Worlds Collide

One of the things that was so compelling for Andrea and me in our decision to embrace our so called “African Adventure” was the fact that there were really three different aspects to the work that God was putting in front of us to do here: 1) teaching at African Bible University - “Christian leaders, transforming Africa”; 2) assisting the ministry of Sixty Feet – “…bringing hope and restoration to the imprisoned children of Africa in Jesus' name”; 3) trying to be a helpful resource to Pastor Ernest at Gateway Bible Church in Bwerenga, both in their ministry in Bwerenga and in Pastor Ernest’s passion for training and equipping pastors and church planters. We received enthusiastic invitations from ABU, Sixty Feet, and Pastor Ernest to “come over and help.” While there is, inherent in this, a danger of spreading ourselves too thin, we were convinced that these three “separate” opportunities had similar or related elements and could work together beautifully. And we have prayed for that to happen.

Today I had a rich experience of these seemingly different “worlds” of ours here in Uganda colliding in a very exciting and gratifying way. A few weeks ago I was describing the ministry of Sixty Feet to one of my senior students at ABU, and he was very interested, so I told him I would bring him along with me sometime. One day this past week he asked me when were we going. So today when I went to a nearby secondary school to visit with some of the students from the Sixty Feet Sponsorship Program, my student and friend Amos joined me. Sixty Feet team members Pastor Boaz and Mama Catherine were also there meeting with students, as well as Sixty Feet staff couple Missy and Austin. It was great to observe all of them helping, encouraging and ministering to the students.

Then one of the boys I had met a few weeks earlier approached me wanting to talk about some intense spiritual struggles he was having, and I asked Amos to join us. The struggles this high school age boy is having are on the one hand, the very same sort of heart-level struggles we all have whether in Uganda or in the US, but on the other hand they are very specifically related to the some of the unique kinds of spiritual darkness that are prevalent in this culture, including the practices of witch-doctors. I was able to share Scripture and gospel principles with this boy, but Amos was able to speak to him out of his own thorough understanding and personal experience of the context and very specific circumstances in which this boy is struggling. He was able to show the boy from Scripture how the power of the finished work of Jesus at the cross and his glorious resurrection to life is greater than any power or bondage or oppression of this “present evil age,” including the very sort of oppression this boy has been experiencing. What Amos was doing is what we back home would call “contextualization of the gospel.” Whatever you call it, it was powerfully used by the Holy Spirit in the life of this boy today. It was thrilling (and also a lot of fun) to minister with Amos and to see the training he has received at ABU coupled with the spiritual growth God has worked in his life brought to powerful expression in the life of a hurting boy. Praise God! The boy is clear about his own commitment to Christ, and shared with us how he has tried to be a spiritual encouragement to his peers, and so it was again so great to watch Amos pick up on this and both encourage and challenge him regarding the opportunity he has to be used by God now and in the future in the lives of others struggling in the same ways he is and has struggled.

So there they are – my three worlds – beautifully colliding for the glory of God: a young leader who is being trained so that he can be used by God to transform Africa, bringing the hope and restoration of the gospel to one of our formerly imprisoned children and even planting seeds toward a possible future as a faithful servant of the church or – who knows? – possibly as a pastor or church planter.

As hard as it is to be apart from my family for so long (and it is harder than we ever thought it would be, but they arrive in three weeks!!!) – it is days like this that continue to confirm that this is indeed the very way in which God wants us to serve his Kingdom right now. Thank you for supporting us with your prayers!

Please pray for…

1)   This young man and his ongoing struggle, that the truths of the Gospel we shared with him today would go down deep, stay with him, transform him, and see him through these struggles he is having and prepare him for the ministry God has for him in the future.

2)   For Amos and others like him graduating from ABU in a few months, that God would indeed use them powerfully to transform Africa for His Glory.

3)   For Andrea and the girls in Atlanta preparing to come over – March 23! – and for the continued challenge for us all of being apart.

4)   For the Sixty Feet staff here in Uganda as they are in a season of transition with a few new staff settling in and a few veteran staff heading home.

5)   For me to be effective in my ministry to the Sixty Feet staff as a pastor to them as they continue to be engaged in so much wonderful ministry in the lives of the imprisoned children of Uganda.

6)   For continued effectiveness in my work at ABU teaching and discipling students and leading a discipleship training effort among students and faculty.

For Jesus’ sake,

Tim