Uganda Journal Entry #5

July 4

Last leg of the journey home. Waiting at the gate here in DC to fly into Charlotte. I don't know how it will be for me coming back to life in America--particularly the church in America. It's frustrating to see the lukewarmness of the American church, and the increasing pressure and stifling of conservative values by the left. But it's so much more than politics. It's a heart issue. It's a spiritual problem--just like Uganda has corruption running through every level of government, America is no better. Because it's a spiritual battle. We need revival.

I agree with much of what Shane Claiborne argues for, but I think he's slightly off-focus. (In Irresistible Revolution Claiborne recounts some of his stories of reaching the homeless and hurting of Philadelphia, Calcutta and Baghdad. I poured over it during my time in Uganda and gleaned much from it, especially his concern for and practical ministry to the poor, which was perfect for my context in Uganda. However, much of his focus leans toward social-Gospel and social justice with a frustrating absence of the proclaimed, spoken Word of the Gospel. In other words, if we meet physical needs but give the person no hope of eternity with Christ, we've done a disservice--the United Way can do that. But ministers of the Gospel must do more than meet only physical needs. Not that Claiborne is only meeting physical needs, I just think he leans that direction more. The pendulum should be kept in the middle.) The Gospel must always be the main thing. When the Gospel is kept the center and proclaimed with boldness, the rest takes care of itself, I believe. The socio-political realm of regeneration with take place, but not until we deal with sin. Not until we preach the Gospel of repentance. This is the hope of every nation. Not United Way programs. Not anti-war protests. Not even abortion protests. Because when the Gospel truly takes effect, these things follow.

In the First Great Awakening, Edwards, Whitefield and others did not roll up into a town and shut down the bars and pubs. No, they preached the Gospel, the bar owners and patrons gave their lives to Christ, and the bars shut down on their own. This is the power of the Gospel in a society. The human heart is always the first and primary target.

God, help me to always keep that perspective and not get side-tracked. Help me to see that a society is made up of people, of individuals, faces, people with families, with hopes and dreams. People for whom You gave Your life and whom You know intimately. Every hair on their head You count. Every tear from their eyes You collect in Your bottle.

Uganda Journal Entry #4

July 1

Finished the final day of ministry. It was great! I helped Alice, Jillian, Taylen and Tanya (shown here) at both the primary and secondary schools, which brought me back a little bit to 2001 when Smooth and I stayed here all summer primarily doing school ministry. It was a long way out there to Busia (close to the Kenyan border) and a long way back (I guess that's how it works), so it made for a long day--but a great one. Altogether we treated over 4,000 people and we saw over 1,000 people profess faith in Jesus Christ for the very first time. Thank You, Jesus. What a fruitful trip! Thank you for using this team. Thank you for the team unity. Thank you for Your guidance and protection.

Uganda Journal Entry #3

June 29

Finished up Day 5 of ministry. It was a really fruitful day. I was honored to pray with about four people who wanted to receive Christ going hut-to-hut and about five people in the medical clinic. In the morning, I was with the pastors and did a talk on discipleship from Titus 2:6-8. I've really enjoyed hanging out with these godly men. I'm overwhelmed with the amount of need, though. So many of them have approached me with needs. Charles Tiondi, one of Godfrey's assistant pastors at Bukayah Baptist Church, needs 60,000 shillings (about $30) to fix his motor bike and 130,000 for a sewing machine for his wife to begin a sewing business from their home. These are just a few examples. So much need everywhere. I can't do it all, but there are some things I can help with. I just need wisdom.

Uganda Journal Entry #2

Thursday Night - June 25

Malaria is still the leading disease-killer in Uganda. In a country of 25 million people, 70,000 - 110,000 children die in Uganda each year from malaria. That's about 400 people per day. Dad and I posed a question to Godfrey (the president and founder of Arise Africa International, the evangelical ministry we partner with in Jinja, Uganda). The government of South Africa claims they have now practically eliminated malaria by spraying with DDT and other insecticides. So why can't the Ugandan government do the same thing here?

His response:
There was a recent push to begin spraying, and it started in the north. But then it began to ruffle feathers and cause no small stir among several higher-up politicians and officials. Since Uganda is a major source of organic vegetables, coffee, tea, etc. to the U.K., the U.S. and other G8 nations, the president of Uganda issued the spraying to stop. In other words, if spraying were to continue, their organic produce would cease to be organic and exportation would stop. Apparently, organic produce is of more value than human life. The mean to eliminate malaria exists, yet the big-wigs risk losing their organic crops to sell to the West. Thus, the Ugandan people continue to die off by the thousands.

