Letter from Mike: Uganda – July 2023
“The wonderful example of Christ, the matchless tenderness with which He entered into the feelings of others, weeping with those who wept, rejoicing with those who rejoiced, must have a deep influence upon the character of all who follow Him in sincerity. By kindly words and acts they will try to make the path easy for weary feet.” The Ministry of Healing, 157, 158.
Nyambabo and Patience grew up in the small town of Keicuma in Western Uganda. For many years, they attended the Anglican Church every Sunday, and Patience taught at the Anglican school. But when tragedy shattered their home, their loyalty to their church faltered.
One morning, eleven-year-old Obama molded a piece of mud clay into a small boy. Then he dug a small pit and placed the clay boy into it. “Mother, come and see,” he called to Patience. “Do you see this model of a boy in the pit? This is me in the grave, and I will be there very soon. The devil’s spirits are calling me to come and join them.”
Several days later, as Patience prepared her children for school, she asked if anyone had seen Obama. “No,” everyone shook their heads. Just then, one of Obama’s sisters ran into the house, yelling, “Obama has hung himself in the mango tree in the backyard!”
Deep grief clouded the once-happy home. They had heard of evil spirits possessing people and leading them to kill themselves, for this is sadly common in many African cultures. But to have it happen in their own family seemed too horrific to bear.
Right next door to the family’s house was the Seventh-day Adventist Church of Keicuma. When the church members found out what had happened, they mobilized. Though poor, they started preparing food for the sorrowing family. That very night, several church members came to the house to pray and sing with the family to help ease their emotional pain. Some of them even spent the night with the grieving family.
These little acts of kindness made a big impression. Neither their pastor nor their fellow Anglican church members came to help them at all, so Patience and her family felt doubly grateful for the Adventists’ care and concern. Because of their kindness, the family began attending the Adventist Church every Sabbath! They began studying the Bible with the lay pastor, and discovered that the Sabbath is a memorial of God’s creative power. They also learned the secret of their SDA friends’ kindness: They know and worship a loving, unselfish God who cares deeply about His creatures.
Many people in Uganda are coming to know Jesus through the untiring labor of the Bible workers that your gifts help support. Through their labors and your means, many new churches are being planted in spiritually dark places. Please consider supporting the work in Uganda! For only $90 a month, you can hire a Bible worker, and $3,000 builds a church. Thank you!
Yours in rescuing the lost!
