Muslim Evangelizes for Christ?

One of the projects I’ve been working with the church on here in Kampala, is starting a network of Cell Groups. These are small groups that meet in home all around the city on a couple designated nights each month to pray and care for individual needs. There are several more challenges to launching such a project here than in the United States. For example, both transportation and communication are much more expensive and complicated here. Most people do not have a car and therefore must take public transport to a meeting. Because most roads are not paved outside of downtown and there are no traffic lights, traffic congestion is usually awful, therefore, it takes a long time to get places. Furthermore, while everyone has a cell phone, the system here is not by monthly contract, but by prepaid airtime that you load on your phone. And, many of our cell leaders can not afford to call the members of their own Cell groups to check in on them or remind them of the next meeting.

Despite, these challenges, Cell Groups have gotten off to a great start! The Church has 15 Groups that meet in different neighborhoods, and every week we are hearing different testimonies of how groups are growing and people are getting saved. But, here is one particularly astonishing story.

In Uganda, it is very common for every household to have help with cooking or cleaning, no matter how poor. I view it as the way they help distribute the wealth. Anyway, the “help” for one particular Host Home is Muslim. While she does not participate in the Cell Group, she is always present to help serve tea. So one night, the Muslim Helper invites a friend to visit the Cell Group. Her friend ends up receiving prayer and accepting Christ into her life! What a stunning conversion story - to be invited to a Christian Cell Group by a Muslim friend and then end of following Christ! It’s a good reminder that God does not see the same social barriers that we do.

Standing on the Equator

Living in Kampala, Uganda, I find myself only one hours drive away from the Equator. Not having a car here, it wasn’t terribly convenient to get to for me. However, it just doesn’t sound that cool to say, “I’ve been an hour away from the Equator.” So we took a drive to the Equator. There isn’t too much to see there, other than the line drawn across the street, that shows which is the North side and which is the South Side of the world along with several African Craft Vendors that have set up shop for the tourists that pass through. So here is my picture, proving, I have visited the Equator. I have had a foot in each hemisphere simultaneously. See how much cooler that sounds, than saying I was an hour away. In fact, in all actuality, I have STRADDLED the Equator..….. Need I go on? Now, I can also say, I have been to the middle of world…..Well, I guess you get my point.

God's Thoughts Towards Me

When I am downcast, how often has God give me a specific encouragement from His Word? How many times through the years has God given me a promise for my life? These are messages that shouldn’t be forgotten, not only because they are from God, but, because they are eternal words; words suitable not just for the present, but also for a lifetime. And I have failed to be a good steward of God’s messages for my life. I’m reading a book right now that urges that you keep an ongoing list of God’s promises to you. So here is the beginning of my own list…..

o Prov 3:5-6 - Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. (NKJV)

o Isa 40:31 - But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. (NKJV)

o Phil 1:6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ

o Isa 61:1-4 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion-- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. (NIV)

o Est 4:14 -For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" (NIV)

o Dan 6:4 So the governors and satraps sought to find some charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find no charge or fault, because he was faithful; nor was there any error or fault found in him.

o Eph 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,

o Mal 3:11-12 - "And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field," Says the LORD of hosts; And all nations will call you blessed, For you will be a delightful land," (NKJV)o Phil 4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, present your requests to God.

o II Tim 4:21 If anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.