It saddens me. It sickens me. I also can't help but think that there's more money to be made by pharmaceutical companies creating medicines to cope with the symptoms of malaria than if were to be eliminated altogether. At the end of the day, it's all political and the almighty dollar rules out.

Uganda Journal Entry #1

I thought I would recap some of the things that happened on the Uganda trip and some of the things that God taught me by simply copying here on the blog a few selections from my journal. Rather than attempting to recapture or reexplain what happened, this will likely prove more valuable and let you in a little closer to feel and experience what God did on this trip.

First Day of Ministry - June 25

On our way to the first village for ministry. Just passed a sign about an internet cafe. It reads, "Where people connect with people." What an ironic thing! In a nation where people very much rely on real flesh-and-blood inter-personal relationships for their survival, the marketing game now is to try to make them feel like online, social networks are the real thing. When, in reality, they already have the real thing. The superficial is being paraded and packaged as the real thing. Crazy times these are!

Pics from Uganda

w/ Pastor Charles Tiondi, a pastor/leader/soldier/worship leader









Alan Collier leading the Pastor's Conference








Alan, Josh, Pastor Timothy, Geoff Hubbard, and Pastor Robert at the Pastor's Conference









School ministry










Sunday after church with Carolyn Thomas - she was a kid-magnet










Outside the medical clinic where we shared the Gospel with everyone who was treated








w/ Pastor Robert - an evangelist to Uganda











w/ my friend James. It's hard to tell, but we are covered in dust from the drive to Kaliro riding in an open laurie









John Black, myself, and Riley Sturgill leading a school ministry

Ugandan Pastors' Training Worship

This was the first day of the Pastor's Training in Bugiri District, Uganda - June 25, 2009. This is the way the pastors opened up the training time every session. Incredible! Their love for Christ and their enthusiasm for the Gospel is contagious, to say the least.

Ugandan Worship Service

This was the first day of ministry in a remote village in Bugiri District, June 25, 2009. The sound system died on the first day, but it needn't stop this team of radical Christ-followers from getting their praise on!

Uganda Recap

Finally made it back. Though I made it home on Saturday, the combination of catching up with my family, jet-lag and my brother having his little baby girl, blogging has been low on the priority list. But I'll try to do a quick bullet-list here of some of the awesome things that happened on the trip with our team of about 35 people.

• Over 1200 souls came to faith in Jesus Christ - every name was written down so that the local churches in each village can begin to do follow-up.
• Treated over 4500 people medically, ranging from cases of malaria, typhoid, syphilis, wounds of various sorts, abnormal growths and cancers, malnutrition, etc.
  
• Trained over 150 pastors in the surrounding three villages that we ministered in
• Showed the Jesus Film in each village
• Held outdoor evangelistic crusades
• Shared the Gospel with locals going hut-to-hut
  
• Shared the Gospel in about 12 schools and about 6 prisons
• My sister Joy and her friend Jillian Stewart worked with Arise Africa International to help get their first orphanage off the ground by choosing 40 orphans out of over 500 candidates from surrounding villages to be the first group of children. Joy spent 7 weeks there and said it was the hardest, yet most-rewarding time of her life.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support for this trip. It was such a refreshing time--time to get a fresh perspective on the world and what God is doing--to get my eyes off of myself for 12 days and fully immerse myself in serving other people, in a different culture, sharing the Good News of the Gospel.

My Dad leads teams every summer to this region of East Africa to spread the Gospel in these unique ways. If you'd like to be a part of a trip, please don't hesitate to contact me. It will change your life.

Let There Be Light

I found an internet cafe tonight here in Jinja and had a few extra minutes, so I thought I'd give a quick update. Ministry is going really well. The Lord is blessing in an amazing way already. We've had 3 days of village ministry, and already our medical team has treated over 2100 people ranging from cases of malaria all the way up to limbs that need amputated or weird abnormalities and growths. Many of those we have to send away with little hope for their physical ailments, but, praise God, we have the Living Water of Christ to offer them. Several hundred people have made decisions to follow Christ through one-on-one counseling in the medical clinics. Thank You, Jesus.

