Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Queen of Katwe



It was a rare outing on Monday night with our Philippine friends Lorrie and Jonathan plus one Ugandan young man, Kasim. Ruth and I had read the book previously, heard good reviews of the Disney movie, but just couldn’t seem to find a time to watch it…until our friends came. Tickets were purchased to watch “Queen of Katwe.”
Katwe is one of the largest slum areas in Uganda; we drive by it on our way to the airport. And if you’re like the average person who is privileged to live outside of such a place, you tend to question, “Can anything good come from Katwe?” The book and the movie both answer that question with a resounding “YES” as God’s Word and His love are shared by lip and by life.

This true story moved all of us five children’s workers both to tears and laughter—and non-stop conversation the whole way home and into the evening meal. The all black cast does a masterful job of portraying how a Christian coach sacrificed his time and resources teaching the game of chess to a group of children from the Katwe slums of Kampala. We were all challenged by his life, tenacity, wisdom, and love that made a difference in the children’s lives. The coach was also driven by his conviction that chess can help children, seemingly locked in the cycle of poverty and violence, learn to think, plan, strategize, and determinedly break the mold with God’s help. The movie was filmed here and the scenes so authentic and familiar.  The main character, Phiona, eventually overcomes all challenges and becomes the best woman’s chess player in Uganda and is poised to become a Grandmaster champion—her dream.  Christian values inspire and engage the audience from start to finish. If the emotional content wasn’t yet quite enough, the end of the film shows the actual characters walking on stage with the actors from the movie.  May this movie cause more prayer for Uganda and the many at-risk children here and more determination for God's servants, especially those ministering to children, to be used by Him to make a difference for His glory.

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Servanthood Rewarded



Yesterday (Monday) we met with our two staff to share God’s Word, pray, debrief, identify priorities and the way forward. All of last week, both Chris and Esther were involved in the annual Scripture Union of Uganda (SUU) Planning Week. Some aspects were not easy for them, but they also shared how God met them in a fresh way, particularly through the devotionals shared by various ones.
They then shared a story that one of the speakers, a member of the Scripture Union National Board, included in his challenge—it was his personal experience. This Board Member served for a time as the PA (Personal Assistant) of the leader of their church denomination. He carried the Bishop’s bags, shined his shoes, and assisted the Bishop as he traveled and spoke. The job was not glamorous and he sometimes got teased by his fellow Ugandans. He traveled with the Bishop on several occasions to the U.S., assisting and serving him in any way he could.
A few years ago, a school in Kentucky invited the PA to speak to them instead of the Bishop! When he finished his lecture, he noticed the door open to the Library. As he was admiring all the volumes of books, he noticed that about the only person reading in the library was an older (white) gentleman with a hat and rumpled collar. Spontaneously, the PA asked if he could straighten the man’s collar. With that done, he gently patted the man on the back, “God bless you” and left the library.
The next morning the PA had a note that he should meet the Dean of the school promptly at 10:00 a.m. As the PA took a seat in the Dean’s office he noticed the older gentleman was there. “O no,” he thought, “I should have minded my own business; maybe I offended him.” The Dean began by confirming that he had been in the library and had indeed straightened the collar and patted the man’s shoulder. By now the PA was sure he was in trouble. But then the Dean motioned to the older gentleman to speak. “Your kindness to me yesterday meant more than I can say.” The older gentleman went on to explain how he was suffering from a serious illness. “I want to reward your kindness with this.” The stunned PA opened the envelope to see a check for $10,000. And I plan to send you this amount every year. Now, several years later this PA continues to receive money from the Kentucky gentleman who was so blessed by the PA’s kind deed.
With that testimony, the SUU Board Member challenged the SUU staff, whose financial reimbursement is small, to faithfully serve God and others with humility, diligence and kindness. You never know what God might do. A reward awaits, sometimes here on earth but for sure in eternity.

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Thanking God in Uganda



God blessed us this past weekend with two Canadian guests who serve the Lord in the Philippines and are here for short-term ministry among at-risk children. It was only after they arrived that we realized that it was also Canadian Thanksgiving weekend! Before their arrival, we purchased a whole chicken to cook in the crock-pot during their stay! So we simply added baked potatoes, baked squash, gravy, green salad and a can of imported cranberry sauce that happened to be given to us recently. How special to celebrate and thank God together with these friends. One left Sunday afternoon for another week of ministry and the second one, Doris, left Monday afternoon to return to the Philippines via Hong Kong where she will meet her husband for some R & R.
Thanksgiving Monday, as part of the airport run for Doris, we managed to swing by the Scripture Union Campsite (not too far of a detour) and briefly introduce her to the beauty of that property. While our driver then took Doris to the airport, I stayed on and enjoyed a couple of hours sharing and hearing testimonies as Scripture Union concluded their 40 Day Prayer Thrust and entered into a week of planning for 2017.
Amid these blessings, Ruth and I couldn’t help but reflect on another Canadian Thanksgiving Monday back in 2003 when we were introduced to the school ministry by dear Kuya Tony (now with the Lord) and his wife, Zeny. We joined them as they taught a lesson about prayer to all twelve of the Payatas Elementary School 6th grade classes, one class after another. The Lord opened our eyes and burdened our hearts for school ministry which within a few months led to the birth of VOICE Philippines. “Thank you God for the vision that was born that Canadian Thanksgiving day, the resulting transformed lives, and the team God has formed to touch hundreds of schools in the Philippines and now we believe East Africa.”