Even the Illiterate
Leo never goes to school, and church confuses him. How can God reach him?
Leo Rurangaranga’s parents did the best they could, but as subsistence farmers in Uganda, they couldn’t send Leo to school. They needed his help in the fields, and there wasn’t a school close enough to allow him to farm and to study. Even if there had been, they couldn’t have paid school fees. So, instead of reading, Leo grew up listening to the radio for news and other programs.
Leo did attend the Roman Catholic church sporadically. He remembers hearing the priest read the Bible, but even the local vernacular seemed like a foreign language at church. Since he could not understand the services, Leo distracted himself by looking at the pictures and statues and wondering why everyone prayed to them. “I thought my lack of education was the reason why everything seemed unintelligible, so I didn’t bother engaging my mind at church,” Leo says.
Leo’s own life played out much the same as his parents’: a procession of work-filled days earning a meager living for his family. He did manage to send his own children to school, but he never expected much for himself.
One day, Leo turned the radio knob and landed on a station that taught the Bible. His heart thrilled. In 75 years, he had never heard this station—never heard any station that taught the Bible. From that day forward, he listened exclusively to Messenger FM.
One morning, the radio narrator read a whole chapter of the Bible. Fascinated, Leo listened. Later in the day, he noticed the same chapter being read, and then again in the evening. “Each time I heard the Word, God spoke to me,” Leo says. “My mind engaged, and it was like my understanding returned to me, like when Nebuchadnezzar finished his seven years of eating grass. The more I listened, the more I understood. Soon I could even understand the sermons—and recite some Bible verses!”
Delighted with his new understanding, Leo prayed for more insight into God’s Word. Then the radio advertised a week of in-person evangelistic meetings at a church near Leo’s home. Despite the doubts that pressed in, Leo purposed in his heart to attend.
At the meetings, Leo discovered the truth about the Sabbath, baptism by immersion and the Three Angels’ Messages. The saving grace of Jesus Christ became more pertinent as Leo realized that God required him to show his belief by obeying all His commandments. “I saw myself as a sinner in desperate need of His mercy and His forgiveness,” Leo says. “I decided to get baptized and follow the Bible truth. I am happy to commemorate God’s creation by observing the Sabbath.”
Today Leo prays that God will bring his family to an understanding of the truth that has captured his attention. “Since my children can read, I think they have better chances of discovering and understanding this truth than I had,” he says, “but they seem to be less interested. This pains my heart. I pray that they will get interested.”
The third angel’s mission is aerial: flying to give the everlasting gospel to every nation, tribe, tongue and people. Revelation 14:6. In Uganda, God’s last warning message truly is flying through the air to reach even the illiterate! God is using the radio to reach the educated as well as the uneducated with His message of the everlasting gospel.
Location
Uganda
Author
John Kaganzi currently is head of the Stewardship department of the Southwestern Uganda Field.
How You Can Help
Pray for Leo as he continues to grow in the Lord. Pray that more people will stand for Jesus because of his transformation!
Pray for all the Bible workers as they look for souls with open hearts.
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 237
Kirksville, MO 63501
To give securely online, visit:
www.missionspro.org/donate
Thank you. Your gifts sustain seven Bible workers and one evangelist who are bringing God’s last warning to Uganda. Thank you so much for your support!