold on to your bags. More importantly…know what time your bus departs.

I arrived at 6:00 am that morning sure of the 7:00 departure, based on past experience, only to find that the bus I needed was scheduled to depart at 9:00 am. Of course! Oh well, the early arrival gave me the opportunity to change buses three times and to allow one particular bus attendant to pave the way for me at each change. Eventually, he invited me for tea which would have meant leaving my plastic throne behind…and perhaps the bus departure as well. I remained.

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Church Leadership Meeting

Sunday evening would be my last ministry responsibility in Marereni and in Kenya. Leaders of those churches founded by Pastor Tsofa came together for an evening of encouragement and teaching. We talked about some basic principles in establishing the church, as well as some leadership principles, character qualities, and the role of their wives in their churches.

Pastor Tsofa loves his wife and he acts like it. In a culture where public displays of affection are frowned upon, rather than pretending she’s a stranger, he acknowledges her role in the church and his life at every opportunity. He loves her. His agenda for our time together often included some ministry teaching about the role of women in the church and marriage. I love seeing he and Elizabeth together and remembering that people who saw Rick and I together knew that we loved one another too.

Several of these pastors didn't even have a Bible in their own language from which to preach. Thanks to Beaverdam Baptist Church, they do now!

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Preaching at Jesus Gathering Center

New churches often come under attack of the enemy and this church was no different. Teaching about the battlefield in the mind and how the enemy will use the mind to destroy the church before it starts, many people responded to the call for specific prayer to win their battle. So thankful for the opportunity to preach again, but still feeling inadequate for the job. It’s these times when I must truly rely on God for his direction and his voice to come to the people at their greatest need.

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Biblically-based Business Teaching in Marereni

Marereni is the more centrally located venue where the three day workshop would take place. This new church boasted an iron sheet roof and open air walls. I was thankful for those open walls in this oven-like place. Following our time of praise and worship along with introductions, Pastor Tsofa quickly handed the translator’s microphone to Pastor Njuguna. Pastor Njuguna came to this three day workshop because we’d not done anything like it when I was with him and he desired to reinforce his learning from previous workshops. By now he has become an expert translator for me, not an easy task given the complex business concepts to which so few people have been exposed.

Pastor Tsofa shared some of the challenges they’re experiencing in this church and I was thankful to have the opportunity to pray with him about those challenges. During the second day of the workshop, the people asked for the opportunity to ask questions. As is common, the questions surrounded the role of women in the church and in the marriage. I was honored and blessed to provide some biblically-based teaching in this area. At one point I could feel God really take over, as the words from my mouth could never have been so well phrased.

Our aim was encouraging husbands to teach their wives about church business and to hear the voice of God. We also aimed at encouraging wives to be sensitive to the Spirit and to respond to their husbands accordingly. I can’t begin to properly explain all that was delivered but it was good stuff. Both the men and women received this teaching very well. The women, though, were excited to realize they have an important role to play and that their husbands welcome their participation. A small celebratory gift-giving ceremony at the end of the Sunday service resulted in a beautiful new outfit for me bought and paid for by these ladies. I am so humbled. God is truly amazing.

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Church as Business in Adu

Adu is another small village about an hour by motorcycle off the main road. The third of Pastor Tsofa’s churches was organized for a full day seminar for pastors (and anyone else wishing to attend). At one point during our ride I asked Pr Tsofa if any people would be there because I hadn’t seen any in a looooong time. The more than 50 people who came certainly traveled quite a distance. Seventeen pastors among the group were the target of my business teaching about asset-based development with special emphasis on application in the lives of pastors and their churches.

The response from this group was tremendous. Very sharp and eager to learn more. More promises to return for a bigger conference. The feedback was so positive. One pastor thanked me for bringing very practical teaching. Another thanked me for showing them how God intersects their business lives in addition to their church lives. One man even commented that no missionary had ever been to Adu nor had he ever heard any teaching like this until now. Wow, God in his infinite wisdom spoke to Pr Tsofa and I about the needs in this area and all we had to do was be obedient.

Until one man…one man asked a question that took me back to the very beginning when I introduced myself. He said, “You told us that if your husband didn’t die you wouldn’t be here. How can you say such a thing?” I had the lovely opportunity to talk about Rick and about how all he did to support and encourage me prepared me for this work in East Africa. I had the chance to talk about how God makes all things work together for his good. Honestly, I love the opportunity to share my story in more detail. I love testifying to God’s grace in my life. And then…one lady left the workshop in tears. I sensed the recent loss in her own life and excused myself while Pastor Tsofa wound up the program. Meeting her in a small dark room behind the church, I prayed with this woman. We didn’t understand one another’s language but the Spirit groans on our behalf. What a lovely moment between sisters. Thank you, Jesus, for the simple things.