I am loving the opportunity to teach these awesome Ugandan pastors. They soak it up like sponges. They are eager to learn more and more of the Word of God. Most of them have had absolutely no formal Bible training, so they eat it up. It's humbling, to say the least, to have this opportunity. I have learned far more from them and their example of faithfulness to God in the midst of great trials, than they have learned from me, for sure.

Please continue to pray for our team as we minister here. We have 3 more full days of ministry in the villages, and then we'll be heading home. There is so much darkness here, but the light of Christ is penetrating. One of my interpreters told me yesterday some disturbing news. He said that human sacrifices are on the rise here in Uganda. Children are going missing. Village people will pay up to 300 thousand shillings to a witch doctor to make a human sacrifice. It's a superstition rooted in the occult and has its nasty hold on much of this culture. They believe that prosperity will not come to their village or their home unless blood is shed. He told me of a recent case here in Jinja of a rich man who was building a large house. He took a young girl and lowered her down into a large hole under the foundation of the house and then buried her in cement. This is happening in 2009. So please pray that the light of Christ will penetrate this dark area. These are people who need the hope of Christ. May we share it boldly.

18-Year Old

When I talked to Josh this afternoon he was exhausted from the work today, but it was a VERY fruitful day!  He was able to lead an 18-year old to the Lord.  He told Josh he was in a dilemma because if he chose to accept Jesus Christ in his life he was choosing Christ over his family.  He knew he would be disowned by his parents and they would no longer pay for his schooling.  But Praise the Lord for the choice he made.  Pray for him as he starts this new life and for his family to see Christ in him!

The kids and I have had a GREAT relaxing last couple of days with our friends in the Raleigh/Durham area.  Thank you again for all your encouraging e-mails and calls.  They mean the world to us=)

Quick Update

I just talked to Josh on the phone for a few minutes and he is doing well.  They just finished their first day of ministry and will be back in the same village tomorrow.  They saw about 700 people in the clinic on this first day alone and Joy, his sister, has been leading up the school ministry.

Josh said he has really found his niche working with/teaching/mentoring those Ugandan pastors.  He said that they just soak up everything he tells them and that they are SO eager to learn.

Thank you everyone who has called to check on me and the kids and for all of the prayers for Josh and the team as well!  We couldn't do this without you all!

Uganda '09 Here We Go

Heading off to Uganda this afternoon. I'll catch up with the rest of the team in D.C. tonight and then we'll be on our way. Pray for us. Pray for my family. Pray that the Lord will give us a harvest of souls and that these young village churches will raise up an army for the kingdom of God. Why should the devil have all the armies? Why should he be allowed to take young children in the North and turn them into indoctrinated, blood-thirsty soldiers and completely rob them of their childhood? Pray that the domain of darkness that controls Uganda and Sudan and neighboring countries will be utterly broken and that the light of Christ will radically transform East Africa.

Check back here often for updates. Even if I can't post on the field, I'll try to have Tasha making some updates for me.

Godfrey's Wall

The year before I was married to Tasha, I spent the summer in Uganda, Africa. My brother Smooth and I stayed with the Wanamitsa family for 3 months as we assisted the ministry of Arise Africa International. Godfrey Wanamitsa is the director of Arise, a non-governement mission organization consisting of Ugandan nationals committed to reaching their country with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. My dad's ministry has partnered with Arise over the past 12 years sending a team of doctors, nurses and pastors every summer to assist with the enormous task of reaching the villages of Uganda with physical and spiritual help.

The Wanamitsas are an amazing family. They are Ugandan nationals who have answered God's call to reach their nation for Jesus Christ. They have given their lives to that task. I was privileged to stay in their home for 3 months. Their children practically became my own.

This past week, we received word that the Wanamitsa's home was invaded by thieves. The entire family, including their small children, were held at gunpoint as the invaders made off with every possible item of value including an undisclosed amount of money. No one was seriously injured, but as you can imagine, the family has been forever traumatized and scarred by such an incident. Godfrey's wife, Joy, and the children are losing sleep over this terrorizing event and are continually fearful for their lives.

Doubtless this incident could have been prevented or at least hindered had a concrete wall and iron gate been constructed around their property as is the custom of the more elite African families. Unfortunately, the Wanamitsas were without this safeguard. Our ministry is requesting immediate financial assistance for the construction of a wall and gate around the Wanamitsa house to prevent any further tragedies from taking place.

