Wonderful Week at ABC Uganda

Getting to e-mail is more difficult this week, so here is something with a few entries…

MONDAY

This is really an impressive institution. The ABC compound is a lovely place to live. The weather is beautiful and the situation is very safe inside the walled campus. The students are great. The sacrifice is something. Many of these students leave their families for this college training. They go back home for one week each semester, and then they go home for the summer. I don't know how they do it.

TUESDAY

Lots of needs here and everywhere. I am struck by that. Enjoying going through 1 Thes and listening to Mike and Andy. There is so much in this book about suffering – an amazing contrast to a health/wealth preacher who is apparently going to draw an enormous crowd at the stadium next weekend. Here we are with this small group of men and a few women going through the first part of this letter with so much emphasis on suffering. Andy preached tonight, and one of the phrases that stuck me is that Paul says that we are destined for afflictions. Kind of interesting that God brought us here, rather than some more successful pastors in the PCA. Yesterday we had a meeting with students who were very surprised to find out that Mike’s wife had to work in order for them to survive in the ministry, and that many pastors in our area find it an economic challenge. Obviously we don’t really understand the level of suffering that the Ugandans (and others) have faced who are here – also the sacrifice of the missionary families.

One of the students from Tanzania received a visit from his wife and young daughter visiting for Spiritual Emphasis week. Cute family. Lots of sacrifice all around.

WEDNESDAY

Just gave a message to some of the workers on campus. This is like a morning devotion that we have been doing every morning. It was my first turn at it. They have a large wooden shed that they sit in and there is a pulpit there. It is very moving. You speak and and one of the workers translates into Luganda, which is the local language. It feels like a plantation in a way here. There is this care for the physical and spiritual needs of the workers that is striking. When you hire someone in Uganda, it is common that you would be expected to take care of emergencies that they have no money for. Almost everyone on campus hires workers to cook and to clean. It is a special responsibility when you do that.

Anyway, there is an arc of African faces listening to a message from the Bible. It is kind of amazing.

The problems here are deep.

I am kind of sweaty and hot after giving the devotion and walking back and forth to the workers’ shed. We are staying at Palmer’s house. I met Abel, the man our church is supporting last night. He was not here on the first day. He went to see his wife in the village to take care of some issues – what precisely I do not know. We are going to talk more later today.

Each day we have a schedule like this:

1. Workers’ devotion

2. Prayer meetings with small groups of students and staff

3. First Preaching Session

4. Tea

5. Second Preaching Session

6. Lunch with a faculty family

7. Study time

8. Question and answer time with students

9. Dinner with a faculty family

10. Third Preaching Session

11. Home to the Robertsons and bed.

LATER…

I had a wonderful meeting with Abel Twine Matsiko. What a great guy! He was a youth worker in an Anglican Church. He came to ABC after only nine months of marriage. His wife became pregnant, but the baby died in the ninth month of pregnancy. She became pregnant later and safely gave birth to a second baby girl who is now three months old.

We had a wonderful question and answer session with the students before dinner tonight. Many of the students got to share something of their stories, and they had lots of questions.

THURSDAY

More sermons – good responses from the students – My last sermon was in the evening. Earlier in the day I gave a message by myself to the workers. They give up a part of their lunch hour every Wednesday in order to receive a message. I was listening to Mike’s sermon when I had to pop up all of a sudden and quickly get down to the pagoda where I delivered the message. I preached on Psalm 22.

FRIDAY

Mike and Andy finished up the messages this morning. Then we went to a town about two hours away and met with a Danish missionary who has been very entrepreneurial in meeting his economic needs and those of his ministry that serves about 1000 orphans in his area. One of his little businesses is a café operating out of their offices with great food for the Muzungus (white people). His “slogan” that he calmly mentioned on several occasions is “raising the standard.” A major project here. His web site is ugandachildcare.org I think. Lots of thoughts for helping to fund operating expenses for ABC. The campus here is really a beautiful enclave on the outskirts of city life. We have been on campus all week, and while there can be some urge to go outside the gates, I like the feeling of coming back to campus.

SATURDAY

We all went to a nature center today where we were able to take some great pictures. Then on to an old hotel from the Colonial era, where we met with an American missionary from San Antonio who is bringing Christian American businessmen to Uganda to help young Christians here conduct themselves in an honorable and profitable way. This was a similar positive encounter like the one we had yesterday with the Danish missionary.

The economic challenges here are substantial everywhere we turn. Over the last three days I have had as many conversations about economics and business as I have had about church life.

Palmer gave us a tour of the ABC campus so that we could see some parts that we had missed so far. We have had some conversations about creative ways to cover operating costs for the school. What a marvelous campus. They have crops for food. Also married student dorms which they plan to build more of. Took plenty of pictures to show everyone. Stepped in a tremendous line of fast-moving ants, but Mike noticed it before it was a real problem. Have a picture of it…

Much Love,

Steve