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Church Encouragement Outside Marereni

“You are a real missionary,” said Pastor Tsofa as he rode me on the back of a borrowed motorcycle. He indicated that no one he knows would have endured such a ride. Probably no one he knows would have looked as scary as I did once we arrived either. Humidity worked a number on my curls as did the wind and sun on my face and shoulders. A red-skinned, mop-headed missionary…that’s me.

More than an hour off the main road, trekking through coastal loose sand surrounded by thorny bushes and trees, we reached Shibe Pentecostal Worship Center. Warm welcomes from all and we began our time of encouragement. Our session was short at this venue and so our very brief message of hope and encouragement with promises to return for a real conference went quickly. Though, the worship at this church was something I’ve never heard before in my life. The key was something that reminded me of old sea chants. It was absolutely amazing. Goose bumps permanently resided on my flesh and it definitely wasn’t from the cold.

Moving along to the next venue, Mutoroni Jesus Gathering Center, again we were warmly welcomed. This open ceilinged church was filled with children dancing and praising God. A short message of hope and encouragement for this fledgling church resulted in promises to return yet again. Pastor Tsofa leads the pastors of these two and four other churches and is planning a big ministry conference for them all in 2014. 

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Hell's Kitchen

Before being handed off to Pastor Tsofa, Pastor Njuguna took me to Hell. Hell’s Kitchen that is. He must know the tiring effects of constant ministry and so planned a relaxing hike through this touristy site. Well…relaxing if you don’t mind climbing on loose gravel in sandals and not being able to find your way out before dark until someone yells down from the top about where to go. God’s beautiful creation…enjoy!

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Preaching at Mountain of Glory Church

I love the pre-service dancing.
Dancing is how I connected with Pr Njuguna three years ago.

I shake my head (on the inside) when I’m invited to preach at various churches. I continue to maintain that I am not a preacher. My obstinence on this fact comes not from a fear of speaking in front of people, but instead from a sense that the pastor who I may be replacing is far better equipped to preach than I am. I take the pastor’s role seriously and fear I might mess up some lives if I say something the wrong way. Yikes. And yet, if God wants to use clumsy me who am I to say no. Perhaps this is his equipping process.

I taught about the battlefield of the mind and how that battle is the enemy’s means to keep us separated from God. The cool thing is that two weeks later I returned to the same schools with Pastor Njuguna to preach to the children there again. When recapping what I’d taught during the last visit one of the children stood and said I’d taught about the battle in the mind. Well…it’s not what I taught at the school but I was thrilled to know he listened and remembered when he was at church. Yahoo! Hey…I’ll take any little encouragement I can get.

Please pray that these children’s minds are protected from the enemy as they grow.

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Pastor Njuguna's Entrepreneurship

As with almost every pastor in village East Africa, Pastor Njuguna has several income generating projects funding his life and ministry. Some of these ideas, I’m happy to report, came from Surprised by Hope’s asset-based development workshop. Pastor served as my translator for that course back in February and took those lessons to heart.

To begin, the church is digging a well to provide water for use on the church farm and for sale to nearby families. He’s raising rabbits for sale to tourist restaurants…though it’s difficult to multiply them given that he had only two and…one escaped. He’s built a chicken coop to house future chickens. He’s gardening – currently tomatoes – using irrigation to make these fruits available in the off seasons. And he runs a “general store” in the village center.

They very same day we prayed together for the favor of the Lord to multiply his work exponentially, Pastor Njuguna received a phone call about another income generating opportunity. This man works so hard to grow his church and his spiritual family. I love watching God increase his territory!

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Four Film Flurry

Small wooden benches jammed with eager children littered the Mountain of Glory church in Marikebuni, Kenya. As darkness descended, adults began replacing those small sleepy heads so that by the time the second film began there were more than 50 adults in attendance. Given the distance between homes, this number is pretty significant.

Four NOOMA films – Rain, Lump, Luggage, and She – offered these Kiswahili speakers a visual telling of some key messages found in Scripture. Never before had these people seen such messages packed in a visual form they could understand. Though some of the visual images may have been outside their understanding, Pastor Njuguna retold the stories in Kiswahili with explanations where necessary.   

The best part…Pastor Njuguna indicated that post film interaction with people revealed that they seemed to understand these simple messages from Scripture in a new way given the visual mode of delivery. Isn’t that what they were intended to do?

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