Mr. and Mrs. Gecko - The 2nd Chapter

Many of you will remember my very first blog I ever wrote was about my friend Mr. Gecko. To recap, Mr. Gecko was the original tenant of my room in Uganda on the missionary field. When I moved in, we became roommates. I was indebted to Mr. Gecko for keeping our room clear of spiders and other creeping, crawly things, and therefore forgave him for failing to pick up his ”droppings” that he left scattered around the room. (Boys just don’t have the same sense of propriety as girls do!) And I figured that every roommate has their failings, it’s just a matter of choosing which ones you can live with! Nevertheless, I felt a certain amount of sadness, that he was unable to roam free with other geckos and a little concerned that maybe a measly spider here and there wasn’t enough food for the little guy. So one day, he was resting close to the door, so I help point him in the right direction; in other words, I shooed him out. I was sad to see him go, but felt all noble in doing the right thing. About an hour later, still reveling in my good work for the day, I saw another Gecko crossing the wall. I was horrified! This whole time I thought I was only living with Mr. Gecko, but the fact was that I was living with Mr. AND Mrs. Gecko! I had single-handedly split up a marriage. To makes matters worse, I began noticing a gecko on the outside of my screened windows. I imagined it was Mr. Gecko staring longingly in for his lost mate. As I am feeling guilty about the family I separated, I determined to help Mr. Gecko and Mrs. Gecko reunite. Then just last week I saw something that released me of this heavy burden. I watched as a gecko slid through a crack between the window pane, that from my angle didn’t look big enough for even a penny to slide through. However, this crack was big enough for Mr. and Mrs. Gecko to come and go as they please! Unbelievable! Here I had discovered Mr. and Mrs. Gecko’s personal front door entrance to our abode. Not only did I not split up Mr. and Mrs Gecko…… by the increase of “droppings” left around, I think they may be actually hosting parties in my room!

Ugandan Wedding

The Ugandan wedding is one of a lifetime experiences……HOPEFULLY. Though a great experience to add to Sarah’s Life Bank, it is seven hours that I don’t know that I would necessarily choose to live again.

Nevertheless, it did give me a cause to put on a Busuti is the traditional Uganda wear for women; differentiated from other traditional wear of African countries, by the material that rises in a dagger-like form from the shoulders. Furthermore, before putting the garment on though, these woman wrap themselves in several layers of clothe in order to add bulk to their bodies. I had to remove some of the layers or I was sure to faint in the heat or fall over from the weight of it all! While I felt a little like a girl in a bad Halloween costume, I received very many impressive compliments, primarily “You look soooo smart!” (Uganda English for, “Girl, you sure look hot!”)

In the wedding everyone who brought a gift (or money) for the Bride and Groom, present it personally to them in a format similar to our US wedding custom to get in line to greet the new Husband and Wife. Another distinction is instead of just serving cake to each other, the Bride and Groom also present cake to their in-laws, as a sign of thanks for the time and care they invested into their new spouse. Also, worth mentioning is, it is still common practice in Uganda and most African countries to present a dowry to the Bride’s parents. Depending on the wealth of the gentleman, or the value placed on a daughter by her parents, the dowry could range from a Bible to several cows or goats!

Health Update

Thank you everyone for your prayers!! Here is the update from doctors here in South Africa. First, the results of the Cat Scans, of my head and abdomen, came back negative for tumors!

However, I have been diagnosed with a genetic disorder called Metabolic Syndrome. This Syndrome is characterized by an under-active thyroid and insulin resistance. These problems not only cause high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure in the present, but diabetes and heart problems in the future. The most frustrating thing about all of this is that after seeing a dietitian, they said I'm already making all the right health decisions with diet choices and exercise! Nevertheless, diet and exercise continue to be key factors in stopping the progression of this disease. They think the reason it took so long to identify the problems is because my level of exercise in the States kept many symptoms at bay.

I am currently on four medications. The primary one is to help stop the progression of diabetes by helping my insulin process sugar. And another one is to bring my cholesterol levels down. I will come back to the United States in April for three weeks. There I will do a second round of tests to judge how my body is responding to the medication, as well as get a second opinion. I will return to Uganda to finish my planned time until July.

Continued Prayer Support for….

• My hormone and insulin levels respond positively to medication
• International Insurance reimburses me for my medical attention in South Africa
• That the necessary diet restrictions will be easy to adapt to
• That the progression of problems will reverse itself

One final thought; Right now, God willing, my plan is to return to Uganda in 2009 after working for six months in the States and saving money. There is great work to be done in Uganda! However, without access to regular exercise and appropriate diet, as well as a positive response to regular medication, this will not be possible.

Assessing Life in Light of Death

Since arriving in Uganda, I’ve developed an onslaught of symptoms that begin to raise concerns about my health. Initial doctors in Uganda, said not to worry it is just a cultural change. But, knowing my body, I felt that I should seek a second opinion. So while here in South Africa I saw a specialist. After several tests, he acknowledged something is definitely wrong and sent me on to another specialist. I’m hardly a hypochondriac, and to be honest the possibility was pretty minute, nevertheless, when unsure of the future, once can not stop the mind from pondering over all the potential scenarios, that life might go. One lesson we get as you get older is; you begin to learn how life can change dramatically in a single moment of time. So what if my life was to dramatically change in a single moment?