The cost of this will likely be in the thousands of dollars. If you can sacrificially give to this cause, we would be grateful. The Wanamitsa family would be grateful. The children of God rising up in Uganda and the hundreds of souls coming to know Him because of the Wanamitsa family will be grateful.

Send your contributions to: Rick Via Ministries, P.O. Box 582, Blue Ridge, VA, 24064. Earmark "Godfrey's Wall."

May God bless you as you consider a sacrificial gift. And please pray for the Wanamitsa family that the Lord will bring peace and assurance of His providential hand in their lives.

Allergic Reactions or Velcro is Godly

It's pretty hard to think straight when your kid is filling your entire house with the shrillest screams ever to belt forth from the deepest bosom of a six month old. That's what's been happening around the Via house from about 6:30 tonight until 9:30.

Zeke has the flu. Not fun for anyone. The doctor put him on Amoxicillin tonight for the first time and I think he's having an allergic reaction to it. Inconsolable crying by the child makes for incoherent thinking and unprocessable (?) babbling for the parents. As a parent, or for anyone for that matter, it's hard to take. You always want your kids to be happy, healthy, hardy, and hairy. Well, maybe not the latter. You always want them to be enjoying the most out of life - i.e. to get the most use out of that 2-day old pampers swaddler (velcro tabs are a wonderful thing) - to get the most out of the month-old french fries gleefully discovered in hidden crevices of the carseat.

And so, when they're sick, life is not fun. Life is bad. Life is loud.

I wish I could get inside their little minds and figure out exactly what it is that's going on, because they can't communicate it yet. They want to. They try to. But they can't.

Hanging on the wall of our office is a beautiful painting of Africa. Superimposed over the continent are two young African children with swollen bellies and tired, distressed faces. Off to the side are written these words from Psalm 10:17-18

17 You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted;
you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,

18 defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.

The shrieking, shrill cries of God's children always bothers Him. He hears them. He comes to their rescue. He knows what's going on inside of them even when they don't know quite how to communicate it. He loves to come to their defense from wicked men. He loves when they put their trust in Him. He loves when young men from the Dinka tribe of Sudan flee South from the LRA as refugees to Uganda providentially to be put in the path of a white man from Virginia who preaches the Gospel on the side of a basketball court and they put their faith in the only One who can heal all oppression (This happened to me and my dad last December in Uganda).

So, the next time I hear my children cry, I hope that I stop and recount the way God is moving and working around the world, hearing the cries of His children and coming to their defense. I hope that you'll stop and recount how God has come to Your defense, and then thank Him.

And pray for little Zeke. He'll make it. Pray for Tasha more. Especially when I'm gone during the day. More importantly, pray for the oppressed and afflicted people around the world that God the Father is drawing to Himself.

You Smell

It's a scientific fact that we smell like the things with which we keep company. At least, if it's not it should be. Every lost traveler who has ever stopped in at the Quickie Mart for directions knows this is true. Every Starbucks morning junkie will tell you this is a fact. Well, if they don't, their friends can tell you. What denotes the worthiness of each smell though?

To some the Starbucks smell ranks right up there with the local landfill and the Quickie Mart next to God's bakery. The first few times I went to Uganda, Africa, I came really close to vomiting because the smells were so potent. It was the smell of 50 Ugandans crammed with me in a 12 passenger van, all of whom had probably never used deoderant, not because they didn't want to, but because it would require about a week's worth of pay. But this last time that I traveled there, something changed in my perception of the stench. Because my heart was finally in tune with their drive.

Being in a van with stinky Ugandans whose hearts are totally devoted to Jesus Christ and who have given their lives to His kingdom work in spite of political unrest, economic disaster and religious persecution changes the way you smell things.

I love how Paul put it in 2 Corinthians 2:14-16, "But thanks be to God who always puts us on display in Christ and spreads through us in every place the scent of knowing Him. For to God we are the fragrance of Christ among those who are perishing. To some we are a scent of death leading to death, but to others, a scent of life leading to life."

Why does the world so often hate us as followers of Christ when we carry the very scent of Christ? Because they don't understand that smell. To them it is a stench worthy of nothing more than to be thrown out with filth and rotting vermin. BUT, to the 3000 souls that come to Christ every summer in Uganda, Africa with my dad's ministry, they are "a scent of life, leading to life."
.josh.