Ministry in northern Uganda
Bob’s report:
The first week was spent in the north at two locations where there are Life Ministries churches – Bweyale and Kambini. At both locations we held general meetings as well as special sessions for the pastors. I am especially glad to minister in northern Uganda because they have suffered greatly in the past due to a war caused by rebels. Many villages were destroyed and unmentionable atrocities committed by the rebels which resulted in a mass migration of people to central and southern Uganda. Now that the war has been over for several years, many have returned to their homes but often with deep emotional wounds. By coming to minister the gospel to them I can at least show them that there are believers who have not forgotten them and their suffering.
When I ministered to the pastors in Bweyale I was drawn to a young pastor named Martin, who has a very gentle spirit. He interpreted for me during some of the sessions and towards the end of my time there I interviewed him. His story deeply moved me as he told me about his upbringing. Both his parents had been killed by the rebels during the war so Martin went to live with his uncle who was a pastor. The Lord must have done a deep work of healing in Martin’s heart, because when you talk with him you would never imagine the trauma that he must have experienced when his parents were killed. Martin began his ministry at age sixteen and now does a lot of traveling throughout Uganda to teach the Bible to believers in addition to pastoring a church in Bweyale.
While staying in a guest house in Bweyale I had some conversations about the Lord with a young man at their reception desk, named Jeffrey. One morning I gave him a tract and when I returned in the evening I asked him if he had read it. He said that he “couldn’t find anything wrong with it” so I asked him if he would like to pray and give his life to Jesus. He said yes, so I had the joy of leading him in a prayer. I told him how important it is to read the Bible and offered to buy him one, which he was grateful for. If the Lord brings him to mind, please pray for Jeffrey – that he will read the Bible, go to the church close to the guest house and grow to be a committed disciple of Jesus.
The photo below was taken at a session for the pastors in Kambini. Both in Kambini and in Bweyale I was impressed and encouraged to see that pastors in both locations are glad to work together for special projects like evangelistic outreaches, whether they are part of Life Ministries or not. Several of the pastors in both locations attended our meetings, although they are not in the Life Ministries network.
