One of Those Gideon Experiences

“Lord, what are you doing?” must have been on Gideon’s lips as God removed more and more men from his army. But, in the end, we all marvel with Gideon as God got all the glory.

A couple of weeks ago, rather suddenly, while in communication with the Scripture Union Uganda (SUU) leadership, the idea of a Training for Trainers for the six SU Regional Coordinators and key volunteers in January came up. The best (and most economical) venue is the SUU campsite, so a phone call was made to see if there was any vacancy in January. The only available dates were Jan. 25-27. Guess what, the only dates Laura and I were unavailable was Jan. 26-27—our MissionVenture quarterly meetings! But then, Beth, our friend and co-worker, “promised” she would be there…so we agreed. Then, Beth’s schedule got changed by others and she can no longer join the training. Both of our current VOICE staff members have been with us for less than 2 months and are not yet ready to take on such a training. In an urgent meeting with SUU leadership, we seriously considered if it should be postponed…but due to several matters, it seemed better to go ahead as planned. Then…SUU leadership pledged to pick up the slack and lead the topics that we nor Beth will be able to do! Hmmm…is this God’s answer to our prayer that SUU will truly “own” the program? We’ll see…but we are suspicious! Keep praying!

Cool Waters

This past week has demanded long days of meetings and Kampala rush hour commutes.  Today as we prepared to start our VOICE staff meeting to finalize the Training Schedule, one of our VOICE staff members, Patrah, received a call from someone who attended the VOICE June, 2015, Training.  An excited Kampala Church member relayed that they were using the Truth module in their Sunday School and it was making such an impact on both children and their families. The parents were helping the children complete the “Home Activity” and gave testimony that they were learning and being changed as much as their children were. Now the parents are pleading with the pastor for more Values lessons.  From one who has spent many hours almost every day among the printing/publishing offices in downtown Kampala working on getting the Honesty Module published, this news came as cool water to a thirsty soul.  Praise God for another tool being readied to share God’s truths with the next generation...in answer to your prayers!

Six Hour Birthday Bash

It was an 80 Year Thanksgiving for Mama Florence like we have seldom seen. Celebrations happen frequently in the Philippines…but are more rare here in Uganda so this was a true treat! It was a “family affair” but Beth’s sisters (three of them, 2 of whom we know) insisted that we be invited since we didn’t have any family here in Uganda to celebrate with—how thoughtful! The venue was the Crested Crane Hotel a two hours’ drive East from Kampala. That scenic drive was made even more delightful by having the Scripture Union Director and his wife with us—the stories we heard! Once there, we were seated outside at tables under tent coverings (watching the dark clouds depart and be replaced by a nice cloud covering) giving a bit of welcomed “shade.” Eventually, the celebrant and her entourage arrived (African time!), greeted by the loud squeals of other African women (you really have to hear it to believe it!). But…we had difficulty discerning who really was the celebrity—her peers hovered very close which gave us another new insight into culture! Her children (6 still living of the original 8) and grandchildren came from as far away as South Africa and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. God was certainly given first priority as a couple of pastors and a choir started the ceremony with Christmas carols and a message (all done in a mixture of three languages!). By the end of the worship service, the crowd had peaked at more than 200. Family and friends gave tributes and family stories. Ernie was asked to make an appearance for the sake of the children which proved to be a challenge since the audience was on all sides.  Some chuckled at Ernie’s attempt to greet in the vernacular and wear the tribal robe. Of course, the children were darling and the adults also entered into their delight of meeting Ernie. Eventually, about 3:30 pm, we lined up for lunch which offered lots of variety, including Beth’s family’s favorite—matooke (cooked green banana). Praise God for this godly family and the huge blessing the oldest girl of the celebrant, Beth, continues to be to us as we move forward with the godly values program of VOICE Africa.