Lyle here,
 |
| Standing room only for Easter Service |
Hello
everybody. We pray and hope all is well with each of you and that each of you
had a very blessed remembrance that we serve a risen Savior.
Another
month has sped by (actually a little over a month). I am guessing you will hear
this over and over again, but like all of you, we have been very busy. We are
continuing to learn language and meet Karimojong people. Seven weeks into our
time up here, we took a nice couple of days off in a town called Mbale. It is
about five hours away from us, but it was worth the trip. Something that Ingrid
recognized once we were there was how much we live in a fish bowl in Moroto. Not
only are we easy to spot here, as two of about only 10 white people in Moroto, but our vehicle is very identifiable as well, with its
twin metal jerry cans mounted on the roof rack. So, it is not uncommon to have
people inform us of where we have been, or even show up where we are because
they see our car. It was nice to be a little more anonymous for a few days.
 |
| View from our hotel room in Mbale |
I
don’t know if this has ever happened to any of you, but have your ever written
something down that you felt the Lord was teaching you, only look back a month
or so later and realize you have forgotten what was being taught? As I re-read
our last blog, as a review before beginning this one, I realized I have not
been purposefully abiding as the Lord was trying to teach me. I had chosen to be caught up in the business
of what we are doing, the trip we took to Mbale, as well as our time in
Kampala, which I have not talked about yet; all seemingly good things, but if my heart is
not abiding, then it is just activity. It is interesting how I can pray every
morning, have quiet times, pray about specific things during the day, and yet
miss abiding.
 |
| Nile river by Jinja on way back to Moroto |
I
mentioned our trip to Kampala. We spent a week there, from April 7
th-14
th,
to attend some leadership training being put on by our AIM Central Region
Office. We really appreciated and enjoyed the training. It was wonderful
getting to meet other AIM missionaries for the first time from Chad, Rwanda and
Uganda and also to reconnect with some we had not seen for a while. There is
great encouragement in being with those living and struggling with the same
things we are. The training was very good. Some of it was dry administrative
stuff, but the instructors did a fantastic job keeping it lively and presenting
the material in a creative way. The leadership component was good, with a
strong emphasis on what real Biblical leadership looks like. We also had one
session, by a Ugandan national, that looked at the real need for good
apologetics (defending as well as correctly explaining the Christian faith)
throughout the churches in Uganda. It was really affirming to hear this man
speak, as it reflected much of what we have been learning about Karamoja.
There
are many examples. As we have been interacting and getting to know people, we
have been told, and we have also observed, that spiritualism is very much alive
and active in the Ngakarimojong culture, even among those who call themselves
Christians. Wizards are thought to be
born this way and so can act with occultish powers and go to church and say
they are Christians. Witchdoctors are said to demonstrate great spiritual
powers that cause much fear in all people. Many who call themselves Christians may
attend church on Sunday and then visit the witchdoctor during the week. Stories
have been told to us of night dancers—people who have great spiritual power to kill
people or destroy property. They are
purported to be real people seen dancing with dead bodies or body parts and are
greatly feared even by those calling themselves Christians. Then there is the evil eye. It is described
as someone who has the evil power to kill someone by staring at him or her. Over and over again, fear is the operative
word. The fact that Christ is more
powerful than all evil, and that peace is the foundation of everyone who is a
Christ follower, doesn’t seem to be understood. When we tell Christians that
they do not have to fear because Christ is living in them and these powers can have
no effect over them, they seem not to receive this truth. The Bible has been
translated into the Ngakarimajong language, but many are illiterate and those
who do read seem not to be able to have bibles.
They are very expensive to buy. So much of what is believed is what they
hear, truth or not.
Another
example: we attended a five day “Healing Crusade” that was sponsored
by the local Protestant churches together here in Moroto. We went to hear and
understand what the Protestant Christian community was being
taught. We attended three of the five
sessions. We heard one person speak twice and one person speak once. Frankly,
we left disheartened and sad. What was
preached was not the gospel. We heard nothing of repentance or personal sin.
One speaker never even mentioned the need for salvation, the other mentioned
it, but never really explained what it was. If all I knew of Jesus was based on
what I heard on those three nights then I would believe that if I went to
church and called myself a Christian, and used the name of Jesus to get what I
wanted, then I would live a long full life, my land would be fruitful, and my
endeavors would succeed. Anything bad
that happens comes from the devil and demons, not from a corrupt heart or poor
choices. There was no personal responsibly or accountably for personal sin, no
repentance, and no holiness. We have no idea how pervasive this way of thinking
is among the churches here, but it is what was presented at this crusade and even in conversations.
Please pray for us; for wisdom, compassion and hearts beating with Christ’s
love as we continue to have revealed to us what is believed and lived.
 |
| Peter before he went to Pastor Noah |
On
another note, while at the crusade we met a group of street boys. One of them,
Peter, really touched our hearts. It really began with Ingrid, as I was more
standoffish. Peter had left his sandals by us and then wandered off, we are
assuming he thought they would be safe by us. I had not seen him do this, I
only knew they belonged to one of the street boys. When I saw one of the street
boys come and take them, I thought nothing of it. When Peter came back and saw
the sandals missing, he was devastated. He ended up following us to our home.
