153 and Everything

Well, I find myself again in my hotel, no power and hunkered down in my bed with the mosquito net pulled  down.  Having no power is a common thing down here.  But that’s not important – really!  What IS important is the work that God is doing through us here.  Every day is new and truly life changing.  I thought that I would find that I had over-hyped the trip in my mind and that it couldn’t ever meet those expectations.  Well, I was wrong.  We, as a team, decided that we aren’t the same and can never be the same again after what we’ve experienced here in Uganda.  It’s not just seeing the poverty and need, not the love that we are being shown, but rather experiencing the power of God.  Nobody who has seen what we have or done what God has done through us these past days could ever, nor would ever want to be the same.  Let me get right to it – we have a lot of ground to cover today.  Oh…you will have to read clear to the end to learn what today’s blog title means!

We started the morning teaching the children’s classes.  One of the classes they have every day is a bible study time that consists of memory verses, bible reading and a devotional.  We taught in teams of 2 with an interpreter.  I had the pleasure of working with Isaac and we taught about Zacchaeus and how Jesus saves that which is lost (remember this for later).  At the end of the class, we handed out little sweets to each child in the school.  Boy, were they excited!  Below is a picture of Renee teaching under the trees!





The children enjoying their sweets!  This beautiful child is named "Pleasure" - you can see why!

Later in the day, Renee found some children by the road and handed out some extra sweets that we had left over from the school.  The child is bowing out of respect and gratitude.  None of these children had shoes and probably didn't own any.


After teaching, we went to the church building where we met with all of the sponsored children in the school to hand out the gifts that you sent.  It was very hard sitting in the church with the chosen few, while hundreds looked in the window. The children approached the front of the church as their names were called, most bowing at our feet in gratitude for the gift they had been given. 


One of “our” children receiving her gift and so excited!


Two of the unsponsored children looking in, but unable to be part.  We were all reminded yet again of the tremendous advantages (not just gifts like this) afforded to sponsored children.  Tomorrow there is a medical team coming in to the village to treat the sponsored children.  We ARE making a difference, though, in the lives of the children we sponsor.  There is a great need though!  As Ken said while we were talking about this tonight, when there are such overwhelming problems, we can have one of two responses:  we can not do anything because it’s too much, or we can do what we can for the ones we can help.  We choose the latter and pray hard for the rest.



After the gifts were delivered, we went on a couple of separate paths (literally). Several people went to deliver food they had purchased to sponsored families and Ken & I were invited to Pastor Sylver’s house.  The pastor lives in one of the nicer houses around the village and is about 500 square feet.  This pastor and his wife have 6 children and are caring for 5 additional children in their home.  Their living room was about the size of an average sized bathroom in America.  We don’t know how they managed, but they have been there for about 10 years.  We were so blessed to hear the Pastor share  his story of faith.  You can read about on the ARM web site under his testimony – I won’t repeat, but would highly recommend that you check it out.  He is amazing man of God serving the people of this poor village.  Below is a picture of us in front of Pastor Sylver’s house with his wife and two of his sons.




Bryan hugging (he does a lot of that here).  He had provided some food for a family of a sponsored child.  He had a similar response to what you are just about to read.

EVERYTHING

While we were visiting with the pastor, Ralph and Isaac went to visit their sponsored family and take them some food – rice, cornmeal and some other basic staples.  I wish I would have a picture to show Ralph’s face as he described what happened, but unfortunately, that is a moment in time that will have to be captured by word and emotion.   However, here is a picture of the inside of the house and the family.

Ralph described going to the house which is the typical mud hut for the villagers.  They literally had nothing there.  When the mother saw the food that they had brought them, she broke down in tears thanking them for their love and provision for them.  She wanted to give them a gift, but had nothing.  She did look and found that she had a couple of eggs and an old basket – she put the eggs in the basket and gave them to Ralph.  She said “this is everything I have and I want to give it to you”.  Please just stop here a  minute and consider what this woman just did.

If you haven’t seen people who have nothing, it is hard to comprehend.  Of course, he was respectful of the woman’s generosity, but as he told the story, he had to stop many times from the tears as he thought of this woman’s gift and God convicted his, and all of our hearts as we contemplated our own lives.  There was no greater gift that could be given, than everything. 

This was one of  the most blessed moments of the entire trip – even for those of us just hearing the story.  Before coming on this trip to Uganda, I was afraid that this talk of  “life changing” was just a bit over hyped and that I wouldn’t ever truly see my life changed.  Hearing of this woman who gave everything did it for us though.  I had been given eggs and a pineapple by families while distributing mosquito nets yesterday (was it yesterday?) and was moved that people with so little would give me eggs – the key food for their families.  Humbled, honored, blessed, amazed, loved, . . . there just aren’t the right words to describe it.  I hope I was able to honor the experience here – this changed our lives in a way none of us could imagine, but are so blessed by God’s love, mercy and grace that He would teach us this lesson. 