What if I didn’t have as many “tomorrows” as I thought I did? Not really feeling like I was at death’s door, but nevertheless I thought, at age 27, if I wasn’t going to see a ripe old age, what changes would I make in my life right now? I rarely sit around and think about my own mortality and like your average 20-something, I’m not quite thinking about retirement plans yet. But, in light of this new perspective, I realized the answer was - nothing. And, that realization shocked me. Health permitting, I would choose to keep on with my endeavors in Uganda. I would still pay that money to fly back to the United States for my friends wedding, I would still choose that family vacation and

The only thing that I would maybe consider is not continuing on with my Masters in Business program. However, I would probably consider continuing working on my degree in Theology. One should never stop pursuing God. And gaining knowledge of God is the first step in knowing God. It is and will be an eternal pursuit, I think.

You always hear about those people who at the end of their life, wished that they had given up the pursuit wealth and “things.” They wished they had spent more time with their friends and family. And in light of my life through the lens of death, I realize that I have put relationships first….. so far. Should I pat myself on the back that, the thought of death would not force a radical change in my life? That my choices and priorities are correctly aligned in light of human frailty and mortality? And it is true that often, more than some, I have always assessed my life in each moment in light of eternity. And assessed each choice in light of James 4:14 which says our existence here is but a “mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes”. Plenty of writers in both the Old and New Testament refer to our lives as David did in Psalms as nothing more than “a single breath.“ In light of eternity, the difference between a person that lives 30 years and him that lives 70 years is really quite insignificant.

Now don’t going thinking that I am all noble and everything. In this rare moment of introspection; in light of thoughts of mortality, I am sad to think what future may be missed. And to be truly honestly, I think maybe I am just not old enough yet to have acquired such common distractions – like the pursuit of wealth instead of relationships. Maybe if I picked up a mortgage and a few kids, my focus would lose some of that eternal perspective and readjust a focus onto the material world. One can not guess what choices I will make a few years from now. Regardless, of what future might hold, assessment is always valuable and sometimes we need a little reminder how short our wick really is.

"Toto, we are not in Africa, anymore..."

I have left Africa without exiting the Continent. Welcome to Johannesburg, South Africa, aka. “Any Town, USA”. Now I am sure that if I stayed here long enough I would see significant cultural differences between South Africans and Americans, however at first glimpse, Joburg could be any city in California. Full of shopping malls with Louis Vutton , and as well as movie theaters. coffee shops, bookstores, and every kind of restaurant imaginable. Paved roads, phone lines, street lights, stop signs and crosswalks, are the first sign that this place is much different than Uganda. But, then you see clean streets, Audi’s (and my own personal red Mazda 3), as well as high-rise buildings with excellent construction. “Toto, we are not in Africa, anymore” ….. in fact we are in a completely different world then we have known in the last four months.

So I took an extra week in Johannesburg after 8 grueling days of training with World Vision. Bill and Joanne Scheidler, graciously opened up their house to me for a place to stay. On Sunday, I visited City Life Church, pastored by their daughter Gini and her husband James Monagham; both who my family have known for a long time. I also attended their Generation Church on Friday night (ages 12-21) and they sang many songs I recognized, including one from Donna Lasit!

I also got to meet up with a couple other friends that live here. We actually met one year ago on my tour through Egypt! We never imagined that we would be able to see each other again so soon. (It’s a small world) They took me on quite another adventure actually. We went about 90 minutes outside of the city to the bush and sped along on 14 different zip-lines that zig-zag back and forth across a canyon. They progressively increase in speed and you wear padded gloves that you use on the zip-line to slow your incoming speed into the next platform. I did do one day tour. I spent several hours in the Apartheid Museum. It depicts the incredible fall of the political policy of racial separation and therefore discrimination between blacks and whites in South Africa. We visited areas around town where you could see a few signs left behind as reminders of this separation; shops for those with Black skin and others for those with White skin, and separation in public transport as well as drinking fountains. Different tribes regulated to certain suburbs (or better described slums) around the city; in which to leave, you must have a pass to travel. I have already had a real “Safari Adventure,” but one thing I did the day before leaving South Africa was visit a Lion Park. This is the first time in my life I have ever seen a White Lion. Such beautiful creatures! Then you got to go play with the lion cubs that had been abandoned by their mothers. You felt like you could adopt one and take one home as a pet! They also had a couple Giraffes at the park that you could buy food to feed! So I filled my hand full of “giraffe food” which looks like nothing more than pieces of round cardboard to the human eye, but it sure looked attractive to that giraffe, as he wrapped is gooey, gristly, warm, (and moist) tongue around my hand to make sure not to lose a single bite!