Two days later we were able to give him another pair of sandals, along with
some of the other street boys who had no sandals (these are tire treads with
straps). The next time we saw these boys; we noticed their sandals were gone.
We don’t know if they were stolen or sold, only that they were gone. After the
Crusades, little Peter would come to outside the hotel every day, either alone
or with a couple of other street boys and just sit and wait for us to emerge.
If we were walking he would follow us, if we were driving he would wait for us
to get back.
He never asked for a thing.
He was only desiring a comforting hug from Ingrid. As Ingrid and I talked about
the issue of the street boys the Lord really impressed on our hearts that Peter
was different in his persistence. After Ingrid asked him about family, and he
told her he had no parents or grandparents, we prayed and felt we were to try
to find an immediate solution for him. We approached Pastor Noah (a friend you
have heard us speak of before) and asked him if Peter could join his boys’
home. We introduced Peter to Pastor Noah and Pastor Noah was able to confirm what
Peter had told Ingrid; that he was an orphan. His auntie was supposed to be the
one taking care of him, but she wasn't doing so. Consequently he was
living on the street. As best as can be found out, Peter is 7-8 years old and
has been on the street for 5 years, since he was about 2 or 3. Pastor Noah was
able to speak with the auntie and the local authorities and received permission
to have Peter join the boys’ home. We were able to be part of the process of
Peter’s transformation from a dirty street boy in tattered clothing to a clean
young boy, now wearing new clothes. The transformation was amazing! As we checked
back with Pastor Noah he was also amazed with Peter. Peter is fitting in very
well with the other boys and consistently demonstrating a servant’s heart in
the home. His servitude is not only an outward demonstration of his
appreciation, but it seems to reflect his deep visceral gratitude for the
change in his life and circumstances.
 |
| Peter later on at Pastor Noah's |
Peter’s
transformation is a tangible demonstration to me of what my life should be
about. Peter was an orphan, dirty and living on the street with no one caring
about his life, yet he was able, because of God’s grace, demonstrated through Pastor
Noah and us, to literally take off the old and put on the new. Sound familiar?
Colossians 3:9-10 says,
“Do not lie to
one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and
have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image
of its creator.” When we first met
Peter, you could see the despair in his eyes, the lack of hope. Now you see
hope, joy, and fruit. Yes fruit. A servant’s heart. I think of Isaiah’s response,
in Isaiah chapter 6, to the forgiveness he received when in the presence of a Holy
God. He expected utter ruin, but instead received grace and forgiveness. When
God asked, “Who shall I send,” Isaiah’s response was, “Send me.” In the same
way, I have taken off the old self and its ways and have been clothed in the
righteousness of Christ. I deserve utter ruin, but instead I have received
God’s grace and forgiveness. My service to Him should not be just something I
do, but it should be a reflection, like Peter and Isaiah, of my deep and
abiding understanding of what I have received versus what I deserve. May all of
us be a people whose lives reflect this truth and we cry out, “Send me.” Each
of us is to live this life of service because of the joy of our transformed
lives through Christ’s gift of life to us through His death and resurrection.
There are no exceptions, but as I write this blog, I realize how easy it is for
me to forget this truth. It is so easy, as I said earlier, to transition from
abiding, to doing. This cannot be a small thing in any of our lives. Just read
through John 15. This is serious business, one of eternal consequences. I know
I am safe in my Lord and the fact that He continues to bring this forward, is
Him pruning me, but I really do desire to be a willing participant in this
process! Ingrid asked the question, “How do you intend to abide?” For me, I am
praying that the Lord continues to remind me, as He has been, but I am also making it
a purposeful part of my prayers each morning and throughout the day as the Holy
Spirit reminds me.
As
we have been talking about the culture we are living in and the challenges that
accompany it, the Lord is putting Ingrid in a unique position. She is being
asked to be the teacher for a day long gathering of the women in the Church of
Uganda, here in Moroto on Saturday, the 26th. Then on Sunday she will be
driving the women to various manyattas and dropping them off and picking them up after ministry. Please pray that
our Lord puts His words in Her mouth to teach on Saturday. Please pray for those
who will be in attendance, that they will truly hear what the Lord has for each
one of them. Please pray for safe driving on Sunday as well as for the work the
ladies will be doing in the manyattas, including Ingrid, who will be
ministering as well.
I
know this has been a longer then normal blog. There is some pretty frank and
transparent information, but it is a reflection of what our reality is, and
hopefully it allows each of you to “labor” with us in prayer. We value your
prayers and your interaction. We are all part of the body of Christ and we need
each and every one of you.
Thank
you for your love, faithfulness, and encouragement.
Love,