153

We were wiped out.  After days and days of God working amazing things around and through us, we were exhausted.  We had walked miles through banana fields in the noon day sun to get to our last home visits and were emotionally exhausted as well.  God had one more stop for us today, however.  We were scheduled to visit another high school from 3:30 – 5:00.  There were many delays and we didn’t end up getting to the school until 4:45pm.  We talked to the headmaster and he told us that he wanted us to preach the gospel to his students (can you imagine this in Canby?)  and that we could have 40 minutes.  We were making plans to have a similar program to the one we had at the high school yesterday (was that yesterday?).  However, as we walked to the area under the tree where the students (probably 400-500) gathered, we learned that we only had about 15 minutes to spend since the students have a long way to walk home and it was getting late.


Ken sharing the plan of salvation with the students of the high school.

We quickly altered OUR plans and went with GOD’S plan instead (we find ourselves doing that a lot down here).  Isaac wanted to share his testimony again, but we didn’t have time – just enough for him to sing a song.  There was a generator running right behind us and the sound equipment was not working well at all.  It was frustrating that we couldn’t even take advantage of the few minutes we had.  God, is awesome though and after Ken shared the gospel and path to salvation,  Pastor Sylver talked with the students.  We were all completely unprepared for what happened next.

Nobody moved for a long time.  We were standing waiting for students to come for prayer, and still nobody moved.  I looked and there were a few students starting to mill around and started to make their way to us for prayer.  Suddenly, there was a flood of students pouring to us wanting to accept Jesus as their savior.  We were all surrounded and praying for as many as we could.  Many were wanting to be saved, many wanting healing, help with school and other needs.  It was overwhelming.  I looked at our people and each was literally surrounded by students and  praying for as many as we could.  It got to the point that we would be praying for groups at a time.  I particularly remember one young man.  I don’t remember his name, but he told me that he wanted to repent, know Jesus and go to heaven.  I prayed with him and when we were done, I looked at  him, he had tears flowing down his cheeks and a joy in his face that could only be explained by a new life in Jesus.  He looked different – probably because he was.

Altogether, 153 students raised their hands at the end of the movement of the Holy Spirit (how else could we explain it) saying that they had prayed to receive Jesus Christ as their savior.  We had stopped for a short visit at the school, exhausted and ready for rest, a weary team from Canby and God used us to add 153 young people for His kingdom.  All I can say is Praise God!!!  (The response down here to this is “Amen”).

When we were back at the hotel praying in the hallway for what had just happened, Ken was reminded of John 21:11.  This is the passage where Jesus tells this disciples to throw the net on the right side of the boat after they had caught nothing all night.  They did and pulled in a net full of fish so full they could barely pull it in.  John 21:11 says “Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land full of large fish, 153; and although there were so many, the net was not  broken.”    Isaac wondered if God didn’t put that number of fish in the net just for today’s work….hmmm.


Isaac prayed with this young man to be saved.  This was the first time Isaac has done this and was “blown away” by the experience. 


I was overwhelmed by the blessing of God pouring out onto these youth through prayer and His Spirit.


Renee praying with a young woman.

We ended up leaving the school at 6:30pm.  Most of you were waking up and I am sure that you were praying for us in your morning quiet time.  This is the answer to your prayer!  Thank you.  We went back to the hotel excited, exhausted and honestly overwhelmed at what we had just been part of.

We truly do serve an awesome God and He is glorifying Himself and changing Uganda.  We are part of it because of your support and prayers.

Wow…that was a full day.  I wonder what God can do to top that?  I do have one personal thing that I’d like to include at the end though.  Below is a picture of one of our sponsored children – Gorreti.  She gave me a bowl she had made by hand and it is one of the most beautiful bowls I have ever seen.  Undoubtedly, she spent many  days working on this and was so proud to give it to me.  OK…lets pause again to consider young Gorreti’s life.  She lives in a mud hut in Uganda, walks many miles to school each day.  When she goes home at night, she must haul water, help prepare supper and do other chores at the  house.  This is planting season down here and all family members work hard out in the fields.  With all of this in her life, she took the time to make us this bowl!  Wow…

When I told her that Debbie had asked me to bring her home a bowl  from Africa and this was just exactly what she wanted, she just beamed.  The bond I have formed with our sponsored children and the gratitude for what we do for them, with just pocket change for us, is humbling.  I have learned about love, generosity and God in ways that I would not have imagined.  And this picture of a loving young woman a world away just makes me  cry – with absolute joy in my spirit.



God bless you and thank you for reading.

In Jesus Christ we pray and believe.

Dave