Prison Ministry

The teams that went to the prisons a week ago to share the gospel both reported they were well received.  The team that went to Lobule prison continues to report a small but faithful number of prisoners there.  It is a small prison with only seven prisoners there at this time.  More are expected but they have not found money to hire a vehicle to transfer them from Arua.  Meanwhile, two have completed their sentences and were released.  Four of the remaining five attended the Bible study and prayers.

Gbukutu prison is the main prison in Koboko district.  It is currently full and past the official capacity.  It was here that we experienced persecution because they were restricting ministry to a single denomination and we are ecumenical.  Now that we are recognized by prison headquarters they are allowing us again.  It is just that some of the officers are still operating under the rules of persecution and are questioning why any ministry is showing up.  Fortunately, there are other, ranking officers, that are speaking up for us so we can access the prison and share the gospel there.

Computer Skills

I am three weeks into a new computer skills class in Mugujai.  Every week there has been a new student.  This means we are more than two people per computer, which means less hands-on-the-keyboard time for everybody.  No one seems to mind, they are all good about making sure their classmates get an opportunity too.

The newest student is a local government official, one of the higher ranking government officials in Mugujai.  These local councilors (LC’s) have been expressing support for computer skills during our graduation ceremonies; however, this is the first time any of them have attended class.  I am glad to see him.  It is only a matter of time before all their forms and their reports are going to require typing.  This will give him those skills and he will see first hand who else can help the other government officials when they have a need for typing or computer work.

Transport

The public cars going to Mugujai Monday morning were numerous.  Fortunately, the people trying to find passengers were working together this week, all trying to fill the same car.  Sometimes they compete, leaving us all waiting because there are not enough passengers in any one car to make the trip profitable for the driver.

Coming back from Mugujai there were very few cars.  Those that did come by were already full.  They start in Busia four kilometers farther east.  When the driver insists on filling every seat before going he is maximizing his profit.  However, he is also stranding the many passengers en-route (like me).

Computer Issues

I was trying to prepare materials for a meeting when my computer just stopped responding.  I tried the famous Microsoft solution, just reboot, but the computer did not accept the shut down command.  Click with the mouse, push a button, all of options available were just ignored. 

I still have not figured out what it was doing.  No, it was not in the middle of an update.  Because connectivity is a premium service here in Uganda, I pause updates and control when I do them because I am frequently offline.

Three hours later, the computer was responding, although there was significant delay.  It improved during the next hour, and I was able to finish my work.

Pastoral Support

As a missionary with Commission To Every Nation (CTEN) I am blessed to have pastoral support.  Some support organizations focus only on the money.  I am happy to say the spirit is very important to CTEN.  They know missionaries come from sending churches.  They also understand that the clergy of the sending church is tasked with the administration of the church and the pastoral needs of those that remain in that locale.  This make it hard for them to attend to the pastoral needs of missionaries.  CTEN provides people that take on this role. 

My CTEN pastoral support couple were once missionaries themselves.  They understand my challenges and have made a point of meeting with me, remotely, every couple of months to talk things over.  They also visit the missionaries assigned to them – in the mission field.  I have been in Uganda 3 years.  Due to the Corona virus shutdown their 2020 travel plans to Uganda were canceled.  Their next visit is late 2023.  I am looking forward to it.  Until then, I am enjoying our periodic meetings on zoom and via email to talk things over.

Jim

One of the sad parts of being a missionary living on a different continent is not being with family at critical times.  When I say ‘critical times’ my mind goes first to the happy family moments, holidays, birthdays, graduations, but there are sad ones too.

I thought of Jim Murphy of Fairbanks as an uncle.  As I understand things, he may be a cousin.  Either way he is a beloved family member.  Yes ‘is.’  He may have passed away, but he remains a beloved family member.

He lived in another part of the US, so visits were always a special time.  I remember when he brought his family on a motor home tour and spent several days at my grandparent’s place at lake Shoecraft.

Distance frequently separated us.  Memories always brought us closer.

JCC training

JCC (Jesus Calls Children) training for Sunday School teachers concluded recently.  JCC is the children’s ministry of Truth is Light.  However, the director of Truth is Light was just returning from ministry in Kenya and was not available.  As the coordinator of a different ministry within Truth is Light, I was asked to stand in and present the participation certificates.

The day before, I stopped by the training to confirm the time.  As I suspected, they were letting things slide.  We will get to the next thing when we get to it is an accepted cultural practice.  As a result the ceremony had been pushed from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.  I informed them, as politely as I could, that I had another commitment at 4:00 p.m. and would not be available to them at that time.  They adjusted their plans and said they would be ready at 3:00 p.m.  They watched time closely the final day and they were ready at 3:10 p.m. for the presentation of participation certificates.

Mobile Money

I gave in and used MTN mobile money.  In 2020 the agent I visited had charged me fees that I later learned I should not have paid.  Fees for sending money to others when I was depositing it in my own account with them.  I see how it is.  I do not need them to manage my money, I can manage my wallet on my own.

Now, in 2023 I needed to send money to a lawyer in Kampala so he would keep working on my Visa renewal.  Kampala is a full day’s travel by bus from Koboko.  Just running over there and paying the installment on the fee was not an option.  Bank cards are not in common use here.  I needed a local method of sending money.  This time I asked around and was directed to the MTN service center.  They told me what the fee would be up front.  They also told me it would not be collected by them when I deposited the money, it would be collected electronically when I sent it.  This time it worked the way the current agent described, restoring my trust in the process, and some of the agents.

PMT

The Prison Ministry Team is growing again, or is it?  During the corona virus era I kept people on the list even when they did not show up for extended periods of time.  Why?  Because we could not enter the prison and many of them said they would be back when we could.

Some have returned.  Others said they would when we called, but we still have not seen them.  Slowly we are trying to confirm the real intent of our absent members.  As a result, sometimes the roster grows because God is providing new people, sometimes it shrinks as God is providing other ministry opportunities for those whose interest in prison ministry is waning.

Handover

St. John Birijaku is now a stand-alone parish.  Previously we were the lead congregation of a six-congregation group.  This change means that many of the former elected leaders are no longer affiliated with St. John’s.  They are part of one of the two other church groups that were formed by this change.

St. John Birijaku elected new leaders a week ago.  This Sunday afternoon the new leaders were to receive the information from the previous leaders – handover.  Most of the leaders provided their information to the Church Teacher that previously served St. John, but they did not prepare a report.  The Church Teacher that previously served St. John brought a formal report that covered things at his level, but not the details the new leaders would need – for instance the person taking responsibility for properties within the church could see from the report the items they would be responsible for, but not the quantity.

The previous Church Teacher’s report was accepted.  The others were asked to write their reports with the necessary details.  Learning curve.  It is apparent who has been taught formal administrative details and who is just getting by the best they can.