Failed Prophecy
A pastor’s failed prediction of doom sparks an entire congregation’s journey to truth.
When Joseph was born into a poor but devoted Pentecostal family in the village of Kakinga, his parents were unprepared for his serious—even life threatening—birth defect that affected his gastro-intestinal tract. Before seeking medical intervention, Joseph’s father approached their popular Pentecostal leader, Pastor Dickson. Many people claimed that Pastor Dickson’s predictions about the future came true, and Joseph’s outlook was bleak—according to Pastor Dickson. “Such a birth defect is an abomination in the family,” he said. “The boy will die within the next two weeks.”
Upon hearing the pastor’s prediction for his son, Joseph’s father left the family in shame.
Friends urged the abandoned wife, Catherine, to carry her precious baby to the hospital. Thankfully, she listened, and Joseph soon had a necessary operation. The surgery was a success, but the doctors explained that he would need a second surgery in four months to be completely whole. Catherine did not have the money for this. She pleaded with God, knowing that Joseph would not survive without the second surgery.
I first visited Kakinga to determine whether we could start a church in this community, and this is where I met Catherine. I shared her story with Mission Projects International and God used this ministry to fund Joseph’s second surgery. Today, Joseph is an
active 2 ½-year-old because of your kindness and generosity!
But the story isn’t over. When the villagers saw that Pastor Dickson’s prediction failed, their faith in the Pentecostal church waned. When Pastor Dickson was on leave, his church members asked me to send someone to educate them about Seventh-day Adventist beliefs. I sent a volunteer Bible worker, who met the group in front of Catherine’s house twice a week. Eventually, the Bible study group grew so large that he separated it into two groups.
After three months of traveling and having anointing services, Pastor Dickson returned—only to find that 13 members of his church had already converted to Seventh-day Adventism, and the rest were attending Adventist Bible study groups. We didn’t even expect so many conversions in such a short period like this! He did not truly believe it until Sunday morning, when he arrived and was welcomed by an empty church building.
He visited each member individually to find out what had happened. “We have found the true church,” they explained, and invited him to worship with them on Saturday. Also, they had no intentions of leaving their church building; Catherine had already been baptized there.
Alarmed, Pastor Dickson appealed to his superiors—who ruled that if all his members converted to another faith, they had the right to keep their building too. But since the land is in his name, he demanded 15 million Ugandan shillings for it. Currently, the local council is giving the congregation a grace period of three months to either pay or abandon the building. Please pray that all the members who are doing Bible studies will come to a full knowledge of truth and be baptized. And pray that by the end of the grace period in August, God will provide a church building for His people in Kakinga.
Location
Uganda
Author
James Musinguzi is an active retired pastor operating a Seventh-day Adventist school.
How You Can Help
Pray for little Joseph’s complete recovery.
Pray that God will provide the means to build a permanent church in Kakinga.
Give to the work in Uganda. Needs include church buildings, Bible worker training and support for church planters. Send your gifts marked “Uganda Evangelism” or “Uganda Churches” to:
Mission Projects International
PO Box 151
Inchelium, WA 99138
To give securely online, visit:
www.missionspro.org/donate
Thank you. Your gifts sustain seven full-time Bible workers and one full-time evangelist who are bringing God’s last warning to southern Uganda. Thank you so much for your support of these workers!