I mentioned to Life Ministry’s national team leader, Dixon, that I could help fix their website lifeministryuganda.org. It’s probably been “under construction” for 3 years now. He was more than pleased to have me assist. We set aside a day at the office for me to train three local staff in the use of WordPress. I arrived at the office at 10am that day to discover that their internet access was not working. So, we decided to head back to the Stricklands’ home to work there. Despite other minor setbacks that day, we accomplished much. No one in the country seemed to know the login info for their server space, so we (Canada) decided to buy them a new domain and hosting plan for 3 years at a total cost of $178.20. This isn’t much for us, but it’s a huge expense for the Ugandan ministry. The Stricklands’ power (and internet) was only off for an hour that day. That’s a good day for power. The high point for me was when the local staff clapped for joy when they added a link to the menu bar for the first time.
Their new website: lifeministryuganda.com
On Tuesday last week on campus, I was approached by a man named Lawrence. He was a little upset that, Johnny, a member of our team that he met last week, hadn’t emailed him like he promised. We assured him that we would remind Johnny to do so. But, Lawrence had a lot more to say. He went on to describe how he was angry with God because of all the horrible things that have happened to him in his life. It was true. A lot of what he described was really unfortunate. He seemed to know a lot of Bible stories and verses also. He referenced verses that promised good things from God and was dismayed that he had not received such blessings. His interpretations lacked context and this was his stumbling block. His own expectations of God were simply not being met. Hence, his distrust. His view also reflected this mentality that seems to grip much of Africa that Africa is the “have not” continent — a general feeling of unfairness that the West has much and Africa has little. He concluded that there was something special about the age of 30. This is when greatness begins for people. Jesus began his ministry at 30. Other great business leaders he referenced also saw their careers take off at the age of 30. “Is this a coincidence?” Lawrence asked. I responded, “Yes!” Lawrence was 25 and plans to become an Ugandan MP by the age of 30. I believe this is actually quite possible for him. He claimed to be the top student at Makerere University (a university of 40,000). He told a story of a talk he did at a technology conference in Mongolia at which Steve Jobs was the key speaker. If only this man would trust Jesus, he could then understand the Bible and know who God really is rather than the one he has molded for himself. He could be a great leader in the Kingdom.
Today my team visited a wonderful church with an amazing choir and preacher. The music had a real black feel to it. The children’s time before the sermon probably lasted 15 minutes with the all the kids sitting on stage. All the new visitors introduced themselves mid-service and then were invited to meet the pastor afterward. He asked for prayer requests from us and we shared a bit about our mission in Uganda. One of the Ugandan new visitors expressed an interest in joining us on our upcoming trip up country. Imagine, a simply time of sharing brings key people out of the woodwork. It’s not clear yet if this young woman is truly committed to what we’re doing, but we’ll find out over the next couple weeks.
http://www.kbcuganda.org/
Last Thursday, we had a chance to survey some local students to see who’s interested in meeting us for further conversation about the gospel. It’s a strategy we live by. Students here are eager to please you by filling out a survey. The key is that some of them will actually leave their contact info with you (10 to 20 percent) and these are the people who are apt to talk to you about their spiritual lives. Easy!
The plan is to find students who show the most leadership potential in order that greater numbers can be reached in the future. Currently there are about 30 students involved in Life Ministry at Makerere University. Around the end of this month, we plan to head up country and take some local students with us! This will change their perspective on the Great Commission forever.
You are invited to join me on Saturday, June 23 at Oakridge Baptist Church in Vancouver to hear my report on my travels to Uganda. I’ll cast some images on the wall, tell some stories, and I’ll see if I can make some coffee and finger food available too! I don’t have an exact time set yet, but I’m anticipating late morning. I’ll attempt to send you an update mid-project as well to let you know how things are going.
