Protection—Not to be Taken for Granted

When Laura and I first visited Uganda back in 2010, I (Ruth) looked at the traffic patterns and decided I would not drive in this country. The Philippines is quite chaotic too…but somehow Uganda seemed to be one step closer to certain disaster! To this date I have not regretted my decision. Laura, who can hardly fathom life without a driver’s license, has done amazingly well…but it didn’t take too many months of driving before she was discussing with me the possibility of hiring a full-time driver. Fred, who drove for another WorldVenture missionary, has been such a blessing as our driver and errand boy and packer and carrier of heavy boxes and navigating all of the short-cuts to get around traffic jams as best as possible…usually with absolute calmness despite how many cut in front of him, turn suddenly or make any other foolish moves.

However skillful Fred is, we all are reminded often that God's protection is so needed. Never do we leave the compound with Fred in the driver’s seat without taking time to pray for God’s hand of protection. And usually as we enter the gate upon returning, a prayer of thankfulness is heard from one of our lips. The past little while, I’ve been reminded again that praying for safety and protection is not just a “habit”…we NEED God’s intervention. One recent morning, very soon after leaving our home, a boda-boda (motorcycle that serves as public transportation…who are notorious for driving dangerously) brushed the car as he passed while we were pulling into traffic. Fred stopped and got out to talk with the driver; it seems the passenger’s shoe rubbed again the car. Praise God they didn’t tip over and no one was hurt…but way too close for comfort. This morning as we came out from the post office, a bicycle went in front us—Fred estimates there was one inch between us and the driver who didn’t even seem to notice…both of us shivered to think of what almost happened. And soon after that, a pedestrian stepped out in front of us but fortunately we also missed hitting him. Thank you, God, for your protection in so many different ways and times…more than we are aware of, I’m sure. And thank you, prayer partners, for upholding us before the Almighty God who alone is able to protect us as we make our way around this country where traffic laws are on paper…but seldom followed!

Training Paying Eternal Dividends

Last May, we trained over 90 participants from 8 African nations to teach the VOICE Africa module on Forgiveness. Among the delegates were about 15 South Sudanese who were forced by circumstances to live in the Refugee Camps in Northern Uganda. As the training proceeded, I became more and more aware of the reality that the situations where I have had to practice the value of Forgiveness were so minuscule compared to what these refugees were wrestling with. Some had seen loved ones murdered, others had been badly mistreated by another tribe as they tried to make their way toward the Uganda border to the refugee camps, others were forced to be a “family” with people who daily mistreated them with no options to change the situation because the daily food ration (2 meals a day) is based on family groups…and many more similar stories. Who was I to teach them? We did our best but wondered if their experiences would allow them to actually teach the curriculum to fellow refugees.

This past Monday, Beth, our Ugandan friend and colleague, returned from another quick visit to another refugee camp with glowing stories of what God is doing through those we helped to train. She had almost no time to chat with me but simply said it’s marvelous what God is doing. They are so organized, passionate, intentional…and are being greatly blessed by God as shown by the testimonies they shared when she was with them. Only God! Praise Him!

A Little Mistake Equals an Answer to Prayer

I so much wanted to get the Teacher’s Manual for Lower Primary Self-Control to the printers this week but delays seemed to be making that impossible. Last night it was finally returned from the latest proofreader and then I was wishing that I hadn’t booked the morning with one of our VOICE workers which would now mean another day’s delay. As it turns out, through a funny little mistake, the VOICE worker thought our meeting was cancelled. When she saw her mistake, she called and said she could come at noon which gave me just enough time to do the final work on the Teacher’s Manual. PLUS, part of the puzzle that I hadn't figured out yet came together--I could send it back with her to Scripture Union to the person who will take it to the printer’s tomorrow. God worked it all out perfectly. And as the icing on the cake, the time with the VOICE worker was also very encouraging.

A Few Highlights from the Scripture Union Uganda Annual Mission

             (Some excerpts from the official report which we received this week)

The love of God for the people of this [Northern] region has been evident in the positive way they continue to recover from a time of war by the Lord’s Resistance Army, a rebel group that came to be known all over the world for its brutal acts in Northern Uganda. With peace in the region, a new generation is already visible in some of the children, while those who were affected by the war have recovered or continue on their journey to recovery.

The 2017 Annual mission held from 17th to 28th June came 9 years after the last major SU Annual mission to Northern Uganda. The mission team visited 135 rural and urban based schools in the districts of Agago, Gulu, Kitgum, Lamwo, Omoro and Pader. The majority of the schools visited were rural based. It was clear that many of the region’s young people are still affected by poverty, poor education standards and the lack of opportunities to hear the good news of Jesus Christ.

God enabled us reach 43868 children, 15119 youth and 847 adults with the good news of Jesus Christ, a program that also involved life skills sessions on sexual purity, career guidance and counseling. The mission teams experienced God opening doors in schools founded by various denominations and with various affiliations, a clear testimony of how God is able to work in all schools.

We bless God that 22469 children, 4565 youth and 169 teachers indicated that they trusted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour during the mission.

Through the life skills sessions on sexual purity, 6533 commitment cards were signed by young people as a sign of a commitment to God to remain sexually pure till marriage.

In 2012, Scripture Union launched a values program, which seeks to equip churches to teach Godly Values in nearby school classrooms. This program is called VOICE (Values Orientation In Classroom Education). Under the program, a high quality and easy to use values curriculum is developed for this purpose. The mission team saw a great need to reach out to the districts visited with this program. Our prayer is that God will open doors of partnership and provision to enable us start the program in some of the districts reached. This way, we will support these commitments

Raymond’s Story

Okot Raymond, a Volunteer with Scripture Union in the northern region felt un-loved for many years by his father, who lived a polygamous lifestyle. He had been praying for his father and had shared with other people to pray for him. Raymond was surprised that during a mission visit by one of the teams to a school where his father is the head teacher, the good news was shared and his father was the first to come forward to trust Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Saviour. Raymond is thankful to God for this answered prayer which he believes will bring about transformation in his family. Raymond says today, “I still confirm that this mission visit was meant for me, and to bring a change in my family.”