Aids Education with World Vision

I am a strong proponent of not “reinventing the wheel” and not wanting to waste my time trying to figure out what would work and what wouldn’t. Therefore, I initiated a search for a good and impactful Aids Education program that had be tried and tested in Africa already. World Vision has a program call Channels of Hope that puts on workshops for Pastors about the AIDS pandemic and helps them strategize on how their church can personally be involved; whether it is counseling people with HIV in their churches, caring for the sick in their communities, or educating youth and church members about transmission and prevention. After being in Africa for just a short time you begin to quickly recognize how influential pastors are as a whole on the continent. They wield immense amounts of influence over the people that are in their congregations, even when it comes to their families health decisions. If a Pastor says to go to the doctor, they go, if he says just pray about it, they do. By educating Pastors, you are able to multiply the impact of that education, since each Pastor can represent anywhere from 200 to 1000 people. It is even further multiplied if you can mobilize an entire congregation to make strategies to reach their surrounding community. You can see the rippling affect such a strategy can have by simply targeting community leaders; which in this case is most of the Pastors anyway.

I was there representing Uganda, but as the first American to be trained in the program, my true nationality was often mentioned. I also was only one of two people who did NOT work directly for World Vision. It was a divine opportunity (God-ordained) to take part of such an eye-opening experience and gain access to such a great program and toolkit that is often reserved for those employed by World Vision. Present in the 8 day training were people from the African countries of Mozambique, Ghana, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, and Lesotho. And from the Eastern Europe countries of Georgia and Albania as well as the Latin American country of El Salvador. El Salvador, interestingly enough, I learned uses the US Dollar for their currency, in other words, they have no national currency! Through the years I have begun collecting a currency bill from each country I attend, but if I ever go to El Salvador, I’ll just have to keep one of our very own greenbacks! And, just as diverse as the countries, were the languages spoken. The workshop was in English, but two translators were present, one translated into Spanish and the other into Lesotho. Let me give a more vivid picture of how diverse of cultures were present in this eight day training. The trainer wanted to use riding a bike as an analogy for a particular session, however when she asked the group how many knew how to ride a bike, ONLY HALF raised their hands. How many people in the United States have never learned how to ride a bike? Maybe I assume to much, that such a practice is a staple for all children living in the United States, and I would be shocked to find out how many truly miss that lesson growing up in the US, nevertheless, I am quite certain that it would NOT be 50%!!

Again, World Vision’s Channels of Hope will be a great tool for incorporating AIDS Education into the Hope Village outreach programs. It is a strategy that I never anticipated before arriving to Uganda, but I believe will be even more impacting then any other idea. On my return to Kampala, we will be able to incorporate these three-day training sessions into the Bible College on Hope Village Property and another Bible College on Bussi Island, and we hope to also host a workshop for at least 50 Pastors in June on this topic of AIDS Education and how churches can be mobilized to reach this community.

4 Life Bibles - Soroti Youth Camp

We have purchased 1,000 New Testament Youth Bible’s!! After quite a bit of work and prayer getting them to Uganda, we have been able to give out our first 75 to youth camp in a small town in Soroti, Uganda about a six hour bus ride outside of the city. Help from Portland Bible College, Origin Young Adults and City Christian Highschool made the purchase possible at $3 a Bible. As you can see in the picture these Bible’s are trendy and catchy. They include cool quotes, analogies, and stories scattered throughout the Bible that increase the relevancy of the words to young people. Actually, they are so popular and attractive that if anything, we have had difficulty making sure that these young people can actually, really read English! But, many of the young people do not own their own Bible and this Bible includes studies, on salvation, abstinence, self-worth and peer pressure. We continue to look for, pray for and strategize for opportunities where these Bible’s will have a live-changing impact.