Good afternoon guys! This is your favorite Ugandan missionary, reporting to you from the streets of Mbarara. So we’ve been in Uganda (Africa) for about two weeks now, working with an incredible body of believers known as the Promise Christian Church. The church is young (roughly) three years old and consists of about forty members. It’s headed by Pastor Solomon and Associate Pastor Geofrey, two young preachers (in their thirties) who are all about the Gospel and the Word of God.
Since coming to Uganda, we have gone from door to door and store to store preaching the Gospel. I don’t know if it would work too well in the States, but here I think it works alright. Here, people have time. As Pastor Solomon says, “Westerners are people of the watch. Africans are people of the time.” For us, it’s 12:20 PM. For them, it’s midday and close to lunch time. Therefore, since no one is on a tight schedule, almost everyone you speak with will stop and listen. Funny fact: it’s almost expected that when you preach, you will be at it for at least an hour. Short and to the point sermons can surprise them.
The ministry has been challenging at times, but I think we’re making a difference. People have given their lives to Christ, come to church, and we’ve done follow-ups with them. There have been numerous prayers, personal conversations, and short sermons resulting from this. Yes, it is making a difference.
Pastors Solomon and Geofrey have been so inspiring. They are all about preaching Jesus. They are not afraid to stand up in a public place and preach the Gospel from the top of their lungs. They do it regularly. They are humble, passionate, and fun to work with. I have benefited greatly from numerous conversations with them. They are my Pentecostal brothers from another mother.
I have really enjoyed this month so far. I have always had such a burden to preach the Gospel to the lost. But here, we do it almost every day. We are led by two fearless preachers who we just try and keep up with. Inspiring is the word I would use to describe this month. It’s like Pastor Solomon says, “the Gospel has to be preached.” So we preach it.
The people in Uganda are so friendly. When you come to a home they invite you in, grab you some food, and listen to what you have to say. Africans generally speaking are very hospitable.
They are also a touchy people. Ugandans are radically opposed to homosexuality, but it’s normal for guys who are friends to hold hands while they walk. Yes it feels awkward at times, but hey, it’s the culture. I can suffer such things for Christ… most of the time.
The government here is corrupt. The generals are in power, therefore, the military receives most of the nation’s money and everyone else struggles. The president has been in office for 27 years and will not leave until the day he dies. Ugandans will celebrate his death.
80% of marriages are couples who have never had a formal union, which is almost understandable because of the ridiculous price a groom has to pay for the dowry. Not to mention, they love extravagant weddings. How any of them afford it is beyond me. As a result, the divorce rate is also close to 80%. Uganda has many orphans, and the nation is ridden with AIDS.
I find it interesting that a people who are so hospitable and courteous would have such a problem with fornication, sex trafficking, and corrupt leadership. At the same time, the people here seem uncommonly receptive to the Gospel. Many will listen to you.
So yeah! That has been the month so far. As always, I envy and rely on your prayers. We are all learning and growing here, fighting the good fight. Thank you for your continued support.
Also, we don’t have electricity or Internet in our house (or running water for that matter). So don’t feel bad if it takes me a while to respond. I have to go downtown and buy lunch to use the Internet. And the whole city loses power often because it’s the rainy season (it has rained every day for the past week).
God bless y’all. Hope to see you soon.
your brother,
Seth
